CMV: You shouldn't name your kids after the people in your family.

I know this is a controversial topic. I'm a white guy from the midwest. My family has lived in the US since the 1700s. My dad's side of the family is very interesting. We're direct descendants from a bunch of guys who were very high ranking officers in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. We're also descendants from a bunch of guys who were on the Mayflower. <br><br>My dad's middle name is James and his mother's middle name is Joseph. I have an older brother and we both share these middle names. Our family tree is so well documented. We have DNA testing, birth certificates, death certificates, etc. I know for a fact that our direct line has no other James' or Joseph's. There is literally no one else in our entire line with these names. <br><br>My dad's middle name is James and mom's middle name is Joseph. My parents named me James. They named my brother Joseph. We both live in different states. I've never been able to meet my brother. He's also married and has a family of his own. My parents recently found out they had a grandson who shares the exact same name as his dad. His name is Joseph. We both have the same middle name, which is Joseph. My parents have met his dad and he's also a Joseph. <br><br>We both have the same birthday, December 30. I'm a 12-12-30 and he's a 12-30-12. My parents have gotten us mixed up before. They'll call me to ask how Joseph is doing. We'll have a phone conversation and they'll be talking about the other guy. They'll even use our full names in the conversation. It's pretty embarrassing.<br><br>I know that there are a lot of people who name their kids after their family. I understand why. I think it's a great way to honor your family and keep the family tree connected. I don't think it's right to name your kids after other people. I think it's stupid. I have no middle name. My parents could have named me Joseph or something like it. They chose not to. They chose to honor our family tree by using the names of our direct line ancestors. But then they didn't honor us. They honored the people we're named after.<br><br>I think it's better to use your kid's name and just honor their own existence. You can honor your family by honoring their existence as well.