What to do when you love the name?

jjohnson6

Here is my story. We were not going to find out the sex of our baby, but HE ended up kicking his legs during the ultrasound and we found out it is a BOY. We had a girls name picked - Amelia May (may is my middle name and has been passed down from others too) My husband's cousin and his wife are expecting their 4th child - they have 3 girls and are hoping for a boy(not finding out). When we saw them and we told them we were pregnant they told us they had just found out they were pregnant too and if it is a boy they are naming him Jackson. They are 1 month behind us.

Here is the problem - after lists and lists of names the only name that really gets us both is Jackson John. John has been passed from my husband and his father. We both love the name Jack - But you can't name him Jack John because Jack is a NN of John - that is how we had come up with Jackson. I really wish they would be ahead of us and not behind. 

 What would you do?

dana1318a

I would not say anything until they find out.  Maybe they're having a girl anyway.  If they're having a boy, then IDK I guess it depends on how close you are with your husand's cousin & his wife.  I think if you're pretty close it has the potential to be a little weird.

KeriMichaelMarie

Tell then that you are using that name, then use it. It's very popular so it wont look like you are copying them and telling them lets them decide if they will still use it or come up with another one. If you love it then use it.

Mrs.N.H.

Why don't you just use John as the first name and call him Jack?

jjohnson6

My husband is john jr. so we want him to not be a third

 

It's so difficult to find a name!! we are not planning on saying the name once we decide. 

BlueRidge8

I think just about every other little boy is named Jackson now, so I doubt it will seem weird to have (potentially) two in the family.

 

HannahO28

Personally--I wouldn't use it. There are millions of names out there. I'm sure you can find another one that you both love. I just think that using a name a family member told you that they were going to use can lead to a lot of drama. Especially if they're not going to find out that you're using it until a month before their baby is born.

jjohnson6

I agree with you! I just hate how we keep coming back to Jack/ Jackson

 

we do have a list of 15 names we like, but none we BOTH love. 

mrs.k 07

BlueRidge8:

I think just about every other little boy is named Jackson now, so I doubt it will seem weird to have (potentially) two in the family.

 

I think it depends on the area where you live. We named DS Jackson because  it was the only name we could agree on & I haven't met another boy named Jackson in our area.

 OP - I think it's hard since they aren't finding out. They can't "claim" a name if they don't even know they're having a boy. That said, if you love the name why not use it? 

wittyschaffy

meh - I think it depends on how close you are with the cousins.  Babies came up in a conversation between my Mom and Grandma.  (I have a cousin who is expecting a boy here in the next month)  My mom mentioned that DH and I sorta liked the name Max because of family on both sides having it.  Grandma said that cousin was considering that for their soon to be son.  If they do use it, it isn't going to stop me from using it if DH and I ever have a son because the likelyhood of them ever really spending time together is next to zero.

alliejo725

Why don't you name him John?

Jack is a NN for John, after all. You could call him Jack if you wanted. Not to mention, Jackson's extraordinary trendiness is making it dull; John is a classic and is highly underused and underappreciated nowadays.

Like PPs said, YH's cousin and his wife don't know if they're having a boy yet. But if your family is close (which it seems to be...), would you still want to use Jackson, even if they have a girl? If they're the kind of people who wouldn't care, that's one thing. But if they're on their fourth pregnancy after three girls, chances are they'll be jealous enough of you having a son; how much worse will you make it if you give him the name they told you that they chose?

I know, most people will say no one owns a name. And that's true. You have just as much of a right to it as they do. Yada yada yada. But the bottom line is, if it's going to cause tension in your family either way, why not skip the drama and find something else?

TripMomma

HannahO28:

Personally--I wouldn't use it. There are millions of names out there. I'm sure you can find another one that you both love. I just think that using a name a family member told you that they were going to use can lead to a lot of drama. Especially if they're not going to find out that you're using it until a month before their baby is born.

I agree....not worth the drama.

inque223

Almost everyone I know has been naming their boys Jackson (or some variation) 5 different friend/family so far this year, none of them know each other ...it has become very popular so I don't think it will be an issue.

KD+BC

Why not name your son Jack? Like you said, Jack is a nn for John. He won't be a III because his name won't be John but it still honors the tradition.

tmac1022

jjohnson6:

My husband is john jr. so we want him to not be a third

 

It's so difficult to find a name!! we are not planning on saying the name once we decide. 

Your son will only be a third if his middle name is the same as your husbands.