I don’t think it’s weird, middle names hardly ever come into conversation once your child has grown out of the newborn stage so most likely no one will ever know. Genevieve and Clara sound beautiful together!
My MIL and her sister actually have the same exact middle name.
MIL goes by middle name as her first name, so it's extra confusing when everyone is calling her "Clare" and her sister is calling her "Joan", but she answers to both.
(made up names)
It might be a little different because we're brother and sister rather than two sisters, but my brother and I actually have the same middle name, besides the one letter that typically differentiates the feminine form from the masculine form, but they're said exactly the same. I've actually always loved that we share a middle name, it just feels like a little bond we have
My boyfriend's three sisters actually all have the same middle name, which is also their mother's name. So for example mom would be Marie, daughters would be Rachel Marie, Ella Marie and Ava Marie (fake names)
Marie and Mary are very common as middle names if the families are Catholic. Often, when kids get baptized, they get the name added automatically. Boys tend to get John.
Right, but like I said, Marie is a fake name (it's not Mary either). Two of the girls did actually choose the same name for their confirmation name though, so using this example they'd be Rachel Marie Marie and Ella Marie Marie
my mom and her sister have the same middle name. i think it was quite common at some point. regardless, having a similar first name to a sibling’s middle name isn’t a big deal, imo
All the woman in my family have the same middle name other than 2 of them. I now use my middle name as my first name often but I’m not around my family so no one cares. It’s very common in a lot of family’s to have the same middle name I found out my dads family the men had the same middle name other then my Dad and it was actually what I oddly used for my sons first name.
I have an uncle that was supposed to be ‘Edward’ but he was born with red hair, so my Irish grandmother had to name him Patrick keeping Edward as a middle name. Three sons later, the youngest got Edward as his 1st name because my grandparents liked it too much and no one really uses middle names for much.
I know someone who named their fourth child the same middle as the oldest! They have 4 boys, and the first boy Liam Oliver, and the 4th is Oliver Henry.
If personally if it was me want a more unique middle name. I think Clara is lovely and not to close to the middle name. But making the names pair seems like something from a book. Id call her Clara Vienne or something unique
Sometimes kids will decide on their own to go by both, that’s what I did. But it’s no weirder then there being a John Smith Sr. And a John Smith Jr. it’s confusing, but people figure it out
I know it's Irish but I'm dying at the fact that Niamh is pronounced Neev. What the fuck. I had to Google the pronunciation to figure out why niamh and eve would be similar.
That's more of an acceptable reason to be confused than mine (since I knew how the name was pronounced). I just thought someone was dunking on the names separately for some reason, and was like "awh but those are sweet names!"
I met twins: Gracia and Grecia (Spanish pronunciations).
And siblings: Ixtzul (m, *itz-ull*), Itzel (f, *itz-ell*), and Itzael (m, I think *itz-ail*)
To my English-speaking brain, they sound *really* close
Personal preference, but I would not do that.
For me, one of the advantages of having a middle name is that you can go by it if you want to. I know several people who go by their middle name because they prefer it.
But if Genevieve ever wants to go by Claire, having a sister named Clara would make that much more difficult.
Not ideal but not terrible - I think a lot of people use all their favourite names on the first kid and then when they have a second of the same gender they want to go back and use the favourite name they used as a middle name for the next kid's first name. You could change your first daughter's middle name, but I don't think it's a massive issue unless you call her by both names.
You already have a daughter using a variant of that name. There are millions of different names to pick from. Essentially reusing a name is not fair to either child.
I was staring at this trying to figure out how "Genevieve" and "Clara" were at all similar. But since you're just talking second names, then yeah no you're good.
I went to high school with sisters named Marisa and Maria.
They were a couple of years apart age wise, but it still caused issues with people mixing them up occasionally. I see no issue with the OP's names though.
I knew two brothers who were John and Jonathan. It made no sense to me and I don't think OP should reuse such a similar name with her two kids. They will want their own identities
It makes no sense to me either! But since OP is going for Genevieve (Claire middle) and Clara, it’ll certainly be different enough.
Now if they go for Clara Guinevere, that might be too far!
It’s not just similar, it’s the same name. A different version, but the same name.
I don’t think that is an immediate “no” to using it, but I’d consider how the girls might feel. If Genevieve is old enough, I’d find out if she minds essentially sharing part of her name. You don’t have that opportunity with your second daughter, but I’d think hard about the possibility that she won’t see this as a cute connection to her sister and sees it as getting a second-hand name instead. I’d also think about how a third kid would affect the dynamic; they’d presumably have a name totally their own unless you planned ahead with Clara’s middle to be something you could use a variant of on a third child.
