[name_m]Hi[/name_m] everyone, I’d love some outside perspectives on a naming question that’s been on my mind. I have a cousin named [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], about fifteen years old, who we see very often [name_f][/name_f]— usually at least once a week for family dinners, birthdays, casual get-togethers, etc. Recently I’ve really fallen in love with the name [name_f]Luzelena[/name_f], with the nickname [name_f]Lu[/name_f], and I can’t stop thinking about it for a future baby. [name_f]My[/name_f] only hesitation is that I’m worried it might feel too close to [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], especially since the girls would grow up seeing each other so frequently and would likely be in a lot of family photos, events, and holidays together. I’m not sure if having a [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] and a Lu/Luzelena in the same close-knit family would be seen as sweet and cohesive, or just confusing and a bit matchy, particularly for grandparents and extended relatives who might mix up their names or nicknames. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you think [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] and [name_f]Luzelena[/name_f] “Lu” are too similar for cousins who see each other weekly, or is the full name different enough that it works in real life? I’d really appreciate any honest thoughts or experiences if you’ve had similar names within your family.
It depends on the make-up of your family, I think? [name_f][/name_f] Honestly I find it fine because at one point we had 15 Johns or Johnnys in my family and multiple cousins with the same name—Lucy and [name_f]Luzelena[/name_f] would not even phase me, personally, but I know all families are different!
it’s totally fine imo! and this coming from someone who tends to avoid similar names to family members. the age difference alone would make this okay for me if I really loved the name, but even if it was just a year between them, I think I’d still use the name. I don’t think there’d be many instances where calling [name_f]Lu[/name_f] could be mixed up with calling a 15+ year old [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], if that makes sense.
[name_f][/name_f]A similar example from my own family: my aunt and uncle purposely chose uncommon names for my cousins. less than a year after my youngest cousin was born, my aunt’s sister had a baby girl and named her something which rhymes with my cousin’s name (think [name_f]Maya[/name_f] and Kaya). at first, my aunt was upset because the names were so similar (and the girls were so close in age) but the girls are 12/11 now, and everyone has survived lol. I don’t think anyone really cared once “Maya” was born anyway 
[name_f]My[/name_f] first thought was “Loser” is too obvious of a tease for this name. It also sounds too similar to [name_f]Lucy[/name_f].
I think its fine, if it was a sibling I would say not, but its a cousin, you may be close but I still think it is distant enough to use.
As someone who also has a cousin Lucy (sometimes called Lu), that would strike off “Lu-” names if I were to have kids. It’s just personally too close to me - like that’s my cousin’s name. However, that is just me, and I know others have cousins with close names 
I do wonder though, if Luzelena could go by Lu when not with Lucy but maybe consider using her full name or something like Lena, Luna, Leni, Zellie, Zena, Elle, Luelle, etc when with her?