Names *can* be stolen. Oh yes they can

[WigsontheGreen]

If a person rules out the names of nieces/nephews, friends' children, neighbours' children, and pores through names books, checking popularity of names on line, their meanings, how quickly the name is rising and so on, before deciding on a well-researched name; then they are entitled to be disgruntled if somebody in their circle of acquaintance settles on the same name.

eg, you call your baby Dulcie Meryl. The family 5 doors down the road who you don't really know' call their child Dulcie or Meryl. Or you cousin calls her dd Meryl Dulcie, but she 'hardly ever sees you'.

I think this is completely weird and I cant believe people think it's OK. It's not ok.

You are perfectly entitled to be baffled by their shameless lack of imagination.

GAVEL

I think it's different if it's a commonely used name.. then you can't really complain, but absolutely, if it's relatively unusual I would at the very least expect a comment from the new mother/to be along the lines of "that's amazing, I've never known anyone else who liked that name, we've had it saved for ages"...........

Otherwise I'd assume they were unimaginative and annoying (as I DO about someone I will not lower myself to discuss!).......

My cousin stole DS1's name, but we hardly ever see him

More annoyingly was the mother who I used to chat to regularly at a mother and baby group whole stole DS2's complete name (forename and middle name) - I think she may be avoiding me as I haven't seen her since she gave birth. I am quite annoyed about it (probably irrationally I know)

My sister is called Eleanor and my cousin is called Christian. My dad's cousin called his children Christian and Eleanor - we all have the same surname too. I kid you not.

I would say that Dulcie is a conservative choice, it is an old name.I know 2.
If it is someone very close to you it would be annoying, but a neighbour is someone you probably won't know in 20 yrs time.I don't think it matters. It often happens that way, parents choose what they think is very different name and then their DC gets another in the same class!

But WHY DOES IT MATTER????? If you want to call your daughter Dulcie then do it. It doesn't matter who else is called it - there aren't enough names for every baby to have a unique one!

If someone calls their daughter Lily no one complains if someone else does the same-I don't see why a more unusual name should be different. You may be slightly ahead of the game and it will be due for a huge rise in popularity. The first people who start a trend in anything don't actually know they are starting a trend! I expect the first people to choose Lily thought they were being original.

See, I just didn't choose ds's name hoping he'd be unique, so it really wouldn't bother me.

I suppose if that was one of your reasons for the choice it would be annoying, but having grown up with a very unusual name I know it's not special or important being the only [insert "unique" name here] in the class/school/200 mile radius...

If you like the names Dulcie or Meryl you deserve to have the gavel thrown at you really hard.

Well OBVIOUSLY no one should actually call a child Dulcie - but I was trying to be non-judgemental!

I don't think many people expect their child's name to be unique (unless they call them Adolf or something). I just think it shows a certain lack of imagination to not think of a different name.

I'm certain my parents weren't bothered by this (given I went to school with several girls who had the same name as me)

15 years ago I met my now best mate who had Lillian and Archie picked out for her future kids. At the time they were really quite unusual and seemed original. She still has no kids, but I bet she wouldn't use those names now.

(I did STEAL Archie from her btw. But was for our dog, which I think miffed her a bit, but he is named after Archer's Ale)

I didn't pick my DD's name to be unique in fact we actively looked at the top 100 names for inspiration as I prefer more unusual names and DH likes more traditional BUT I would be slightly annoyed if someone close to me (ie not a neighbour or someone at a mother and baby group) called their DD the same name. I liked a lot of names already used in the family but deliberately discounted them because I felt it would cause confusion and everyone has the right to their 'own' name.

For the same reason I objected when someone I know wanted to give their DD my name as a first name - I felt she deserved a name which was all her own and not one which made people think of a friend of her Mum's. She now has my name as a middle name. Another friend named her daughter the same name as me and I find it embarassing to say (have never been able to say my own name for some bizarre reason) and it is starting to get more and more confusing.

I do think it shows a lack of imagination as well - akin to copying someone's entire look.
One reason why I'm not over keen on the idea of 'naming after' a relative. The name was chosen for someone else.

I just went for names that I liked-I don't care if they are popular or not.

My dd is named after my Nan with one of her middle names - although it wasn't actually my Nan's name but the shortened version she was known as. 2 of her other great-Grandmothers also had the same name and it also transpired that in the 19th century, two more female ancestors had the same first name as my daughter - spookily with the same surname as today. Odd how things turn out.

Is it stealing or once out there in the public domain is it imitation being the sincerest form of flattery?

I was named after my aunty, which throughout my life has lead to constant confusion!!! I hate it. It's really weird if we are both in the same room as eachother. I also has 3 cousins with my name as a middle name and about 6 friends with my name as a middle name.

I alwyas have asked my mum why the hell she didnt think of a better name for me!!!

My and my DB had an argument the other day about our future childrens name because he wants a girls name that his second cousin has just called his DD. He didn't seem to realise how wrong this was. It wouldn't be so bad if we never saw them, but they live opposite us!!!

It's wrong wrong wrong!!!