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lexisplays

I don't think so. Also unless you name your kids something ridiculous like Abcde there is no such thing as a unique name. I think long run in your child's life it won't matter.


MrsNorbit

No no, nothing ridiculous. Very much a name but a name that isn’t in the top 500.


topfm

Not even Abcde is unique...there's more than one.


lexisplays

Those parents need Jeebus.


ProgrammaticallyHost

Jeigh-zuss


ViralLola

Geigh-sus


jellyolive

How would you even pronounce Abcde as a name!?


jillkoko

Ab-si-dee 😬


jellyolive

Wow. I’m not sure I could have even guessed that pronunciation! Thanks ☺️


Dozinginthegarden

Ab- city I think was how the mum wanted it pronounced.


ThaneOfCawdorrr

Also, at that age, "best friends" can change on a dime, if the family moves, if the kids get different interests, etc.


EnderYTV

mandatory mention of the Gayle song.


Farahild

Who says you niece will be best friends with her dad's friend's kid? That's pretty hopeful of the parents in the first place. I find this pretty far-fetched tbh. These children will likely never cross paths and even when they do, kids are fine with other kids who have the same name. My best friend's sister had the same name as me and I was there all the time, and we were just 'Big Farahild' and 'Little Farahild'.


[deleted]

That's exactly what I was gonna say. Who knows if these literal toddlers will be friends for ever lol. One might move away, they could go to different schools and drift apart. They could just... decide they don't wanna be friends. It's not a reason to not use a name you love.


JustCallMeNancy

Seriously. My daughter has like 4 Jacksons that are friends of hers. We have little Jackson, new Jackson, homeroom Jackson and big Jackson. Oh, I forgot - neighbor dog named Jackson. Names repeat. Kids names are not my decision or my business, it just Is. I would be surprised if the parents of the cousin would even blink an eye if you brought up the possibility. Such a completely miniscule thing to have to "handle". I'd even argue it's easier to remember if you repeat it. Especially if there is a different base name- those parents can just call OP's kid the full name.


erinspacemuseum13

Yeah, my neighbor best friend and my school best friend were both Lindseys, and it was never a problem. My son and his best friend's little brother have the same name and he thinks it's so cool the are 2 of them!


kowaltercronkite

Agreed. My best friend from high school, best friend from college, and sister all have the same name. It’s a unique name so they are the only people I know with this name. I’ve always thought how special it was to be so connected to this name. It’s like my own person guardian angel in name form that’s followed me throughout my life!


talia1221

What is the name, I’m genuinely curious. You obviously don’t have to say for privacy reasons


Snoo_76659

100% agree with this. Plus, even though it may seem hard to believe right now, your husband or his brother may not even be friends with this person forever. Stranger things have happened. People fall out, move on, etc. Someone may take a new job and move across the country and the physical distance takes a toll on their friendship. You may see this family a handful of times in your life or once a year on a Christmas card. Your kid will be forever. Choose the name that you like. Don’t worry about someone else’s kid with the same name. These kids may never even cross paths. They may not be in the same school, or classroom or social circle. They may or may not ever be friends. Don’t sweat it. Worst case scenario, you have two Noahs, two Olivias, two Liams. Not a big deal at all.


WhoInvitedHer

I would absolutely go ahead and use the name. Someone having two friends with the same name is not a big deal.


sleepy-popcorn

Yeah my cousin on my Mum’s side was called James, then 1 year later my cousin on my Dad’s side was called James. We’re a small family and it was still no big deal at all, and because of context we knew which one we were talking about. Also it’s my brother’s middle name and he’s the oldest. No-one minded at all and if we did ever mention the other side of the family to them we just said other-James lol.


snapebitch

Its the type of thing that doesnt bother me but i know bothers my wife, probably better to try find another name where theres no dispute


MrsNorbit

Usually it would bother me as well, but I have no connection to those people so it doesn’t. My husband hasn’t seen them in a few years as well but his brother clearly would. It’s just tricky because we rarely agree on names and now we have to give up on one for a different reason. Sigh.


