Would you steal a friend's baby name?

Let me put my cards on the table: I’m out of boy names.

When Holden was still in utero, I had lots of great ideas. When Milo was baking, I had fewer great ideas. Now, I’m all tapped out.

As I look around our preschool, kindergarten class, and my extended circle of mom friends, I see a few wonderful names that might work perfectly. But am I allowed to use them?

There’s one in particular that I have my eye on. It fits most of my crazy self-imposed name rules: has two or three syllables; is uncommon but easy to say and spell; ends in an “N”, “R” or hard vowel sound; and would create decent initials. Without further research, I don’t yet know whether it is also the brand-name of a mediocre product in Australia and a literary name, but c’mon, you can’t have everything.

So, I’m trying to figure out if I can use it without violating a code of friendship.

Would you “steal” a friend’s baby’s name? Does it matter if they’re a close friend? Does it matter more if she’s an okay friend but your kids would cross paths (A LOT)? What if it’s a relative?

Has a friend ever “stolen” one of your favorite baby names? Did she ask you first? Were you flattered, angry, or totally indifferent?

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RookieMom Heather

RookieMoms co-founder & mom to 3 boys in Berkeley, CA. Bossy big sister and project manager turned blogger. Find me on my other site on 510families.com or hiding in my minivan eating dark chocolate.

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