My husband and I are expecting our first child in [name]December[/name] (won’t know the gender until late [name]July[/name]/early [name]August[/name]). We’ve been going over our top combos, trying to narrow things down. [name]One[/name] name we have on our list is [name]Oliver[/name] [name]Benjamin[/name], which I love, expect for one little problem. I have a relative named [name]Benjamin[/name] who I’m not close enough with to name my child after but am close enough with that I see him once or twice a year. The more I think about it, the weirder I think I’d feel about using [name]Benjamin[/name] as a middle name (which sucks, because I really love the name). Thus, I need a replacement middle name to go with [name]Oliver[/name]. I’m looking for something that has the same feel as [name]Benjamin[/name] and flows well with [name]Oliver[/name]. Any and all suggestions would be very welcome.
I like [name]Oliver[/name] [name]Brady[/name] as well. (or [name]Grayson[/name]…my son’s name is [name]Gray[/name]).
However…I don’t see the problem using [name]Benjamin[/name]!! Use it!! I always say that all previous associations with names will disappear once you have your baby and he/she will simply become that name (regardless if it’s a distant relative or a pet, etc.). Everyone’s having a fit that I’m naming my son [name]Kane[/name] (because the whole [name]Cain[/name] and [name]Able[/name] thing) but it’s stupid because it’s not like he’s destined to kill his brother now just because of his name. So, if your relative asks, just say I love the name…great minds think alike…yada yada.
I love [name]Oliver[/name]! [name]Oliver[/name] [name]Benjamin[/name] would have been handsome. What about [name]Oliver[/name] [name]Samuel[/name]? I think it sounds good and has similar style to [name]Oliver[/name] [name]Benjamin[/name]. Other ideas:
I think you should stick with [name]Oliver[/name] [name]Benjamin[/name]. I thought you were going to say you have my same problem; you love the name but it was an ex boyfriend’s and your husband isn’t having it
But instead, you’re lucky! I assume that this child will be called [name]Oliver[/name], so [name]Benjamin[/name] will hardly ever even be a factor in introductions, except maybe a baby announcement. [name]Even[/name] then, I doubt anyone will think a thing of it… even the other [name]Benjamin[/name] in your family. [name]Benjamin[/name] is quite common in itself, so you shouldn’t have to apologize for or feel weird for using it.
Thank you everyone for all the replies! So far my favorites are [name]Oliver[/name] [name]Nicholas[/name], [name]Oliver[/name] [name]Samuel[/name] and [name]Oliver[/name] [name]Bennett[/name].
We thought about doing this…in our case the relative is one with a good sense of humor, so we would have just told him “Well, the baby isn’t named after you, but we probably would have named him something else if we hated you or something.”
I love [name]Oliver[/name]! It’s in my top two right now. I’m probably going to use [name]Oliver[/name] [name]Blake[/name] (after my grandfather). I wouldn’t worry about using [name]Benjamin[/name]. If the relative asks, just say I love the name.