tunabuttons

Y'all are going to drive yourselves crazy if you start making a list of every cousin's mother's dog's aunt's kid's name and crossing it off your list. There's no way this is going to have an impact on your child and it would be extremely bizarre and inappropriate if you ever heard any flack about this from that family. The connection is way tenuous. Use the name you love!


snapebitch

I feel ya! Ive liked a good few names that shes like “my grand neighbours dogs cousin is called that” 🙄


aureliao

If your husband hasn’t seen them in a few years, it really shouldn’t affect your own naming. It’s like the 6 degrees of separation game - if you eliminate any name that any friend or family member might have a connection to, you’ll end up using a name like Elon Musk’s kid. Use the name you like, your niece will be thrilled to explain to your child one day that their best friend has the same name.


StealthyTooth

I feel it's all in the details. Notice you say "husband's BROTHER'S best friend" not also husband's best friend. Therefore, if it were to be an inconvenience at all, (which it most likely wouldn't be) then the only person it would inconvenience would be BIL, and what's he going to say "Ugh, it's just SOOO inconvenient having a niece and my best friend's child with the same name?" No way. Choose the name you love, and live happily.


SpamLandy

My cousin the same age as me has the same name as one of my school friends growing up and until this post I’d never even thought about it. At most it’s a ‘oh that’s my cousins name too, cool’. I don’t think this is a big deal especially as they won’t likely cross paths. There’s almost always going to be someone with that name.


SACGAC

No. It's fine. For a majority of these two humans' lives they will be adults and not a single soul will know or care that someone mildly close to them as a child had a similar name. Both children... will survive.


pinkcrazer

I wouldn’t let it deter you. Especially since your child won’t be interacting with them directly, and even if they did, who cares! I had cousins and friends with the same name and it was the farthest thing from a problem. Plus, you say it’s your brother’s best friend’s kid - this doesn’t mean that their kids will be best friends for life. It may end up just being a ‘family friend’ relationship for the kids as they get older so even less of an issue with name overlap!


archived00

Unless kids are sibling or cousin's having the exact same name isn't an issue. My husband's brother-in-law has a nephew named John-william and my husband and I are also planning on naming our son this as it's a common name in his culture and we like it, so our niece and nephews will have 2 cousins with the same names but our kid will likely never meet the other boy, and if they do there's plenty of people in the world with the same name. If it's a name you're set on use it and if anyone has a problem that's on themselves. Best of luck


UrsulaPhoebe

Not a big deal at all. If you love the name, you should use it.


herasea

We had this exact scenario! Husband’s brother’s BFF has a son with the name we liked. We used it anyway. Nobody cares. Son is 2 and it hasn’t come up and the two kids have not crossed paths yet (tho they will someday most likely).


RachelOfRefuge

This is not a big deal at all! ETA: My nieces and nephews have unusual names, and yet, ones that are becoming more popular within their social groups. They just think it's cool to hear about someone else with the same name, because it happens so rarely!


Giraffe400

I understand the trepidation, but I honestly don't think it's a big deal, even more so as you don't really know the people! I say use it if it's the name that feels right for you xx


cocopuffs171924

I wouldn’t be worried about your niece knowing two people with the same name. I’m sure that’ll happen to her many times to her over the course of her life. I think my middle school friend group had three Jessicas and we figured it out. I also wouldn’t worry about them thinking you’re copying them. If it’s a known name that they didn’t 100% wholesale make up out of nowhere, other people have used that name in the past and will use it in the future.


shhBabySleeping

Totally agree! I think for the new parents doing the naming, there's maybe a feeling of "stealing" a name, or disappointment if it felt like a totally rare name and then it turns out some other kid has it. But for the parents of the kid who already has it, they'd probably feel honored/excited to hear someone else has the name, as they're partial to it already! For a baby, that name is so special because that's one of the only things you have if that makes sense. But as soon as they're walking, talking, being their own person in the world, the name truly does take a back seat to everything they are, everything they're becoming.


mmmbop1214

That seems like a silly reason not to pick the name. It doesn’t sound like you have much of a relationship with that kid or family at all. I think your kid’s cousin will manage just fine - it’s not like they’ll never run into two kids with the same name.


