5 Easy Ways to Cope When Someone Steals Your Baby Name

You and your partner have it figured out! Once you have a baby, you have the perfect name picked out. No one would ever be the person who steals your baby name, right? The name could be paying homage to a family member or friend. You could have created a name with a unique spelling or just picked a name that is truly beautiful. Excited, you tell family and friends. This is something you are excited about and you want to share it with the people you love most.

Someone in your social circle, whether it is a friend or family member announces their pregnancy. They have their baby before you and the announcement comes that the babies name is… the exact same one you have picked for your baby. But they have had their baby first. This is where the mudslinging of the Baby name stealer begins!

There will be a lot of speculation, whether this person stole the name from you and named their baby that or if they came up with it themselves. With so many Emily’s, Olivia’s and Owens in the world, it is possible. Here is how you handle what you suspect to be a Baby Name Stealer.

You don’t reserve the right to a name

We have seen many celebrities try to copyright their child’s name and make sure that no one can use their child’s name but them. It does not work that way. Names are allowed to be used and unfortunately, even your beautiful name and spelling does not reserve you the right to keep it. It can be annoying, especially if you highly suspect a name stealing copycat in your friend or family circles, but you can’t stop someone from naming their child whatever they want.

Why Would Someone You Care About Do This?

You have to ask yourself if this was out of malice. Would someone that you hold close enough to share your babies future name be capable of trying to take something that means a lot from you? The truth is, if you have close family and friends who operate that way, they may not be close family and friends after all. Usually, these cases are not done out of malice but out of coincidence.

Name Your Baby the Name Anyway

It happens that cousins and close family members have the same names. I had a cousin named “Stephanie”. My uncle adopted a child whose name was also “Stephanie” and so I had two cousins with the same name. No one really cared and the girls were good friends. It was that simple.

If people question you why your name is the same as your suspected name stealing friend, be honest, tell them why you had picked the name and why this name means a lot to you and your partner. You don’t have to scramble to come up with another name that will not hold the same amount of joy and meaning as the name you have already come up with. You worked hard on this name and you have every right to keep the name you feel your baby was destined to have.

Remember, if you exude confidence in your name choice, many people will follow suit. If you apologize or accuse another of being a baby name stealer, it just brings a lot of unnecessary drama that you and your baby don’t need.

Keep Baby Names to Yourself

It is so exciting to know your little one’s name and you want to share it with people you love. If you suspect a name stealer, just don’t tell others the name! Make it your little secret until the baby is born and then offer everyone the explanation for the name. It’s your choice!

Slightly Change Your Name

If you just can’t see yourself using the name anymore and that it is “ruined” for you, consider slightly changing the name. If you loved the name “Christy” you could use “Christine” instead. Think of similar names that can still give you the same joy in the name but be different from your alleged baby stealers name.

It is common for people to think that a baby name is stolen or be accused of stealing a baby name from another family. In the end, chose a name for your baby that brings you joy. It does not matter if someone stole it. This is your time to give your child a beautiful name. Don’t let others get you down!