Something that randomly popped into my head one day during an unrelated thought process.
Would you mind at all dating someone with the same first name as you? I’d like those with fairly (or greater) gender-specific names who are not gay or bisexual to try to refrain from answering, since the answer is probably relatively obvious (if it’s not, feel free to!).
Straight man here, I would find a similar name more than a bit of a turn-off
Screw internet anonymity.
I’m called Alex and I’ld be hesistant marrying someone named Alex[andra], Alice or Alison.
What Namkcalb said. It would be weird. I don’t think I’d call it a deal breaker, but it would probably prevent us from hooking up in the first place.
It wouldn’t bother me, but I’ve never been able to date a man with the same name as my father, stepfather, grandfather, or brother. That would weird me out, but my own name, I could totally handle.
Phew! three of my younger sister’s boyfriends were called Alex, If Alex wasn’t such a common middle-class name, I’ld be very worried
If you find someone you can trust, has similar values, have some common bonds with, enjoy their company, someone you find attractive - wtf’s in a name?
This. Personal names are meaningless and insignificant (possibly not in other cultures but certainly anywhere Westernised).
Also, I’d just like to mention my favourite example: the author Evelyn Waugh and his first wife, Evelyn Waugh.
My friends Aaron and Erin did ok for many years.
I don’t think I could be with a man named Jessica 
But my friends Jesse and Jessica did ok too. I’d be fine with a Jesse.
It wouldn’t bother me. After all, Jack Kennedy married a Jackie. And Paul McCartney’s family is full of people marrying people with names that are all in the family–Paul’s adopted daughter and second wife were both named Heather.
I’d be more put off by rhyming names:
Bill and Jill
Kim and Jim
Annie and Manny
Larry and Carrie
That’s just way too cutesy.
That’s not too bad
Billy and Billie
Kim and Kim (it can be a man’s name too)
I’ve known a Julian married to a Julia. For myself I don’t think I would object in principle, but since I’m a straight woman and Rebecca (or even any of the short forms) would be a rather odd name for a man, it seems it would be unlikely even if I weren’t already married.
We met a couple a few months ago. Her name is Roberta. Her SO’s name is Robert. At one point the strangeness hit me and I whispered to my gf, “Hey, the cat’s name is Bob. Think about it”. It took a minute, but she grinned.
They were very strange, indeed.
Stranger things can happen.
Wouldn’t bother me one bit - although I am straight and the chances of me dating someone with my own (unusual but very clearly feminine) name would be between zero and nil.
I’ve dated two men with the same name as my father, and one with the same name as a brother…I thought it would be strange, but it wasn’t.
I used to know a married couple called Gene and Gina.
The day that gay marriage beame legal in New York state, NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg performed the wedding ceremony for two of aides, John Feinblatt & Jonathan Mintz
I know three similar-named couples, and it gets annoying when I call their house and need to ask for “lady-Chris”, so I think I’d avoid dating someone with my name, out of courtesy to my friends. Not hard to do, as most male Jennifers likely keep themselves in complete seclusion to avoid the schoolyard beatings. My exception to this name rule, of course, is if I were a celebrity and it would make for a cool mashup name for the tabloids, a la Brangelina.
I have a Chris/Chris (tina and topher), a Daniel/Danielle and a Michel/Michelle couple among my casual friends. The last two are friends from Montreal, so their names are pronounced almost identically, forcing me to dramatically emphasize the end of the name to show I want the female half of the couple on the phone.
Hah. There is a couple like this in my family. In addition to giving their cats the same name, they also named their boat after themselves too.
Good people though!
Personally, I probably could deal with dating a guy whose name was similar to mine, but it was creepy to me when I would consider dating guys who shared a name with my dad/brother.
I know a couple named Jillian and Julian.
I’d be more put off a guy whose surname was the same as my first name.
The only problem I could see would be with others. I’d pretty much have to have a nickname amongst her family, and she amongst mine.
And, despite having a name that is very unfeminine, one of the few people I’ve met with my name was female. My name is all Es. There’s was with an A and a Y.