Name the Same as Relatives?

Updated on May 22, 2009
V.W. asks from Safford, AZ
40 answers

Hiya Mommies-

I have kinda a weird question. When I was pregnant with my first, my husband and I were both hoping for a boy and planned to name it Cameron. I have a cousin (that we very rarely see) that has that name, but both of us really liked the name so we didn't really care. We ended up having a girl and named her something else, saving the name for a boy if we had one later. Shortly after she was born, ANOTHER cousin of mine had a baby boy and named HIM Cameron (unaware that we had the name picked out for a boy if we were to have one). Now, I am pregnant again with a boy this time and we have tried to find another name (that has to start with C) that we both like and have been unsuccessful. We each have an alternate name that is our #2 choice but we don't like the others' #2 choice very much (make sense?). So, my question is, since we don't see either of those other Camerons very much should we just name him that anyway since we already had it picked out before? My initial reaction was NO WAY! but I'm reconsidering because we can't settle another name (after countless hours of searching...my hubby is really picky and the one name HE likes is a VERY common, trendy name (Caden) right now and I don't want the poor kid to have 5 other kids with the same name in his class at school...I don't know any with the name, but it's been in the top 5 on the name list the past few years and everyone I know knows of at least a few Cadens. Thanks for your advice!

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So What Happened?

I originally had decided to just go with Caden, just give in and let the hubby win one. He had already been calling him Caden for awhile while I was pregnant, but a couple days before my scheduled c-section, I decided to bring up the discussion one more time and he said that he would be fine with Cameron...after all, that's what we wanted in the first place. So we thought about it until we met him and then decided he'd be Cameron. It took a couple of days to get used to him being Cameron, not Caden, but the name fits and we're both happy. Thank you all for your input!

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T.N.

answers from Phoenix on

I say name the baby what you want to name him. No one owns the name, and I personally don't get it when people care. People admire my daughter's name and sometimes ask if I'd care if they use it and I say go ahead (Kylynn). I consider it flattering!

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J.O.

answers from Tucson on

Hi there V.

What about a compromise Cameryn?

Just a little bit different. Or alternatively Kameron.

J.

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C.E.

answers from Las Cruces on

I have 2 cousins who have daughters with the same name as mine. I wouldn't worry about it. If Cameron is the name that fits, then go for it. It's not a big deal.

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S.E.

answers from Phoenix on

If you don't see the other cousins, it should be ok. Would they have different middle and last names?

My 18yo is Cooper. That's a great solid C name :)

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A.D.

answers from Tucson on

As the Mom of a very lovable Cameron, go for it! Its a strong name, currently not overused and has fun nicknames. You will see your Cameron daily! The only other Cameron he had in class once was a Camryn (girl) I agree about the Caden, although its nice its in vogue. We had a neighbor name her son Canyon. Just thought I would throw in a different C name, though I vote for Cameron. Ours is a feisty 7 year old who told the big kids on the bus that who were harassing him it was a free country and he could sit where he wanted. Love it! A.

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D.D.

answers from Phoenix on

Do you and your husband LOVE the name Cameron? if the answer is YES, then his name is Cameron. :)

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B.B.

answers from Tucson on

I agree with the rest of the ladies, if you want to name your child Cameron, don't worry about who else has that name. It might sound kind of odd, but I think that sometimes our children know the name they want. With one of my kids we had come up with a name and then on the way to the hospital I kind of panicked with the thought that it wasn't the right name. I think that child just wanted a different name and was VERY insitant about it. Anyway, just listen to your own gut and name your child what ever you feel like. (just in case, a couple more c names for you- Cashten, Canneton, Chase) Good luck & trust your instinct.

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K.H.

answers from Albuquerque on

Not long after my son was born, another cousin named their son the same name. Recently another second cousin asked me if it would bother me, if she named her new boy on the way Nathan. The first time I wasn't asked but it didn't bother me much. It did bother a few other cousins. My son is 27 now and we have never been able to visit the other Nathan. It was a little confusing for my Grandmother though. The Nathans' were her great grandchildren, close in age and now she has a great great that is Nathan. We just used the first and middle names while talking to her so she would know who we where talking about. On the third Nathan, I told my cousin that I was touched that she asked me, but name her baby Nathan. It is a wonderful name, I love it! And I will not have any trouble remembering her boy's name!

