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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be angry over a name

264 replies

Barbie46 · 22/01/2023 19:55

My baby is 6 months old and we named her a very uncommon name that was special to us. Recently we met an old friend of my husband's, they are still in the same circle but not close friends anymore. He asked us the usual questions about a new baby including her name. He and his partner had a baby in the last few days and called their baby our daughters name.
He did not mention anything about her name when we told them it and I am feeling irrationally angry that they have used our daughters name.

OP posts:
AlexanderSupertramp · 22/01/2023 20:15

RobertaFirmino · 22/01/2023 20:00

My advice to expectant mothers is to name your child Gearoidin, after me. You can bet your bottom dollar nobody's going to 'steal' THAT! Christ, nobody can even pronounce it!

I know that Irish name it's lovely !

CliffsofMohair · 22/01/2023 20:15

RobertaFirmino · 22/01/2023 20:00

My advice to expectant mothers is to name your child Gearoidin, after me. You can bet your bottom dollar nobody's going to 'steal' THAT! Christ, nobody can even pronounce it!

Plenty of us Irish folk can pronounce Gearoidín.

FineHairHatesDamp · 22/01/2023 20:13

Our friends told us they named their daughter after hearing our DDs name, I took it as a compliment. Get over it.

SeasonFinale · 22/01/2023 20:13

Barbie46 · 22/01/2023 20:09

Yes it is half of two names of our family members

I really hope you are joking.

SummaLuvin · 22/01/2023 20:12

Barbie46 · 22/01/2023 20:09

Yes it is half of two names of our family members

How awful! Not just one, but two lovely little girls called Renesemee. The horror.

CastleTower · 22/01/2023 20:10

Weird if it's your sister or something. Not something to get annoyed about if it's just an acquaintance.

Either they came up with it separately or thought you had great taste when they heard it from you.

The two names that are doubles in my daughter's nursery are very unusual, and there are no top 10 names at all. I'd never go for a name expecting my child to be the only one of that name locally - you simply can't predict that.

Wibbly1008 · 22/01/2023 20:10

Reframe it in your head. They are so keen to be like you and your DH they have copied your style! Laugh at it, other people in the circle will and find them ridiculous.

Barbie46 · 22/01/2023 20:09

Yes it is half of two names of our family members

OP posts:
Ellmau · 22/01/2023 20:09

What is the name?

madeyemoody · 22/01/2023 20:08

Named their baby your daughters name, that made me laugh. Get a grip OP. Embarrassing

worried4698643 · 22/01/2023 20:08

You are being ridiculous

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 22/01/2023 20:08

Well she's hardly going to change the name now is she so your best bet is to get over it.

OhBeAFineGuyKissMe · 22/01/2023 20:07

I had similar. Women in small village baby & toddler group named her son the same name as my 2y.o. She heard his name and liked it. I was well chuffed.

lobsterkiller · 22/01/2023 20:07

I'd take it as a compliment, if you don't run in the sane circle then it won't be too bad.

How do you think names become popular?

huffyhufferson · 22/01/2023 20:06

The one good thing about this is your baby is older than friends baby, so friends & family will know your baby had name first. Hope this helps you a wee bit. Enjoy your new baby & their name.

Barbie46 · 22/01/2023 20:06

I know I can not "own" a name but we live in a small town, anyone who has ever asked her name has always responded with oh I've never heard that before or the likes. Maybe I am being unreasonable, probably because my baby is only 6 months old and someone else is already using the name.

OP posts:
ShirleyPhallus · 22/01/2023 20:06

If you’re Katie price and the name is princess Tiaamii then you have a point. Otherwise, no.

Propagandalf · 22/01/2023 20:05

"A baby's name already being taken" is one of the most common threads on MN / AIBU.

dooneyousmugelf · 22/01/2023 20:03

If you've literally made the name up based on your name and your DH's, then yes it would be weird and worthy of raising a brow at, if not then you've got to get over it.

Usergjdksndjsn · 22/01/2023 20:02

It’s embarrassing for them if they copied
but maybe they’d already picked it and they were sad to hear you’d already used it too.

either way, you don’t own a name. I’d see your point more if it was your sister or best friend
but you barely see these people from the sounds of it. There’s going to be more than one person with your child’s first name in the world.

Sometimeswinning · 22/01/2023 20:02

Mylaferret · 22/01/2023 19:58

You don't own it. They've got every right to call their baby what they want.

Standard reply!

You spend so much choosing a name so you have every right to be annoyed! Unfortunately you will either have to suck it up or cut them out your life.

This conversation has come up so much in my circle that I actually don't think it's irrational. Beyond your control but it's not unusual!

MarchingBand · 22/01/2023 20:02

Seriously? YABVU...you dont own a name.

Needmorelego · 22/01/2023 20:01

Surely that's a compliment that they love the name.

Shoemadlady · 22/01/2023 20:01

How do you know it wasn't already on their list before you mentioned it? Surely it's not that unusual your darling child is the only person in the world that has that name?

JoyPeaceHealth · 22/01/2023 20:01

I'm embarrassed for them if it's a really unusual name. Copied a friend in their circle!! Morto

But is the name as unusual as you think? Sometimes it's possible to believe that a name is extremely rare because it's number 350 but it turns out that it has risen 8 places the year before last and 15 places this year.

If that is the case then it's two people independently feeding the trend for the names revival.