What is the etiquette when close friend pinches knowingly your first choice baby name....

[tryingtobemarypoppins]

...........just found out by text. Evie, bit sad TBH as DH said well we can't use that then! Surley we can though??

Thanks one and all you have put me off Evie now!!!! Who wants a common name anyway

Any other suggestions to better my friends Evie warmly welcome!!!!

What about Elsie? Ella? Eliza? Eleanor?

I know you didn't specify "E" names but I'm on a roll....

Annabel?

Alice?

Georgia?

Mary?

LOL at misguided folk who think they have dibs on a name

nope - so get over it

SM, that's a bit harsh. It's not just about "dibs".

OP told her friend the name was on her top three, friend therefore had ample opportunity to say "oh me too" or similar and apparantly didn't say anything until she texted after the birth.

If I had my eye on a dress for an event and showed it to my friend in a catelogue I'd be pretty pissed off if friend showed up to said event in that dress. I wouldn't sue, but I'd be pretty .

I'd also be pretty that I couldn't spell catalogue!

I would be mightily pissed off. Whilst no-one owns a name, it's pretty poor form to do this in my books. Considering the original poster shared the names with her, it's a pretty awful thing to do to a friend.

I do, however agree about the name Evie. Yes it's cute, but uber-popular, a nickname and a bit bland.

I would strongly advocate a formal name with a nice nickname - you could always use Genevieve with nickname Evie.

These are my faves with some cute nicknames, but some may be a bit way out for you. I find them much more interesting than Evie, only due to extreme popularity. I like to see people think a bit more outside the box with naming:

Eliza (Liza/Lizzie)
Elodie
Millicent (Millie)
Calliope (Callie)
Persephone (Sephie)
Cordelia (Delia/Cora/Dee)
Leonora (Nora)
Theodora (Thea)
Magdalena (Lena)
Beatrix (Be, pr. Bay or Bee)
Ada
Dahila (Dee)
Io

I think just use it.

If she didnt say at the time that she was thinking of using it too, then she either didn't want to rain on your parade at the time, or else just filched your name hoping you wouldn't notice/remember!!!

Yes, two Evies, works both ways iyswim...

My friend used my 'girl' name as a middle name for her dd...she forgot, apparently, but anyway even if she didn't, I hadn't had a girl and wasn't about to have one, and it is a very common middle name - so it didn't matter! It wouldn't stop me using it for a first name. Mind you I went off it a bit anyway, after that.

Right, girls names suggestions,
My nieces are called,

Felicity- we call her Fliss
Gracie
Freya
Libby
My Dd is Isabelle,

Friends Dds are called, Holly, Ruby, Lauren,
Brooke, Erin, Ellie.

My list consisted of, Rosie/Rosa,Effie, Emilia,Molly, Madeline.

My name is Emmaline,quite unusual!

Use evie, and copy your mates choice of middlename too, saying "I hadn't thought of that"

my dd suggests sophie Or Charlie as an alternative

As already said, you can't pinch/own a name and if you use Evie, she's always going to be one of about 8 anyway.

What about Eve? Far classier.

Anyway, you might look at her when she's born and think "gah, how could I ever have imagined her as an Evie?"

My best friend from school called her daughter the same name as mine and we laugh about it and think how we still have the same (incredibly good) taste 30 years on.

It's not like she's pinched your husband, is it?

some of you must spend life in an incandescent froth about names,party dresses,he said/she said. no one needs anyone else permission or nod to use a name, and nor should anyone sit waiting to be asked in case names happens to be replicared

of the plethora of many names available many will be replicated. do you think all the top 100 names happen by accident they happen because they are heard and written, used in parlance. and someone (in fact many) think oh that is a nice name..and use it

it doesnt matter, and if you kid yourself on it does well more fool you

Thanks Podrick for your LO suggestions! Go on Bucharest, tell me the name! Thanks for the list izzybiz, I like Freya thank-you. persephoneplum what do you think of Darcy? I really like Ella, and Ellie but my sister is an Eleanor and ellie for short!

Thank-you it was great to off load and keep your wonderful suggestions coming!

scottishmummy I don't know why your coming across so cross, I was really quite upset about it and really pleased MN mums came to my rescue and offered other names and also put things into perspective for me.

scottish mummy, what load of codswallop! She feels how she feels, and belittling others because you have a different view isn't helping.

This isn't so much about the name, but the bad timing, and a perceived breach of trust. I would feel exactly the same. It's null and void to reprimand - her feelings are valid and many feel the same way. I'm not sure this is a friendship-destroying situation, but it is pretty poor form. You can disagree but save the chastising.

Sorry OP, I don't like Darcy at all. I think we have very different taste, and that's fine

the etiquette would be to get over it-choice another name you like or stick with it.

she wont be the only in the world any way.

ds1 is james because i like the name.he has however many other friends called james-no big deal.my step sister called her ds james too.its fine!in fact its lovely!shows i have good taste!

btw esme is quite close to evie.how about that?tis pretty.

What about Eloise? That's a very pretty name

Absolutely agree that it is totally out of order to name a baby with your chosen name when you had had the discussion with them. 'Friends' who don't have the common courtesy to at least have a conversation with you about it before they do it clearly have no manners or empathy, you have every right to be put out!

Same thing has happened to us during this pregnancy and this baby still now has no name with only 4 weeks to go. scottishmummy are you so defensive because you too are a name stealer!?! lol.x

err,the op has already discounted evie."Who wants a common name" said she

you cannot say i am responsible for that. she came to that conclusion herself, with no apparent MN belittling

and yes one can hold any subjective opinion one wants

doesnt mean anyone else has to objectively concur with it

so let me see,i say no one can claim or have dibs on a name.you interpret that as belittling

yet you say you no likey darcy?oh gosh all the darcy mummies inconsolable and belittled. oh no someone disagreed

yes doesnt quite work like that,does it?

so how do top 100 names emerge then?if everyone is supposed to be seeking permission from everyone else?names become popular by usage and people hearing/sharing them

no one has ownership or 1st dibs on a name,at all.wholly unreasonable to expect to be consulted about what someone else calls their child

How about Aoibhe/Eabha, an Irish name pronounced Eva

bex i cant steal a name because no one owns a name. simple as that. if i hear my chosen namess replicated. no biggie. that is how it goes

and all this tippy toeing oh i should have been consulted is frankly precious and mental

Thanks elliephant, how would I say those names phonetically??

I really like Eloise TokenFemale, many thanks for that. Does it matter my sister is an Eleanor?

Genevieve with nn Vivi is lovely.