In my family,(with lots of cousins), we also have two Matthews', two Williams', two Ericks', two Bradens', two Johns', three Raymonds', three Edwards, two Katherns, two Elizabeth Anns', and two Daniels'! I don't think it has ever been a problem.

You might want to ask the other cousins if it would bother them. Tell them you have had Cameron picked out for some time.
If all the Camerons' are ever together, you can go by ages, Big Cameron, Middle Cameron, and little or younger Cameron (Yours). You could also (help the Grandmothers) make sure the middle names are not the same and use them. We actually know a few Camerons' and only one Caden. If your family is large, same names are pretty inevitable.

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B.R.

answers from Phoenix on

Name him Cameron. If both of you like it, it is the name your son should have.

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W.W.

answers from Tucson on

If you choose to name your son Cameron that is your choice. I dont really see the problem since the other Camerons aren't close. Caden is also a cute name. I dont know if you considered the name Chance at all but that is my sons name he is almost 13 and I dont know of many Chance's out there. Just a thought. But i know how hard it is to find another name once you have committed to one that you like. I just had a baby 5 May and we named him Kristian. Good luck with finding that perfect name. Name your son the name that you love.

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S.G.

answers from Albuquerque on

Hi V.,
I went through this too. I really liked the name Caleb when I was pregnant with my second (we settled on Lilly LOL!) but we have a cousin named Caleb. I decided I wouldn't name my baby the same as another child in the family. But there were lots of other names we liked so no big deal. If there are no other names you LOVE, name him Cameron. You only get one chance to name your baby. I don't think it's a big deal if there are other people in the family named the same thing. Unless of course you see eachother everyday.

Go for it!!!

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T.C.

answers from Phoenix on

For what it's worth, I'm a big believer that you should name your child whatever name you feel is right. If you love the name Cameron, you should use it regardless of who does or doesn't have that name already.

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C.C.

answers from Phoenix on

When he is 18 are you really going to care that there are 2 family members with that name? If you like it then bite the bullet and be embarrassed when you tell your cousin. If it was your nephew that was given the name then I'd hesitate but this will be his second cousin. Listen, you are going to have to be his advocate for many years to come so if that is the best name, then that is your gift to him.

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C.W.

answers from Phoenix on

We had a very similar situation when we had our twins. My husband and I just could not agree on names. My husband kept going back to the name Jennifer but I had a cousin with that name so I was hesitant but we couldn't agree on anything else. For the other twin, I like the name Julianne but my husband wanted it to just be Julie. My other cousin (sister to Jennifer) had named her daughter Julie but like you we hardly ever saw them. We finally ended up just using both names because we really could not agree on anything else. As it turned out, my cousin Jennifer was flattered that I named my daughter Jennifer. And my other cousin did not mind me using Julie either.

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J.K.

answers from Albuquerque on

If you love the name Cameron, name him Cameron.

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D.K.

answers from Phoenix on

We have a lot of people in my family who share names. It was common many, many years ago to name your child after a beloved family member. We Have at least four Richards who are all close in relation and in relationship. It has never been a problem...in fact it can get a little comical..."no..the OTHER Richard!"

When I was pregnant with my first child I fell in love with the name LINDSAY. I found out after falling in love with the name that I have a very distant cousin with that same name and spelling. It didn't bother me at all to name my daughter whatever I wanted. It has never even been an issue.

The only time I changed my name choice was with my second pregnancy. My sister-in-law lost a baby girl who they had planned to name Hailey. I also love that name but chose not to name our second child Hailey, out of respect.

