We all know that when you choose a name for your baby, no matter how unique it might be, you don’t actually own the name – and other parents are free to choose it for their little ones if they so wish.
But while it might not matter if complete strangers give their kids the same name as yours, it can feel a little more uncomfortable if people you know decide to pinch the moniker.
That’s the situation one mum is dealing with after her best friend told her she’s going to give her baby the exact same as her three-year-old daughter – without even asking her for permission first.
The mum said her friend is currently seven months pregnant, and despite having a different moniker picked out for most of her pregnancy, she’s now changed her mind and wants to pinch her mate’s name.
In a post on the Name Nerds Reddit forum, the mum said: “My best friend is seven months pregnant and told me last night she and her husband have decided on naming the baby ‘x’ which is my 3-year-old daughters’ name. She just says ‘it wouldn’t be weird, would it?’
“Is it stupid that I am not happy about it? I know no one owns a name but she couldn’t have picked any other name? This is not a family name for her and she hasn’t mentioned it her entire pregnancy. In fact, she’s had a totally different name picked out that we’ve been calling the baby.”
In an edit to the post, the mum also insisted the moniker – which she kept a secret – isn’t a hugely popular one in most baby name lists, and while it isn’t “outrageously unique”, she picked it out for her toddler specifically because she had “never known anyone” in her life with the name before.