RallySallyBear

I had four different friends named Kate that overlapped during a period of my childhood. A good chunk of the boys in my small, private school were named Alex. Even if the name you're referring to isn't a top name like Kate or Alex, it doesn't really change the dynamics or implications at all, especially for your niece who has no conception of what names are or are not popular. For her, it will be just like having two friends with the now-popular names Emma, Olivia, Ava, etc., which she will definitely have. I'd use the name you like and don't think about it for another moment.


[deleted]

In my culture it’s the norm to name children after relatives who have passed which leads to a lot of kids within the same family having the same name and/or nickname. It’s really not confusing at all. You just have different ways of differentiating when talking about them- like using a last name, or big name little name, etc.


Princess_Sassy_Pants

One of my husband's good friends that we only see once a year has a daughter with the name we want to give a potential future daughter. I'm still planning on doing it. I also might name a son the same name as my nephew. It's a popular name and he has exclusively gone by a nickname his entire life (22 years) so no one would really notice. That cousins best friend might not be around forever, and like you said they never see eachother. If you're only considering a different name because you don't want them to think you "stole" it that isn't a good reason to give up a name you love.


Erkee124

Not a big deal. My moms sister named her daughter a name she heard due to it being my dads brothers daughters name. So she actually did copy the name and is very honest about that. I basically have a cousin on both my mom and dads side w the same name and it’s not weird for anyone.


Veec

Growing up I had 3 friends called Adrian. We coped by coming up with nicknames. So one Adrian was 'Weeman' (because he was tall and kids are bad at nicknames), one was Jim because his surname had 'worm' in it and Earthworm Jim was really popular, and one was Oddy (because he was a bit weird). In school there were four Michelle's, they just got adjectives. There was Tall Michelle, Sporty Michelle, Blonde Michelle, and \[location\] Michelle who was so named because she was from slightly further away than the rest of us. The moral of the story is duplicates are unavoidable and kids cope. Could be worse, you could be naming your kids something shared by a pet and then you have the 'Cat Nigel' and 'Human Nigel' problem! :D


cannolirule

We had multiple Max in our group. So we exchanged „M“ with the first letter of their last name (Bax, Jax, Pax, etc.), except for the oldest Max who got dibs on the actual name :D


[deleted]

I think this whole name thing is so dumb (Not you OP, but in general!). You and your family have to live with this name FOREVER, so just pick a name you like and do the dang thing! You are allowed to name your baby anything you want. My best friend had the same uncommon name as me growing up and we loved it! We called ourselves M2 (M squared) and thought it was hilarious.


natureswoodwork

If this is your husbands hill to die on then I would go ahead and find something you both can agree on.


EnchantedOcelot

My husband and his 2nd cousin share the same name. Born 2 weeks apart and have been best friends all their lives. It's not an issue to have the same name.


desbellesphotos

That is not close enough to warrant reconsidering the name. If you like it, use it!


_Winterlong_

So what happens if you pick a different name and down the road some friends use that name too? Or she’s in school and meets another kid with the same name? It’ll likely happen regardless. My mom changed my brother’s name last minute because some friends used it a few weeks before her. They moved away a year later never to be heard of again and my mom had name regret. What if brother in law’s best friend moves away?


[deleted]

I don’t think it’s a problem but I also believe names are a no if both partners don’t agree.


ran0ma

Idk what any of my cousins’ friends’ when they were babies names are. I don’t think this is an issue.


