Uh, oh. Where does this leave number 1?

Girl Names
1

My top girls’ choice for the past three years (well, honestly, over 3 years…) has been [name]Isabelle[/name]. I adore everything about it, and I honestly can’t imagine using anything else. I know, in the back of my head, that any potential future SO might very well detest [name]Isabelle[/name] (or have a niece with the name, or whatever!), but in my mind, my future daughter is [name]Isabelle[/name], and I can’t really imagine her name being anything else. I adore it.

That being said, I’m not sure how prevalent this is to those outside my circle, or even to anyone else on Nameberry, but for nearly (maybe even over, actually) 10 years, I have dreamed of sponsoring a child through Compassion International. It’s a great organization that provides medical attention, vaccines, clean water, nutritional food, a good education, life-skills lessons, along with the saving knowledge of [name]Jesus[/name] [name]Christ[/name] for children in underdeveloped countries (not to mention providing parenting lessons and employment opportunities to the parents and guardians of these children). As a [name]Christian[/name], it’s one of my favorite organizations ever, and I’ve dreamed of sponsoring a child through them since early in high school. Up until this point, I was unable to do anything about it, but I am finally able to do it, and I’ve just signed up to sponsor a little girl this weekend. The catch? Her name is [name]Isabel[/name]. I didn’t pick her because of her name–she’s this sad little soul that’s completely adorable and I just couldn’t say no to her. I fell in love with her as soon as I saw her picture on the website. Her name was only a perk. But where does this leave [name]Isabelle[/name] on my list?

A lot of the people I’ve heard speak about their Compassion child have said that they exchange letters all the time, buy [name]Christmas[/name] and birthday gifts for their child, and their child becomes almost a fixture in their family, almost like an adopted child living halfway across the world. I haven’t started a family yet, obviously, but if I do, will that make [name]Isabelle[/name] unusable to me, now? Are there any Berries who are Compassion sponsors (or even child sponsors from a similar organization) who can weigh in on this? My sister seems to think that that shouldn’t keep me from using [name]Isabelle[/name] later on (and ultimately, I had planned to honor my Compassion child on my list, anyway), but I’m wondering if I will come to see [name]Isabelle[/name] as only this precious little girl, and I won’t really want my daughter to share it. Once I know someone with a name on my list, it starts to lose a lot of its lustre, and I’m wondering if this will happen with [name]Isabelle[/name].

WDYT? Would this make [name]Isabelle[/name] unusable, if you were in my situation?

Thanks, Berries!

2

Oh I love [name]Isabelle[/name] and [name]Isabella[/name] too! So classic, beautiful and princess-y…Judging from your list we have very similar taste in names!
I say if you absolutely love [name]Isabelle[/name] and can’t imagine another name ever then of course, use it! That said, it is such a popular name-even this sweet child half way around the world shares it! I might be inclined to either use it in the middle name spot OR use a variation-and with [name]Isabelle[/name] there are plenty!
[name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Isabella[/name], [name]Anabella[/name], [name]Annabelle[/name], [name]Arabella[/name] (OK any -bell name) [name]Isadora[/name]…

[name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Isabelle[/name] Would be beautiful and would honor your compassion child:)
[name]Hope[/name] that helps!!

3

We’ve sponsored a child previously and something like that wouldn’t make me take the name off my list.

4

I wouldn’t worry about it yet in all honesty. Maybe this child will be a fixture in your house, maybe you won’t afford to sponsor her as long as you think and she won’t. maybe you will one day write to this little girl and say, “You have brought so much joy into my life that I felt inspired to name my little girl [name]Isabelle[/name] too!” [name]Imagine[/name] how that would make you feel if you were that little girl with seemingly no future now has someone who loves her so much they named their own child after her. I think that is pretty special and would make me feel like I was really important.