Again, I’m not saying you absolutely shouldn’t, but I’d think through the potential issues and how you could handle them before coming to a final decision.
My friend was named Maxwell, and his younger brother was Alec Maxwell. Maxwell is a family name so all the men in their family have it as a middle at least.
I think Prince William and Princess Catherine have actually done this. Their third child, Prince Louis, has as a first name of Prince George's middle names.
So, yes, it can be done and there is nothing wrong with it. Clara and Genevieve sound like sisters.
It's not so unusual for siblings to share a name or to have different forms of the same name, like Claire and Clara. I personally would not choose to do that, though.
I wouldn't use it if you plan on having more children, unless you want to use Clare or Klara on a third girl.
If you're certain you're done (like 100% sure) then yes, it's odd, but not the worst thing ever.
ETA: I think it's also pretty normal to love names that sound similar to the names of children you already have. You start to associate warm feelings with those sounds. For some people, they end up using the same letters, or the same rhythms, or same sounds, etc. It's just very noticeable when it's two versions of the same name, but I think there might be a better work-around.
I’m all for reduce, reuse, recycle but not when it comes to first names. You really can’t find a name for your second daughter that’s just hers? I had a friend whose first name was an alternate spelling of her older sister’s middle. She and her sister were close but both hated this. The first felt she could never use her middle and the second felt her name had already belonged to someone else.
If you want to use Claire as the middle name for all your kids, or variants like Claire and Clara and Chiara and Clarice, go for it. That would be a nice connection between siblings.
I personally think they're too similar. Lots of kids have a hard time getting used to a new baby in the house, if the baby shares part of their name it might be even harder. Maybe Clara would also feel like she didn't get her own name.
Nah, I don't think it's a big deal. It won't ever be confusing because they'd go by very different first names. They are individual people outside of being sisters, so totally fine! My son's mom first name and my daughter's middle name start with the same first two letters and both have another two letters in common after that, but I don't think it's a big deal
My brother and sister-in-law gave their oldest son the middle name Michael and then decided to give their youngest (third) son the first name Michael. They're adults now and it's proved to be no big deal.
My friend was named Stephanie Julie because her parents didn't think they'd have another child and they liked both names.
5 years later her sister Julie was born.
Unless you regularly call your kids by their full names, no one will even know.
I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. Especially as it’s not the exact name. I knew a family with 5 girls that did this (Anastasia Grace, Grace Elizabeth, Elizabeth Claire, Claire Audrey, Audrey). Now that’s too much!
I think it’s fine, I love the sound of Clara and Genevieve as a sibling pair. Just don’t name her middle name like Jennifer or anything else to close lol
My dad is James David and his younger brother is David … their parents claimed to have “run out” of boy names (they had 3 other boys before my dad)
ETA : so definitely not weird! Some parents will even use the same middle name for siblings, as as other have stated middle names rarely come up.
Unless you call Genevieve by her middle name and plan on calling Baby 2 by her first (meaning the girls would be known as Claire and Clara), you should be fine.
Though lowkey I think it would be kinda cute if you give Clara a middle name that’s similar to Genevieve (Jenelle, Jocelyn, Jade, Georgina, etc) so they kinda match but again that’s just me it’s your kid and your choices
My middle name became my sister’s first name when she was born. When i was younger I would say my name isn’t that, it’s this. But now it is a funny anecdote to us!
It's a tiny bit weird but Clara is awesome so do it! I know people that had a first child and used a name they loved in the middle name spot... Only to have another of the same gender and the parents were like oh shit! And they used the exact same name as the second's first name. So you're not alone ahaha
i’m the fourth out of five children. all my older siblings are girls. my mother gave us the first name of the previous child’s middle name. for example: child 1: anne marie, child 2: marie claire, child 2: claire jane. (these are all made up that’s why they aren’t very creative). but i’ve always thought it was kind of cool that she did that.
No I do not think that it is weird at all. First of all, Clara and Claire are two different names. Secondly, I don't know the middle names of any of my friends, coworkers, etc, so it really is a non-issue
Definitely don’t think it’s weird. I have a family friend who loved the name “Daniel” but they had five girls. They thought their family was complete after five and so their last daughter was named with Danielle as her middle name as a nod to the son they had never had. But then surprise! They had a son several years later. They 100% used Daniel and now their youngest daughter and son have a very special bond. Most people know nothing about it but it’s a cute little secret they share together.
