# Are daughters ever named after their mothers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2006, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119 "2006-10-19T17:53:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/21 "2006-10-19T21:11:42Z")
My mom is last in a long line of Marys going back to the mid 19th century - my GG Grandmother. (My GGGG Grandmother also was named Mary, but GGG was named Virginia.) ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2006, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/22 "2006-10-19T21:32:23Z")
[QUOTE=tashabot] Lucille Ball’s daughter was named after her. Spelled differently, but named after her. ~Tasha [/QUOTE] True, but she was Lucie Arnaz not Lucie Ball. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2006, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/23 "2006-10-19T21:32:53Z")
My grandmother was Anna Marie. My mother was Anna May. And here I am, Anna Marie again. I hated it. They expected me to be _just_ like them in personality as well as name. I feel like it took my individuality away from me. Had I ever had a daughter, there is no way in hell I would have carried on that particular tradition… ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2006, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/24 "2006-10-19T23:21:25Z")
I was named Barbara after my mother. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/25 "2006-10-20T01:13:27Z")
Jews don’t name anybody, male or female, after a person who’s still alive. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/26 "2006-10-20T01:30:01Z")
My previous landlord and her mother were both named Helen. We referred to them as Helen Jr. & Helen Sr. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/27 "2006-10-20T01:33:55Z")
My friend’s mother, Tatiana Vapnik, is named after _her_ mother, Tatiana Vapnik. (Yes, math majors, married to [that](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vapnik_Chervonenkis_theory) Vapnik.) ---
**Author:** ![Neptunian\_Slug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce7236/32.png) [@Neptunian\_Slug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptunian_Slug)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/28 "2006-10-20T01:42:46Z")
Frances seems to be the favorite name on my dad’s side. My first cousin, aunt, grandmother and great-grandmother all share the name but with different middle initials. Of course they all had different last names due to marriage. ---
**Author:** ![Beaucarnea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@Beaucarnea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beaucarnea)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/29 "2006-10-20T01:48:51Z")
Venezuelan fashion designer Carolina Herrera named her first born daughter Carolina Herrera. Since both are involved in fashion, the press differentiates between the two by calling the younger Carolina Herrera _Jr._ ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/30 "2006-10-20T02:08:52Z")
Just remembered that there were a couple of names that were passed down on my Mom’s side of the family. It only lasted three generations. Tastes changed. The names were Ethyl and Dorothy. It wasn’t done mother to daughter. That was avoided. And it wasn’t enforced as a tradition. They just considered to be a family supporting thing to have one of each in each generation. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/31 "2006-10-20T06:33:35Z")
So if both mother and daughter, Jane Smith, live in the same house how would I address a letter to either one of them? Mrs. and Miss have all but disappeared from use and, to me, Sr. or Jr. seems masculine and maybe even insulting. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/32 "2006-10-20T06:59:39Z")
Movie actress[Cobina Wright, Jr.](http://movies.aol.com/celebrity/cobina-wright-jr/77589/main) was named after here mother newspaper columnist Cobina Wright, Sr. A friend of mine was named Elaine after her mother. Her maiden name was the same as one of the elite mobsters and I asked her to be sure to tell her uncle Albert that I was a good friend. ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/33 "2006-10-20T10:07:18Z")
Queen Elizabeth II’s full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, after her mother, great grandmother, and grandmother respectively. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/34 "2006-10-20T10:13:44Z")
One sign that I’m over age 12 is that my mother has been running into people who call her by MY name for quite a few years. I’ve spent my whole life being called by HER name. It isn’t just common, it’s pretty much expected. One reason I’m not called like Mom is that she shares firstname with her MiL and SiL. My maternal grandma’s first and third daughters share her firstname, as does my cousin (my first aunt died at age 3; grandma always makes it very clear that she spread the name because she likes it and she has never thought of the youngest child as a “replacement” of the eldest). Of course, since most cultures that have family names inherit them from the father, the situation where mother and daughter have the same name+lastname combination will be very rare outside of Portugal (Portuguese use two lastnames, maternal first). ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/35 "2006-10-20T10:15:55Z")
[QUOTE=Hey you!] It’s fairly common for the male gender: John Johnson Sr., John Johnson Jr., John Johnson III, etc. But I’ve never heard of this being done for women. Is it ever done? Is “Jr.” ever used? Something else? If not, why not? Isn’t that weird? [/QUOTE] My husband’s aunt and uncle have a Walter, Jr. and a Barbara, Jr. Except they don’t add Jr. to women’s names, generally. They call her Little Barbara. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/36 "2006-10-20T12:25:16Z")
My grandmother is Jean; my mother is Jeannette. The name hasn’t carried further on. Daughters named after mothers aren’t that unusual in my experience (at least, not in my family history) but they tend more often to be named after grandmothers - my mother fits that too, as she shares her middle name with her paternal grandmother, and her sister’s middle name is the same as their maternal grandmother. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/37 "2006-10-20T12:45:44Z")
Anecdotally, it seems to me that naming daughters exactly after mothers (first and middle names) is less commonly done then with sons and fathers. Certainly is _happens_, but less commonly than with boys. I like **AHunter3** ’s theory about women not ‘owning’ their names. That may have a lot to do with it – at least part of the appeal to naming a boy exactly after his father is the idea that there will be a long long line of Joe Allan Blows. With women, traitionally, that isn’t going to happen. Also, there is a hassle involved with having two or more adults around with the exact same name. Ask any Junior or Senior whether or not they have encountered the occasiona minorl snafu related to naming. But, to some men, that long line of Joe Allan Blows makes the hassle worth it. Also, for men, the hassle is alleviated by the use of Junior and Senior. Women haven’t traditionally used Junior. In fact, it is improper (according to etiquette), for women to use it. A few women have used it anyway, of course, but the fact remains that it isn’t firmly and traditionally in place for women the way it is for men. So, this naming construction offers a hassle for women, with no benefits to doing it anyway, and no traditional means for dealing with the hassle of doing it anyway. It isn’t surprising to me that fewer women than men bother with it. ---
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/38 "2006-10-20T12:54:43Z")
[QUOTE=Alive At Both Ends] Queen Elizabeth II’s full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, after her mother, great grandmother, and grandmother respectively. [/QUOTE] Ooh! I feel a connection to royalty! My middle names are adaptations of my grandmother’s and mother’s. My first name is original, though. Well, not original in general, but original to my family… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chew\_Barker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@Chew\_Barker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chew_Barker)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/39 "2006-10-20T13:04:00Z")
My mums side of the family do something quite strange. The daughter takes on the middle name of the mother. But each daughter is know to others as their own middle name. (not their real names) this works like this: My great gran was called Elizabeth Karen Blogs (known as karen), my gran was called Karen Jane, (known as Jane), my mum is called Jane Emma (known as Emma). Although this trend ends with my sister who doesnt share a name with any of the relatives that I know. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119/40 "2006-10-20T13:06:16Z")
My aunt, her mother, and her daughter all share the name Hazel. Her mother was called Grammy Hazel, she’s called Big Hazel, and her daughter is called Little Hazel. When Little Hazel was pregnant, we refered to it as the Impending Hazel. Thank Og it turned out to be a boy! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-daughters-ever-named-after-their-mothers/377119.md?page=3)