family names - WWYD?

kerrigrooves · September 2014

yes, I know there's a name board but just close the thread if you dont want to chime in.

My grandpa, father and brother are all William. My husband is also William the III (William Wesley). So as you can imagine, my life is filled with Bills and Billys (no one is called Will).

So we're having a boy, we have a girl and we're done after this one. There will be no more grandchildren in the fam. My husband hasnt pushed William for the first name and I agreed to use it for the middle name but I still feel guilty that we are stopping the family name, I know his mom will be severely disappointed...

Should I feel guilty? Would you keep William as the first name?

I just feel we're not monarchs!

MrsRoy07 · September 2014

That's a LOT of Williams, I wouldn't want to carry it on either if I were you. Ultimately, your kid your choice! Stinks if MIL will be bummed, but it's not her decision. I would never use a name JUST to carry on a tradition or keep family happy. If you loved William, then sure use it. If not, name your son what you want.

foxslaw · September 2014

My boyfriend is the fourth, but goes by his middle name Kaleb. Maybe do William as a first name & call him by his middle name?

Nvywife · September 2014

Oh that's a tough one, I personally like the name Will. We have this problem with James and Jamie's in our family. Have you asked DH how he feels about ending the line of Wills. If he doesn't want a namesake I wouldn't feel guilty at all.

jennjilljo · September 2014

If you like the name William add a first name than use it. If not and it isn't important to you or your husband than don't. You've already made the decision to honor the name as a middle name and I think that's a good way to do it if you aren't overly fond of the name.

wendy46001 · September 2014

If you are ok with the name and it's important to you DH than use it. If he doesn't care and your just ok (not thrilled) keep it as a middle.
I'm actually the third, my name dies here. Two girls (after this one) and I still won't even put it on the short list or a middle. Needless to say my mom is pissed. Oh well she'll get over it

Sahara6971 · September 2014

I say only use it if you love it. My grandma has been in tears begging me to name our baby Sandy if it's a girl or Norman if it's a boy. Sandy was my mom's name and Norman, my grandpa's. While I would love nothing more than to honor my mom and grandfather, I just can't name my kid either of those names. Instead, we are using my mom's middle name as the middle name if it's a girl.

I know someone suggested using it and having them go by the middle name. My husband and his brother were brought up that way and it was/is pretty confusing. All of his IDs, credit cards, accounts said different things on them when we met. That can be not such a good thing if you can imagine. Also, nobody knows what to call him. Is it Steven, Mark, S. Mark, Steve???

PeaceofKia · September 2014

My dad is Paul the 4th...he fought to name my brother Paul but we were like, that's enough. Middle name option is cool though.

Neesey · September 2014

Have you considered Liam as a nickname?

Sahara6971 · September 2014

Neesey said:

Have you considered Liam as a nickname?

Cute!! This is a great suggestion!

baileylove22 · September 2014

foxslaw said:
My boyfriend is the fourth, but goes by his middle name Kaleb. Maybe do William as a first name & call him by his middle name?

My husband also goes by his middle name with his first name being a family name. We were going to do the same had we had a boy.

MrsTucker2011 · September 2014

DH's family names all the boys with a J name. I was insistent that we pick something different, thankfully DH didn't care. In-laws kept asking what we were going to name DS when I was pregnant so I told them Jehoshaphat or Jiminy because all the good J names were already taken. We kept the name a surprise till DS was born so we didn't have to hear opinions. Family ended up loving his name, and it was too late to give us their opinion.

Point is, you get to name your child what you like best. They'll love your son for who he is no matter what his name is.

Dani_Love · September 2014

We have a lot of James and Christopher in our family. Most go by middle name. I would only use it if you love it. I am breaking the cycle by using Brandon.

TexasMamma0809 · September 2014

I'm a sucker for tradition names but definitely could be used in a unique way. We will use part of my dad and brothers names if it's a boy but not go by their name. Especially if you have Will or Liam nicknames I would still consider it? As a tribute to your families... But do ultimately what you are satisfied with.

acpruchnik · September 2014

Luckily my SIL and BIL broke DH's family name tradition in March so I'm hoping I don't have to hear about it when we do it. Typically, the kiddos get the first name of their Godfather, who's also an uncle.

DH is Christopher Michael, his Godfather is his Uncle Mike. My DS is Christopher Robert, his Godfather is his Uncle Bobby.

