Jackson and Jack too similar? (cousins)

EMLarie · June 2015

My SIL is set on the name Jackson and wants to call him Sonny as a nickname. At the same time, I want to name my son Jack ( just Jack).

Do you think Jackson and Jack are too similar?

Ultimately, I'm going to talk to her about it but I just wanted see what you all thought about the similarity of these two names.

MargaretC5 · June 2015

I agree with talking to her. If she was planning on calling him Jackson, than I would say they are too close, but since she I'd calling him a nickname I think it would be ok.

And I love the name Jack

VexyMommy · June 2015

How often are they around each other? I have a very loose knit immediate family and my extended family is even less close, so in my situation it would not be a problem. If the two were always together I could see where it could be potentially awkward.

There is also a baby name board under the specialty boards. They are really great at responding to stuff like this and have lots of opinions.

bbiutmcph · June 2015

Honestly both Jackson and Jack are likely to run into several others just about anywhere they go. I wouldn't use either name personally they are just so overdone.

JLW0504 · June 2015

I have a cousin who was born literally 5 days ahead of me and we are both named Jennifer. She goes by Jenny and I go by Jenn.

This is your child. Name it what you want. No one else she have any say in the matter, other than your SO.

Ceridwen77 · June 2015

I have two cousins who share the same name. Although, they are about 15yrs apart in age. I think with the nn (side question - where does the nn Sonny come from out of Jackson?) it should be fine.

mamavbs · June 2015

If you both love the name then it seems a shame that one of you would have to compromise. If she isn't going to call him jack for short, I personally wouldn't see it as a problem. they're still different names! A chat with her would probably be best, maybe try it out via text for a bit and call your bumps jack and Jackson... See how it feels. As long as you two (and the daddy's) are comfortable with it- then go for it!

thegingeravenger · June 2015

I think it comes down to how much you love the name Jack, how much you see your SIL, and if your SIL is going to go nuclear at your name (and how much of that nonsense you're willing to deal with).

I'd go ahead with it

Jack is an awesome name! And Sonny is a very interesting nickname for Jackson. Not bad, just a stretch.

EMLarie · June 2015

I don't know why she wants to call him Sonny. Maybe she wants to use the "Son" in Jackson and play on that.

VexyMommy · June 2015

EMLarie said:

I don't know why she wants to call him Sonny. Maybe she wants to use the "Son" in Jackson and play on that.

That's probably it. If I have a boy it will be William and call him Liam.

sarahsnowball · June 2015

This may be a dumb question but is your SIL pregnant too?
I think it's a good idea to let her know the name you've decided on, and that you are ok with your children having similar names, then she can choose to change hers if it bothers her.
My cousins child (also a boy) is 10 weeks older than DS. We chose DS's name mid pregnancy and we were so in love with it that we decided that we would still use it even if they did. They didn't, so it's all fine, but we felt it was important that we chose a name we loved, without worrying about extended family names. But then again I'm very stubborn!

maura+c · June 2015

bbiutmcph said:
Honestly both Jackson and Jack are likely to run into several others just about anywhere they go. I wouldn't use either name personally they are just so overdone.

My son is named Jackson and I named him this before it was "overdone." Please be aware when you post your opinions; because the name is so "overdone" that it might hurt someone's feelings when you talk about their child's name or the name they've chosen for their kiddo.

Personally, I love Jack and Jackson they are close but different names. I would speak with her about it. Also, since she's not even going to use Jackson anyway- she'll be calling him sonny (which is also adorable) I would think it would be fine- I understand your concern about her feelings though; since they will be cousins. Good luck in your name search!

bbiutmcph · June 2015

maura+c said:

Honestly both Jackson and Jack are likely to run into several others just about anywhere they go. I wouldn't use either name personally they are just so overdone.
My son is named Jackson and I named him this before it was "overdone." Please be aware when you post your opinions; because the name is so "overdone" that it might hurt someone's feelings when you talk about their child's name or the name they've chosen for their kiddo. Personally, I love Jack and Jackson they are close but different names. I would speak with her about it. Also, since she's not even going to use Jackson anyway- she'll be calling him sonny (which is also adorable) I would think it would be fine- I understand your concern about her feelings though; since they will be cousins. Good luck in your name search!

