Reusing names?

Sunflower730 · November 2009

I'm sorry if this has been asked, I try to lurk on this board.

Both Mine & MH familys are pretty big with brothers and sisters, neices & Nephews who have kids of thier own. I would say 85% of the families are made up of boys.

Are thouse names off limit? Like I love the name Nicholas, but have cousin named Nicholas. I don't know what the rule is in if a name has been used can you use it again.. if so our name pool if going to get very small.

Thanks girls for your input.

sunnyday016 · November 2009

To me it totally depends on your relationship with these relatives. If it's someone you only see a few times a year or less then I'd say you can reuse the name without an issue. But if it's family you see pretty often, then I'd say no.

krissyh21 · November 2009

If you want to use it. use it. No one owns naming rights.

SBma · November 2009

I don't think they're off limits. I haven't seen my cousins in 17 years, so I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be a problem.

FutureMrs.Steen · November 2009

I wouldn't use a name that was in my family. There are so many names to choose from.

MrsRichardson915 · November 2009

I wouldn't use it if someone just named their baby the name you are thinking of. But if the person with that name is older, I'd go for it. For instance, one of my cousins named his daughters Hannah, Abigail, Claire and Ella. All beautiful names that I would use...because the youngest is already 6. I would think my cousin would feel honored that I liked the name. On the other side, I have a cousin who just named her baby Noah about two months ago, so that came off our list.

ubermoose · November 2009

I haven't seen my cousins in forever, so to me, it's not a big deal. Also, I think the more relatively common a name is, the more open-source it is. If your cousin was Engelbert, I think everyone would assume you named your child for your cousin. But if it's Nicholas, I think you can simply say "we simply really liked the name".

ValentineBB · November 2009

sunnyday016:
To me it totally depends on your relationship with these relatives. If it's someone you only see a few times a year or less then I'd say you can reuse the name without an issue. But if it's family you see pretty often, then I'd say no.

This.

future_mrs.lambdin · November 2009

It would depend on how close they were to you. If they were distant cousins that you have never met then go for it. If it's someone closer to you ask how they feel about it.

karakel · November 2009

IMO no one "owns" a name, so if you like a name you should name your child that regardless. Some things to consider with family would be how often you see them, what your relationship is with them, would it cause a problem amongst the family if you used the same name. Most families end up recycling names at some point, so I wouldn't worry about it.

babyevans1 · November 2009

I agree, if you don't or haven't seen these family members on a regular basis it's probably okay. However, personally I wouldn't simply because it seems to lack individuality. Maybe use Nicholas as a middle name instead so there's no confusion doing family gatherings. On a side note, my brother's name is Nicholas and though he's 19 now, he's still a holy terror lol. GL.