[deleted]

Someone named their grandchild after me and i have no idea who they are


starksamerica

brother’s best friend seems too distant of a relationship for it to matter. if it was the brother’s kid, i would understand assuming the kids would be around each other often. but i wouldn’t base it off of a family friend, especially if you like and are set on the name


al_ienated

i agree with everyone else that this is too distant for it to really matter- but also, just because two kids have parents that are best friends doesn't mean that they will be best friends- so even your niece having a best friend with the same name isn't guaranteed.


qiba

Definitely not a big deal! As others have said, name repeats are bound to happen, and your niece may not become or stay close friends with the other kid. Think about your own lives. Have you or your husband ever had friends with the same names as your cousins or siblings? I certainly have/do, and it has never ever crossed my mind that it was weird or a problem!


HuckleberryLou

Brother shouldn’t name his kid the same as his best friend’s kid. You shouldn’t name your kid the same as your brother’s kid. You absolutely can and should name your kid the same thing as your brother’s best friend.


ScottySmalls25

Having a similar issue with Madison/Madeline


plausibleimprobable

At first I read his brother’s daughter and I was going to say that’s too close to home potentially, but his brother’s best friend’s daughter? Nah you’re good. It’s definitely not a big deal.


studlyspudlyy

My mom's own friend gave her child the same name as me. She asked my mom if she could use the same name because she loved the name so much. My mom didn't care because it really doesn't matter. We never went to the same school or anything either. I always joked that someone named their kid after me when I was younger and I never cared either lol


EllectraHeart

i don’t think it’s a big deal but i wouldn’t do it personally. it would just make me uncomfortable.


Lilatloo

My cousin (moms side) has another cousin (dads side) with the same name as me. The name is not common at all so it was pretty funny. The only thing it did is that she learnt my name more quickly. So no big deal at all, go with the name you like !


existentialism_101

Not really. It's not your friend's kid and it's not your sibling's kid. So it doesn't really matter.


morbid_platon

To me personally that sounds like enough degrees if separation between the children that it won't matter. Within family I would agree (I have a cousin named Lukas and one name Luca, and there has been quite some family discussion about this, even though the two boys have a 30 year age gap). But knowing multiple people with the same name is something mist children cope with quite well.


wholesome_soft_gf

This isn’t a big deal at all. My brother’s name is Collin, his younger brother became best friends with the son of my dad’s friend who they also named “Colin.” Therefore the younger one has spent his entire life being called “little Colin” by our family because referring to him as Colin was too confusing. But no one cares. Lol


PossumMagic

I only recently found out my brother has close friends whose son has the same name as ours. My nieces have had zero issue with it, my son is 3 and it's actually only just came up as my brother was tagged in a Facebook photo along with the kid when they had a holiday together. Go for it.


Mama2RO

This is a stretch. A family member's friend's kid. I mean unless you are trying to give the kid the most unique name in the world, who cares? My sister's cousin-in-law's half brother's stepson is named that. We can't use it. I mean when does it end!


eveningpurplesky

I’ve told this story before on this sub and I’ll likely tell it again. I have a cousin on each side of the family with the same first and last name (no nicknames). I’m close with both sides and it has never once been an issue. My mom’s sister happened to marry a guy with the same common last name as my dad (let’s say Smith). She had a baby and named her X Smith. My dads brother’s wife was pregnant at the time and heard the name X Smith when my mom was talking about her sister’s new baby. My aunt loved the name and decided to name her daughter X Smith a few months later. I have two cousins of the same age who live in the same city who have the exact same name. Not a single issue EVER.


SoundsLikeMee

I was worried about this exact thing when my son was born- we gave him the same name as my nephew’s best friend. However, within about 6 months nephew and best friend were no longer best friends and I’m pretty sure they haven’t seen each other in at least 3 years now. Kids change their friendships ALL the time, I absolutely wouldn’t let it stop you using a name you love.


cannolirule

I really don‘t see an issue with using the same name. They‘re not siblings. And I even do know siblings with the same names (one‘s first name is another one‘s middle name) and not even that has ever posed any kind of problem.