You are not the OP so yes I am allowed to say it is overdone. Had you posted about your sons name and then asked opinions it would have been rude to reply negatively. But it's completely ridiculous to assume everyone should worry about hurting someones feelings who might read a post that might contain a name they used.

edit: also when posting on a public forum for opinions that is exactly what you will get.

EMLarie · June 2015

sarahec001 said:

This may be a dumb question but is your SIL pregnant too? I think it's a good idea to let her know the name you've decided on, and that you are ok with your children having similar names, then she can choose to change hers if it bothers her. My cousins child (also a boy) is 10 weeks older than DS. We chose DS's name mid pregnancy and we were so in love with it that we decided that we would still use it even if they did. They didn't, so it's all fine, but we felt it was important that we chose a name we loved, without worrying about extended family names. But then again I'm very stubborn!

Not a dumb question! Yep, she is pregnant and due before me. The one thing is that we talked about these names before we were both pregnant and at this time, I don't even know if she is keeping that name-- so I will have to talk to her. I do like your idea about telling her that I am fine with them having similar names. I don't mind it, but I don't want her to think I'm a name stealer and hate me for life. lol.

Elyse1384 · June 2015

Oh this always drives me insane. I hope your SIL is reasonable because if you want to use the name Jack, I say go for it. My SIL had a difficult time coming up with a name for her 4th son. She asked what name I was using next (I'm going with Aiden if this LO is a boy) and when I told her she said "Oh I love that name! Do you mind if I use it?". I said of course not, but we would just have 2 Aidens in the family. No biggie to me - no one owns a baby name. She looked confused and said "You mean you would STILL use Aiden if I did?". I said "Yup! So have it at, but I'm not changing my mind!". Needless to say, she didn't name her LO Aiden, but I wouldn't have cared either way. Your baby is your baby and I am a firm believer that you should select the name that you want.

EMLarie · June 2015

VexyMommy said:

EMLarie said:

I don't know why she wants to call him Sonny. Maybe she wants to use the "Son" in Jackson and play on that.

That's probably it. If I have a boy it will be William and call him Liam.

That's a great name! And I'd be your name-stealing SIL naming her kid Will. lol.

EMLarie · June 2015

bbiutmcph said:

maura+c said:

Honestly both Jackson and Jack are likely to run into several others just about anywhere they go. I wouldn't use either name personally they are just so overdone.
My son is named Jackson and I named him this before it was "overdone." Please be aware when you post your opinions; because the name is so "overdone" that it might hurt someone's feelings when you talk about their child's name or the name they've chosen for their kiddo. Personally, I love Jack and Jackson they are close but different names. I would speak with her about it. Also, since she's not even going to use Jackson anyway- she'll be calling him sonny (which is also adorable) I would think it would be fine- I understand your concern about her feelings though; since they will be cousins. Good luck in your name search!

You are not the OP so yes I am allowed to say it is overdone. Had you posted about your sons name and then asked opinions it would have been rude to reply negatively. But it's completely ridiculous to assume everyone should worry about hurting someones feelings who might read a post that might contain a name they used.

edit: also when posting on a public forum for opinions that is exactly what you will get.