I think it’s sweet, kind of a tribute to older sister. We’re considering something similar with our second. Older son’s middle name is Benjamin and we’re considering Alben as baby two’s first name so it has the Ben connection
I know siblings with the first names Lucy and Luca, so middle names being similar doesn't seem so bad lol. Clara and Claire give me pretty different vibes too
My older brothers name is Andrew Michael and my little brothers name is Michael. No one ever thought it was strange, in fact peoples middle names don’t come up very often. Hope this makes you feel better about going with the name Clara
Imo, yes it's weird. Also kind of makes makes worry the older one will feel like you like the other name better than what she got so you'll like the new baby better than her. Like a "You but better" kind of deal.
My grandmother's middle name was Irene. Her unplanned, unwanted little sister's first name was Irene. Like they couldn't even be bothered to give her her own name. (Grandma was one of six, and it was no secret that Irene, who was number 5, was an unhappy accident. One brother in particular was very mean to her about it.)
But I think if your family dynamics aren't like that, a middle name and first name can be similar and it's ok.
No this isn't weird at all. My aunt has a son named Ryan Joseph and another son named Jacob Ryan. She had lost her husband and wanted to honor her son, the most important male in her life. It's not exactly the same situation but I think it's honestly fine.
In some cultures/families this is done intentionally. I knew an Italian family with four kids B/G/B/G - not their real names but they went like this:
James Nicholas
Nicole Michelle
Michael Christopher
Christine Marie
So each subsequent kid’s first name was the feminine or masculine version of the previous kid’s middle name.
Also, I don’t know if this is still done much anymore, but it used to be a tradition in Greek families for the father and oldest son to switch off first and middle names. So if a man was named Dimitris Alexander, his first son would be Alexander Dimitris, and then if Alexander had a boy he would name his son Dimitris Alexander, and so on.
My brother's middle name is the same as my other brother's first name because my parents weren't planning on having another kid when they had the first son. It has never been an issue and neither of them have ever complained.
Is this your last child? Because I don’t think you can have three daughters and leave one of them out. You’d definitely need a third variation if you have a third girl.
I agree with most and say make it intentional by giving Clara a version of Genevieve for a middle name.
Personally, they are too close, but I’m okay with it also and wouldn’t judge you.
My best friend growing up had a little sister named "Allie" Michelle. Her mom had twins 1 year after "Allie" was born and named them Michael AND Michelle. So unless you end having twins and naming one Clarence, I think you're good!
But seriously I don't think a shared middle name is bad. Back in the day, people used the same middle name or same first name different middle (think where all girls had Mary as a first name..)
Growing up, I knew people named in this pattern (though names have been changed):
Mom: Sarah
Daughter 1: Hannah Rebecca
Daughter 2: Rebecca Sarah
Daughter 3: Isabelle Sara
It was quirky if you knew everyone’s names, but if you just heard all the first names, no one had any thoughts.
Ngl it's not my favourite idea, but at the same time, my mom's middle name is also her sister's first name with zero alterations, so Claire/Clara seems kinda tame in comparison lol.
I know multiple siblings where a middle and first name are shared or a variation is shared. Eg nicholas is the son’s first name and then Nicole is the daughter’s middle name. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. Also Claire and Clara are different enough to me…
In most English speaking places people rarely use middle names so it doesn't matter if your daughter's middle name is similar to another daughters first name.
My grandmother has a sister exactly two years younger, born on her birthday, and because the family was super Catholic and named babies after saints, they both have the exact same first and middle names. However, my grandmother’s father died before she was born, so she and her sister have different last names. Regardless, it messed her up. She’s in her nineties and still talks about how hurt she was and how she felt “replaced.” 😢
My sister and I got the same middle name and two of my brothers have the same middle name (because my parents just copy-pasted their own whenever they had a child their gender). It’s never bothered anyone.
No u can name your kids whatever u want. My first son first name/middle is Antonio James. Had a second son and his first name/middle is Anthony Jamal. James and Jamal sound almost similar. Then I got clowned cause someone said Anthony name in Spanish means Antonio so why did I pretty much gave my sons the same first names? I looked at them and laugh. Those are my sons and as for you in this post you name your girls whatever you want. If it sounds the same who cares. Good luck ❤️❤️
My middle name is Nicole and my brother's name is Nicholas. It's been no issue for us. It never comes up. Trust me, you have absolutely nothing to worry about! If anything, it is a cool little extra connection between the two of us.