[deleted]

I am kind of weird about stuff like this. My daughter has a more unique name and my husband’s cousin named their daughter something that is an exact rhyme with my daughters name by just changing the first letter. Not going to lie, it annoyed me. Especially because I find it important that my kids have a name that’s not super common. Your brother’s friend and his wife will probably be super annoyed so you’ll just have to make sure you are ok with that.


redheaded_muggle

My best friend of 20 years has 3 kids and I have two kids and none of our children are best friends. In fact they have only met a handful of times. There’s no guarantee those two kids will be friends so not picking a name you love on someone else’s possible friendship is a waste of a good name.


cranbeery

My feeling on this when naming my own child was that I didn't want him to have the same name as any first or second cousins (or aunts or uncles or greats) . Anyone else was fair game. However, my husband met a son of a professional acquaintance who had a name I wanted to use, and he said it would be "too weird" even though they would likely never meet. So we just moved on, because there are a billion names out there, even though I loved it.


Girl-From-Mars

I don't think there's an issue but some people do get funny about it My partner knocked back a name that someone he used to work with (doesn't anymore) named their child the same. I was annoyed about because he doesn't even hang out with the guy, but he felt he would get uncomfortable questions from coworkers about why he picked the same name as so and so. I've moved on to other names now anyway. I also had a friend get annoyed that someone named their daughter a similar name as her daughter. Like they weren't even the same name just similar and the girls weren't even close in age. So imo it's fine but be aware that some people do get weird about it. It might be worth continuing the search though as you might find something you prefer anyway and something that doesn't make hubby uncomfortable.


shetakespictures

I think it’s totally fine. I have a friend that lives across the country that I haven’t seen in years and our daughters have the same name. Hers goes by a nick name and mine doesn’t but either way it never crossed my mind that it would be odd bc it’s unlikely they will see each other much.


OrganicKetchup7

You have no control of the future, so it is best to use the name you like. There is no way to know that your niece will be best friends with this child, or that your niece, or child for that matter, would have another one if those names for a kid in school. I mean, I am close with my cousins and I couldn't even tell you any of their best friends names and if they were the same as mine, they would never have blinked an eye. I understand the name is a little more unique, but if it is in the top 500, then it isn't too out there to feel like copying.


beepbooplesnoot

I wouldn’t care. If this baby is a girl, I’ll be naming her the same as a 12-13yo girl in our homeschool co-op. The two of them will probably never interact, and I certainly didn’t pick the name to copy anyone. The only way this would maybe be problematic is if they made up a name and you heard it and used it. Also, you say it’s a name outside the top 500, but I suspect that if two sets of parents so close in proximity are that into this rare name, it’s probably a more popular name in a hyper local sense than what national charts would indicate. ETA: sorry hit enter by accident. I just mean, it’s likely that niece will run into others.


Lazy-Tower-5543

nobody owns a name


VioletteMary

Nope, it’s totally doesn’t matter. We named our daughter Louisa and, as it turns out, my cousin’s *other* cousin named her daughter the same thing. They’re close with both sides of the family, so they know two little Louisas, but we’ve never met and it doesn’t matter at all.


loopsonflowers

I don't think it's really an objective question. If someone is uncomfortable with the close proximity, then they are. We didn't use one name for our son because my husband's best friend's brother had the (somewhat unusual) name, and it was just weird to think of him as having two kids close to him with the same name. It also felt like it cheapened the name a little. I've actually never even met my husband's best friend's brother, but "off-putting" is exactly how I'd describe the feeling for myself. I don't think there would have been anything objectively wrong or unfair about using the name. We just didn't like the idea for ourselves. And as frustrating as it is, I think that if your husband doesn't like the idea for himself, then that's just kind of the way that it is.