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S.C.

answers from Phoenix on

Name him what you want! The same thing happened to my mother. She had the name Michael picked out for a boy when my sister was born, then a cousin got named Michael. So when she was pregnant with my brother, she decided if it was a boy, to name him James after her dad. Well, then another much closer cousin was born about 3 months before him, and he was named James. (That family used to always steal our dogs' names too!) So my mother said the heck with it, and named my brother Michael. And although he was closer to cousin Jimmy when they were kids, they're now in their 50's and I don't think he's seen either cousin Michael or Jimmy in decades.

I like the name Cameron and plan to use it if we're ever blessed with a second boy (I'm in my mid-40s so it's getting unlikely). Please stay away from the Caden-Aiden-Jaden train - I don't know any personally, but have seen tons of them at places like Tot Town where all the kids wear name tags.

Congratulations on baby boy "C"!

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K.H.

answers from Phoenix on

Go for what you really want....Cameron!

How about Connor?

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M.A.

answers from Phoenix on

I say name him whatever you want and don't worry about the other names in your family.

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V.B.

answers from Phoenix on

Go for Cameron. My mom comes from a large family, she is one of 7, so I have tons of cousins. Most of my cousins are married now and having kids of their own. I think there are about 3 Jacobs in the family and no ones cares. There are also at least 2 Daltons which is a family name from my grandma's side and we all just think it is a neat way of honoring her. So, go for the name you love. Your son will have a good story to tell when anyone asks where his name came from.

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K.C.

answers from Phoenix on

I personally know 3 Cameron boys under 3 yrs old

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L.H.

answers from Phoenix on

Cameron. You both love it and that is important. You have felt it was your name for a long time now and you may miss it or regret if you don't use it. And like another mother said, you will know when you hold him. Congrats to you!!

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M.J.

answers from Tucson on

If you are worried about your son having the same name as others than switch it. You said you didnt like Caden because it was too common. So why Cameron it is a common name too.

Also why "C" is there a special reason for that? Pick a crazy letter like "Z,Q,V" There are a lot of great names out there. What is your second choice?

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C.C.

answers from Flagstaff on

My sister has a son she named Daniel, and my other sister is now pregnant. Daniel was her father-in-law's name, so they plan to name their son Daniel also. She approached my other sister to ask if she felt okay about that. This is a much closer relationship than you and your cousins, and they have decided it's okay. I would just ask them to be sure, but I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem. You have to go with your gut on this one.

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K.C.

answers from Phoenix on

I am an art teacher to about 680 kids per year and I have yet to meet a boy named Caden. I have met a lot of Camerons. If you wish to use the name Cameron it is your choice but it would be confusing if there is a relative with the same first and last name. I have heard some C names and will suggest a few. Caleb, Connor, Cody, Corbin, Christopher, Christian, Chance, and Colin.

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D.J.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi V.,
My father comes from a typical large Catholic family, so my mother chose a name that they thought was unique at the time - D.. We found it was probably a lot more trendy than she thought when I ended up with 4 other girls with the same name in school!
Anyway, coming from a large and mostly male family we have lots of relatives by the same name. I named my son after his Grandfather - Michael. Well, there are TONS of those around, so over time they all developed nicknames to tell them apart when they are all together. It's funny though, if we can't get their attention we just yell "Mike!" and everyone turns around! =)
Now I have a niece and cousin that are both under the age of 4 names Alexis, both go by Lexie.
He's your son for life, pick a name you love!

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A.B.

answers from Phoenix on

IMPO, agree to the name Cameron for the rest of the pregnancy. Then, after he is born and you are filling out the paper for the birth certificate, you will know by then if that is the right name for him. Hold him, spend time with him, and if it feels right to call him Cameron, then do it. If it feels right to name him Christopher, or some other C name, you will also know that by holding him. I have found that the more you try to think about something and analyze it, the harder the answer is to find. If you just take your mind off something for a bit, then the answer will suddenly be there. Agree to Cameron, and maybe next week, you will just KNOW that your son was meant to be named Collin, or Clayton, or Corey.

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M.D.

answers from Phoenix on

Name him what you want. Nobody has dibs on any name; just as you can't "save" a name for a child you don't yet have and expect family/friends not to use it. If you love Cameron, USE IT. Especially since it's not as if your cousins are close and the kids would be playing together all the time.