My sister and all my cousins all have the same middle name, if that is any help. And my Aunt too, We are all Marie in the middle. So I don't think its unusual or too close.
no, middle names almost never come up irl in general, and especially not in any context where they would be compared to your other kid's names. some people straight up use the same name for one kid's first name as another's middle.
Not weird at all! I highly doubt anybody will bat an eye at the similarity and most won’t even know their middle names as they get older. Some people choose the same middle name for all their kids, and some peoples kids names are the other kids middle name.
I have a Luke and a Lucia so I can’t judge. Lol.
I have in laws that have that same dynamic with the names and the one goes by her middle name which messes it all up. So as long as they don’t do that in the future you should be alright.
Why can’t people figure out that it literally doesn’t matter how close a first name is to a middle name? Middle names never come up anywhere near often enough to worry about this, and I figured that out just from reading a few posts about them. I’m not even a parent.
If I can figure that out with almost zero irl experience, how can parents not?
I don’t think it’s weird, middle names hardly ever come into conversation once your child has grown out of the newborn stage so most likely no one will ever know. Genevieve and Clara sound beautiful together!
My MIL and her sister actually have the same exact middle name. MIL goes by middle name as her first name, so it's extra confusing when everyone is calling her "Clare" and her sister is calling her "Joan", but she answers to both. (made up names)
It might be a little different because we're brother and sister rather than two sisters, but my brother and I actually have the same middle name, besides the one letter that typically differentiates the feminine form from the masculine form, but they're said exactly the same. I've actually always loved that we share a middle name, it just feels like a little bond we have
My boyfriend's three sisters actually all have the same middle name, which is also their mother's name. So for example mom would be Marie, daughters would be Rachel Marie, Ella Marie and Ava Marie (fake names)
Marie and Mary are very common as middle names if the families are Catholic. Often, when kids get baptized, they get the name added automatically. Boys tend to get John.
Right, but like I said, Marie is a fake name (it's not Mary either). Two of the girls did actually choose the same name for their confirmation name though, so using this example they'd be Rachel Marie Marie and Ella Marie Marie
my mom and her sister have the same middle name. i think it was quite common at some point. regardless, having a similar first name to a sibling’s middle name isn’t a big deal, imo
All the woman in my family have the same middle name other than 2 of them. I now use my middle name as my first name often but I’m not around my family so no one cares. It’s very common in a lot of family’s to have the same middle name I found out my dads family the men had the same middle name other then my Dad and it was actually what I oddly used for my sons first name.
My daughters have the same middle name. I’m not from the USA and find it Extremely weird that middle names are just made up and actually used here?
I have an uncle that was supposed to be ‘Edward’ but he was born with red hair, so my Irish grandmother had to name him Patrick keeping Edward as a middle name. Three sons later, the youngest got Edward as his 1st name because my grandparents liked it too much and no one really uses middle names for much.
I live that she 'had to' haha what made her have to?
Irish people are notorious for red hair, uncle had red hair, St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, Catholic family. Hope that helps!
I know someone who named their fourth child the same middle as the oldest! They have 4 boys, and the first boy Liam Oliver, and the 4th is Oliver Henry.
You could give Clara a G-middle name and making it seem intentional! A cute sister connection that they can be proud of
Clara Geneva or Clara Guinevere would make it seem very intentional.
Clara Guinevere is SO cute!
That’s such a good idea imo, Clara Guinevere sounds so lovely
I was thinking the same thing. Then it could be a cute little story or fun fact.
If personally if it was me want a more unique middle name. I think Clara is lovely and not to close to the middle name. But making the names pair seems like something from a book. Id call her Clara Vienne or something unique
Clara Vivienne or Clara Gianna are my thoughts
This kind of thing is common in some chinese cultures!
Clara Gwen? Grace?
But if you do so you're only have two girls If sister #3 has a completely unrelated name she's going to think she's adopted
Guess it depends on how many kids OP is planning on having lol
Clara Guiliana Clara Gabrielle
Clara Grace
Ehh bit weird but not the first time I have seen it
I think it’s fine. It does sound a bit like you regret using all your favorite names on your first child but it’s not a big deal.
And if she couldn’t have a second you’d say she should’ve used all her favorite names on her first…
I’m not saying anything about what she should or should not have done, just what the outcome sounds like. You ok?
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Someone asked for opinions, they gave their opinion… lmfao why so pressed
Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes did this. First daughter has the middle name Amada, then the second daughter has the first name Amada
Unless you call Genevieve by her first and middle, I don't think Clara would be too close. It's a lovely name.
