Do you like it when parents...?

Question

I've been thinking about names I want to use when I have a family. I think the names should go well together (i.e. you wouldn't want to name your kids Lauren, Samantha, Jacob, & Bob.) Do you like it better when parents give their kids names that all start with the same letter, or when they give them names that have something in common like the endings in names like Megan, Brooklyn, Mason, etc.?

Why do you care? What's wrong with planning ahead?

Answer 1

i think it's good in theory but speaking as a mother of 5. In hindsight I would avoid making them sound alike in anyway because you will find youself confusing them when trying to talk to them. Jessica, Jonathan, Joshua, Christian, and Max. I find myself and other stuttering cause of those that start with the same letter as well as confusing Jonathan and Christian because of the endings. Max is the only one it's never happened to. Good luck but I would recommend against it.

I do like the name Brooklyn though.

Answer 2

There are 2 different ways you have chosen to try to name your kids, but there are a million different ones out there.

You could give them all the same initials, an expansion of your same-first-letter rule. Or you could use a particular set of letters, just use vowels or use a sequence of letters or something like that. For example, you could name your kids Aaron, Emily, etc.

My sisters' sister-in-law starts all her kids' names with "S" because that is her favorite letter. That works for some people.

But why put guidelines on what your childrens' names should be? Each child is an individual and should require individual time and effort in your quest for good names. Also, if you have 4 names in mind but only have 3 children, what will happen to the last name? Will you feel all is lost because one child did not get the last name? Will your children feel as though they got X name because they were the 3rd of the list? You should take into account their feelings too.

I think Lauren, Samantha, Jacob and Bob are all fine names on their own and some combinations of those names would be nice (particularly Lauren and Samantha would go well together for 2 girls and Jacob and Bob could go well together for 2 boys), but family planning does not take just 1 person.

Name trends also change from year to year. Maybe 30 years ago, Britney was not a very popular name and now many kids have that name. New names are also developed because of new spelling practices, morphing of different names, etc.

I would go to a naming website, a website with a lot of children's names, and discuss the names you like the best with your partner. They will also be involved in your childrens' lives and should have a small claim in the naming of these children. If your names happen to fit a sort of pattern that is nice, but intentional patterns can go a little too far (the "S" naming example) and some patterns can only go so far and then you might run out of names.

Also, if you spend more time on deciding names then you will have a cool naming story to tell people later and when your kid does an assignment in school about how they were named they have an awesome story to tell.

Just some things to think about.

Answer 3

I have an aunt who named her four kids all starting with T(Tim, Todd, Terri and Tami). My parents gave me a T name (Tanya) . When the family is together, it gets really confusing! You should hear all the stuttering to get the right T out there! It's funny too cause it's not like no one knows who the other is or which person they're trying to talk to, just for some reason, everyone ends up stuttering.

My husband is also a T (Timer) so now it's really interesting at family gatherings, especially since his name is so unusual.

Answer 4

Honestly I think it's goofy..... but we totally did it. We all have names that begin and end with the same letter. It gets very confusing when your mad and trying to yell at the kids and get the right name.
I have a girlfriend who had 3 sisters with the exact same initials. At her wedding reception her sister cried because she was the first to break that common strand they had. It was very sweet. They seemed to love having that bond and I'm sure that influenced our name choices years later.

Answer 5

I honestly dont really care and never thought about it. I dont think that most people think about it at all. I dont know how old you are but I have changed my mind about what names I like several times since I was a teenager.

I changed my daughters name from Krista to Jordan when she was born because the name did not suit her.

Answer 6

For some reason, I really don't like it when all the names begin with the same letter. I also don't like it when the first and the last names begin with the same letter, like Sally Struthers...or end with the same sound...like Kylie Bailey. Too much information?

Answer 7

All my kids are different...but I know what you mean. My boys are Layne, Justin, and Jayden. I think they are somewhat similar, but since my name is Sarah and my hubby is Keith...their names aren't similar to ours. When I was young I must have thought of a million names to name my babies, but it sort of seems like they name themselves. I had full intentions of naming Jayden Zachary, but the whole time I was pregnant when I would be talking about him as Zach I would think "J" and then when he was born the rest of the name came to me...J ayden. Best wishes

Answer 8

I prefer individual names. When I see parents (Jane and Jack) with their three kids...John, Jennifer and Joey, I think it's kind of goofy and simple minded. Sorry if that's harsh, but I think it's just strange to see grown adults playing rhyming games with their kids' names. Their names define them for the rest of their lives, and if they have to constanly answer "So, Mary, do you have any siblings?" "Yes, I have two brothers, Mark and Matthew, and a sister, Melinda." Eh...I think I'll pass.

Answer 9

I don't know why people are inconsiderate about something that is important to you. Yes naming my children is an important issue. I personally like naming kids by their meanings. As long as the meaning of their name is related they are good. For instance Ryan means "King, Loyal" and Lareina means "Queen". Good luck!!

Answer 10

I think people who give their kids names that all start with the same letter are weird. Kaitlyn, Kristian, Kyle. Especially when they spell something "wrong" to keep it that way.