Choosing a name for your baby is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as parents, but a pregnant woman has found herself in a tricky situation thanks to her mother-in-law’s decision
Deciding on the right name for your baby can be a difficult and stressful task. With so many names out there for girls and boys, parents are spoilt for choice, but this can make it harder to settle on a moniker.
Some opt for classic, popular names, while others want their child to have a more unique name to make them stand out from the crowd. Often, parents make a list of names they like, drawing inspiration from various factors, like relatives who have passed away or even film and TV characters. A pregnant woman shared that she and her husband decided on their top baby girl name, only to find out that her mother-in-law had given this name to her cat.
Posting on Reddit, the mum-to-be said: “This is not that serious, and no, she did not do it on purpose (she doesn’t even know I’m pregnant).
“But I see similar posts to this about other people stealing baby names, and I thought this would give everyone a laugh.
“My husband and I have a fairly long list of girl names, but I keep learning towards ‘boyish’/masculine names for girls, and as a HUGE Interstellar fan, Murphy has been [at] the top of our list.”
She continued to share that her mother in law is “not a pet person” but finally let her younger sister-in-law get a kitten in the house.
When she called her husband to check in while he was visiting his mum, he said to her: “They named the cat Murphy.”
The couple has now been left questioning whether or not they should name their daughter after a cat.
The woman’s Reddit post has garnered 1,400 upvotes and more than 300 comments, with people quick to share their thoughts on the situation.
The comment with the most likes reads: “Murphy is a much better name for a pet than a person. Sorry.” Someone else replied: “I agree. It also seems masculine because it is traditionally a surname.”
Another user chimed in: “Every Murphy I have known is a male dog. There have been several.” Others shared different animals they knew with the name Murphy, including a ferret and a male rabbit.
A different user commented: “I can’t imagine looking at a sweet little baby and calling her Murphy…or a teenage girl saddled with that.”
The Reddit user took a liking to the name Murphy as Murphy ‘Murph’ Cooper is a starring character in the science-fiction/adventure movie Interstellar, released in 2014.
Murphy is a gender-neutral name of Gaelic origin and is the most common family name in Ireland, according to The Bump.
It refers to ‘warrior of the sea’ and was made famous by Hollywood stars Cillian and Eddie, who bear the surname.
