A baby name one

[Cakecakecheese]

My partner and I are expecting a boy in August. Partner's sister is expecting a boy in September and his cousin is expecting a boy in October.

You can probably guess where this is going! We were told today by my partner's mum that a certain name is 'off the table' because his cousin has decided on it. This is the name we'd pretty much decided on too. Partner's sister has it as her second choice apparently.

Are we being unreasonable to think that as we probably get to go first then we can go for whatever we like? Or is that a bit selfish? They'd all have different surnames and we barely see the cousin anyway.

It’s a standing joke that in my family there are 4 names that you’re allowed to use!
My mum and cousin have the same name, my Uncle and brother have the same name, which is also my dad and cousin’s second name; my name is the same as my aunt’s second name, my mum’s second name is the same as my gran’s name, my son’s second name is the same as my nephews name, which was also my grandad’s second name.
Some of this is coincidence, some of it is just…a lack of imagination?? At Christmas and other family events names were often prefaced with ‘Big’ or ‘Little’!!

Why didn’t you immediately say Oh that’s the name we love too?

Need to know the name now!

We did! It was my partner's mum that told is what name his cousin has chosen.

I'd tell the mum to politely pluck off. Name your kid what you want.

What is the name?

Go for it. My step cousin named her daughter Grace. My brother had a daughter a few years later also called Grace. No confusion caused. If referred to with step family we class my niece as Gracie. My son has a middle name that my cousin used for her son a year later. His other middle name is after my grandad and is also her sons middle name, so her son had 2 of his names without an issue.

Ok. In that case just go ahead - it’s not your fault you are going first! They’re always going to be annoyed with you anyway because there will be lots of comparisons (your child doing everything first/being the most exciting) - so maybe it doesn’t matter!