Reddit: Woman Sparks Debate Over 'Stealing' Friend's Baby Name
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Choosing the perfect name for your baby can be a tough decision, even more so when your friend 'steals' the moniker you had a mind.
This is the sticky situation one Reddit user has shared to the site's AITA page. The anonymous woman revealed she is pregnant with her first child and when she found out she was having a girl, she knew immediately that she wanted to call her Nora.
But after sharing her plans with her pals, one of her friends asked her to "reconsider" the name Nora.
"Her youngest is called Norah (like Norah Jones, all her kids have musician names) and she feels it's not ok that the two girls would have similar names," she explained.
"Honestly I didn't even think of that. There were three Sophies in my class - it's not the end of the world".
The woman says she explained the touching meaning behind the name Nora. A friend of the woman's family was also named Nora and she passed away "in the early stages" of the pandemic and she suffered from numerous health issues.
She adds: "We were both artistic souls and always had philosophical conversations about life. We even went on holiday together once. As Nora grew older, and was disabled, I helped her out as her only child is a drug addict and in and out of rehab - so I was a bit of a (grand)daughter to her.
"When I found out I was having a girl, I thought it would be great to name her in Nora's honour (also - it's a short, not too complex name, and both me and my partner want that for a child)."
The poster says after she explained to her friend why she chose the name Nora, her friend said she feels she should have been "consulted" and that she should consider naming her unborn daughter after her own grandmother.
"I told her I'm sorry this upsets her, but this will be my daughter's name," she wrote.
Lots of commenters came to the defence of the poster. One person shared: "people don't own names. That's why there are so many people named the same thing. Name her as you see fit. If your friend decides she doesn't want you in her life for that, she's not a true friend, in my opinion."
A second user wrote: "If your friend didn't want someone else to have her kid's name, she shouldn't have named her after Norah Fricking Jones.
"Nobody owns names. Name your daughter Nora. It's a beautiful name with either spelling and you have a beautiful story to tell your child."
"Names are not reserved for one person. The fact that OP has a connection to the name also justifies using it," added a third.