My sister-in-law, [name_f]Laura[/name_f], had a baby last year and named her [name_f]Emily[/name_f].
My other sister-in-law (with the brother of [name_f]Laura[/name_f]) are having a baby in [name_f]September[/name_f].
One of their top name contenders is [name_f]Amelia[/name_f]. I pointed out that [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Emily[/name_f] are very similar names.
They don’t see it AND they like the nickname [name_f]Meli[/name_f]. [name_f]Emily[/name_f] and [name_f]Meli[/name_f] sound almost the same!
It’s practically [name_f]Emily[/name_f] without the E in front of it!
My in-laws don’t care about names as much as I do. I asked [name_f]Laura[/name_f] if it bothered her and she said she considered [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and isn’t bothered, but she thinks [name_f]Meli[/name_f] is an odd nickname.
What do you think, Berries? Are [name_f]Emily[/name_f] and [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] ([name_f]Meli[/name_f]) way too similar for cousins?
Should I just get over it? haha
Yes. [name_m]Way[/name_m] too similar. Although [name_f]Emily[/name_f] and [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] are not anyway near that similar in pronunciation. I think that [name_f]Meli[/name_f] is a terrible nickname. [name_f]Amy[/name_f] would be better.
I don’t think [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Emily[/name_f] are too similar for cousins.
They may grow up together, but they are not siblings and their parents get to choose the names they love.
I find them to be too similar, especially if the cousins are going to be seeing each other more than a few times a year and since they’re so close in age
I have a cousin who’s about 10 years older than I am who has the same name. We just ended up being “Big [name_u]Steph[/name_u]” and “[name_m]Little[/name_m] [name_u]Steph[/name_u]” at family gatherings. I’m in my late 20s and my family still refers to me as “[name_m]Little[/name_m] [name_u]Steph[/name_u]”.
I find it odd that a brother and his wife would use a name so similar to his sister’s baby. She was just born at the end of last year! This will likely be the last baby on that side of the family. Currently they live away, but they will be back home at some point. Saying [name_f]Emily[/name_f] and [name_f]Meli[/name_f] out loud will get confusing. [name_f]Emily[/name_f] is sometimes called [name_f]Em[/name_f]. [name_f]Em[/name_f], [name_f]Meli[/name_f] - come here! Here are some names I have suggested instead of [name_f]Amelia[/name_f]: [name_f]Amaya[/name_f], [name_f]Meilani[/name_f], [name_f]Malia[/name_f] - can anyone think of anything else? I guess [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] is better than their other choice - [name_u]Saylor[/name_u]. It doesn’t go with our last name - [name_m]Little[/name_m]. haha
In some families, including mine, it is pretty common for cousins to share a first name, or for one cousin’s first name to be another’s middle name. There are ways of preventing confusion, although some are obviously better than others. I wouldn’t be inclined to get too involved in this.
It all depends on the family. I have multiple cousins who share the same first name.
And while My husband’s side of the family is not nearly as big we’ve already discussed potentially having this problem and we both agreed that if it’s a name we love even if it’s been used or is similar we’re still going to use it. Because at the end of the day it’s our baby.
However to each family his own, everyone has different family dynamics
To be honest, I feel like the whole idea of ‘cousins can’t share names’ is a pretty modern trend. I can look back on my family tree (or even in some of my friends’ families) and see plenty of examples of cousins or siblings having the same name. I tend to take the opinion that parents should choose a name they love and shouldn’t be swayed by anyone else. I know that plenty of people see it differently, but that’s just my two cents.
ETA: My husband and his two brothers all have the same middle name. I also have 3 uncle [name_m]Mike[/name_m]'s - my aunts just all married men with the same name. One of my uncles, [name_u]Michael[/name_u], has a sister, [name_f]Michelle[/name_f]. Sharing names within a family isn’t the end of the world. My FIL, [name_m]Daniel[/name_m], named his oldest son [name_m]Daniel[/name_m] too. So there are two Dans in the family, and father-son is much closer than cousins. It’s totally fine.
I think [name_f]Meli[/name_f] is a pretty odd nickname for wonderful [name_f]Amelia[/name_f].
However I do not think it’s a big issue for [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Emily[/name_f] to be cousins, not at all, they are two distinct names in two separate sibling groups. I would take issue with [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Amalie[/name_f], or [name_f]Emily[/name_f] and [name_f]Emma[/name_f] etc but not [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and [name_f]Emily[/name_f].
I know that this wasn’t your intent, but PLEASE don’t sow the seeds of discord (however unintentionally) by telling one cousin that the other cousin’s daughter’s name is too similar to the name of the first cousin’s daughter. There have been so many absurd posts on Nameberry and elsewhere about Relative #1’s child’s name being “stolen” by Relative #2. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if Relative #1 was giving her child exactly the same name used by Relative #2, that would be her prerogative, and it’s not your place to comment.
All this being said, similar names on cousins (and [name_f]Emily[/name_f] and [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] aren’t even that similar) are extremely common. Family members, especially those living in the same geographical area, tend to overlap more than usual when it comes to taste. ([name_m]Case[/name_m] in point: my cousin group contains a [name_f]Leah[/name_f], a [name_f]Laura[/name_f], and a [name_f]Lauren[/name_f]. It’s never been an issue.) Furthermore, [name_f]Emily[/name_f] and [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] are both incredibly popular names, and given current trends, it was always likely that both cousins would use names beginning with a vowel.
tl;dr: This is not a big deal. Please don’t make it one.
