Stolen name

[freezingbreeze]

Has anyone ever stolen your name? Whether it was intentional or just absolutely bad luck and their baby just happened to be born before yours and used the name?

There's a boy's name I absolutely adored, always pictured myself with a DS named this. Yet a couple years ago one of my cousins used it and I will admit it did hurt a little even if I'm not having DC for the next 5-8 years or so.

Did you still use the name or found a new one? Please share your stories!

That's awful. I've discovered that a number of celebrities and someone who does the weather on Channel 4 have stolen my name. In one case they have even changed the spelling. I have spoken to a solicitor about this, although he has pointed out that my mother seems to have stolen the name from a minor royal who lived in the 19th century. I find it hard to believe my mother would have done such a thing and suspect that the priest who conducted the baptism may not have been quite as holy as everybody thought.

@majesticallyawkward that is the worst! Almost every single name someone has to turn their nose up at. I love the name Camilla but I knew my mum and MIL would be completely opposed as they are that generation i.e. can't forgive the Duchess of Cornwall 🙄 I mentioned the name in conversation and it was like I'd suggested Adolf or Beelzebub 🤣

Everyone says my dc have weird names. I knew no one would want to steal!!

Some of the replies on this thread are incredibly rude. If you’ve got nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
The rude replies aren’t needed.

Are you all generally so rude or has lockdown just turned you all into such bitter human beings? I can't even believe some of you have taken the time of your day to write a whole paragraph just to mock my thread. Don't have anything nice to say? Don't say anything at all then.

It was clearly meant to be a lighthearted thread and I even explained my situation where the name wasn't stolen per se but it was just used by a family member that was absolutely unaware that I liked that name but the word stolen sounded like the most accurate way of explaining it.

I have spoken to a solicitor about this, although he has pointed out that my mother seems to have stolen the name from a minor royal who lived in the 19th century.

my son is named after his paternal granddad (first name) maternal granddad (middle name) and his sister chose another middle name my husbands (now ex) step brother had a son after us used the exact same name but switched the middle names around because he like the name which is fair enough but i'm sure its a bit of a slap in the face for his own father that his grandson is technically named after his wife's first husbands father......

but no one owns a name my ex did go through the roof over it i just laughed

I wasn't rude. I gave you examples of how real life cousins have given their children the same names.
They are second cousins to each other.

It doesn't matter that much. If you love the name, use it.

I can also think of two brothers who gave their child exactly the same name. They were a few years apart but it was exactly the same name.
Think something like Amelia Rose Williams.

Yes, a bit strange, but no big deal really.

Yes I wanted a girls name since I was 18 and discovered my favourite author and I imagined a mini me with this name before I met my DH.

I was finally pregnant age and 30 and due in September and a cousin had a little girl in the April and called her daughter this name and I was devastated! As it turned out I had a boy and by the time I had a daughter the name which was quite unusual had become so common and over used I am so glad I didn't use it

My parents had picked my name found out ndn had chosen same and was due before mum. So they used the name as my middle name and then chose a new first name. They did it knowing I'd be going through school with her. I actually came early and was born before her. She was the only one in our class with the name however there were 4 others with my name!

My great auntie did this to my Nanna. There babies were born a month apart and all through her pregnancy my Nanna had said x name. Great auntie gave birth first and used the name.

I have a sibling, another close relative and a close friend (part of wider group of friends) who are all due before me this year.

The friend has asked any names I like that I would want her to avoid using, but family probably won’t discuss names.

I have one boy and one girl name that I would be really upset if a family member used - I don’t think you can have cousins or second cousins with the same first name!

Oh I wish PPs would stop being such dicks.

We had chosen a name for our son, my DPs friend named his son the name we had chosen a few weeks later. Didn't seem right to use the same name, same friend group, neighbours etc. Worked out for the best, couldn't imagine our son named anything else now

It was clearly meant to be a lighthearted thread

That really was not clear.

My aunts were pregnant and due dates a month apart. Aunt 1 asked Aunt 2 what she had chosen then used Aunt 2's girls name despite having originally chosen another.
Aunt 2 had a boy anyway so it didn't matter.

@WhoUsedMyName

I have a lady I work with she's 14weeks ahead of me and she found out she's having a girl and has picked the exact name I wanted so bit annoying as when I go back to work after I'm sure everyone will think I stole her name (If we have a girl). But in our family we have cousins big maisie little Maisie I have a grandad John and an uncle john I don't think people really notice I also know a few family's that name first sons after dad or grandad

I strongly doubt anyone at your work will give enough of a crap to even consider which of you thought of the name first, let alone label it stealing.

Years ago a friend of a friend announced her child’s name - she had called har child my name with the middle name being the name I had called my dog.
Thing is I have a one off name, my dad made it up, and I had made up my dogs name. I didn’t mind her using the names, they didn’t belong to me, but I did find it weird and had no idea what to say as I didn’t really know her. I assume she just liked the names 🤷🏻‍♀️

I liked that name but the word stolen sounded like the most accurate way of explaining it

Copied is the word you were looking for OP. Stolen denotes a criminal act

Well... on my dad's side of the family, all the eldest born males are called James. My dad's side of the family generates a lot of males (usually families with 3 sons). So my dad, his dad, uncles and cousins all had the same first name AND surname.

There are only two left now. I gave my son James as a middle name as a nod to all the great James' who came before him

the word stolen sounded like the most accurate way of explaining it.

Words have meanings. This is not what that word means.

Sharing names with family/friends isnt really a problem but my 2 pennies worth is that I have the same name as a family member of similar age but I'm a bit older. For my whole life I've been referred to as 'big Jenny' (not my real name) just because I was older and taller. Some family still refer to me as that now and its given me a real complex about my weight and size my whole life. Just something to bear in mind

I went into hospital with what turned out to be a false alarm..Lady in the next bed who was in labour asked me what I was going to call my baby..Without thinking I told her X..She said 'that's a nice name..I'm calling mine Y if a boy'..(fathers name)I then got sent home, gave birth a week later and didn't leave the house for about a week more but the first person I saw told me that she'd had a boy and called him X..Bit gutted but I got over it...

In my large extended family it would definitely not be socially acceptable to use a first name that someone else had already used. I've avoided telling anyone at all any names we are considering, because I don't want them to 'steal' names we might potentially want to use for future children that we don't use this time. If they used them unknowingly I wouldn't use them, but I'd rather not put ideas in anyone's heads!

I think the moral of the story is, don't discuss names with people before your child is born. If they copy your child's name after that then there's not an awful lot you can do about it 🤷🏼‍♀️

@bluemoon2468, indeed, but the OP has no children, isn't pregnant, and isn't planning to TTC for another 5-8 years. I'm really struggling to feel any sympathy at all for the the OP being 'hurt' that someone else happens to have given their actual child a name that she likes.