2nd Cousins With Similar Names?

I am having my second daughter in a couple months. The name I instantly thought of when we found out it was a girl was [name_u]Everly[/name_u], nicknamed [name_f]Evie[/name_f] (E-vee). After deciding on that, I found out that my cousin’s almost 3 year old is named [name_u]Ever[/name_u].

They live in a neighboring state and I haven’t seen my cousin for about 14 years. It isn’t exactly the same name but it is giving me doubts.

My mom has visited that side of the family a couple times over the years and when we were talking about my baby recently, she stumbled over trying not to mix up the names. And I found out last night that they have similar middle names: [name_u]Ever[/name_u] [name_f]May[/name_f] and [name_u]Everly[/name_u] [name_u]Rey[/name_u].

I know over time, there won’t be confusion and the odds of seeing them are low but I don’t feel as confident as I did months ago. I did think about the longer spelling of [name_f]Everleigh[/name_f] but I don’t know if spelling makes a difference in this situation (Maybe in regards to Facebook). Any opinions or advice?

I think if you didn’t even learn the child’s name until she was three years old, you definitely don’t see them often enough that it would be a problem. I really wouldn’t worry about it, but then it is common for first cousins to share the exact same first name in my family.

This was my immediate thought, too. I think you may be overthinking it a little. If [name_u]Everly[/name_u] [name_u]Rey[/name_u] is your favourite, go for it - this association I don’t foresee being an issue (as for Mum, she’ll get used to it soon enough, I’m sure).

The fact you weren’t close enough to know [name_u]Ever[/name_u]'s name until recently suggests to me it’s fine.
One thing I would consider is a different middle maybe if you’re concerned. [name_u]Everly[/name_u] [name_f]Raine[/name_f], [name_u]Everly[/name_u] Reya, [name_u]Everly[/name_u] [name_f]Rachel[/name_f], [name_u]Everly[/name_u] [name_f]Aurelia[/name_f] etc?

My cousin and I were raised together, but as adults we see each other maybe once a year. My oldest’s birthname was [name_u]McKinley[/name_u] “[name_f]Miki[/name_f]” and her daughter was named McHailee “[name_f]Mikki[/name_f]”. Since we hardly saw each other it wasn’t a big deal and the rare time we were together I just called my child [name_u]McKinley[/name_u] to avoid confusion.

Since you don’t see each other it’s not a problem and I’m sure your mom will get more used to it once the little one is here

Yeah I don’t think it’s a big deal.
My cousin who I was close with growing up but now lives in another city has an [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] and I still used [name_f]Olive[/name_f] for my daughter! Honestly it didnt really cross my mind, they’re still different names

It’s totally fine. It’s not the same name, first of all. Also, if you haven’t seen your cousin in about 14 years, the likelihood of your daughters ever meeting is fairly small. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if they do, it might be slightly confusing for a little while but no big deal in daily life. If you think about the fact that lots of people end up having friends/classmates/colleagues with the same name, and find ways to differentiate themselves, having a similar name to a distant relative who lives in another city is really not a problem at all.

I don’t know if this is the case for other people, but I don’t even know the names of all my second cousins and haven’t met most of them.

I personally feel like it doesn’t matter since you never run into each other and the kids are unlikely to ever meet or truly be peers. But if its a bit too much perhaps [name_f]Beverley[/name_f] ([name_f]Bee[/name_f]) [name_f]Macy[/name_f] is the compromise name you’ll have to settle with. I mean its a nice name just throwing it out there.

I was going to say not to do it and all that but then I read your post, you didn’t know your cousins child’s name and you named your baby and it turns out that you and your cousin have similar taste in names. I wouldn’t change your child’s name because yo u didn’t even know your little cousin’s name. If they were going to grow up together don’t do it but I don’t see any problem here, just an interesting couincidence. And [name_u]Ever[/name_u] & [name_f]Evie[/name_f] are different enough that I doubt people would confuse them.

I don’t think it’s a big deal. Additionally, spelling it [name_f]Everleigh[/name_f] would not be helpful. It has the exact same sound and would just be more inconvenient for your daughter throughout her life.

  • Lives in a different state
  • [name_u]Haven[/name_u]'t seen each other in 14 years
  • Child is 3 before you learn her name
    … I think you are totally fine! I have cousins with identical name’s from different states and no one cares, let alone names that are only “similar”. Use the name you love.

You are 100% in the clear on this. If [name_u]Everly[/name_u] is your choice, then go for it! I wouldn’t worry about changing up the spelling over the similar name as it’s unnecessary and could be inconvenient down the road.

What about [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] (ever-lyn), very similar to [name_u]Everly[/name_u] but without a R in the spelling so it looks less like [name_u]Ever[/name_u].