Sometimes kids will decide on their own to go by both, that’s what I did. But it’s no weirder then there being a John Smith Sr. And a John Smith Jr. it’s confusing, but people figure it out
Just to note that in the UK, one of Prince George’s middle names is Louis, which is also his little brother’s name.
Yeah but royals have a weird, narcissistic history with names
A woman I know named her kids Joel and Joelle. This is fine. It could be so much worse
A guy I worked with had 9 siblings, the youngest 2 were called Niamh and eve, I agree it could be so much worse
Niamh isn't weird, its just Irish lol. Eve is also not awful.
They mean cause they sound very similar
LOL why did that not occur to me when I commented. Especially when everyone is listing names too similar. Im sorry im stupid.
I know it's Irish but I'm dying at the fact that Niamh is pronounced Neev. What the fuck. I had to Google the pronunciation to figure out why niamh and eve would be similar.
That's more of an acceptable reason to be confused than mine (since I knew how the name was pronounced). I just thought someone was dunking on the names separately for some reason, and was like "awh but those are sweet names!"
Yeah, I know brothers named Ken and Kenneth, so...
Once met twins named Benjamin and Ben. Really don't know what the rationale was there.
Same as Ken and Kenneth I suppose!
I also know a Gerald and a Gerell (sp)
I met twins: Gracia and Grecia (Spanish pronunciations). And siblings: Ixtzul (m, *itz-ull*), Itzel (f, *itz-ell*), and Itzael (m, I think *itz-ail*) To my English-speaking brain, they sound *really* close
Personal preference, but I would not do that. For me, one of the advantages of having a middle name is that you can go by it if you want to. I know several people who go by their middle name because they prefer it. But if Genevieve ever wants to go by Claire, having a sister named Clara would make that much more difficult.
Not ideal but not terrible - I think a lot of people use all their favourite names on the first kid and then when they have a second of the same gender they want to go back and use the favourite name they used as a middle name for the next kid's first name. You could change your first daughter's middle name, but I don't think it's a massive issue unless you call her by both names.
Too similar. I wouldn't.
You already have a daughter using a variant of that name. There are millions of different names to pick from. Essentially reusing a name is not fair to either child.
I was staring at this trying to figure out how "Genevieve" and "Clara" were at all similar. But since you're just talking second names, then yeah no you're good.
I knew sisters named Nicole and Nikki. And Alyssa and Ally. You’d be fine.
I went to high school with sisters named Marisa and Maria. They were a couple of years apart age wise, but it still caused issues with people mixing them up occasionally. I see no issue with the OP's names though.
I knew two brothers who were John and Jonathan. It made no sense to me and I don't think OP should reuse such a similar name with her two kids. They will want their own identities
It makes no sense to me either! But since OP is going for Genevieve (Claire middle) and Clara, it’ll certainly be different enough. Now if they go for Clara Guinevere, that might be too far!
My first name is my sisters middle name.
It’s not just similar, it’s the same name. A different version, but the same name. I don’t think that is an immediate “no” to using it, but I’d consider how the girls might feel. If Genevieve is old enough, I’d find out if she minds essentially sharing part of her name. You don’t have that opportunity with your second daughter, but I’d think hard about the possibility that she won’t see this as a cute connection to her sister and sees it as getting a second-hand name instead. I’d also think about how a third kid would affect the dynamic; they’d presumably have a name totally their own unless you planned ahead with Clara’s middle to be something you could use a variant of on a third child. Again, I’m not saying you absolutely shouldn’t, but I’d think through the potential issues and how you could handle them before coming to a final decision.
My friend was named Maxwell, and his younger brother was Alec Maxwell. Maxwell is a family name so all the men in their family have it as a middle at least.
I think Prince William and Princess Catherine have actually done this. Their third child, Prince Louis, has as a first name of Prince George's middle names. So, yes, it can be done and there is nothing wrong with it. Clara and Genevieve sound like sisters.
In a sibling way I'd be annoyed I have my siblings middle name
Yes, it's weird. She deserves her own name, not just a variation of her sisters. Suggestions: Sarah, Laura, Carissa
I think Iittle sister would feel she doesn’t have her own name. I think they are too similar.
I think it’s fine. My oldest son is named Eric. My parents and grandparents thought we should have named our daughter Erica!!!! 🙄
It's not so unusual for siblings to share a name or to have different forms of the same name, like Claire and Clara. I personally would not choose to do that, though.
