A woman slammed her cousin for ‘stealing’ the baby name she wants to use for her future child – but people told her she’s overreacting as she isn’t even pregnant
Finding the perfect baby name can feel like hitting the jackpot.
Even if you’re not pregnant or trying for a baby, you’ve probably thought at least once about what you might name a child if you had one. It may not be the name you eventually end up using, but thinking of potential names isn’t uncommon – and if you land on that moniker you think is perfect, it can be difficult to think about ever using something else.
This is the predicament one woman found herself in, as she came up with an ideal name she’d love to give to one of her future children, but realised something is stopping her from using it. The woman isn’t currently pregnant, but her cousin is – and she’s thinking of using the exact same name.
The woman said that while she isn’t expecting a baby right now, she and her husband are planning on “trying for kids” in the next couple of years. And following the death of her father, the woman came up with the perfect name she believes will “honour” his memory.
However, she’s recently discovered her cousin is planning on using the same moniker for her baby, which threw her own plans into jeopardy. She noted her cousin didn’t “steal” the name on purpose, as she had no idea the woman was also thinking of using it.
In a post on Reddit – where the woman did not disclose the name – she said: “My dad passed recently and since then I’ve been thinking of names to honour him in some sort of way. My dad’s name was longer and I realised there was a great name hidden within his name that I really liked. I only mentioned this name to my husband.
“My cousin, who is like a sister, is pregnant and expecting. She had coincidently come up with the same name I saw in my dad’s name that she really likes. She’s in no way stealing the name, but I can’t help but feel a little bummed. I don’t know if she’s 100% set on the name, but I don’t know if there’s any point in even telling her.”
Commenters on the woman’s post encouraged her to still use the baby name even if her cousin is going for it too, as there’s nothing wrong with having two people in one family called the same thing – especially as they won’t be born in the same year.
One person said: “Like you said, she’s entitled to use it, but so are you. Telling her the significance of the name to you might discourage her from using it, and if it doesn’t, she may have to accept that there might be two kids in the family with the same name.”
And another added: “Personally, I wouldn’t tell her. She’s having a real – not theoretical – baby right now and has already announced the name to loved ones. If you tell her, it might come across as manipulative. My advice is to congratulate and support your cousin. If and when you have a baby down the line, just use the same name!”
While a third stated: “Stuff like this is so silly. You aren’t pregnant and there is no guarantee of the gender of your choice. It’s a hypothetical right now for you. For her, it’s her actual child. If you do get pregnant and if the baby is the correct gender, then you can worry about this.”
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