Hello Jennifer,

I think I may be pregnant so I have been toying with names, my question is about the name Matthew. I have always loved that name as a middle name because I think it goes well with quite a few first names, If I have a boy I would like to name him Elliot Matthew. But I dont know if I should, considering my 5 year old little brother’s middle name is Matthew. His first name is Owen. I just feel it might be a little strange to use the name again when the baby is only gonna be 5 years younger then his uncle. I do have other options for a middle name but Matthew is by far my Favorite! What do you think?

Thanks is advance!
Myrraya (Yes my name is made up)

Dear Myrraya

Actually, your name is not made up, however the spelling is.  Your name is a derivative of the French name, Mireille. One of my favorite names!

As for using the name Matthew, I think it’s perfectly fine to have two children in the family with the same middle name. If it were either of the kids’ first names, I may take pause. But I think  you’re good to go.  Congratulations and let me know how it goes!

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.