One woman recently took to Reddit's popular "Am I The A**hole" forum for advice about her sister, after she told her the name she picked for her baby boy and her sister said she also wanted to name her baby the same.
The post generated more than 10,200 votes and 1,100 comments in about 18 hours, and commenters are siding with the poster, who did not reveal the name.
The Redditor, who goes by u/AdventurousTop7565, explained that she and her husband are expecting their first child together. She said that the baby is due in just a few weeks and that they first announced the pregnancy after the first trimester.
During the announcement, the Redditor explained that she and her husband told everyone that they were expecting a boy and told everyone the name they picked.
The post then explained that the woman's sister has been trying to get pregnant with her third child for more than five years but was unsuccessful. The Redditor said that due to complications, her sister started IVF treatments in hopes of getting pregnant.
"Turns out she found out she was pregnant 5 weeks after me and announced her pregnancy a little over a month after us," the post said. "She found out she is also expecting a baby boy and we were both excited about the idea of our kids growing up to be best friends. Everything was going pretty great until a few weeks ago."
When the woman's mother came to visit and help set up the nursery, she told her that her sister "really liked the name" she and her husband picked and decided she wanted to use it. Her mother then asked what she was going to change her son's name to since it would be confusing to have two boys in the family that are the same age with the same name.
The woman told her mom that she was not changing the name because she and her husband's "hearts were set," but then she got a call from her sister. During the conversation, her sister told her that since this was her "miracle baby" she should have first choice on whatever name she desired.
"I told her that she can name her baby whatever she wants, but that we're not changing our minds about our baby's name," the post explained. "AITA for not being willing to change my baby's name?"
In the comments, many users showed support for the woman and said her sister was acting like the world revolved around her. Others called the woman's sister petty and that the woman should remember that she is not in the wrong for being upset.
But this situation is not a rare one and has even been coined "baby name theft" by many on the internet. The question is, how does one react to the baby name "theft?"
According to Jacqueline Whitmore, an international etiquette expert, talking out the feelings with the people involved is the best way to go.
"It's not going to make them change the baby name or anything," she told Huff Post. "But it might alleviate some of the tension that you have between each other."
She said being honest about your feelings is the best way to get a proactive response from the people involved without attacking or making them feel bad right off the bat.
Earlier this month, an anonymous mother posted on a popular website for parents called Mumsnet, asking for advice after her sister chose a name similar to the one she previously told her she wanted to use for her child.
In the post, the woman said she told her sister months back that she really liked the name Judah and her sister said she liked the name River.
But after her sister delivered the baby, she announced that they named the baby Jude. The anonymous woman said she was "completely gobsmacked" and "upset" but wasn't prepared to create a family fight over a name.
In the forum, the woman asked if people would still name their baby Judah after their sister named their kid Jude or if she should choose a new name.
Many in the comments were quick to tell the woman her sister was being unreasonable and that if she truly loved the name Judah, she should go for it. But for the woman, it was less about the name and more about the principle behind stealing it.
"It's not really the name so much but the spiteful intent behind it that hurts," she wrote in the post.
