Hi ladies,
Ok, here is my latest question for you all.
My husband and I are debating the name of our soon to be daughter (due Nov.), and we both like the name Abigail. (we have a few others in back up position, but this one keeps coming up as a favorite).
Here is the problem. About 9 years ago I dated someone else (obviously before my husband) and he and I had adopted a dog named Abigail (aka Abby) ***NOTE we didn't name her that, she came with the name. When this guy and I broke up, I kept the dog. I still had the dog when I met my husband, and shortly before he and I moved in together (we'd been together for about 9 months) I gave the dog back to my ex (he lived in CO in the mountains - I lived in a basement apartment in St. Paul and it was time for the dog to go).
My husband knew my dog well since I'd had her for the 9+months that we'd been dating before I got rid of her, and so did my entire family as well as my husbands family (we took her to the lake a few times before I got rid of her).
Is it odd to consider this as a potential name for our child? It seems odd to me, but not so much to my husband. Would our families think it was strange, since they all know I had the dog named Abby?
What are your thoughts :)
Thanks! As always, I appreciate your sound advice.
J.
Thanks for all your input! I'd rather ask you all than start the conversation with my parents or husbands parents. We like to keep our names to ourselves until after baby comes, so your my bouncing board :) I think we'll keep Abigail in the list, but move it down some. Like I said, it seems weird to me, and I do have names I like better, but my husband keeps bringing it up as a name we both like (which is true - and he isn't thrilled with some of the ones at the top of my list).
Thanks again,
J.
My opinion is, who cares what other people think of her name. Go with what you and her dad like best. Anyway, after a few weeks people will forget all about the dog having the same name.
We waited til my son was born to name him. I'm glad we did b/c we went totally off the list of the 15 possible names we were considering -- none of them fit.
If it is odd to you, then consider one of your back-up names and maybe choose Abigail as a middle name. It's hard to know if your families will think it is odd. They might not even care. Run it by a close family member if you really are concerned and have them keep it hush-hush if you still want to name baby Abigail.
J. M
I am biased because I love the name Abigail/Abby. Our younger son was going to be Abigail/Abby if he had been a girl. I personally think that if you name your daughter Abigail after a short period of time she will "own" the name and you and your family will forget that it was a dog's name, but you have to go with your gut. If it feels weird to you then it might be best to consider another name. Congratulations!
J.,
Name your baby whatever you want. Who cares what other people think about the name. This is a decision between you and your husband, no one else.
D.
If Abigail keeps coming up as "thee name", then chances are that it's the right name for your baby (same thing happened to us with the name Lily-just seemed right from the very beginning and my daughter is totally a Lily). It may seem weird to you, but memories of pets, especially when they don't belong to us, quickly get forgotten. I can't recall a single pet's name that one of my four older sisters' families have owned. Your family has likely forgotten your dog's name and even if they do recall it, it will be in passing. Abigail is a cute name and if it's what you want and what seems right, then go ahead with it and stop worrying what others think. They'll love your daughter so much that they be too busy adoring her to think about your former pet.
Given the story I don't think it's strange at all. You nor your ex chose the dog's name, so it's not like a decision the two of you made together and it IS a decision you can make with your husband.
:)
Since everybody knew your dog I might want to consider another name. People may tell her she was named after a dog or something too. In which case she can tell the to stuff it:)
My x-boyfriend thought I looked like a Sarah and would call me it every so often. It was weird but whatever. We named our child Sarah and I asked my husband his opinion after tellign him my story and he was fine with it. Nobody knew about my nickname in the family though.
I would see what your family thinks about it too. It's your decision in the end and if you like it go with it but if it kind of troubles you or you're hesitating then I'd skip it.
I think it's a little odd. What if your daughter grows up thinking you named her after the dog, yk? Abigail is a *very* pretty name, but I personally would not name a child a name I'd already known a beloved pet by, and since you owned Abby with an ex I'd feel strange about that I think. I mean, in discussing naming the daughter you are your husband have made, your ex is in the conversation here. That just feels not quite right. I'm not saying you are still emotionally tied to your ex or *anything* like that. I just know this is about you and your husband and a new baby and I think a fresh name is in order. My 2 cents anyway.