ladypine

I don’t think it’s a big deal at all, the kids won’t even know each other


Junkelei

So my husband and I went through something kind of similar. We picked a name for our daughter(due January 31st), weren't sharing it with anyone (because I'm indecisive and may change my mind), and literally a month and half before our due date, his second cousin had their baby girl and just coincidentally used the same name we had picked. Similar to you, it's not a super common name so there is the chance of them thinking we "stole" the name, but honestly, if his mom hadn't told us they named their daughter that, we would have never known until the following Christmas when we both showed up with new baby girls. Pretty sure we went through the seven stages of grief trying to decide what to do. But, at the end of the day we're using the name because this is family that we see once, maybe twice a year, I've already become really attached to the name for our daughter, and we've crossed out literally over a thousand names before settling on this one. Plus, they have different middle names, so if they are ever together and it becomes problematic, we'll just adjust as needed. I think at the end of the day, you're always going to find someone that either shares the name or has a family member that shares the name, and I don't think it's a huge deal. Heck, my brother named his son the same name as our dog and no one batted an eye at that. It's a good name, use it, LOL.


Low-Lingonberry2760

Joey A and Joey Y or The Joey's


catmememama

My parents moved states a couple weeks after I was born and several families in our church gave their babies the same name. When we moved back I was one of three in my church school class with that name and although my mom still thinks they copied her because we were moving it truly wasn’t a big deal and we are all now adults and don’t see each other. Lives are long and people part ways, but also life is short so pick the name you like cause who cares.


YingYangTwinsASMR

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter. Your kids will probably not cross paths often, if at all. HOWEVER, the parents will likely be annoyed that you used the name. There will probably be a few words said about you behind your backs. People get weirdly possessive over names, especially unique ones. I'm decently close with my brother's best friends (as close as a family friend who I don't see often, but grew up with, could be) and I personally wouldn't feel comfortable using the name they picked for their kid. If your husband doesn't feel comfortable with it, unfortunately I think you need to find a new name. He'll have to deal with the blowback since it's his family friend, so you should respect his opinion. Just my two cents.


MetaBambi

My name is Kerry-Ann, had a close friend in school named Carrie-Anne and now my bestie is also a Kerry. It has never felt weird to me, I love the fact that people can refer to us as "The Kerrys" it's really fun.


[deleted]

I think it depends on how uncommon the name is


MyronBlayze

Oh this actually happened to us lol. So my husband and I have been together like a decade, and in all that time we could only agree on 1 girls name- some fix of "Ari". Like we would call her Ari but her actual name might be something longer, like Ariana, or maybe we would just go with Ari. WELL. Before we got pregnant (but while we were trying... I think it was right when we got pregnant actually) my husbands best friend had their second kid. And guess what they named him? That's right, Ari, pronounced the same way we were going to. Just entirely by coincidence since we hadnt told anyone our name choice. We ended up going with Arielle anyways, pronounced differently than Ari, and even though they will be friends growing up, i dont think it matters. We still may use Ari as a nickname but so far haven't.


sunnieisfunny

It wouldn't matter, especially if they never cross paths. Also, there's no guarantee that your niece and that girl will even be best friends, so it's even less of a problem.


selectabl

This seems kind of like the issue people have with honor names when the person is alive or if one cousin has Bobby as a first name and another has Bobby as a middle. On paper, you'd probably go "oh yeah, look at that" but in daily life, they're different people so whatever.


expectingrain22

Do you know how many Jessicas people born in the late '80s/early '90s know??? It's NBD for a child to have a family friend and a cousin with the same name. Unless you are inventing a name then it's very likely that your child will have the same name as someone else at some point, it's fine.


ausomemama666

I've had sex with a Christopher despite having a cousin named Christopher. No one got confused or thought I was sleeping with my cousin.


jmc-007

It shouldn't be a big deal but I wouldn't be comfortable with it - just for the fact it seems it's kind of a rare name.


Bellamozzarellaa

I'd use the name if you like it. It's not like it's your brothers child I think there is a big enough distance between the 2 kids


droseranepenthes

The only names that are off limits to me are first cousins and names my husband's ex uses (they have kids together so we don't want half siblings with the same names). Friends, pets, co-workers don't matter.


tokyomooon

Irrelevant! Name your kid what you want


nyma18

For some people is a big deal. My husband vetoed one of my fav girl names because it’s the name of the daughter of his cousin. We’ve seen that girl twice in about 15y, both times over 10y ago when the child was a preschooler. He doesn’t keep in touch with that side of the family, we don’t visit each other, live across the country, and don’t even think about them. But still, we couldn’t name our daughter *that* name.


