Tradition of naming son after FIL

[Starlight32]

Does anyone else have a husband whose family has this tradition?

I don't mind my FIL's name, but I also like another name better. If we don't use FIL's name at a first name, we would use it as a middle.

My husband is torn on if he wants to use it or not. He likes other names better, but his father does want the tradition to be carried on.

Just curious how others have handled this situation?

 

[Moma Ali]

what consstitutes a tradition?

has 1 person done it? 2 people? 10 people? 50?
or
is it based on time? all the babies of the last 100 years etc...?

im always confused by how these things start and supposably work

but maybe thats because we dont have any, Im not a fan of naming after family as I think everyone should have a unique identity but I seem to be the odd one out as everyone else says its 'important'

no one in my family is named after anyone else, although one member did change their name after a family member died but thats personal choice not what was on their birth certificate

 

[LoraLoo]

I think it'd be a good compromise to use it as a middle name. My son has his late uncles name as his middle name, and my 6 yr old has her big sisters name as her middle.
If we have another girl her first or middle name will be after ohs late mum.

 

[Emma&Freya]

I think itss perfectly resonable to have his name as a middle name

 

[CandiceSj]

I find that middle names are almost useless except for adding a bit of a personal touch to the name. First names need to be functional, work well with the last name, give off the right vibe, be something both parents compromised and came together to choose... But middle names hardly get used in the real world so it's possible to be freer, not *love* it as much, but have it *mean* more. Or it can be a name one parent loves but it's too "out there" and the other parent accepts it because it's a middle name, that kind of thing. Anyway, it sounds like the perfect compromise. To make your FIL happy it's worth it imo.

 

[bdb84]

Using it as a middle name would be a nice touch. As much as your FIL would like you to continue on a tradition, it is still JUST up to your DH and you. Never feel obligated to carry on a tradition that does not excite you. You should pick a name that you LOVE.. not one that you feel obligated to use.

With that said, my son is the fifth of his generation. Normally I would have said no, but we had a special circumstance as then-DH (we are divorced as of this month)'s father was KIA in the Marine Corp when ex-DH was just a toddler. He, too, is named after his father, and he really desired to 'keep his father's name alive'. Of course I agreed and I couldn't imagine him as any other name now. I'm proud of it.

 

[o0oCharlieo0o]

Won't the baby have his surname? I personally wouldn't follow the tradition purely as its so one sided, not only would the baby have the surname but the first name aswell? What about your side of the family, if your naming after one then the other gets left out and I don't see the fairness in that, but if anything the middle name would be all I would give, if we have a boy our baby will have my OHs grandads name as a middle name we chose this because his grandad isn't alive anymore and his first sons (from a previous relationship) middle name is his other grandads name and I said to him I think it's only fair to have both grandads not just the one or its favouritism, I don't have any grandad names in my kids names so that way no1 is left out

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

I think using it as a middle name is a good compromise. (And they can be important to some people - I went by my middle name as a child and went to court as an adult to legally drop my first name to make my middle name my official legal name)

Hubby's family tradition is the first boy is named after the father, so if we have a boy he will have the same name as hubby/FIL/etc. I got to choose DD's name, which I was more interested in, so I'm okay with this.

 

[Indi84]

I'd do it as a middle name

 

[Starlight32]

My husband doesn't know how far the tradition goes. However, he did tell him that we would name our son after him in the past. He regrets saying that now, but when he mentioned it, he said something along the lines of "good". lol. But I do think that we are allowed to change our minds, and it is our baby.