Same Names?

[snoglobel.livejournal.com]

What's your opinion of naming several children the same First and Last name, only changing the middles?

I just read a news story today about a woman who took 8 of her children out of a child welfare agency.  The story mentioned that "except for the 11-month old, all of the children are boys who share their father's first and last name, though they have different middle names."

Seven boys with pretty much the same name.  Obviously, they probably go by their middle names - but it still struck me as odd.  I've heard of this for one child,  but not for all of them...

It reminded me of the Dr. Seuss story of Mrs. McCave, who had 23 sons and named them all Dave.

Just wanted to see what your thoughts were on this naming system.  Do you have a history of using the same first/last names in your family?  Would you ever use that for more than one child per generation? 

Comments

[hikerpoet.livejournal.com]

I've never really seen/heard of it (that I knew of, if they went by their middles!) aside from the famous George Foreman thing.

I have, however, met dozens of families where the siblings names are incredibly similar--Kaylee and Jaylee, Jim and Tim, Kathy and Kassie. I guess they just like similar sounds, or like how they match (but too much in most people's opinion!). I've always guessed it might be really confusing, but I've never been rude enough to ask, lol.

[sparklymoon.livejournal.com]

I was just coming to say "George Foreman approves this post!"

[ladyjbug.livejournal.com]

My sons have different first names, but the same middle names. My husband's family has the tradition that all boys have the same middle names and all girls have the same middle names (even their dogs have matching middle names!)...so I can see how it can happpen, yes.

[snoglobel.livejournal.com]

I feel like the same middle name is totally different from the same first name. The same first name means you don't know who mail is addressed to a lot of the time, and things like that.

[coendou.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm finding that it's annoying enough having two people with the same first name... Keeping track of the insurance EOBs for all the different kids would be a nightmare!

[laminy.livejournal.com]

It's ridiculous and stupid, and if the kids are all named after a parent (which they tend to be), it's just an ego boost.

[starcrossed.livejournal.com]

James is a family name but my granddad didn't want to name his son James (my uncle, his name is Martin) because they wouldn't know who mail was addressed to!

My Nan is from a family of ten and they had similar first names (Wesley and Leslie) so my Nan's sister named Leslie actually goes by her middle name (Rita.) Selena is also a family name so the great aunt was nicknamed 'Lene and my Nan's sister who got the name Selena also went by her middle name (Jane.) Jane's granddaughter is also named Selena but she just sticks with Selena!

[thellamaqueen.livejournal.com]

I really don't like it in any capacity... even if its as simple as a father and son having the same name or something like that (which I know is very common).

This is a bit of a tangent, but I'm trying to waste time before work, so here goes: I fully understand the sentiment if wanting to name your child after somebody, but that child is his/her own, individual person and deserves to be named as such!

In my family we have Lloyd Arthur (great grandfather), Arthur Lloyd (grandfather), Kenneth Lloyd (dad), James Kenneth (cousin) and Jacob Arthur (cousin)... I'm glad the "hey, let's just switch the first and middle names around!" idea dint last past my grandpa's generation.

[schexyschteve.livejournal.com]

I think that's even worse than matching names for twins. How confusing!

[cremepuff.livejournal.com]

I knew of a family who had 8 children, all of them girls, and they were all named Mary (after the Virgin Mary). Only the middle names were different, so when speaking to them you had to say Mary Jane, Mary Ann, Mary Elizabeth, Mary Sue, etc.

[shakeycat.livejournal.com]

Mary seems one of those names often said with a second name. If any name can stick to 8 different kids, this one can. Nephra Payne less so.

[mirhanda.livejournal.com]

Is this woman married to George Foreman? Haha!

[satunian.livejournal.com]

As other people have said, I believe this is something George Foreman did, as well as something some super-Catholic people do, typically with saints' names, usually using Mary or Joseph or something and then pairing it with a different MN (I am not familiar with saints in Catholicism, please forgive me if I got anything wrong)

While it's not completely unheard of, I too think it's weird, but I am also not even a fan of naming after adults either, unless you happen to really love the name (I love the name William, and if I wound up marrying a dude named William, well then his son would probably have the same name. I got a Mike instead, so it's all good!)

[jeweledvixen.livejournal.com]

Ridiculous and unnecessarily confusing for everyone, especially the kids.

[adamantplatypus.livejournal.com]

My dad wanted to name me Kelly, despite the fact I already had an older sister named Kelly. He had an unnatural obsession with the movie Kelly's Heroes.

[mrssubee.livejournal.com]

yeah I think it's weird- my husband read me the story and was really confused- he was like...does this make sense to you? he had to read it a few times...it's overkill

[duckduckcaboose.livejournal.com]

I have a co-worker who has several men named James on one side of her family, which is even weirder because her married last name was James (she's now divorced). She was telling me one day how they all go by nicknames by Jimmy, Jim, Joe, J.R., Jem, Jamey, some go by their middles, etc. It really makes no sense to me.

[requiem-morrow.livejournal.com]

Non name related...but the authorities are looking for this woman with her eight kids and maybe the babydaddy....and they aren't sure if they are in a Suburban, a sedan, or an Infinity...hmmmm....which one of these types of vehicles might offer the most space to a minimum of nine people? I drive a four door Ford sedan and there is no way outside stacking kids like cord wood that those kids are fitting. Maybe they escaped in a clown car?