Our third child was just born and we named him Luke Alexander. His older siblings go by Blake and Marlo. For some reason, it did not start bothering me until recently… How similar the names Luke and Blake were.
I brought it up to my husband and he and I came up with an alternative name that we could use. We slept on it overnight. When I woke up he knew we just needed to change it… not because the names sounded similar but because he really wanted a family name tie since baby’s older two siblings’ names are tied to family members.
Russell Luke is the name we came up with. Not only is Russell much more unique and uncommon (than Alexander and Luke) it means fox color, or one with red hair, which he has.
Lately I have been trying to call him Russell to see how it is since he has been here nearly 2 months going by the name Luke. I also introduce him as Russell to strangers to see how that feels.
Here are my questions… We will be going through with the legal name change. Do you think we should keep calling him by the name Luke (which will be his middle name) or do you think we should switch over to Russell? Our last name is SO common so I worry if Luke is too popular as well. As a sidenote, his older brother goes by his middle name, since his full name is William Blake. We don’t want to name him Luke Russell since the monogram spells LSR (sounds like loser) and Russell Luke would be RSL (sounds like Russell)!
I would start switching over to [name_m]Russell[/name_m] so you and your family can get used to it, rather than switching over later and having called him [name_m]Luke[/name_m] for even longer. Maybe call him [name_m]Russ[/name_m] for awhile as that’s closer to [name_m]Luke[/name_m]? Two months is definitely not too late to switch his name and call him [name_m]Russell[/name_m].
[name_m]Russell[/name_m] [name_m]Luke[/name_m] is great! I think you should call him by whatever feels right to you. Your children all have great names.
[name_m]Russell[/name_m] or [name_m]Russ[/name_m] sounds great with [name_u]Blake[/name_u] and [name_m]Milo[/name_m]. If you want to call him by [name_m]Russell[/name_m] or [name_m]Russ[/name_m], start now. 2 months is very doable, as long as you are adamant to family and friends that you’re serious about this, and they should respect your wishes.
My parents decided to call me by my middle name after I was a few months old, the two names were completely different sounding. Now it’s funny to see baby pictures labeled with my first name, and there are still some old family friends who never pass up an opportunity to tell me "I remember you from when you were “_____________”! "
[name_m]Russell[/name_m] [name_m]Luke[/name_m] is a very handsome combo!
If I were you, I’d switch over to callling him [name_m]Russell[/name_m] or [name_m]Russ[/name_m]. If you yelled out “[name_m]Luke[/name_m]!” it’s very possible that [name_u]Blake[/name_u] would turn his head as well, the two names are quite similar and that could prove to be annoying. Also, it’d help everyone get used to his new name
I agree that if youd like to call him [name_m]Russell[/name_m] then make the switch asap. If it helps call him [name_m]Russell[/name_m] [name_m]Luke[/name_m] for a couple of weeks then just drop the [name_m]Luke[/name_m]. I also love the connection with his red hair! [name_m]Rusty[/name_m] is a pretty cute nn too. GL
I prefer [name_m]Russel[/name_m] so I would start calling him by [name_m]Russel[/name_m] now and make that his primary identity. However, if you prefer [name_m]Luke[/name_m] or feel it fits him better, keep calling him that. [name_m]Just[/name_m] do what comes naturally and that may even evolve over time.
My daughter ([name_f]Lucille[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]) was called [name_f]Bea[/name_f] a lot in her first year and a half of life. [name_f]Lucille[/name_f] seemed so big and [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] didn’t fit her and we just naturally called her by a nickname for her middle, without ever discussing it. Likewise without discussion [name_f]Lucille[/name_f] and [name_f]Lulu[/name_f] started to feel more natural as she got older and those are now her primary identities.
I don’t really understand why you’d change his name if you still want to call him [name_m]Luke[/name_m] anyway…
If you love [name_m]Russell[/name_m] then change it and start calling him [name_m]Russell[/name_m] or [name_m]Russ[/name_m]… especially if you’ve already started introducing him as [name_m]Russell[/name_m]…
[name_m]Russell[/name_m] [name_m]Luke[/name_m] is a great name. I agree with PP that you should start calling him [name_m]Russell[/name_m] or [name_m]Russ[/name_m] immediately.
I have a friend whose boys are [name_u]Blake[/name_u] and [name_m]Luke[/name_m]. There don’t seem to be any problems. If you’re unhappy, though, better to make a switch while he’s little.