A mum admitted she stole the baby name her sister was planning to use – and while the drama caused a rift between them for years, she insists it was an honest mistake
If you have your heart set on a baby name, it can be devastating when someone beats you to using it.
Almost no baby name is completely unique, and it’s not uncommon for parents to give their children similar names – especially if the moniker is popular. But although you can’t guarantee your child will be the only one in their class with their name, it’s a different case entirely when the person who “copies” or “steals” your moniker is a member of your own family.
That’s exactly what one woman has confessed to doing when she said she stole her sister’s chosen baby name from under her nose and used it just a few weeks before her sibling welcomed her own child into the world.
In a post on Reddit, the woman said she and her sister were pregnant at the same time but she gave birth before her sibling and welcomed a baby boy. Although she didn’t share the name she gave her son, she claimed it was “the same name” her sister planned on using.
However, the woman insisted the name drama was an honest mistake as she didn’t know her sister wanted to use it. She wrote: ” My sister and I were pregnant at the same time.
“We never really spoke about names, the name I chose for my son was the same name my sister wanted. I never knew and she lost her s***. She used the name as her son’s middle name… she’s never let me live it down!”
The mum shared her story in a long thread on the Name Nerds forum, where others shared stories of “stolen” baby names. Several commenters told similar tales, with one expressing it can be “flattering” to know you’ve inspired someone else’s baby name choice.
One person shared: “I worked with someone in high school who, after meeting me, named his son my name because he liked it so much. We were not close enough to where I assumed he was naming him ‘after’ me, just that he really liked my name. I was flattered. With that relationship, I would’ve been flattered if someone used my baby name, too.”
Another added: “My cousin ‘stole’ Evelyn from our other cousin who named her daughter that a few years back. She got really annoyed when a few people commented on it and insists we call her daughter Evy … even though we call the older Evelyn that already.”
And a third posted: “We refused to tell anyone our baby names because my husband’s family was known for ‘stealing’ names from each other causing bad feelings all around. They were very upset with us.”
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