Hi Jennifer!

I want to bounce something off of someone else besides a family member. So I’m pregnant with my 3rd baby, due in December. It’s my second boy. We’ve been talking about names and I really like the name Jude Michael. My oldest is Ethan Mark and my second is Isabelle Sherise. Mark and Sherise are both family names.

Today I saw on a social media site that a girl who I used to know from church, who isn’t due until February is naming her son Jude Michael. I was so shocked to see it! She didn’t post it, her mom did. But I’m afraid that if I stuck with that name for our son that people will look at me and be like what the heck! She is an acquaintance not a close friend. Our families knew each other for a long time by going to the same church. It’s been several years since she has left that church but we are still connected by social media. We have some mutual friends, and the last time I saw her was over a year ago at a mutual friends child’s birthday party. My husband says I’m caring too much about what other people think but I don’t know! 

Thanks for your advice! I love your baby names website 🙂 
Abigail B.

Dear Abigail,

This is not an issue. First of all, both of those names are common. Second, rarely do kids go by their middle names. So think of it this way: you and a distant acquaintance both name your sons Jude. Stick with the name you love and like the smart hubby said — don’t worry about what people think. They probably won’t even notice.

Sincerely,
Jennifer

Jennifer Moss (she/her) is the founder of BabyNames.com, author of The Baby Names Workbook, and Producer of The Baby Names Podcast. Jennifer is widely regarded as the leading expert on popular baby name trends and the naming process, serving as the authoritative source on the subject for national and international media.

Jennifer entered the tech arena in the 80s as a software developer and database architect, and became a pioneer in the Internet industry. In addition to operating BabyNames.com, Jennifer owns a web development agency in central California.