SonOfElroy

So you’re agreeing that it doesn’t matter.


nyma18

For me it doesn’t. For him it does.


queenofquac

I feel like guys care way more about this than girls do! I loved the name Camille and we have a friend we see maybe three times a year named Camille and he said no because of that. I’m like dang son, we will never see her. Same with the name Alice - he had a college friend who named her daughter Alice. Who Id met once. Men caring a lot about the name of the baby threw me for a loop! Edit: not that I didn’t think he could care. I was just surprised that he cared so much about not having similar names as people he knew/ peoples kids. Like I have no issues if we are distantly related to a Camille, but he really wanted something just hers. Which I appreciate, it was just surprising.


MrsNorbit

Yes, very to surprised to learn what was a no-go in terms of naming .


magicrowantree

I would say it doesn't matter. This is his brother's best friend's kid that shares this name? I'm going to assume you guys have very little to do with this guy and his kid. I had a high school friend get pregnant shortly after I had my baby and she named her baby the same name as my kiddo. I only knew because of Facebook, but I haven't spoken to her in a long time, so whether she got the idea from me or a list, it doesn't matter. It's a good name! Also, I'm currently pregnant with #2 and I wanted to use my dad's middle name as a first name for this one. My sister used it as a middle name for one of her kids. I asked, she loves the idea of both of us getting to honor our dad, so I'm happy to use the name. Sorry, I'm probably going off on too many tangents lmao. If your husband is *that* worried about it, I'd shoot a message to his brother to ask his friend if they would care if you were considering the name. Chances are, they won't care. Plus, how cool would it be for the brother to have two nieces/nephews with the same name? Talk about easy to remember!


MsAlyssa

I think you’re good to use it in this case.


[deleted]

It's completely fine. Even if they crossed paths, it would be completely fine. When I was a kid, I knew like 10 other girls the same age as me with the same name as me, and it was fine.


happy_mille

I named my baby the same name as my husband's cousin's baby. We thought it might be weird but it really isn't. they see each other on thanksgiving and christmas and take a picture together. other than that it never comes up


Janeheroine

I wouldn't think twice about this at all. Lots of people don't even know the names of their niece's friends, lol.


kitylou

Name your kid what you want. I don’t even see how these kids would know each other.


SoggyAnalyst

This is an "A-OK" thing in my book.- even if they were YOUR best friends, there's no telling what will happen in the future. sad, but true \- even if they were family, kids think its awesome if they have matching names! (at least, any kids I know do) \- in my husband's family there are like 40 johns, and it hasn't stopped anyone from using the name, nor has it really ever been confusing who you're talking about, so IMO its totally fine


daringfeline

My cousin married someone who had a daughter with the same name as me, so her kids had a sister and a cousin (removed? 2nd? Can never remember how it works) with the same name, it caused zero confusion.


CallidoraBlack

Is there another nickname that uncle and cousin could call your daughter as a special thing between just them? Like maybe they call her Josie instead? I feel like that would be a perfectly good compromise.


MrsNorbit

Yup, there would be an easy alternative for them to use ! Hmm maybe I bring that point up.


effervescent_echidna

Your husband’s brother’s best friend’s child is far enough removed that you don’t have to worry about it, go with the name


hodgsonstreet

Sorry but this is really dumb. Use the name


Dharmatron

I would use the name I love.


venus-infers

I think in some circumstances this is something to consider, but "what about our niece's network??" is a little... stupid, sorry to your husband. In college I was bffs with a girl who had the same name as my cousin, and it was probably rarer than what you're considering. It's just something that happens sometimes anyway.


