Too Similar?

[ButternutBabe]

My husband and I are TTC and want to call our first child Leo. However his stepfathers name is Lee and he is worried that his biological father will be hurt by a name so similar to his stepfather. By hurt I mean his bio father literally hates his stepfather. We don't want to do something that could cause huge family upset in a time of joy.

I'm fairly sure my husband and I will be fully capable of calling the child Leo or Little Lion without accidentally falling into using Lee as a nickname. But do you think other people will too? When they're at school, do you think other students will shorten Leo to Lee? It's the same length but Lee is only one syllable. I'm worried that it'll just become normal to call him/her Lee and that as a result my husbands father will take it as a personal offense.

 

[wannabemomy37]

I wouldn't think to shorten Leo. I'd assume it's short for Leonard or the like. If you like the name go with it. Your family can deal with it

 

[ButternutBabe]

I wouldn't think to shorten Leo. I'd assume it's short for Leonard or the like. If you like the name go with it. Your family can deal with it

That's my thinking. We haven't even conceived yet but I am just so set on the name that I'm worrying about it way before I should be haha

 

[Marnitoo]

I like the name Leo and i doubt the biological father would be hurt by the name being so similar to Lee, unless you actually named him Lee!
And i dont think others would call him Lee as a nickname as Leo is short anyway..
Go with it, if you like it I am sure your family will too.

 

[Eleanor ace]

I don't think Leo is likely to get shortened, it's not like it's a long name and I think a lot of people would assume it was already shortened from a longer name so that would make it less likely. Could you find a way to honour your FIL, use his name as a middle name or a name which is connected to him, to soften the blow a bit in case he does get upset. But even though they are very similar they aren't the same name, it's just a coincidence and hopefully he'll see that!

 

[ButternutBabe]

Thank you all, this is very reassuring

 

[Amygdala]

I also don't think Lee would be a likely nickname.

If you're really worried about your father in law's reaction, you could just tell him a story about who Leo is named after. Make one up if you have to, ie he's named after a famous Leo, after someone who's star sign is Leo... etc. You'll know whether that's necessary but if there's a real chance he's upset, this might be a solution.