Am I in the wrong here?

[WolfieComport]

Sorry if I break any rules this is my first post after reading a bit on here.

I am wondering if anyone can give their opinion on my situation to see if I'm wrong in being mad.

Basically I just had a baby daughter called Isabelle and everything is amazing, extremely happy and it has been a few weeks in.

We spent a long time picking the name and it's really personal to us and it means a lot.

I have a WhatsApp chat with 4 friends where we have talked every day for ten years, and one of my friends who I'm really close to now is also pregnant.

We talk every single day and now she has decided to pick the name Isabella. I just find it really strange out of all the names available she has picked the only name that could upset me, blatently copying my little girls name.

I know she's free to name her child whatever she wants but I can't help but feel upset that for the rest of our lives we will have extremely similar daughter names. If I new she had chose that name I would of picked another one so it's more intimate and special to me, but she doesn't seems happy to copy the name almost like for like with no thought.

Am I crazy in being upset?

• Also if I’d had a son he’d have been a George. I fell in love with the name aged 14 when it was still an older bloke name and not popular. I knew no Georges in my 1700 pupil comp.

If I’d had a friend 14 years later with a George, and had a boy instead of my girl, I’d still have gone with George, although they’d know as every time I’ve met a small George I’ve probably said that’s what I’d have called a boy.

@HeArInGhandsgirl11

With your baby being so recent I would be annoyed. I would never do this with a close friend

Lots of people have their names planned out for years and are very attached to them, and it can be hard to agree with the other parent on a name.

The fact that someone else used that name recently really shouldn't make any difference to that, using the name that means something to you matters more than the occasional moments where two children with the same very common name might be in the same place as each other. She's not doing anything "to" a close friend, there are thousands of children called Isabelle/a.

@Neverreturntoathread

You will be told ‘she can use whatever name she likes mind your own business’ (a popular answer on Mumsnet) but the truth is that it was weird, rude, and very disrespectful of her to use the name without first asking if it was ok with you.

Of course it isn’t weird, rude, and disrespectful. She hasn’t copied the op, it’s one of the most popular girls names in the country. If you choose a really popular name you need to accept the fact that others will also name their child that name.

And what if she had said ‘please may I name my child Isabella?’ That wouldn’t have changed op’s feelings. This is about op feeling she’s chosen a ‘really personal’ and special name and then realising that in fact it’s an incredibly popular name that lots of girls will have.

Bless you @WolfieComport but try keep calm.

How pregnant is your friend? Does she even know the sex yet?

Do you see each other much in real life? Are your kids likely to go to same nursery / school etc? Do you share many other mutual friends?

Your DD was here first so if there is any judgement, it will always be obvious who used the name first.

I think it's an odd choice of name (and I know MN loves to say no-one owns a name but sometimes names are just too similar / close for comfort) but context is important.

Congratulations on your DD and don't let this ruin things for you.

Seems like every other child around here is some form of Isabel/Isabella/Isobel/Isabelle etc. The rest are Evie, Eve, Ava, Olivia etc. Unless you go for a very unusual name there will be loads of the same name out there that you will come across. It is a different name too, yes similar, but not the same.

Has she actually copied you or has she picked a name because she likes it and decided that was more important than being upset over similar names

How do you know she picked it after you? She could’ve had the name picked already so why not use the name she has chosen just because you called your daughter something similar.

My first cousin has the same name for her DS as mine. Her DD has one letter different, say Sophie and Sophia. It's not worried me at all.

What practical differences will it make to your lives? It us unlikely to be detrimental unless one of you makes it so.

It's just a name. They don't lessen or weaken with use.

Ah I would find it a bit odd! And like another poster said, I would find it strange that she didn’t run it by me - like not asking for permission as such, but just giving you the heads up and explaining it’s the name they want.