5

I’ll keep that on maybe list if it was me. [name]Just[/name] see how your relationship with this [name]Isabel[/name] develop in years and how you feel about it. (Btw, Compassion International sounds great! I’ve immediately google it.) I think it’s totally okay to keep using [name]Isabelle[/name] since [name]Isabel[/name] is far far away from you, but if later you become so close to her, I do consider it’s weird to have children name [name]Isabel[/name] and [name]Isabelle[/name] (though one of them is not your real daughter). Naming a child after a sponsor child is not an option I’ll consider (but that’s me).

I know that your absolute favourite name is [name]Isabelle[/name], [name]Ash[/name]. But the rest of your list is also very lovely.

6

Compassion Child is a great organization, and I think having [name]Isabel[/name] as your sponsor child would only increase the meaning of the name for you! Plus, I bet [name]Isabel[/name] would be thrilled to know her sponsor family has a little baby with the same name as her. It would make a great story to share with your [name]Isabelle[/name] when she’s old enough, especially if you still keep in contact with [name]Isabel[/name].

However, I don’t know but I gather from your original post that you are not yet pregnant…so I say let the name continue to live on your list, and see–down the road–if you have a problem with it later when there is an actual baby girl to name. Apologies if I read this wrong, and you are actually pregnant with a girl!

7

@capturedcastle - you’re right, no, I’m not a parent (not even close). I’m a fairly recent college grad, no SO in the picture, even, not to mention a baby. It probably won’t be in the works for a few years still, but I’m sort of an impatient person and kind of wanted to know where I stood with [name]Isabelle[/name], haha. I’m starting to wonder if I’ll just think of her when I think of the name, and not my own beautiful baby with her own personality, but we’ll see.

@c@29 - that’s true. I love the rest of my list, but honestly, none of them click like [name]Isabelle[/name] does. If I didn’t keep [name]Isabelle[/name], I’d probably keep all the other names on my list, too, but I’m not sure I’d have a top choice for a long time.

8

The others have given great advice and I don’t particularly have any but just want to share a sort-of-similar “story”. A woman I know recently had a baby and named her [name]Samantha[/name]. This woman used to work as a domestic and in the home she worked for, the household that brought her to [name]Canada[/name] (she’s originally from [name]Malaysia[/name]), there was a little girl named [name]Samantha[/name]. This woman named her daughter after the girl [name]Samantha[/name] that she cared for. (this girl is in kindergarten now if I remember correctly) I’m not sure if this woman has stayed in touch with the family she worked for though.

So anyways: have you already sponsored/decided to sponsor [name]Isabel[/name]? (or will you potentially be sponsoring someone else) I think it’s all about your own comfort level. It would be pretty hard for anyone to judge you about this (how many people would really know?).

In most situations I would find it a bit odd, but I know you’ve loved [name]Isabelle[/name] so much and for so long. Maybe it’s just because I feel the same about my own favourite names, but I’d make almost any exception for a name this treasured.

9

I see your dilemma. I have been sponsoring a child through Compassion International for 8 years, and I can’t imagine naming my child the same name as her because she is a unique and special person in my life and her name comes up often enough that I only associate it with her. My only advice would have been to choose another child with a different name, but I know it’s too late.

10

Thanks, ladies! The responses seem to be almost evenly split, with a slight preference for keeping [name]Isabelle[/name] on my list. @bonfireazalea - yes, I have sponsored her, I paid the first payment last night. Honestly, I had two other little ones I was trying to decide on, if I didn’t go with [name]Isabel[/name], but it seemed ridiculous to avoid her just because I loved her name, especially when I felt most drawn to her. I don’t know, we’ll see. I should get the packet thingy with photos of her, and suggestions for letter-writing, and more info about the organization (although I’m not sure how much more I could know–I wrote a 27 page paper about them my senior year of college!).

I’m afraid in the past 24 hours, [name]Isabelle[/name] has lost a good deal of her lustre for me, which makes me sad, but I guess time will tell how I truly feel about it. If I struck [name]Isabelle[/name] from my list, I feel like there’d be a huge gaping hole there, I don’t know what I would love if it’s not [name]Isabelle[/name]! I guess we’ll see with time how I feel. Maybe in the meanwhile I can look for ways to make [name]Isabelle[/name] exciting and fresh in the meanwhile, if I really do want to keep it.