To be fair, I actually didn't ask your opinion about whether or not you liked the name. If you go back and read my original post, I asked if anyone thought the names were too similar for cousins. In no way did you answer this question. I'm not offended that you don't like my name, but to come in a thread that asks a pretty specific question and then comment the way you did was unhelpful and served no purpose (and actually offended someone else). You're right that this is a public forum and you're allowed to state your opinion if you'd like, but it seems like your motive was to either go off topic or be rude, which both can be seen as trolling. If you didn't completely read my question, then I understand, but you should try to read them in the future and contribute accordingly. If you can't contribute and be helpful, there is always the option to move on. There are plenty of places on here to discuss baby name likes and dislikes, this one just wasn't it.

bbiutmcph · June 2015

EMLarie said:

bbiutmcph said:

maura+c said:

Honestly both Jackson and Jack are likely to run into several others just about anywhere they go. I wouldn't use either name personally they are just so overdone.
My son is named Jackson and I named him this before it was "overdone." Please be aware when you post your opinions; because the name is so "overdone" that it might hurt someone's feelings when you talk about their child's name or the name they've chosen for their kiddo. Personally, I love Jack and Jackson they are close but different names. I would speak with her about it. Also, since she's not even going to use Jackson anyway- she'll be calling him sonny (which is also adorable) I would think it would be fine- I understand your concern about her feelings though; since they will be cousins. Good luck in your name search!

You are not the OP so yes I am allowed to say it is overdone. Had you posted about your sons name and then asked opinions it would have been rude to reply negatively. But it's completely ridiculous to assume everyone should worry about hurting someones feelings who might read a post that might contain a name they used.

edit: also when posting on a public forum for opinions that is exactly what you will get.

To be fair, I actually didn't ask your opinion about whether or not you liked the name. If you go back and read my original post, I asked if anyone thought the names were too similar for cousins. In no way did you answer this question. I'm not offended that you don't like my name, but to come in a thread that asks a pretty specific question and then comment the way you did was unhelpful and served no purpose (and actually offended someone else). You're right that this is a public forum and you're allowed to state your opinion if you'd like, but it seems like your motive was to either go off topic or be rude, which both can be seen as trolling. If you didn't completely read my question, then I understand, but you should try to read them in the future and contribute accordingly. If you can't contribute and be helpful, there is always the option to move on. There are plenty of places on here to discuss baby name likes and dislikes, this one just wasn't it.

You are worried it's too close for cousins. Chances are both Jackson and Jack will go by Jack lastname initial just about anywhere right now so for cousins to have the same name it's not a big deal with such a popular name, so yes I did answer your question. Again you can't dictate how people read your question and respond. I read your question and answered how I chose, that using a popular name you will always meet people with the same name. Sorry it wasn't the response you wanted BUT again you can't dictate how people respond and telling me to read in the future and contribute accordingly is basically saying respond how only I want and is ridiculous.

Laurakat81 · June 2015

Love Jack! That's what we are naming our little guy!

I think it is just fine if he's going by Sonny and your's is going by Jack. If it weren't for the nickname I'd probably think twice especially if y'all spend a lot of time together.

As for those worrying about popularity....eh, who cares?! It's a classic name. Besides if you actually look at the total number of kids with the name born each year it's not that great of a number and the odds of actually having multiple Jack's in the same classroom is pretty slim.

And on another note, OP wasn't asking about OTHER people, she was asking about a cousin. Big difference. 8-|

EMLarie · June 2015

bbiutmcph said:

To be fair, I actually didn't ask your opinion about whether or not you liked the name. If you go back and read my original post, I asked if anyone thought the names were too similar for cousins. In no way did you answer this question. I'm not offended that you don't like my name, but to come in a thread that asks a pretty specific question and then comment the way you did was unhelpful and served no purpose (and actually offended someone else). You're right that this is a public forum and you're allowed to state your opinion if you'd like, but it seems like your motive was to either go off topic or be rude, which both can be seen as trolling. If you didn't completely read my question, then I understand, but you should try to read them in the future and contribute accordingly. If you can't contribute and be helpful, there is always the option to move on. There are plenty of places on here to discuss baby name likes and dislikes, this one just wasn't it.

You are worried it's too close for cousins. Chances are both Jackson and Jack will go by Jack lastname initial just about anywhere right now so for cousins to have the same name it's not a big deal with such a popular name, so yes I did answer your question. Again you can't dictate how people read your question and respond. I read your question and answered how I chose, that using a popular name you will always meet people with the same name. Sorry it wasn't the response you wanted BUT again you can't dictate how people respond and telling me to read in the future and contribute accordingly is basically saying respond how only I want and is ridiculous.