SIL and BIL named their son Jackson Robert, after they seriously forgot DS was a Robert already X( , and you'd think they'd killed someone with the way MIL responded to them not naming him after one of the uncles! It doesn't seem like anyone else in the family seemed to care, though. They all just raised an eyebrow like we did and asked if they remembered that Chris was already a Robert haha

I lucked out since my family doesn't really care what we name our kids and we're using my family names with this bubba. I'm the only one of my siblings and cousins with an unusual name so it's not like they'd have much ground to stand on if they wanted to protest anyway lol

Beth.1212 · September 2014

Name the kiddo what you want. It's nice of you to use William as a middle name. It actually might be a relief to not have another "Bill" in the mix, confusing everyone about who you mean when you say Bill or requiring the use of a nickname. I have a cousin named after his dad, and even though he's in his 30's and has kids of his own, he's still known as "Little [First Name]." I think it drives him crazy.

maltwin1 · September 2014

I'm big on family names, but even I think thats a lot of people with one name. I might compromise and have your little guy go by his middle name of your choosing.

Either that or pick a nickname you love. I know Liam has already been mentioned, but there are a few others I know of. William was our second choice boy name and we were going to use Whit as a nn.

Either way it has to feel right for you. For me, not finding some way to use William would make it seem like something was missing, but you're the one who has to live with it.

wintersong139 · September 2014

kerrigrooves said:

yes, I know there's a name board but just close the thread if you dont want to chime in.

My grandpa, father and brother are all William. My husband is also William the III (William Wesley). So as you can imagine, my life is filled with Bills and Billys (no one is called Will).

So we're having a boy, we have a girl and we're done after this one. There will be no more grandchildren in the fam. My husband hasnt pushed William for the first name and I agreed to use it for the middle name but I still feel guilty that we are stopping the family name, I know his mom will be severely disappointed...

Should I feel guilty? Would you keep William as the first name?

I just feel we're not monarchs!

William IV does sound an awful lot like a monarch. If you keep William as a middle name, it is still keeping things going!

MichaelaMTP · September 2014

On a personal note, I never wanted to name my son after his father. Why should I give my child a name just because someone else wanted it for theirs? So no, I don't think you should feel guilty. This is your child and your decision. I hope no one makes me feel guilty for your choice.

tropicbreeze · September 2014

My parents broke with "tradition" with my brother using the family name Joseph as my his middle name. I was only 3 at the time but from what I understand my Dad's parents were not too pleased but they got over it eventually understanding my parents wanted Alex to be known as his own person, not another Joseph. Good luck!

rebecca20scherrer · September 2014

A friend of mine has a son and he's the third William! His dad is billy and his grandpa was bill but the little guy is liam! Something to think about

schnitz9 · September 2014

My husband is a Jr and we were originally thinking of naming a boy richard joseph III. My hubby BFF is a 3rd and his whole family calls him "the turd". When we told his friend our idea he responded with "you know they may call your son Dick the turd?" That was the end of that idea. We then though maybe richard as the first name and then a different middle name so he wouldn't be a 3rd. Then I though about when we are in a group with my IL's and we call our Rich, 3 people are gonna turn around. It would get way too confusing. We finally decided first name would be joseph as its my FIL and DH's middle name so technically there is still a family name. I think its up to you in the end.

jennypolkadots · September 2014

If it were a name like Harold then I would nix it, but I really like William. You can call him Will or Liam. Or call him by his middle name.

DH grew up being called by his middle name with his dad's first name. He wasn't close with his dad but also hated the hassle of correcting document after document. He legally changed it when he turned 18 and was so happy he did. I think it is easier to use your first name, it's just a societal expectation in our culture.

I also don't think it would be awful to just stop the tradition. I mean it has to stop somewhere eventually. Would you expect your some William to name his son William IV?

KMommytobe · September 2014

I would do William as a first name and then just call him by his middle (your first name choice). That way the tradition lives on and you don't have to use Will/Bill/Billy etc

kerrigrooves · September 2014

thanks y'all, yeah, good point. enough is enough - I also dont want this burden for my son - if he has a son one day, to have to feel pressure to be the V!!

William for the middle name it is!

sydniew · September 2014

We have a lot of Williams in our family too. It's not my DH's name but grandpas and uncles. We are choosing to use it as the middle name to honor our family but a different first name to give our child his own identity.

Amaryllismagic · September 2014

Family names are tricky. Thank goodness my SIL has worn out the "Mary" tradition in their family so I don't even have to consider it. MIL, first SIL, and both nieces all have first name Mary. Nieces go by double names, MIL and SIL go by middle name. Funny story: the other grandmother made the comment when second niece was born "there are other family names" and then 10 years later her own daughter named her first child Mary!!

Bottom line: If you like the name, use it. If you don't, pick something you do like. A coworker told me the other day that his sister constantly complains about her child's name because she let her husband talk her into one she didn't like. The family will get over it, you have to call them whatever you pick forever!

BMoreBride6 · September 2014

Sounds like you made a decisions and I agree, it is totally up to you and no you should not feel bad. But I do think Liam is a great nickname for William that isn't used very much.

Want a personalized experience?

family names - WWYD?

Re: family names - WWYD?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards