Hey! We have grandfathers on each side named “William.” We like the name a lot! It’s common but we think it’s a good one. That being said, my sister in-law just named her son Liam (he was born in February). Do you think we should stay away from William as a first name option? We have considered it as a middle name as well. We plan on talking to my sister-In-law but we are waiting until the new year to tell family that we are expecting a baby. Thanks for input!
[name_u]Liam[/name_u] and [name_u]William[/name_u] sound different enough to my ears to not be a problem. Especially if you were to shorten it to [name_u]Will[/name_u] (and [name_u]Liam[/name_u] being older, my guess would be you’d say them “Liam and Will” if you were saying them together?).
[name_u]William[/name_u] is lovely and classic and if you love it you should use it
[name_f]My[/name_f] grandpa and uncle are both [name_u]William[/name_u] while my brother is just L iam and he recently told the family he truly thought his full name was [name_u]William[/name_u] for a large portion of his youth, so it feels too close to me, lol
I have cousins named Grace and Grey (both girls), and while it can be confusing when you’re calling out their names, it’s really not that confusing or strange! I think William and Liam as cousin is just fine!
I would keep it for a middle myself, but since it’s a family name and so classic and familiar, I think you could use it -so long as you don’t plan on using nn [name_u]Liam[/name_u]
I think [name_u]William[/name_u] is an amazing name ! I don’t think [name_u]William[/name_u] and [name_u]Liam[/name_u] are too close for cousins , but could be for brothers . [name_u]William[/name_u] could go by [name_u]Will[/name_u] , [name_u]Willie[/name_u] , [name_u]Billy[/name_u], [name_m]Bill[/name_m] , [name_m]Wells[/name_m] or any variations!
I know a family with 2 cousins that are only months apart both of whom are actually named [name_u]William[/name_u] (after their shared grandpa). One goes by [name_u]Will[/name_u] and the other [name_u]Liam[/name_u]!
[name_u]William[/name_u] and [name_u]Liam[/name_u] are different enough as long as you use ‘Will’ for a nickname and not ‘Liam’. But I do think you have the right idea of talking to your sister in law before making any decisions.
I don’t think this is something to worry about unless certain family dynamics indicate it could be an issue. [name_u]Liam[/name_u] and [name_u]William[/name_u] are largely thought of and used as separate names as evidenced by [name_u]Liam[/name_u] holding the number one ranked baby name in the U.S. for the last four years. I think your sister-in-law would already be aware of Liam’s popularity so it’s unlikely that she’s greatly concerned about exclusivity. [name_u]William[/name_u] also being a family name on both your sides adds a lot of weight and I think it would be very difficult to find a reasonable argument against it.
If [name_u]William[/name_u] turns out to be your top name and you generally have a good relationship with your sister-in-law, I think in your situation I would be telling them once we had made the decision to use the name. I wouldn’t be requesting their permission to use a family name on our sides of the family but I would want to give them a private heads up. I wish you all the best.
Personally I’d look for something else and reserve [name_u]William[/name_u] for the middle name spot, but… If you have your heart set on [name_u]William[/name_u] as a first and your sister in law has no major issues with it, then it’s possible to use it.
