What's your opinion on naming your son/daughter the same name as your mother, father, etc?

What's your opinion on naming your son/daughter the same name as your mother, father, etc? I find it lazy and terrible. It lacks creativity.

What's your opinion on naming your son/daughter the same name as your mother, father, etc?
Sometimes it's tradition, and sometimes it's to honor the deceased.
Reply:in greece it's a tradition to name kids after their grandparents. It goes like that:





first son : father's father


second son : mother's father


first daughter : father's mother


second daughter : mother's mother


other child : parents choice





Not everyone does that but most families do. Some actually join the names of the two grandparents to one child.





btw in my family it goes through generations and all the males names are are the same from Grandad to grandson
Reply:It's tradition in many cultures. I'm of Irish descent and the common naming trend was/is (?)





first-born son: named for paternal grandfather


second-born son: named for maternal grandfather


first-born daughter: named for paternal grandmother


second-born daughter: named for maternal grandmother


subsequent children: named per parents' choice





Much of this has given way but the first-born son ritual is still viable. In my family, my grandmother was not close to her family and didn't want her 2nd son named for her father. By tradition, she was overruled. She never called my uncle by his given name but used a nn of her choice.





"...lazy and terrible. It lacks creativity."


NO, I feel you're wrong here. It's a tradition to honor the past, wonderful relatives, and such. It makes much more sense than being "creative" and "unique" and coming up with monstrosities as calling a child Feldspar or Phranque.
Reply:This happened twice on my dad's side of the family. It's a tradition. I actually find it rather innovative to name the daughter after the mother. You see dad and son having the same name often, but not mother/daughter. So, kudos to them.





I, personally, wouldn't name any of my children after me or the father. I am a baby name lover, and would want to pick out something new.





Another idea, which I have seen, is to use a variation of a name. Such as, a mom named Elizabeth uses Eliza for her daughter. And a dad named Alexander uses Xander for their son. I think this is pretty cool.
Reply:My father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather all have the same name. My great-grandfather was junior, grandfather was the III (3rd) and my dad is known as IV (4th). I think that is nice in a sense. The name is not a very common name either. Plus my dad, grandad, and great-grandpa were all in the military, so it shows a lineage in there. And since my dad is the only one alive now, it can honor my deceased relatives as well.


In general, I think it okay to name someone after a family member if it was tradition or if there is nicknames used for it. Like if you and your father were both named Joseph, your mom might call your dad Joe, and you Joey or just Joseph. Also if this has gone back for generations, like my family.


Another thing you could always do is change the name a little, to still honor a relative, but not copy their name, like how my mom was named, and how I have the same middle name as my mom and grandma. For example, if your grandmother's name is Kathryn, you could name your daughter Kaitlyn. Or if their name was Lucas, you could name your daughter, Lucille or Lucy. You can still honor a family member, just changing the name a little to make it different.





Hope this helps :D
Reply:In some cases it holds importance. My sister was named after my mom, but that was because she was born so early with so many complications no one thought she would live. They never really named her and the nurses just called her "little Mary" and my mom was "big Mary". The name stuck! My sister survived and to this day is still known as little Mary, lol.


When I was pregnant with my first we found out it was a BOY! From the start my husband was adamant he wanted his first son named after him. I was like, no way, I am not naming my son Alfred! He was so insistent and it was so important to him I finally gave in. To avoid confusion we call my son by his middle name Scott which apparently is pretty common. The name goes back for generations in my husbands family. I feel holding names in the family is actually important and holds great value, not lazy or terrible at all! For 4 generations on my side the middle name Noell has been used for girls and I used it for my second child, a girl. I get compliments all the time on how pretty it is!
Reply:Personally, I would rather give my child his or her own name so that they have their own identiy. I know a guy who was named after his father, but he was so much more like his mother (didn't look a thing like his dad) and he always felt that he didn't meet his father's expectations. BUT - it is also considered an honor to be named after a family member which the child could feel proud of.. so I see both sides.
Reply:Not nice.. happened to my mom.. but it was her stepmom who had the same name as my mom.. so my granddad called them by the same name and if he meant his wife he said.. xxx nr. 1 and xxx nr 2 if he meant my mom I find that horrible especially as my mom has a middle name.. he could have called her Joanna instead of by her first name which she shared with her stepmom.. her mom, Elizabeth Marie, had died at age 32 of pneumonia and her dad remarried after one year as he had 2 young children.. by coincidence his second wife had the same name as my mom.. but it's lousy to be called Nr. 1 and nr. 2 or Junior and senior for boys.. or ''Old man, and ''boy''





I think it's a little bit of arrogance if they voluntarily give the child the same name as the dad or the mom.. because they want their image to live on in their son or daughter instead of letting them be unique and individuals.. they can use their name as a middle name but i don't hold with naming a child after all the members of the family.. aunt cousins, MIL, grandmother.. that also gives the child no individulality. they can honor the dead by keeping them in their hearts and memory and the child can have an individual name. In the case of my mom.. it was unplanned and a coincidence that the stepma had the same name as my mom...and that her dad did not come up with calling one by the original name.. his wife and my mom Joanna.. that would have been better instead of calling them by numbers. Nr. 1 and Nr. 2.. Big xxx and little XXX..
Reply:I think you just trying to start arguments. I think it shows respect and that you want your child to have some of the same traits as your parents. When I have a girl her middle name is going to be the same as my mom's middle name and my middle name is the same as my grandma's middle name.
Reply:I think it's sweet to name your children after relatives for their middle names, I'm pregnant with triplets and the names I have right now are


Sophia Marie (Marie is after my grandmother)


Parker James (James is after my grandfather)


Connor Reid (Reid is after my husband's grandfather)
Reply:That depends on whether any family traditions exist. Some people are very strong on that stuff.


Our family made it a tradition to actually give a different name than any immediate family member.
Reply:Naming after parents or grandparents doesn't bother me too badly.


However, naming a child after yourself is one of my biggest pet peeves EVER!
Reply:a tribute if they are dead and atrocious if they are still alive.
Reply:Only for middle names.
Reply:I wouldn't do it myself, but it means alot or is tradition to some people