The other night, my sister and I were flipping through our Uncle [name]Carroll[/name]'s old high school yearbook, from 1970. Anyway, one of the names REALLY stood out to me. There was a kid in his graduating class named [name]Bobby[/name] [name]Roberts[/name]…meaning his real name was [name]Robert[/name] [name]Roberts[/name]. No joke. I pointed it out to my sister and we laughed, then she reminded me of a kid we knew growing up named [name]Stevie[/name] Stephens…who’s real name was [name]Steven[/name] Stephens. So my question is, WHY WOULD YOU [name]DO[/name] THIS TO YOUR CHILD???
Hahaha! Parents think it’s funny.
My mom went to highschool with a [name]Zachariah[/name] [name]Zacharias[/name]. There was also a guy named A.Hitler there on the graduation pictures too, I don’t know what the A stood for though, but I shuddered at the thought.
I suspect it would be parents with little imagination. More common than people realize.
Went to school with a [name]Jonathan[/name] [name]Johnson[/name], who went by [name]Jon[/name] [name]Johnson[/name]. It sounds like a stutter. All parents should be required to at least browse a baby name book.
My uncle is a [name]Bill[/name] [name]Williams[/name] (b. 1960). I have no idea why my nanna and pop chose to give him the same first and last name but unfortunately I’m too late to ask them now. They definitely weren’t unimaginative people though so there must have been some reason behind it.
Maybe it is a family tradition for some people?
I always pretend there is some truly epic reason for repetitive names. Someone saved someone’s life, or farm (puppy?). Maybe someone was such a great influence in the parent’s life that it felt wrong to use any other name.
It’s foolish, I know, but it helps me get by. 
[name]Edward[/name] Woodward was always my favourite example of this I admit I have never bothered to look up whether or not that was his real name or a stage name though!
I think I’ve come across a [name]Bill[/name] [name]Williams[/name] as well, and there’s that American Idol singer [name]Phillip[/name] [name]Phillips[/name]. I also knew someone whose cat was named [name]Jackson[/name] after her late husband, but because it was her last name, in our records he was [name]Jackson[/name] [name]Jackson[/name]. I could see it happening if mom wants to use her dad’s name but it’s the same as her husband’s last name or something to that effect.
I had a customer the other day whose name was [name]Jonathan[/name] [name]Johnson[/name]… the normal part of my brain had to keep telling my nameberry brain to shut up and not say anything about it out loud lol…
Former students: @ngel0 @ngelino and [name]Ros[/name]@lina [name]Ros[/name]@. I kid you not. You should hear when they call them over the loud speaker
Yes, the [name]Phillip[/name] [name]Phillips[/name] was a [name]Jr[/name]. too, so his father was [name]Phillip[/name] [name]Phillips[/name] Sr.
Yesterday, met a man named [name]Jim[/name] [name]James[/name] and I work with a [name]Mike[/name] Michaels. I guess some people don’t think???
I knew a [name]Robin[/name] [name]Roberts[/name] once. Not as obvious, but still funny to a name nerd.
I am going to change the names here to protect the guilty 
But the concept is exactly the same.
I know a [name]Dave[/name] [name]Davidson[/name] who married a [name]Davida[/name]. They named their daughter— [name]Davie[/name].
slaps forehead
I know a [name]Dierk[/name] Dierks. Usually we spell the name [name]Dirk[/name], not [name]Dierk[/name] but apparently his parents wanted it to match the lastname. I asked him about it and his parents thought it was funny to chose [name]Dierk[/name] as a first name. Oh yes it is.
I’ve met a [name]Bill[/name] [name]Williams[/name] too! I didn’t make the connection till later so luckily I didn’t look shocked when I heard it!
My father knows a man named [name]Scott[/name] E. [name]Scott[/name].
Haha. Next time I see my uncle I’ll have to tell him his name isn’t as unusual as I thought it was. He’s christened William Williams though.
[name]Phillip[/name] [name]Phillips[/name]. I’m sorry, but it’s just so cruel.
A former teacher of mine was [name]David[/name] [name]Davis[/name].
I swore I had read something about this kind of naming practice being somewhat common to [name]Scotland[/name], but can’t find anything to validate that at the moment.