Would you be mad?

I went to a friend’s baby shower yesterday. She has known she is having a girl for a few months and they announced immediately that they plan to name her [name]Estella[/name] (after a family member) and call her [name]Ella[/name].

Now her [name]SIL[/name] is also pregnant and due 2 months after her. At the shower her [name]SIL[/name] was saying that she had found out she was having a girl, the name would be [name]Arabella[/name], and they would call her [name]Bella[/name]. So they will have [name]Ella[/name] and [name]Bella[/name]. And she claimed it was “unintentional.”

Obviously I couldn’t say anything about it then, but I have to imagine my friend isn’t as “okay” with that as she was letting on. Would you be mad???

It depends on the relationship they have but I don’ think I’d be mad! I mean [name]Estella[/name] and [name]Arabella[/name] are two completely different names with many nn options. If two of those nn options sound similar I don’t think it matters, especially not if they’re close and get on well.

If the relationship is already strained though as with many in-laws than maybe this would be pushing the wrong button!

I agree that it would depend on the relationship. I think I’d kind of rather not have the cousins’ names be rhyming like that, and I’d probably be annoyed by it. Some people might think the rhyming names are cute, but I don’t think I’d like it.

I don’t know if I would be mad. I’m not sure about baby showers in general, and if other pregnant ladies are there, if they should even bring it up if you’re supposed to be the focus. I think that is what bugged me about the story is that another pregnant woman was inquired and perhaps unintentionally stole a little thunder from the event in general. Or maybe she is not unintentional and wanted a little attention, which is kind of rude. I don’t think her name choice is rude.

But hey. Names ending in -ella are very popular. [name]Estella[/name] is not very popular but I would not be surprised that someone else is considering a name with a similar nickname. What can anyone do, claim a whole mega-name category? All [name]ELLA[/name] names are mine, I got here first? There is a world of difference to me between [name]Estella[/name] and [name]Arabella[/name]. It’s just that they happen to come off in the same area of very popular nicknames. [name]How[/name] can that not be unintentional? [name]Do[/name] you think on the spot, she decided to name her child something that rhymes with the honoree’s choice? It’s not like both names are obscure, but way too similar. They are fishing in the same pool of names, they can’t be expected to always have distinct and divergent tastes in them.

I think it’s silly if they have a problem between them over this, because they are two different names, but they are both attracted to that -ella/-bella sound. I’m not sure it’s ok to start talking about your impending parenthood at someone else’s baby shower, though, but if someone asked, there’s nothing wrong with telling what names you are considering. I mean it shifts the blame a little, but I guess you could say we’re not decided yet, and break the news later privately.

I think that this baby shower experience is a precursor of what is to come. If a daughter is named anything rhyming with [name]Ella[/name], she will be in classrooms with girls named [name]Ella[/name], [name]Ellie[/name], [name]Eleanor[/name], [name]Belle[/name], [name]Elle[/name], [name]Bella[/name], [name]Helena[/name], [name]Nola[/name], [name]Nell[/name], [name]Stella[/name], and [name]Viola[/name]. Of course, the most popular of these names are the ones that start with “E” and “B”. Have you ever heard of [name]Eliana[/name]? I know a darling little girl named [name]Eliana[/name].
When my daughter was young she was in a class with a [name]Miranda[/name] (but I have to confess that I love [name]Miranda[/name]!), [name]Amanda[/name], [name]Amelia[/name] (but I really love [name]Amelia[/name] nn [name]Mia[/name]), and some other similar sounding name like [name]Marissa[/name]. I think there was an [name]Alyssa[/name], too. Anyway, most of the names sounded very similar. Then [name]Laura[/name] went to another school where there was another [name]Amanda[/name] and a girl named [name]Larissa[/name]. [name]Laura[/name] had friends named [name]Erin[/name], [name]Alice[/name], [name]Jana[/name], [name]Melia[/name], and [name]Siri[/name]. Their names all stood out. So since the “ella” sound is so popular nowadays, I would avoid it. Let the sister-in-law have to put up with all the Ellas and Bellas.

No, I would not be mad - when you name your baby [name]Ella[/name] or anything ending in -ella, you do so at your own risk!

LOL i would never name my own child ella or bella etc. but if they say they r fine with it than who cares. dont waste your time worrying about it and just be glad its not you

[name]Hi[/name]!

Honestly, no, I wouldn’t be mad. Though they sound very much alike, [name]Ella[/name] and [name]Bella[/name] are different names. Because they begin with two different sounds, they are much less likely to be mixed together than, say, [name]Ella[/name] and [name]Ellie[/name]. If they do decide the nicknames are too close, then perhaps [name]Arabella[/name]'s parents will decide to call her [name]Ari[/name] (airy) - they might want to do this, anyway, as there are so many little girls called [name]Bella[/name] right now as it is!

By the way, both [name]Estella[/name] and [name]Arabella[/name] are beautiful names! Those ladies have excellent taste in names! [name]Estella[/name] reminds me of [name]Estella[/name] Havisham in [name]Charles[/name] Dickens’ Great Expectations and [name]Arabella[/name] reminds me of [name]Bryony[/name]'s play, “The Trials of [name]Arabella[/name],” in [name]Ian[/name] [name]McEwan[/name]'s Atonement. Two splendid, wondrous, and utterly feminine names with literary fame! Glorious.

[name]Lemon[/name] :slight_smile:

I would be a little upset if I were her.

When I was pregnant at the same time as my S-I-L, I announced that if it were a girl, I would name her [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Ann[/name](this was over 6 years ago and my taste has changed a lot since then). Anyway, I found out I was having a boy, and then when my S-I-L had her girl( one month after I found out I was having a boy), she named her [name]Brooke[/name] [name]Anne[/name]. I was mad.
My family said I wasn’t right to be mad because I was having a boy, but I felt I had claimed the name and she took away my potential to use that name in the future.

I think families need to be very sensitive to the name claims/dreams of other family members.