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HelpSusanna vs. my aunt Susan
I've recently fallen in love with the name Susanna. It is pretty, but still down to earth, sweet by strong, and it isn't too common. However, I've got an aunt named Susan who I do not particularly like. She is very self-centered and if I were to ever have a daughter, I would anticipate my aunt proclaiming that my little Susanna was named after her. Do you think the names are different enough that I could use Susanna without appearing to have named her after my awful aunt?
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I don't have very much to do with Susan, and if it were up to me, I wouldn't really have much to do with anyone other than my parents, sisters, and their children. Anyways, I won't be having children for at least a few more years, so we'll see if I can drift further away from them. Or perhaps she will indeed bite the dust!
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I don't care for the name Susan, but I like Susanna. You wouldn't be using Susan itself, but I can understand your concern. If you don't see her often and don't live in the same area, it's likely to be less of an issue. It mostly depends on how much it would bother you if she told people that that your daughter was named after her and how much you love the name.
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Some people would assume that Susanna was named after Susan and some wouldn't, but I think it mainly comes down to your emotional investment in the name. With dd #1, we'd planned to name her Katie and hadn't chosen a formal name for that yet when we met my dh's great-aunt with the same name. I found her to be a very, very strange woman and was already having misgivings about the name after being in her presence for a couple of hours. I was horrified when my MIL told the woman in front of my dh and myself that we were naming our dd after her when I hadn't even known she'd existed until we'd met earlier that day! I briefly went through a period after that where I said that was it, we'd find a new name until one day, I realized I'd never see Katie again and if it made her happy to think someone was named for her, then so be it. We named our daughter Katherine / Katie and never saw Great-Aunt Katie again.
Do you see your aunt very often? When you'd call out Susanna's name, would you think of the woman you dislike? It's entirely up to you. Susanna is a gorgeous name and it deserves to be used more often, imo. Wish I could have used it.
Do you see your aunt very often? When you'd call out Susanna's name, would you think of the woman you dislike? It's entirely up to you. Susanna is a gorgeous name and it deserves to be used more often, imo. Wish I could have used it.
This message was edited 3/29/2013, 6:54 PM
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Yeah, I think you're right about people thinking she was named after her. What about using Lily instead?
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I don't think they're that different. People will ask if you named her after your aunt, but will drop it after you say no, especially if they know her.
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Might your aunt perhaps become marginally less awful if she had a tiny namesake? It could be worth a try!
I agree that Susanna (I prefer Susannah) is a splendid name and well worth using. It's a family name on my DH's side, the middle name of his ghastly grandmother, but given enough daughters I'd have used it for sure - easy for me to say that, I suppose, since the old lady died before we got married.
I don't think Susan and Susanna(h) are as different as, say, Elizabeth and Isabel, but nor do I think it really matters. You could always explain that you liked the name and would have used it even if it wasn't a family name - that should cover you sufficiently!
I agree that Susanna (I prefer Susannah) is a splendid name and well worth using. It's a family name on my DH's side, the middle name of his ghastly grandmother, but given enough daughters I'd have used it for sure - easy for me to say that, I suppose, since the old lady died before we got married.
I don't think Susan and Susanna(h) are as different as, say, Elizabeth and Isabel, but nor do I think it really matters. You could always explain that you liked the name and would have used it even if it wasn't a family name - that should cover you sufficiently!
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Probably not. They are very closely related, and Susanna must be the most up-to-date way to honor a Susan. Plus, if your aunt squawks about her "little namesake Susanna" at every family gathering, it won't make it any easier to keep people from making that assumption.
I feel your pain. I have a couple awful (but well-named) aunts myself, and I'm afraid to consider certain beloved names because they're too close. I wouldn't name a goldfish after those women, much less a daughter, and the assumption that I did would bug me.
I feel your pain. I have a couple awful (but well-named) aunts myself, and I'm afraid to consider certain beloved names because they're too close. I wouldn't name a goldfish after those women, much less a daughter, and the assumption that I did would bug me.
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