What are your thoughts about passing on a long standing family name to your baby?

Question

My husband's name is Mahlon Kirkin VI, (the Sixth!) Now that I'm pregnant, I'm getting questions from his family if I'll name the baby the Seventh. The name is very old fashioned and I just can't seem to make a decision on it. My husband is in full favor of naming him Mahlon Kirkin VII. What are your thoughts if you were in this position?

The last name has been changed to protect the innocent. :)

Answer 1

Oh, you have to name him the 7th, your husband will be crushed if you don't. Men try to put on a strong front, but really, they take pride in knowing that their baby is named after them. A man can't carry the baby in the womb, a man can't breastfeed, a man can't do very many of the things the woman gets to do for the baby. A lot of times this will make them feel distant from the pregnancy, and ultimately, the baby. You should do as much as you can to make him feel more involved and special. My grandmother-in-law told me a story about her husband Ray _______. She said that when she was gave birth to their first boy, she asked him if he wanted to name it Ray _____ Jr. He (probably too embarrassed to admit it) said no, he didn't need it, but she said she got the feeling he did. They ended up naming the boy _______ ray _______, so he had his middle name. She said, on his death bed, he told her he wished he had had his name passed down and ____ ray ____ was really ra________ jr. So, even the man who isn't coming from a legacy of the same name, they still want it. Don't make your husband resent you or be angry with you until he is on his death bed. PS My husband is a JR and our first son will be the III (or jr jr as I like to call it :) )

Answer 2

I think it's cool to have a VIIth! :) Has your husband ever had any negative reactions to his name? It's very original. I personally don't think it's a bad name.

When I first became pregnant, I made a deal with my husband that if we have a girl, I would name her and if we have a boy, he could name him (of course with each other's approval!).

Anyway, we found out that we are having a boy. He was very happy and I told him that if he wanted to name our son after him, I would have no objections AT ALL. My husband has a VERY common first and last name. We were both in agreement, but then his mom started saying things about the name. I told her that she didn't have a problem when she named her own son that! (but that's a-whole-nother story!)

Well, needless to say, my husband changed his mind and we're naming him something else, but using his first name as his middle name instead. We've only told 1 family member (on his side) about the name change so everyone still thinks his first name will be the same as my husband's. We're not letting the cat out of the bag until the baby is born.

Bottom line: you and your husband should compromise about naming your son/daughter. You need to pick a name that you BOTH love. Don't let family members make that decision for you. They had their chance to do that themselves.

Good luck!!!

Answer 3

IMHO, naming sons after fathers is lazy and confusing. While, yes, it's a family honor, if you don't like the name, chuck it! Your husband's parents, and the grandparents before that, and the great-grandparents before that all had the right to name their child what they wanted, and you have the exact same right.
If you want to strike a balance, perhaps (if you liked the name, say, James) name your son James Mahlon FamilyMiddleName Kirkin VII. That way you'd keep some autonomy while still honoring his family name.

Answer 4

Well you could use it as a middle name - you know - for example:

"Michael Mahlon Kirkin"

or something like that.

Personally I think its wonderful to pass on family names to your child, it gives them a link to who they are, to their ancestry and bloodline.

My dad was Wiliam Kenneth and so is my brother. It was not at all confusing.! My dad was known by his middle name ("Ken") and my brother is known as Will.

We have chosen Arthur David William for our little boy. Arthur was my BF's grandad's name, David was my grandad's name, and also David is BF's brother's name and William is my brother's name.

There's nothing wrong with the name Mahlon anyway - it'll make him stand out from all the (countless) Aidens and Jacks at his school!!!

Answer 5

my grand father, father and oldest brother have the same name so when my brother had his first son everyone wondered if the name would be passed on. but it wasnt, although the same initials were kept. if its a name you dont really care for then dont feel obligated to keeping it. but then again it could be something special for your son when he gets older. you never know he might be the last Mahlon in the family!!
good luck

Answer 6

I am having that problem also, I am having my first baby and in my family if the first born is a girl the is to be Maria but I want to break the tradition Because I have other names that I like. I think you will make up your mind when your baby arrives you will know what to do then. good luck to you and your family congrats

Answer 7

It is to you and the farther you should be able to come to a decision But their is nothing wrong with the name their are a lot of weird names out their and this is not one trust me good luck you will make the right decision.

Answer 8

Do you not care for it? You can always give the baby a nickname if you want. If you have another, tell hubby you get to name it. In my hubby's family, middle name starts with an R (husand is B.R.R, sister is T.R.R. and brother is G.R.R). If we have a girl, it will carry the tradition, if we have a boy, it will get the name I picked.

Answer 9

Pass it on!!!!! You could have other children that you don't have to name that and the sooner you get it over with, the better. Just don't let his family pressure you into it. If you don't feel comfortable naming your child that, then maybe just make it a middle name or something like that. You could always give him a nickname. Good luck!!! ( Look on the brightside, I once had a guy want to name his son Lucipher)

Answer 10

I personally think a child should have their own unique name and naming a child after family works for some but I think the child should be their own person and not live in shadows of so many other people.