Choosing the perfect baby name can feel like striking gold.
Even if you’re not expecting or planning a child, it’s likely you’ve pondered at least once about what you might name a child if you had one. It may not be the name you eventually choose, but contemplating potential names isn’t unusual – and if you stumble upon that moniker you believe is perfect, it can be hard to consider using anything else.
This is the dilemma a woman found herself in, as she devised an ideal name she’d love to bestow on one of her future children, but realised something is preventing her from using it. The woman isn’t currently expecting, but her cousin is – and she’s considering using the exact same name.
The woman explained that while she isn’t expecting a baby at the moment, she and her husband are planning on “trying for kids” in the next few years. Following the passing of her father, the woman thought of the perfect name she believes will “honour” his memory.
However, she recently found out her cousin intends to use the same moniker for her baby, which put her own plans in doubt. She pointed out her cousin didn’t “steal” the name intentionally, as she was unaware the woman was also contemplating using it.
In a post on Reddit, where she chose not to disclose the name, the woman shared: “My dad passed recently and since then I’ve been thinking of names to honour him in some sort of way. My dad’s name was longer and I realised there was a great name hidden within his name that I really liked. I only mentioned this name to my husband.
“My cousin, who is like a sister, is pregnant and expecting. She had coincidently come up with the same name I saw in my dad’s name that she really likes. She’s in no way stealing the name, but I can’t help but feel a little bummed. I don’t know if she’s 100% set on the name, but I don’t know if there’s any point in even telling her.”
Reddit users encouraged her to still use the baby name even if her cousin is claiming it too, as there’s nothing wrong with having two people in one family called the same thing – especially as they won’t be born in the same year.
One user commented: “Like you said, she’s entitled to use it, but so are you. Telling her the significance of the name to you might discourage her from using it, and if it doesn’t, she may have to accept that there might be two kids in the family with the same name.”
And another voiced their opinion, saying: “Personally, I wouldn’t tell her. She’s having a real – not theoretical – baby right now and has already announced the name to loved ones. If you tell her, it might come across as manipulative. My advice is to congratulate and support your cousin. If and when you have a baby down the line, just use the same name!”
Meanwhile, a third person commented: “Stuff like this is so silly. You aren’t pregnant and there is no guarantee of the gender of your choice. It’s a hypothetical right now for you. For her, it’s her actual child. If you do get pregnant and if the baby is the correct gender, then you can worry about this.”