It is not unreasonable to ask a specific question and want people to answer it. I hardly think that is me dictating to you how you need to respond. Respond how you'd like, but I can also do the same. It has nothing to do with whether I like your comment or not. I am beginning to think that the names that my SIL and I chose are going to be ok because some people made some good points on here. Some other people said they were too close and that it would be awkward-- which is not something I agree with now, but that doesn't mean I don't "like" how they answered my question. I appreciate all of these ladies' input, whether or not I agree with it.

Your first post was different though because it seemed like either you didn't read my question (hence me suggesting what I did about reading them in the future) or you were trying to get a rise out of others, which ended up happening with another user. And I did not see how you answered my question. I read it many times. With that said, now that you've explained what you meant a little more about popularity, I can see where you are coming from. If the names we chose were extremely unique, yet similar, it would matter more than a name that is considered more common. I get what you mean now.

Elyse1384 · June 2015

Laurakat81 said:

Love Jack! That's what we are naming our little guy!

I think it is just fine if he's going by Sonny and your's is going by Jack. If it weren't for the nickname I'd probably think twice especially if y'all spend a lot of time together.

As for those worrying about popularity....eh, who cares?! It's a classic name. Besides if you actually look at the total number of kids with the name born each year it's not that great of a number and the odds of actually having multiple Jack's in the same classroom is pretty slim.

And on another note, OP wasn't asking about OTHER people, she was asking about a cousin. Big difference. 8-|

OK completely off topic, but every time I see your sig with your LO in that adorable little lady bug outfit I just melt a little. Damn you for getting me distracted in my quest for amazingly topical memes and animated gifs for use in thread responses. Now I don't even remember what thread I am on.

namastelp · June 2015

Jack is traditionally a nickname for John.. You could name him John and call him jack?
Or just stick w jack
If she's thinking they'll call him Sonny, it may never be an issue for you. If the family calls one Jack and one sonny .. There will be little confusion

EMLarie · June 2015

namastelp said:

Jack is traditionally a nickname for John.. You could name him John and call him jack? Or just stick w jack If she's thinking they'll call him Sonny, it may never be an issue for you. If the family calls one Jack and one sonny .. There will be little confusion

That's a good idea! However, I have another SIL who has a son named John. Ha!

mamavbs · June 2015

Honestly, If my brother, sister, or BIL wanted to use the same name as us, I just wouldn't care. It would be so unfair for one of you to miss out on the name you love just for that reason. It's only going to be an issue when you're altogether (is that much? Or often?) and tbh you'll probably end up with big jack and little jack- with the eldest being big jack. To your child and husband etc, you can call him. "Cousin jack/Jackson" and your SIL can do the same about your son.

At school I had 5 friends called Francesca and 4 charlottes! It was never weird or awkward, as they grew up they all ended up with different nicknames anyway. I say go for it. And don't worry about popularity either, no one knows what will happen with name fashions. All these "unique" names could become very common!

elbou · June 2015

We had a very similar issue when DD2 was born. My oldest is named after my grandma, and when we decided that, DH said that if we have another daughter, he would like her to be named after his grandma. It was a lovely name, so I had no problem with that. When I was expecting her, we found out that DH's sister was also expecting and due very close to me. She had always wanted to name a daughter after her grandma as well, but ended up with twin boys. When she found out she was having twins, they decided their family was done growing and opted to name one of the boys the male version of the name instead. So we now have a Gabriel and a Gabrielle who are born about 7 weeks apart.

I was worried it would be too similar and confusing, but it has been fine. We've just learned to be very precise with our pronunciation, haha! In your case, the nicknames will help a lot. I say go for it!

ASalton1 · June 2015

Honestly, I think they are too close, but I would talk to her about it to see how set she is on the name, especially if she is going to call the baby something completely different than the original name. I won't name my child anything with an R or an A because my fiancé has two kids from a previous marriage named with those two letters.

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