For what it's worth, my sister had the first grandkids and named her son John. Then my brother had a son (after 3 girls!) and named him John. Then we had a son, and the family joked that I might just as well name him John since that's what he'll probably get called half the time! We didn't name him John, but his middle name is John! We all live in different states, so we are not all together more than a few times a year, if that.

So in my family - my dad is John, my husband's dad is John, his step-dad is John and my 2 nephews are John! It has meaning for all of us, so I think it's totally appropriate that my brother and sister both have a John. Weird maybe, but who cares? :)

Just my opinion; I know quite a few Caden/Kaiden/Caydens. I tend to lean more towards names that have a personal meaning rather than the trendy ones. :)

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P.S.

answers from Albuquerque on

I'd say name your child whatever you want, no matter what other people have done. I know my step mom had a 1st cousin with the same name as she did and it was more of a funny family story than anything. You only have this opportunity to name your child once. Might as well make it the name you truly love. Also, it's just a good lesson for them in not being worried about what other people think.

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K.H.

answers from Tucson on

Hi V.,

Names are important, and if you want to name your baby Cameron and that is the name that you and your husband like the best then that is the name you should choose. If the other family members say anything about it you can tell them the same thing you wrote here, that you love the name and wanted to use it for your son.

My Grandpa's name was Russell and two of his daughters also named their sons Russell. We were all together at family reunions etc., and so the way we kept them straight was to add their middle names and it just wasn't a problem. Enjoy your new baby!

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K.E.

answers from Phoenix on

My husband and I had a hard time agreeing on a name also, I loved Caleb because of the Biblical implications of the name. I also loved Joshua, Jacob, Nathan, etc. We ended up it was a toss up between Jared and Matthew and decided at the last that Matthew was more common so we'd go with Jared.

If you are looking for C names I do think Corey and Casey are nice too, and I don't hear either of them much. But I honestly agree with most everyone else, name it what you want.

I had a neighbor that wanted to name her son Jared l told her I was fine with it, but I think she felt awkward, it's too bad she didn't name him what she wanted because she moved away and we never see each other or keep in touch. She named him Ian by the way.

Anyway, best wishes to you my prayer is for a healthy baby. I'd think I'd look at the meaning of the name even more than the name - just my opinion. I think unique names are nice. I named our daughter Marissa and I don't hear it too much, but she wanted to be even more unique so she goes by here middle name Kalena (pronounced K-lay-na.

Anyway, I'd let your child know as he grows up how hard of a time you had picking out the name because you wanted it to be so special and tell him the meaning of the name and why you picked it. Or how easy it was because that was the name you felt was right all along. Or, if you don't go with Cameron or Cameryn, or Cameran, tell him why you went with the one you decided on and how happy you are because it suits him perfectly!

http://www.parents.com/baby-names/ in case you want to look at some more, you have probably done this already but just in case.
Take care,
K.

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W.H.

answers from Phoenix on

Same is ok.

By the way - my friend told me that when she had her son at the hospital the nurse said oh no not ANOTHER ... (whatever the name was, I forget now.) So she changed his name, and had yet to meet anyone in his class/his age/his neighborhood named that first name (that was so popular in the hospital). So, their next boy was named that name.

You cannot orchestra family names so as to not have the same name as someone else. My husband's brother and my sister's husband both are named the same (and my husband's brother lived near my family/went to the same church, etc so my entire family knows my brother in law even though he wasn't related to THEM. Funny how that works sometimes.) So my son has two uncles with the same name. It was a name that we all liked too, we just had a lot of girls so not many brothers to get that name also. If I had more boys, I might've named one of my sons that name too.

My brother named his son the same name as our dad (and so did my husband's brother) and it hasn't been a big deal.

You are the ones who will live with and use that name all day, every day. Pick something you both like! You'll only see your cousin how many days a year?? Use a nickname, add a last name, whatever works for you if differentiating between the two is confusing.

