Michael, III????
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| Thu, 03-31-2005 - 10:11am |
My husband is Michael, Jr. We are contemplating naming our baby after him, but we both have misgivings about it. My husband worries that it will be seen as snobby and maybe egotistical. What are the current trends today? I tell him that people who know us, and eventually know our son, will know we aren't high on our horse. He wants more opinions...can you help?
My misgiving are for a different reason. I worry about confusion with the Michaels. I call my husband Mike, as do most of his friends. His family (dad, aunts, uncles) call him Michael. We would call our son Michael, but eventually I suppose his friends will start calling him Mike. My husband says it was never an issue when he was growing up...his parents called him "Mic", friends called him Mike, and when phone calls came in people asked for "big" or "little" Mike. For some reason, I am stuck on the potential confusion...calling up the stairs to one of them and having both of them answer, being on the phone with a family member of his and saying "Michael," meaning my son, but then having to clarify.
I should also point out that Michael is not just my husband's and father-in-law's name. Due to adoption, my F-I-L's brother (my husband's Uncle) is also a Mike. My husband also has a cousin named Michael. We do not see each other very often, but when we are together, the "little" and 'big" Mike's get a little confusing. Should we add one more to the mix?
ILIKE THE NAME Michael and I would be heartbroken if my husband really wanted this and I nixed it. So far, my husband is open to other names. I do fear he is just being diplomatic though and really wants a III.
Any help?

I have misgivings over jrs or thirds too, but more for the problems that crop up with mix ups in paperwork. Despite social security numbers, jrs and thirds tend to end up with credit reports that are mixed with dad and/or granddad. I also am not fond of repeated nicknames (And since my SO is Kenneth and there aren't multiple nicknames for Kenneth I won't go there myself. Not that it matters much, my SO likes his name, but not enough to bestow it on a son). Michael, however is lovely!
If you're not worried about paperwork mixups, I'd go with it and nickname him Trip or Trey. Myself, I'd just reverse the names and call the little man by his first name (dad's middle) and not look back.
For the record, I think Jr's are mildly egotistical, but thirds are alright.. the major damage (credit mixups) is already done.
I think it is not as much of a trend as it once was. I very rarely hear of anyone even naming sons Jr or II anymore
that doesn't mean it's a bad thing if you and your husband choose to do it. Fortunately you like the name. I have heard of a few unfortunate situations where the husband wanted it, the mother hated the name because it was either an old-fashioned name or just not a particularly nice name, and then it really causes hurt feelings
so the fact that you like the name Michael is a big plus. I'd tell him that you like the name Michael, are completely willing to use it for Michael III, but that if HE doesn't want to, it's up to him to make the final call
if he does decide it'd be too much confusion, many many names would sound great with Michael as a middle name
good luck
My nephew is a 5th. I don't think anyone has ever thought of his parents as being snobby or anything at all. It's just a tradition in their family. Now my SIL wanted to use his middle name (Geofrey John) & call him Jack just to avoid the confusion of Geofreys but BIL didn't like the idea....so....I guess it's just up to you. I don't think it's egotistical at all.
That being said I love the name Michael :-) I actually have a Michael Jr. myself :-) good luck with whatever you decide!
The easy way around is to give him part of the name - Michael - and then give him his own name that is unique in the family and call him by it.
I will be honest, I am NOT a fan of juniors. Especially when you get into the 3rds and 4ths. I think that there are ways to honor your DH with making your son a junior. Now your DH has a nice name. It would have been an exception for me if your son would be the 2nd and DH was Mike and DS was Michael. That would be sweet. But girl, you got wayyyyy too many in your family. I do adore the name Michael and think you should use it as a MN. Here are some suggestions for you.
Anthony Michael
Clayton Michael
William Michael
Trey Michael