Can I use them?

Edited for privacy

um…I think you’re way over-thinking this.

I’d have to agree that you seem to be over-thinking it and worrying yourself unnecessarily. The only two that I think you might want to consider choosing a different names are [name]Emmeline[/name]/[name]Gemma[/name] (esp if you want [name]Emma[/name] as a nn) and [name]Oliver[/name] (since there actually already is a dog in your family with that exact name). Other than that I’d go right ahead!

The only problems I see are [name]Oliver[/name] (I feel for you there - my boyfriend’s brother has a dog named [name]Ivy[/name]…grr) and maybe [name]Samuel[/name] nn [name]Sam[/name].

Before I write anything I want to say that:

  1. A lot of this depends on how often you see these people. If you see them on a weekly basis it’s obviously going to be more of a problem than if you see them once a year. The gray area is where you have to decide. Is seeing them once a month enough for it to really be an issue? It’s your call. I will answer based on you seeing these people quite regularly.

  2. If you’re not currently pregnant or TTC then most of this will likely not be an issue by the time you are. Issues often seem larger when we’re imagining them appearing than when they’re actually in front of us. The dogs may be dead, the family members may move away, etc. etc. You never know, so don’t make solid decisions before you’re in a position to actually need to.

[name]Jack[/name] - no, that’s not a problem at all. The name is not the same and is very common on top of being popular.

[name]Oliver[/name] - more rare and the exact same name, I’d consider this more of a problem

[name]Leo[/name] - meh, I see what you’re saying but since you rarely ever see him and it’s not actually the same name and all you have that in your name I don’t see it as a real issue. Regarding your dad, I’m of the opinion that you have to use the name you love. My grandpa could never pronounce my name, but it was actually always a sweet thing between him and me because he was the only one who called me something different.

[name]Samuel[/name] - not a problem. I have cousins who share names and they’re the same gender and relatively close in age. I can’t imagine it being a problem when they are different genders, vastly different ages, and see each other 4 times a year.

[name]Annabel[/name]/[name]Annaliese[/name] - is not the same as [name]Anna[/name] even if you do use that for a nn. If you love it use it. People say things without considering the future implications. It’s not the same name, not the same pronunciation, and it’s a classic. [name]Don[/name]'t sweat it.

[name]Gemma[/name] - different name and decades later. Not an issue.

[name]Caroline[/name] - I can’t imagine that being an issue, especially if it’s a middle name.

Honestly, I think you’re really overreacting. When you come to the time when you do have to make these decisions if these are still seen as issues, after you’ve thrown it out to your family, then you can consider other options. But (again, when the time comes) only bring it to your family if you really want their opinion and are willing to change. If you aren’t willing to change, just do it and they’ll get over it, or they won’t and you won’t talk about it.

I really don’t see any of these as huge red flags, especially with time inevitably passing, so my best advice is to calm down and don’t stress about problems that don’t actually exist yet.

Forget about the dog names. Dogs live for 15 years. Dogs are dear, cherished pets, they are part of the family, but they are not children. They are not your flesh and blood, they are not the same species. Use [name]Oliver[/name], use [name]Jack[/name]. You are not naming your kids after the dogs and your family members will get over it. To avoid confusion, you can refer to your sons as ‘[name]Little[/name] [name]Jack[/name]’ and ‘[name]Baby[/name] [name]Oliver[/name],’ or JJ and [name]Ollie[/name], or something similar until the dogs die.

[name]Leo[/name] would be a great way to honor your family. Maybe extend it to [name]Leonard[/name]/[name]Leonardo[/name] just to appease everyone, and to avoid confusion he can go by Leaonard with most of your family but you can still call him [name]Leo[/name].

[name]Samuel[/name] is too close to [name]Samantha[/name], sorry. :stuck_out_tongue: It’s not a huge deal, but I can see this one actually stirring up trouble.

I’d go over the girl’s names, but honestly, you’re reaching too deeply into your family tree. It’s mean, but you have to consider that your child is going to outlive these people–she might never really meet them, know them, be around them. Is it more important for her to have a name that her mother is happy with, or that her distant, extended family is happy with?

I don’t think you are overreacting but I do think (hope! your sig says you’re a teen) since having kids and needing a name is a long ways off, you shouldn’t be as worried.

I agree with your naming concerns wholeheartedly but looking at the other names your list, I wouldn’t be as worried. [name]Evangeline[/name]! [name]Cora[/name]! [name]India[/name]! [name]Holden[/name]! [name]Nolan[/name]! Looks like you have plenty of beautiful names to choose from and if you still want those names, make [name]Leo[/name] or [name]Genevieve[/name] the middle name.

I don’t think you are overreacting but I do think (hope! your sig says you’re a teen) since having kids and needing a name is a long ways off, you shouldn’t be as worried.

I agree with your naming concerns wholeheartedly but looking at the other names your list, I wouldn’t be as worried. [name]Evangeline[/name]! [name]Cora[/name]! [name]India[/name]! [name]Holden[/name]! [name]Nolan[/name]! Looks like you have plenty of beautiful names to choose from and if you still want those names, make [name]Leo[/name] or [name]Genevieve[/name] the middle name.

I appreciate the amount of thought you are putting into these decisions, and as a fellow name-nerd, I know how fun it is to speculate about names of future children. I’m concerned that you’re looking into this so much that it’s not just about having fun anymore, which takes away your enjoyment of thinking about names. Go ahead and daydream of a little [name]Leo[/name] or a little [name]Annabel[/name] and have fun with it. Your taste in names will change over the course of your life, so that by the time you are ready to have children, you may or may not even be interested in these names anymore. Life also has a funny way of giving you a spouse that has a different taste in names than you do, so compromises or agreements must be made when naming real children. Enjoy your daydreams, and have fun!

Yeah, sorry about that. I’m a generally anxious person so once I start worrying about something I can never let go of it.

I think only [name]Emmeline[/name]/[name]Gemma[/name], [name]Oliver[/name] and [name]Jack[/name] would be an issue.
I love [name]Genevieve[/name], [name]Anneliese[/name] and [name]Samuel[/name]. Your list is great.