F.H.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi V., Here is my 2 cents, I'll tell you a story. My name is F. Odette. My mom got pregnant at age 19 by the boy next door, they never married. She wanted to name me Bianca Nicole. My dads parents (I'm 42 and have never met my dad or them) INSISTED that was not a "christian" name and she needed to change it...she did...to F. Odette. Needless to say, she regrets it...still to this day she sometimes calls me Bianca! I love that my name is not common...neither would be Bianca...and I named my 2 kids names that were not common (I made up my daughters and "Jackson" was not common in CA, but here in AZ there seems to be a bunch, although not at his school). So...after all that...who cares...name your kids what you want and don't worry about it! Congrats on the baby boy and good luck!

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P.B.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi V.,

Name your little guy whatever you want. His personality will bring the character to his name much differently than your cousins will. No worries! On a side note... We wanted to name our next boy Corban. It's from Mark 7:11 and means a gift offered (or to be offered) to God / a sacred treasure.

Blessings on you and your family! P.

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A.Y.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi V.:

My husband and I had a similar problem. My nephew is named Ethan Miles Williams. We really liked the name Miles, in fact, it was the only boy name that we could agree on. I called my brother to ask if he cared that we use the name. He was okay, but his wife was not. She wanted all of the cousins to have unique names. I talked to a lot of people and everyone felt she was being unreasonable, after all, it's just a name. We decided to name our son Miles, and while I heard that my sister-in-law was unhappy about it, we rarely see them, so by the time we saw each other next she put on a happy face and we now get along as well as we always have. On a different note, my brother has the same name as one of my cousins, who we virtually never see, and no one seems to care. Good luck with your decision! -A.-

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K.M.

answers from Phoenix on

I say name your child the name that you and your husband both love regardless of who else has the name. To be honest with you, Cameron is a relatively common name right now in both my boys schools, but not as common as Caden. I love both of those names! I know you didn't ask for suggestions but maybe you have or haven't thought of these "C" names: Christian, Caleb, Conrad, Connor, Casey, Carson, Chance, Coby, Chase, Chaz, Cody, Colter, Cooper, Corey..... I would love to know what you decide ;)

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D.S.

answers from Phoenix on

Hello,

As much as you like the name you have picked out Cameron, I would select something else. Why do you want to call him the same name as someone else in the family, even if you don't see them that much? It would be very confusing.

Does it have to start with a C? There are so many cool names out there today. But if your set on Cameron then that is up to you.

My cousin used the name Caden but changed the C to a K - Kaden so it would be different.

Good Luck.

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J.C.

answers from Phoenix on

Is there a name that may sound like Cameron, but isn't? Just curious.

What about Calen? Colton? Cieran?

My husband wanted to name my son Jake, but all of my siblings have a name that starts with a "J" so I didn't want a name that started with a "J" so we came up with Blake. Maybe there is something similar for Cameron?

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T.W.

answers from Phoenix on

V.,

I have three children (19, 16, & 10). When I became pregnant the first time we decided that if we had a boy we would name him Steven. shortly after that I miscarried. Between the miscarriage and my becoming pregnant again, my husband's brother and his wife became pregnant also.

Long story short, we have a Steven Andrew (born in April) and a Steven James (born in Dec.) Both share the same last name and have grown up in the same city. At family gatherings they go by Andrew and James.

For the boys, it was actually kind of fun growing up. I think it's more important to focus of the meaning of the name you choose and what legacy that name may or may not create for your baby. The family can deal with the multiple names!! :)

Have fun and whatever decision you make, enjoy it!

T.

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S.J.

answers from Phoenix on

So what if he'll have a cousin with the same name. When my sister was born my parents named her Elizabeth. Just over a year later, my aunt (who we saw quite frequently) had a daughter and named her Elizabeth as well. No one ever said anything as far as I remember (I was 10) and no one says anything now. Maybe it had to do with the fact that my sister went by the whole name and my cousin by Beth, but I think no one really cared that much. But despite all this, I say name the baby what You want. Cameron is a great name, and hey, maybe as the kid gets older he'll want to go by Cam or another nickname. Who knows, who cares at this point. I say name him Cameron. :-)

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