A mum-to-be who is planning on naming her son after her late father has been accused of ‘stealing’ by her brother, who believes she has no right to use the name
Giving your child the same name as a family member can be a huge honour.
If you’ve lost a family member you were close to, such as a grandparent or a parent, then you might consider giving your child a name that reminds you of them. There are multiple ways to do this – you can give your baby the exact same first name, use the name as a middle moniker, or perhaps use their name as “inspiration” to find another moniker with a similar vibe.
But one woman who plans on honouring her late father with her son’s baby name has been left baffled by her brother’s reaction, as she’s been accused of “stealing” their father’s name. She revealed her dad, Richard, passed away six years ago, and she wants to give her son his name as a middle name – although there are already other Richards in the family.
Her brother is also called Richard, and when he and his wife had a son before their father passed, they also called him Richard to continue the line. Now that their father has died, the mum-to-be wants to use the name specifically to honour his memory, but her brother and her sister-in-law have claimed she has no right when they already have a son called Richard – even though she’ll be using it as a middle name and not a first name.
In a post on Reddit, she wrote: “When I found out I was having a boy, my husband and I began discussing names, and I told him I had wanted my dad’s name somewhere in the name as an honour to my dad. We decided to give my son my dad’s name as a middle name.
“When we told my family, my sister-in-law was upset because I was taking away the name from her son. My dad’s name was Richard, as is my brother Richard and my nephew. However, to [stop any] confusion, my sister and brother decided to call my nephew RJ.”
Given that the woman’s nephew doesn’t go by Richard and that her son will only have Richard as a middle name, she doesn’t see the problem. However, her brother and his wife are “still mad”.
She added: “She was still mad that I was taking a name from her and I explained I was using the name for my dad. She said she had named their son after my dad, and I told her they had named him after my brother. I told her I would be using the name regardless of whether she liked it or not because the name held a special, deeper meaning to me.”
Commenters on the post were quick to tell the woman that “no one owns a name”, so she should be free to name her son whatever she wants.
One person said: “No one owns a name and you equally share the connection to the namesake as your brother does. [Your sister-in-law is] being heartless in a sense to attempt to convince you that you’re in the wrong for wanting to honour your father; please don’t bow to her silliness.”
Another added: “Almost nobody goes by their middle name. It is perfectly appropriate to honor your father by giving your kid his mane as a middle name, but it doesn’t impact anyone and nobody owns that name. I really can’t imagine someone getting upset about a middle name.
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