Good luck! I know choosing names is HARD! :)
I think it all boils down to this: When you say "Abby", what is your first thought? Is it your daughter or your dog? Or does it remind you of your ex? If you think of a little girl, then it'll be fine. But I would have reservations if I thought of a dog or my ex. Chances are that you'll only think of your daughter after time, but for me, I would be reminded of the past. Good Luck with this one!
If you love the name then use it! Abby is lovely-Classic. I have a friend whose child has the same name as a cat she'd had a few years before and while I never brought it up, it seemed kinda tee-hee funny at first. But, until I read your question, I realized I never never think of that connection when I see her baby.
Do what you and your husband want. It sounds like it's been years since the dog was around. Most people will have forgotten, or will soon after they meet your daughter. A rule of mine - Don't ask family for advice on baby names, they all will have an opinion before the baby is here. Once she's here and has a name, they'll keep quiet (mostly).
A friend of mine had a pet rabbit named Ellie. Their daughter is now named Eleanor (Ellie). Each person who knew the connection probably had an opinion about it at first, but it doesn't last after you get to know the beatiful baby.
I wouldn't consider a name that was the same as my pets name. For most people your pet is part of the family, like a child. If something happened to a child would you re-use the name? Actually people did that in Colonial times.
Also, you don't want her thinking she was named after a dog. I didn't even consider names of other people's pets because I associate those names as a cat or dog name.
The family will freak out..so get ready to hear about it til death do you part. I had something similar happen to me. We used to run an AKC kennel, and kept a puppy from one of our litters of Labs. We originally named him Thor, but he wouldn't respond to the name. So we began testing all kinds of names to see if he'd come to any of them. We tried, Bowser, Rooky, Thor, and more. But when he heard "Mike" he'd come running. He'd bark with glee. He'd do tricks, no joke. So "Mike" it was.
Coincidentally, a close family friend, who happened to adopt two puppies from the same litter, lost a dear friend to illness that week, and the deceased name happend to be "Michael." We thought calling the dog Mike wasn't quite the same as calling him "Michael" but to the friend it was. The friend was actually annoyed..but our new puppy wouldn't come for anything else. The friend is dealing with it, but when ever they get the chance, they make nasty remarks about us giving the dog a "person's name." Interestingly, they named their puppies "people names" too.
I like Isabella, Chloe, Beryl, Gianna, Katarina, Elsbeth (not a typo- just an old english version of Elizabeth)Ava, Kealy, Emma, and Theresa.
I don't think it's weird. My daughter is Molly, and i kid you not I know eight different people that have named their dogs MOLLY! I don't care though. The name suits her perfect! I have a very close girl friend named Abigail, and I love the name! Try the name out on people in your family though. They will probably think it's cute! If your husband likes it and wants it too that is really all that matters. I would think if anyone was going to have a problem with it it would be him since it was a special name to you and your ex. Sounds like he is a pretty secure guy though:) Take care and congrats on your family!
Abigail is a lovely name! And the spirit and energy of your daughter will very quickly eclipse any connection your family makes with a dog you once had - even if in the very beginning they think it is a little strange and tease you about it. The dog will soon be forgotten and your daughter will "own" the name. At the same time, I'd be sure to tell her when she is little that once you adopted a puppy whose first owner named her Abby, and that you loved the name so much that you decided that if you ever had a girl that'd be the name you'd chose. Kids love puppies, and she'll probably think it's neat.
Abby was your first child. I guess you wasted your favorite name on a dog :) I wouldn't use it. I always feel awkward when I meet someone named Maya, because that's my dog's name. Abby is a cute name, but if you feel at all weird about it, you will always feel weird about it, and your daughter deserves better than that. Good luck, November is still far away, you've got time :)
