Would you use unintentionally 'matchy matchy' name for 2nd baby girl?

[VanquishedColston]

DH and I have been finding it impossible to agree on a girl's name for our baby due next month (sex unknown) - everything I like, he doesn't, and vice versa (although I have made a lot more suggestions than he has!! He is stuck on a couple of names from his family which he keeps bringing up over and over).

We had the same issue with DD1 too, but finally managed to agree on something and that's what we used for our now-3yo - but basically we had no 'shortlist' for girls, it was DD's name and that was literally all we could agree on, so nothing leftover to help us out this time around essentially.

However, totally at random we DID manage to find something we both liked just coincidentally last week, just based on a conversation in the car re something on the radio. I think we would actually both be happy to use this name.

The only thing is, it's quite similar to our current DD's name, and also to my name too. All the same first letter, and ending with the same sound. So think something along the lines of Lucy, Lottie and Laurie. I am also very close to my sister and she named her son Lachie😂 So effectively if we use this name the children in my family would be named Lucy, Lottie and Lachie. Obviously these are not the actual names, but these examples reflect the vibe.

Would you use the name we landed on?? I had initially resolved to avoid another name starting with the letter in question, but this random name that popped up genuinely is the only thing we have been able to agree on and the baby is literally due in 4 weeks now.

I have never really been a fan of 'matchy matchy' names for siblings and it has not been done on purpose here, I have not looked for a name very similar to my current DD's, I would much prefer if we could have landed on something less similar and starting with a different letter at least - but here we are.

I am tempted just to use it if the baby is a girl as we really cannot agree on anything else, but also wondering if it will make us seem a bit weird 🙈

What do you think?

You can call your kids whatever you like

You can wait and meet the baby. They don’t need a name from birth. We named all of ours post birth, never had a shortlist in advance.

It will look deliberate and twee. There should be other names you like. ]

You're probably drawn to similar names because you like the sounds and because you are trying to avoid them.

There are thousands and thousands of names you could choose from.

Just use the name OP. It sounds like having finally found a name you both like it is worth the slight annoyance of some people think you've deliberately chosen matching names.

If it's a name like Lottie is there a full name version? So they'd be Lucy and Charlotte officially, that would be better.
Tricky to comment fully without knowing the actual names though

Yes actually, so it would be like Lottie and Charlotte effectively, it does have a longer version which would be on the birth certificate. I probably wouldn't use it day-to-day but others may I suppose, which eliminates the issue a bit, I hadn't thought of it this way, thank you!

There should be other names you like

There are other names I like but none that my DH likes as well unfortunately, and everything he likes is either the names of 2 of his relatives who I never met, or a couple which are generally held by people of my age (mid-30s) so I'm just not keen on them as they're not modern but also not old enough to have come back around, if you see what I mean.

We have honestly had so many discussions and have not been able to land on anything we both quite liked until this name.

a friend of mine had 2 girls, they had very disimilar names, but the short version is very matchy, so like Eleanor and Katherine and the shortening was Ellie and Kellie (not perfect example I know)
They did realise before the second one was born, and in the end went for it. Nobody notices or cares really. But they can be introduced as Eleanor and Katherine, which helps

Yes don’t worry lots of people do this, I think because they like the same sounds. I know quite a few.

I'm sorry OP but this is feeling like a game of animal, vegetable or mineral. "It's a bit like this, but not this, similar to that ..."

It is really hard to give accurate advice without knowing how similar they are. Lachie and Lottie, for instance, would sound ridiculous.

As would Laurie and Lottie

Just do it! You both like it, it's hard to find a name you both love. As long as you wouldn't get too confused calling them but you'd be the one dealing with that

I don't think it matters at all. If it's a name you both like then go for it

It’s difficult to comment properly without knowing what the actual names are but I don’t think the Lucy and Lottie example are similar enough to worry - especially written down and even less so if you can throw in a Charlotte.

I’d probably rethink if you currently had a Molly and liked Milly and your nephew was Billy.

@ElleJayC , they're very similar. They begin and end with the same sounds.

Charlotte and Lucy are fine.

Could you just give us the potential nane and we could see if we can find something similar

I mean you can obviously call your child what you want but if it is very similar to your first that's probably why you like it as it has familiar and comfortable sound.
I do tend find it a bit cringeworthy when siblings all match and think it's a bit like Keeping up with the Kardashians. It might also leave you in a pickle if you have any more children, do you then stick to your theme and commit to it or have an odd one out?
I would keep an open mind and consider other options especially because you don't know what gender you are having, there is no pressure to have a name immediately after birth. It took us 3 weeks to name our son for many reasons, one of them being the name we liked first pregnancy for a boy was matchy to what we called our DD. We had a few others that we kept thinking we had settled on and then after a while didn't feel right. Eventually we got a name that wasn't on any shortlist or even discussed before that. We lived with it a few days before announcing his name.

For most of their lives they will be living independently, surrounded by people who don't even know their sister. Give dd2 the name you love.

I've taught twins called names as similar as Arielle and Ariella; nobody cared.

I think it’s quite cute actually. Bit cringe if deliberate, but you’ve accidentally landed on it, so go for it and just enjoy it :)

And that’s why it’s a personal decision really then as everyone is different. They don’t strike me as match matchy at all but I see what you’re saying so they obviously are! My son has 2 really good friends called Lucy and Lottie and I’ve never noticed or thought about the similarities.

I think it's fine and even quite sweet. As long as the vowel is different and the names can't get confused.

They'll be individual adults a lot longer than they'll be your sibling set, so if you've found the only name you both like just use it

Unless the name rhymes extremely closely meaning that you would struggle to speak of them both in the same sentence. I would use the name you both like.

Thanks everyone for your comments, they've been really helpful.

Regarding the sounds, it's just the start and ends of the names which are the same, the vowels are different so they don't sound totally the same when you say them.

The longer version of the new name starts with the same letter but doesn't match in any other sense, so maybe we will be ok after all 😊

I don't think it really matters, @VanquishedColston but it will look matchy when you say 'Lucy and Lottie/Laurie'.

It won't matter with their friends or colleagues.

Yes I do agree, that's what was playing on my mind - when people ask me my children's names and I effectively say Tweedledum and Tweedledee 😂I could however use baby 2's longer name in those circumstances, it's just the shortening is the name that I truly like so I can't see myself using the full version very often.

But I also can now see DryIce's point above that that will only really be a thing while they're children - through most of their lives it won't impact them I suppose as they'll have independent lives.