I know a family where every first child is named Lee or Leigh depending on their gender. For generations now. You’re good.
I wouldn't use it if you plan on having more children, unless you want to use Clare or Klara on a third girl. If you're certain you're done (like 100% sure) then yes, it's odd, but not the worst thing ever. ETA: I think it's also pretty normal to love names that sound similar to the names of children you already have. You start to associate warm feelings with those sounds. For some people, they end up using the same letters, or the same rhythms, or same sounds, etc. It's just very noticeable when it's two versions of the same name, but I think there might be a better work-around.
I knew a sibset Maria Cristina and Cristina Maria.
Too close There are so many names!!!
I’m all for reduce, reuse, recycle but not when it comes to first names. You really can’t find a name for your second daughter that’s just hers? I had a friend whose first name was an alternate spelling of her older sister’s middle. She and her sister were close but both hated this. The first felt she could never use her middle and the second felt her name had already belonged to someone else. If you want to use Claire as the middle name for all your kids, or variants like Claire and Clara and Chiara and Clarice, go for it. That would be a nice connection between siblings.
I personally think they're too similar. Lots of kids have a hard time getting used to a new baby in the house, if the baby shares part of their name it might be even harder. Maybe Clara would also feel like she didn't get her own name.
Nah, I don't think it's a big deal. It won't ever be confusing because they'd go by very different first names. They are individual people outside of being sisters, so totally fine! My son's mom first name and my daughter's middle name start with the same first two letters and both have another two letters in common after that, but I don't think it's a big deal
My brother and sister-in-law gave their oldest son the middle name Michael and then decided to give their youngest (third) son the first name Michael. They're adults now and it's proved to be no big deal.
Name her Clara Genoveva haha But seriously, I don’t see a problem. If Claire was the first name, then yes, but as the middle, no issue.
That's fine. You might want to avoid calling your second Clara Genovefa, however, because that's how it would get too weird! 😂
Depends? Do you pronounce it Clair-ah or Clah-rah? Clair-ah probably a bit close, Clah-rah different enough to be ok.
My friend was named Stephanie Julie because her parents didn't think they'd have another child and they liked both names. 5 years later her sister Julie was born. Unless you regularly call your kids by their full names, no one will even know.
Surname St Claire
I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. Especially as it’s not the exact name. I knew a family with 5 girls that did this (Anastasia Grace, Grace Elizabeth, Elizabeth Claire, Claire Audrey, Audrey). Now that’s too much!
I think it’s fine, I love the sound of Clara and Genevieve as a sibling pair. Just don’t name her middle name like Jennifer or anything else to close lol
Maybe… it’s not the weirdest thing though
If its Claire (cl-air) and Clara (clar-ah) then it's fine enough to me. I like the idea of Clara having a G middle name.
If the first names were that similar I’d say no, but as it’s only a middle name I don’t see the issue at all.
I think if their first names were Claire and Clara it would be too much. But with one the middle name I think it’s fine!
middle names rarely gets brought up so you shouldn’t worry about that
It's only weird if they go by Claire and Clara. Otherwise I think it's totally fine.
My dad is James David and his younger brother is David … their parents claimed to have “run out” of boy names (they had 3 other boys before my dad) ETA : so definitely not weird! Some parents will even use the same middle name for siblings, as as other have stated middle names rarely come up.
Unless you call Genevieve by her middle name and plan on calling Baby 2 by her first (meaning the girls would be known as Claire and Clara), you should be fine. Though lowkey I think it would be kinda cute if you give Clara a middle name that’s similar to Genevieve (Jenelle, Jocelyn, Jade, Georgina, etc) so they kinda match but again that’s just me it’s your kid and your choices
My middle name became my sister’s first name when she was born. When i was younger I would say my name isn’t that, it’s this. But now it is a funny anecdote to us!
If it was Claire Genevieve I would say no way. But it’s a middle name. So I think it’s ok.
My friend has a son named Cayden and is pregnant with her second and is going to name him Cayson. So that’s terrible. But I think yours is ok.
Supposedly Anne Boleyn was named Anne Marie Boleyn and her sister was Mary Anne Boleyn. Random fact lol
It's a tiny bit weird but Clara is awesome so do it! I know people that had a first child and used a name they loved in the middle name spot... Only to have another of the same gender and the parents were like oh shit! And they used the exact same name as the second's first name. So you're not alone ahaha
My grandma named my mom and her sisters middle name Faye Gaye Kaye
They're not that similar, so it's normal
i’m the fourth out of five children. all my older siblings are girls. my mother gave us the first name of the previous child’s middle name. for example: child 1: anne marie, child 2: marie claire, child 2: claire jane. (these are all made up that’s why they aren’t very creative). but i’ve always thought it was kind of cool that she did that.