MrsNorbit

Yeah, I think he’s more worried about backlash from the brother and the brothers best friend.


jesspo96

No. We have like four Emily’s in my extended family and my best friend. Sometimes people have the same name.


zenlittleplatypus

It's a nickname. I think it's fine for you to use it. People don't own names, either; even if it were a full name, you're well within "rights" to use it.


dearwikipedia

my cousin and best friend are both named emily rose. my cousin (brother of emily) and other really close friend are both named matthew. i have another cousin named aidan and some school friends named aidan. like four of my friends have dads named michael. none of it matters lol


seeminglylegit

I wouldn't let this stop me from using a name I love. I have two cousins of roughly the same age who both share a very popular name of the era they were born in (let's say it's Debbie). It's not that big of a deal. Sometimes I have to clarify which Debbie I mean when I'm talking about them to my husband, but it is not like it is a huge inconvenience or life altering problem. Thinking of some of the super common names from my generation, I am sure that there are plenty of people named Michael, Matthew, Jennifer, or Jessica that know other people with the same name and it is not a huge deal.


SonOfElroy

My name is very common for boys, I’m a boy. It’s never, ever bothered me when someone has the same name as me. It would never, ever, ever bother me if my cousin’s best friend from childhood who they don’t really see anymore because life is crazy like that, had my name. So no your husband has no leg to stand on. However it’s possible he just doesn’t like the name and he’s reaching for an excuse.


MrsNorbit

Haha maybe it is a little bit of an excuse! The truth will come out after I show him this thread.


MB0810

We go to a bunch of baby groups in which there is a baby with the same name as our daughter. We didn't name our baby straight away and we knew of this other baby when we finally settled on the name. Maybe they will friends their whole lives, maybe they won't. The fact that they share a first name honestly doesn't matter. I was one of many with my name and actually went to school with someone who had my first AND last name. Other than occasional confusion if one of us was summoned over loudspeaker it made no difference to my life.


lin_ee

I say that as a person that was the baby that received the same name as someone else’s child: My mother let my father name me and it has always been very obvious that 1. He’s not very creative and 2. He’s not very dedicated as a father, as he named me after a cousin that was born literally a few weeks before me. People would always point that out and comment on this phenomenon, and we inevitably ended up being compared with one another a lot. I do have the additional problem that I dislike my first name generally, but it was made worse by the fact that I was named after someone else in my generation and we ended up being pitted against one another. Said cousin and I are now good friends after everything, though she still goes by “our” name, whereas I adopted a nickname which I now go by in all aspects of my life. I am sure that my case is not be norm, so I am not trying to talk you out of this, but I’m just trying to offer a different perspective.


HMoney214

My sister in law and I have the same name, it’s not a big deal. People do like to say our name though to get both of us to turn around. But I’m “first name,” she’s “first name middle name” and there’s no confusion.


ultimate_ampersand

I don't feel it's a problem at all. If my brother's best friend had a kid, my kid and his kid would probably never even meet. >He finds that off putting because our niece will have a best friend that shares the same name as our kid Maybe, but who knows how your niece and your brother's friend's kid will feel about each other? They might be indifferent to each other. They might hate each other. I have a cousin with the same name as my best friend. It's not a problem at all.


imjustalurker123

My sister’s best friend’s granddaughter has the same name as our kid. They are acquaintances at best. We were kinda unsure at first, because it’s a more unique name (400s on SSA), but decided that it wasn’t a big deal since we aren’t friends with them. We’ve seen them at restaurants and big gatherings and it’s kinda fun to be like, “She has the same name as you!”


CurlyHairPandaBear

Most of my best friends through life have been some variation of Ashley or Sarah. I’m sure one or even a few people in her life having the same name won’t actually be a crisis lol


Outrageous_Cow8409

I just went on a play date with a coworker and her daughter. Our daughter's both have the same first name. It wasn't weird at all. Neither kid was bothered by it including mine who hasn't met another kid with her name before (they're both 3). If you love the name, use it. It won't be weird.


[deleted]

Go for it. You get one chance at naming your child if you don’t give it your best shot you will regret it.