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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

What do you do when your enemy steals you baby name?

120 replies

CantWaitForMyBaby · 16/04/2011 16:05

Here's the situ:
In work, all the people on my floor are friendly and I get along well with all of them, but there's one lady (let's call her Kate) who is cruel, mean, ignorant, hated and irritating and no-one gets along with her at all. She was already pregnant when I found out I was, and all the people on my floor were helping me decide in names, and my baby was always the topic of conversation. DH and I found the name combo which we both loved after months of deliberation - Poppy Eliza May. Two weeks after I told the rest of the office the name, Kate left for her maternity leave and came back two months later (2 weeks ago) to show us the baby. She had named it Poppy Eliza May. None of the office dared confront her about how she had stolen my name, as she was bound to report us for 'bullying' (which she has done before and ended up getting one of my colleagues sacked)
Now I face a dilemma - do I just call DD(who is due next week) Poppy Eliza May or shall I think up a new name? I wouldn't so much mind the latter apart from it took agesto find a name DH and I agreed on as we are both so fussy and I really don't think we will be able to find a name we love as much as Poppy Eliza May.
Please help!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Bucharest · 17/04/2011 11:51

Roffling at my good self being OTT from MollyMurphy.....

And that would make the OP, with her talk of theft/enemies/bullying etc, what exactly?

LynetteScavo · 17/04/2011 12:02

I think the real reason why no one in your office confronted her about "stealing" "your" name was because she hasn't, (although she may have copied you) and they knew they would look daft if they said "Oh, that's what CantWaitForMyBaby was going to call her baby".

onadietcokebreak · 17/04/2011 12:05

A good lesson in why its best not to share your baby name around other people if you would be so precious about it being used.

Good Luck when you both return from Mat Leave.

lljkk · 17/04/2011 12:06

Just call her Poppy Eliza May. Completely ignore what the other woman has done.

aftereight · 17/04/2011 12:08

Now I have stopped laughing at your immature attitude.. I totally agree with what Bucharest said

LynetteScavo · 17/04/2011 12:10

I agree, you should never tell anyone what you are going to call your baby.

bemybebe · 17/04/2011 12:11

Poor children.

bemybebe · 17/04/2011 12:14

Oh, yeah. OP for your sake and for the sake of your daughter I wish overcoming this 'baby-name-stealing' thing to be your biggest challenge in life!...

anniepanniepears · 17/04/2011 12:26

if you and your husband like the name just stay with it

mrz · 17/04/2011 12:27

Isn't imitation considered the sincerest form of flattery - poor Kate sees you as popular and wants to be like you to the point she's saddled her baby daughter with the name you picked!

Journey · 17/04/2011 12:49

"..all the people on my floor were helping me decide in names, and my baby was always the topic of conversation" - the op sounds totally self-obsessed.

You make this girl "Kate" sound horrible but if everybody in the office really does hate her I think it is unlikely that she would have gone into the office two months after giving birth to show off her baby. Perhaps it is you that has a big issue with her.

It was silly discussing your baby's name in the office. I would laugh if she was only teasing everybody in the office about her baby's names just so you didn't use it.

I think you need to get over yourself and stop thinking you're the centre of attention.

ThisFeelsWeird · 17/04/2011 12:51

I guess you will have to sue her - just make sure you bring documentation proving that you own the name Poppy...

BTW, Poppy Eliza May must have taken you all of five mins to come up with.

Next time keep quiet about name choices.

Pancakeflipper · 17/04/2011 12:57

Stolen.... Well if you had it insured you'll be ok

BikeRunSki · 17/04/2011 18:20

LOL at Pancakeflipper .

ginhag · 17/04/2011 18:52

Yeah but no but yeah and like Kate, I hate her right, she's like TOTALLY my enemy it wouldn't surprise me if she was looking at my muller's fruit corner...

Etc.

bemybebe · 17/04/2011 19:11

lol ginhag

Panzee · 17/04/2011 19:38

Maybe you could change your name to Kate? That would show her.

LynetteScavo · 17/04/2011 20:34

She's cruel, mean, ignorant and irritating.

What did you expect?

kerala · 17/04/2011 21:19

I would pick a different name. We had "our" name then met a really annoying woman at a party when I was 36 weeks pregnant who was also heavily pregnant and told us that she was going to use "our" name. It put me off it and we went on to choose a far far far better name (the original one was crazily popular we hadnt realised). So maybe a blessing in disguise. Personally dont like Poppy as it only suits toddlers.

A1980 · 17/04/2011 22:28

Where are you OP? Are you going to use the name or not. Perhaps you now know what's it's like to be on the receiving end of alot of people saying things to you that you don't like? You have no qualms about calling your colleague names but you haven't come back here as perhaps you can dish it out but can't take it.

Here endeth the lesson: do not tell anyone your baby name choices until it's born. My collegeues did this last year. They both knew they were having girls but just gave a a vague "there's a few we like" response when asked about names. Good thing because both of them gave their DD's (IMO) hideous names. Most of the office agreed too. If they told me their choices before they'd given birth, I would've struggled to keep my face neutral. But once they'd named their baby that I just smiled sweetly and said how lovely.

Anyway as alot of people have said Poppy Eliza May are all popular names. You've been given an opportunity to be imagninative and I would take it.

Also I don't understnad why you haven't named your colleauge here. Give the detail you've given away and your precious choice of name, do you honestly think that if "Kate" or any of your friends use MN, they wont know who you are?

fit2drop · 17/04/2011 23:23

All the people are friendly?? but they ALL hate pregnant Kate. Hardly a friendly attitude.
All the people are friendly?? but chat about YOUR BABY , YOUR baby is the main topic of conversation. Hardly friendly or fair on someone else who was pregnant at the same time .
What a miserable situation for Kate to be working in . She must have dreaded going in to work each day knowing her and her pregnancy was being ignored whilst YOURS was so obviously the most exciting and most wonderful thing to have happened in the office for years and what with you being so wonderful they chose to help you choose a name too.How disappointed they must have been when you actually ignored their ideas and chose a name with your husband. Tsk!
How and why would this woman come back to an office she was so hated in to show off her baby to a bunch of people who according to you were not bothered about her pregnacy because they were too busy and preoccupied with yours.Because to be fair if the behaviour you have suggested on here is true then I can see that bullying has probably gone on if that is the way you and your colleagues behave towards one member of staff. She must have dreaded every work day.

Admit it OP this is either (a) bollocks or (b)you have embellished details .

I sincerely hope its option a, otherwise you truly are a nasty piece of work.

CarefulWithThatAxeEugene · 17/04/2011 23:42

It's a wind-up.

LoopyLoopsNincompoop · 17/04/2011 23:54

What Bucharest said.

Plonkerr · 17/04/2011 23:59

I wouldn't use the name.

Eliza and May are lovely though, couldn't you use one of those instead?

I don't want to add to the pasting that you're getting here, but I have to say that you do seem a little self-involved.
A little bit of compassion for Kate wouldn't go amiss.

missmelo · 18/04/2011 01:50

I would find it grossy coincedental if she picked your exact three names....its weird. I don't think she copied you though, she may have heard it around the office and thought it sounded nice though. I'd get over it because there is no point confronting someone over something that may or may not have been a copycat style ambush on your individuality. Maybe Summer since your little one is coming in June? I think Summer trumps Poppy. Don't get too upset about some of the reactions here and maybe try to chill out a bit at work and not get too caught up in office politics/alliances/alleged bullying. Just a little bit of friendly advice because your post did come across as quite childish. Hope you aren't offended and best of luck with your baby :)

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