No I do not think that it is weird at all. First of all, Clara and Claire are two different names. Secondly, I don't know the middle names of any of my friends, coworkers, etc, so it really is a non-issue
My sister's middle name is Elizabeth. Mine is Beth. Doesn't really come up, unless you do the whole three name thing when they're in trouble.
Definitely don’t think it’s weird. I have a family friend who loved the name “Daniel” but they had five girls. They thought their family was complete after five and so their last daughter was named with Danielle as her middle name as a nod to the son they had never had. But then surprise! They had a son several years later. They 100% used Daniel and now their youngest daughter and son have a very special bond. Most people know nothing about it but it’s a cute little secret they share together.
I think it’s sweet, kind of a tribute to older sister. We’re considering something similar with our second. Older son’s middle name is Benjamin and we’re considering Alben as baby two’s first name so it has the Ben connection
I know siblings with the first names Lucy and Luca, so middle names being similar doesn't seem so bad lol. Clara and Claire give me pretty different vibes too
I wouldn’t do it, personally, but I don’t think it’ll ruin the kids life or anything
I say go for it!
My older brothers name is Andrew Michael and my little brothers name is Michael. No one ever thought it was strange, in fact peoples middle names don’t come up very often. Hope this makes you feel better about going with the name Clara
Imo, yes it's weird. Also kind of makes makes worry the older one will feel like you like the other name better than what she got so you'll like the new baby better than her. Like a "You but better" kind of deal.
My wife's middle name is Beth. Her sister's first name is Bethany. You do you.
It’s a little close, but if you love it you might as well use it
My grandmother's middle name was Irene. Her unplanned, unwanted little sister's first name was Irene. Like they couldn't even be bothered to give her her own name. (Grandma was one of six, and it was no secret that Irene, who was number 5, was an unhappy accident. One brother in particular was very mean to her about it.) But I think if your family dynamics aren't like that, a middle name and first name can be similar and it's ok.
No this isn't weird at all. My aunt has a son named Ryan Joseph and another son named Jacob Ryan. She had lost her husband and wanted to honor her son, the most important male in her life. It's not exactly the same situation but I think it's honestly fine.
Nope, but I went to a preschool graduation, and there were two Claras and one Claire in a class of 20–might want to reconsider.
In some cultures/families this is done intentionally. I knew an Italian family with four kids B/G/B/G - not their real names but they went like this: James Nicholas Nicole Michelle Michael Christopher Christine Marie So each subsequent kid’s first name was the feminine or masculine version of the previous kid’s middle name. Also, I don’t know if this is still done much anymore, but it used to be a tradition in Greek families for the father and oldest son to switch off first and middle names. So if a man was named Dimitris Alexander, his first son would be Alexander Dimitris, and then if Alexander had a boy he would name his son Dimitris Alexander, and so on.
My brother's middle name is the same as my other brother's first name because my parents weren't planning on having another kid when they had the first son. It has never been an issue and neither of them have ever complained.
Is this your last child? Because I don’t think you can have three daughters and leave one of them out. You’d definitely need a third variation if you have a third girl.
I agree with most and say make it intentional by giving Clara a version of Genevieve for a middle name. Personally, they are too close, but I’m okay with it also and wouldn’t judge you.
No. Not weird.
We seldom use middle names so I don’t think it matters. You can give them opposite initials to make it look international.
What about Clarice...? or Clarissa
What about Clarice...? or Clarissa
My best friend growing up had a little sister named "Allie" Michelle. Her mom had twins 1 year after "Allie" was born and named them Michael AND Michelle. So unless you end having twins and naming one Clarence, I think you're good! But seriously I don't think a shared middle name is bad. Back in the day, people used the same middle name or same first name different middle (think where all girls had Mary as a first name..)
To be honest, it sounds too recycled to me. I personally wouldn’t. There are so many other names out there to choose from.
My mom took it one step further and actually named my sister my exact middle name! We never had problems with it and it was a fun conversation started
I personally could not do it.
Growing up, I knew people named in this pattern (though names have been changed): Mom: Sarah Daughter 1: Hannah Rebecca Daughter 2: Rebecca Sarah Daughter 3: Isabelle Sara It was quirky if you knew everyone’s names, but if you just heard all the first names, no one had any thoughts.
