Godmother stole my son's name

I feel sorry for GM's son. The name feels kind of second hand and his mother is very jealous of OP. Huge double standards, GM did not want OP using the same names as her but she can use her godson's name? Unhinged is not even the word

You havent met 'the world'...

Is it 'Bear' 'Apple' 'Teapot' 'Yahweh' ?

Will the children be together a lot as in same groups, nursery and school? If not I wouldn't worry.

That's awful. I'd ask why.

What is the name!!?? Because if your getting precious over a name like Rory/ Hector... Ugh

people here saying 'you don't own a name' ABU. OP isn't saying she owns the name! She picked an unusual name probably so her son would be the only one and someone copied. There are hundreds of thousands of names, the godmother should have picked another. I would cut her off

however we did not use another name as she asked us not to.

Have you asked her what the duck she was playing at telling you not to use the name you liked and then not using it herself?!

She doesn’t sound like much of a friend.

One of my close relatives has cancer. Get a grip and put this in perspective. It's a very very minor thing to be upset over. Be thankful that you have a healthy son.

Personally I think it's all mad! Being asked not to use a name =mad. You agreeing. Then using a name when you have asked someone not to use 'your' name, and the you being upset.
The moral to the story is ' don't tell anyone what you are thinking.'

Who asks someone not to use a name in case they want it in the future?!

I'm aware this isn't the main issue here but she was a dick before she used your son's name. You just hadn't seen it.

At the very least, your friend sounds severely lacking in imagination. I wouldn't raise your child's hopes too high when it comes to the obligatory godparent birthday gift.

That is so weird and completely selfish of her to ask you not to use a name and then pick your name after you've already registered your child. Is she jealous of you? Has she even addressed the fact that she has picked the same name? Imagine it was the other way around, how would she have acted if you had picked "her" name? You anbu, she is.

I'd be tempted to put her to the blush by telling her that now she's picked the exact same name as your child, you're thinking of changing your DS's name back to the original name she wanted and asked you not to use.

At least you won’t have to think of a reason to say no if she asks you to be a godparent!

I would definitely raise this with her.

She asked you not to use name A because presumably she didn't want them to have the same name. So out of respect, you didn't. You chose name B.

She then chose name B. Despite supposedly not wanting them to have the same name.

I wouldn't let that go unremarked upon. I would asking her what she was playing at, thinking she had the right to veto name A, but then just do what she liked as regards name B.

She sounds nuts.

I could accept it if she had the good grace to explain herself, but to let it go unremarked upon - no, that's bonkers.

I'd usually say you cannot steal a name.

But I'd be pissed off at the fact she asked you not to use a particular name you wanted to use.....so you didn't. You chose another name. And then she ditched the first name and copied your name.

Ask her what the hell that was about. You didn't use that name out of consideration for her and then she didn't use it anyway.

What does a godparent actually do? Take them if the parents die?

Where does this idea come from?!

You’re being ridiculous. She didn’t steal anything. It’s a name. Presumably to be a godparent she’s a pretty close friend. To be this angry and want to cut her off over this is unhinged.

Wouldn't bother me except for the part where she asked you not to use a different name. If she did this because she was planning on using that name, it's very shitty and hypocritical of her.

Or even better (worse?), "Freddy" and "Freddy two". Since yours is the original and genuine article, and hers is just a copy 😁.

It wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

If you want to be petty about it call your son 'Freddy One' and her son 'Freddy two'.

Off-topic but I've often wondered about this idea that godparents are meant to look after children if their parents die. Surely kids usually go to family in that situation? Isn't a godparents' role to guide a child in their relationship with God (the traditional concept anyway)?

I couldn't get worked up about the name. Most children only see their godparents irregularly, so the kids will probably meet a few times a year, at most. Presumably she liked the name.

More weird than anger inducing IMO.

We deliberately didn't use names that our friends had used, even fairly distant ones. It just put me off, same goes for 'naming after' - I want my children to have their own name.

To deliberately use the same name if someone you're likely to see regularly is just odd.

When was her baby born? Hasn't she addressed it at all? Like 'Oh I just loved the name Freddii-Jak so much I had to use it myself!' - it's a bit of an elephant in the room.