Choosing a baby name isn't easy, especially when one parent wants a 'unique' name while the other wants a 'traditional' one. Many expecting parents spend hours scrolling through baby name websites, while others seek inspiration from their favourite books, movies or television shows.
However, one mum-to-be has revealed how she is planning on surprising her parents by naming her son after their late dog. Concerned about their reaction as it 'could go either way', she told Mumsnet : "We love the name Benjamin and I prefer it unshortened.
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"Although, I am realistic that it will likely be shortened over time and would prefer the nickname Benjy than Ben - although I know he could end up as a Ben.
"My parents had a dog for 18 years called Ben who died 25-plus years ago and I don't really remember him.
"As far as I know, he was a much loved dog at the time but they don't talk about him anymore, no photos of him around.
"We want the name to be a surprise when the baby is born so I can't sound my parents out in advance.
"Do you think it would be strange to name a child the same name as an old dog?"
While most users agreed that as long as she likes the name, it shouldn't be a problem, others spoke about their own experiences of giving their children the same name as a friend, animal or object.
One user said: "Well you're parents will probably mention it, but if you're not bothered then I can't see that it's a problem."
Another user added: "My sister is named after my mum's car (it's a proper name not Fiesta or such like!) A friend is named after a yacht. People do it!
A third user said: "No not weird, it would be if the dog was yours and had just died but your parents dog that died 25 plus years ago isn’t weird at all.
"Your parents will likely mention it but not overly, probably only like 'aww lovely name, you might not remember but our dog was called Ben' if they’re normal human beings."
Another user said: "I don't think that is strange. I have a Benjamin! Weirdly it's my husbands best friend's name and I also have a good friend called Ben.
"We just went for it. It's a bit confusing sometimes but we both liked it and now don't even think about it as the name belongs to them all.
"I really like Matthew for if we had a second but my sister had a boyfriend called Matthew for about five years during school and university (it was 17 years ago and she's now happily married to someone else) but I think I would hesitate on that, unfortunately."
Do you have a strange dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