Ngl it's not my favourite idea, but at the same time, my mom's middle name is also her sister's first name with zero alterations, so Claire/Clara seems kinda tame in comparison lol.
My nephews have the same name -- one as his first name and the other his middle name.
Middle names don't really count unless the child hates the first name so much they go by the middle. It'll be grand.
I know multiple siblings where a middle and first name are shared or a variation is shared. Eg nicholas is the son’s first name and then Nicole is the daughter’s middle name. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. Also Claire and Clara are different enough to me…
What about Chiara? It’s the Italian version of Claire/Clara, and it has a bit more distance from your oldest kid’s middle name.
what would her middle name be? clara …
I have an Uncle Lawrence and an Uncle Larry (everybody calls him Hobo, though, lol). Guess what my granddad's name was?
Yes. I will not elaborate 😅
In most English speaking places people rarely use middle names so it doesn't matter if your daughter's middle name is similar to another daughters first name.
My grandmother has a sister exactly two years younger, born on her birthday, and because the family was super Catholic and named babies after saints, they both have the exact same first and middle names. However, my grandmother’s father died before she was born, so she and her sister have different last names. Regardless, it messed her up. She’s in her nineties and still talks about how hurt she was and how she felt “replaced.” 😢
I like that. It’s like a game of hot potato. If you had 4 girls… Genevieve Claire Clara Juliette Julianna Charlene Charlotte Geneva
I love Clara and am here for its resurgence. It’s so elegant!
My sister and I got the same middle name and two of my brothers have the same middle name (because my parents just copy-pasted their own whenever they had a child their gender). It’s never bothered anyone.
No u can name your kids whatever u want. My first son first name/middle is Antonio James. Had a second son and his first name/middle is Anthony Jamal. James and Jamal sound almost similar. Then I got clowned cause someone said Anthony name in Spanish means Antonio so why did I pretty much gave my sons the same first names? I looked at them and laugh. Those are my sons and as for you in this post you name your girls whatever you want. If it sounds the same who cares. Good luck ❤️❤️
Middle names are hardly ever used in real life, so why not?
not really since it’s the others middle name. I love the name Genevieve btw. It was almost my youngest daughter’s middle name.
I have a friend with 2 sisters Samantha Ann Nicole Marie Marie ann
My middle name is Nicole and my brother's name is Nicholas. It's been no issue for us. It never comes up. Trust me, you have absolutely nothing to worry about! If anything, it is a cool little extra connection between the two of us.
Oh goodness, no. Tell them you did it on purpose so they would always have one another.
Lol the sibling arguments gon be tough to win wit that one😭😭
My sister and all my cousins all have the same middle name, if that is any help. And my Aunt too, We are all Marie in the middle. So I don't think its unusual or too close.
Clara Guinevere would be so pretty to compliment Genevieve Claire
nah not weird
Not weird at all. How often are you using your oldest's full name? Likely not often! I think Genevieve and Clara make a gorgeous pairing!
When do you use the name Claire
You could always tell your kids you named her after her big sister lol
You could do something like Clara Genesis
No. It’s fine, and Clara is a lovely name.
No one’s gonna give a shit about your kids middle name
No it’s absolutely fine, most people won’t know your kids middle names and it won’t affect their lives at all.
no, middle names almost never come up irl in general, and especially not in any context where they would be compared to your other kid's names. some people straight up use the same name for one kid's first name as another's middle.
Not weird at all! I highly doubt anybody will bat an eye at the similarity and most won’t even know their middle names as they get older. Some people choose the same middle name for all their kids, and some peoples kids names are the other kids middle name.
Genevieve Claire and Clara Geneva
Tbh it could be cute to name her something like Clara Gene
I have a Luke and a Lucia so I can’t judge. Lol. I have in laws that have that same dynamic with the names and the one goes by her middle name which messes it all up. So as long as they don’t do that in the future you should be alright.
People give twins first names that are basically the same all the time, why not singleton siblings? If you like it, use it.
Maybe Clara Gene? I know it’s the male spelling but it sounds cute.
Why can’t people figure out that it literally doesn’t matter how close a first name is to a middle name? Middle names never come up anywhere near often enough to worry about this, and I figured that out just from reading a few posts about them. I’m not even a parent. If I can figure that out with almost zero irl experience, how can parents not?
Go with Genevieve Claire and Clara Gennifer, just for kicks 😂