[name]Hi[/name] all.
As a name nerd I have one child on the way and of course I’m already thinking about naming a second (just in case…not even sure if we will definitely have a second!)
All the name stuff I read says it’s important to think about sibsets in advance. We are having a boy this fall and his name is all picked out (which I never thought I’d do, but we have) and his first name will be the same as my father’s, as well as the same as my wife’s grandfather. The middle is the name of a very dear friend.
Now, I’m wondering, are we putting ourselves into a tricky situation if we ever have another child? If it’s a girl, we may have some options for honoring, but for another boy, we’d have to be creative/stretch a bit?
Is this something to fret about, or am I being ridiculous?
It’s not a big deal. I have a family name and my sister doesn’t, and she couldn’t care less.
Agree - no big deal. And should you have another child - there maybe another friend at that time that you wish to honour - life is ever changing 
I’m in a similar situation. All three of my children have middle names that honor family members. But if we have a girl this time around, we really don’t have anyone left that we want to honor. So that leaves us choosing a random family name from the family tree, using my middle name, or just choosing a middle name that we love. If we have a boy, we have three or four names that honor family. The only ones we could possibly use for a girl are my mother-in-law’s names [name]Connie[/name] and [name]Lou[/name]. Not really great middle name choices. But I don’t love the idea of just using random family middles either. So possibly [name]Louisa[/name]? I don’t know.
Sorry for the rambling. In any event, I think if you use them for the first child and not the second, it’s no big deal. But if you use them for the first three and not the fourth (as in my situation), it might be a big deal.
Thanks. I think I’m over thinking this and because we’ve chosen a name, I’m already onto naming another one that doesn’t exist.
Now I’m tripping about whether to give the first one two last names and in which order. Ha.
I think it’s fine to change it up. My daughter has a first name that we “just liked” and a double hyphenated middle with each name honoring a family member in a “hubs side-my side” format. middle name # is [name]Ida[/name], so it’s not like both middles are dramatically long or anything. I think if I have another daughter I might follow the format if I find something that works, but if I don’t I will give any second daughter something lengthy & meaningful to balance it out. If you’re looking for that kind of balance as well maybe any second son could get a word name middle or something that sets him apart rather than matching. Or you could just find names you like in the same style as son #1
I don’t think you necessarily have to choose another family name, but I do think your other children should still have names with special mean and significance to you. If the first kid has a great story about being named after these really special people to you and your wife, and then baby #2’s name story is just “mom and dad liked it,” that might be kind of a letdown.
I agree with thatkathryngirl. While using another honoring name may not be an option, I would choose a name with special significance to you and your wife. Perhaps roses are her favorite flower; maybe you two met in [name]Chelsea[/name]; if you are a writer, [name]Paige[/name] or [name]Penn[/name] may be an option. There are plenty of ways to give meaning to your children’s names without boxing yourself into too narrow a theme.
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