Woman Cheered Over Her Reaction When Brother Announces Baby Daughter's Name

A teenage girl has been defended online over her reaction to learning the name of her brother's newborn baby daughter.

In a post shared to Reddit under the handle u/AcademicPop7165, the woman explained that from a young age she had "always talked" about naming her future daughter Scarlett.

"Every time the topic of babies, names, and children comes up, I always say that my daughter will be called Scarlett, everyone in my family knows this," she wrote.

So you can perhaps understand her anger when she discovered, to her horror, last week that had brother had decided to name his newborn daughter Scarlett.

"I was really upset at my brother as he knows that was my top name," she said. "I didn't make a big deal about it. I just left the room obviously upset."

Baby name stealing—the concept of giving a child a name despite knowing some other parents-to-be have earmarked it for their impending arrival—is a hotly debated phenomenon among people today.

In a survey of just over 12,000 U.S. adults, Today found that 57 percent of viewers polled felt taking a name someone else planned to use was "not cool." By contrast, 43 percent of those responding said anyone aggrieved at such actions needed to "get over it."

What confused the teen woman most was that her brother had never shown a liking for the name before. Quite the opposite, in fact.

"Scarlett isn't a family name or anything and my brother has never mentioned liking the name, one time he said he wasn't a fan," she wrote.

However, when she pressed him on why he chose the name, it became apparent that he was very much in the "get over it" camp when it came to so-called baby name stealing, telling his sister to " stop overreacting and get over it," adding that she does not "own the name."

Despite his dismissive response, the woman remains unhappy at what has happened. "I get that It doesn't belong to me, but just because I am a teenager doesn't mean that I am not allowed to have plans for my future," she said.

Commenting on the situation Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and founder of The Protocol School of Texas, sided with the brother.

"People's preferences can change over time and by the time she has her own child, she may have changed her opinion on her favorite name," Gottsman told Newsweek.

"Her brother and sister-in-law have a right to name their baby what they would like. There are many circumstances where the same name is used within the same family, and if she still feels strongly about the name, when it's time to have her own baby, she can name her baby the same name as well."

Even so, Gottman felt that given that it was something she had talked about for some time, her brother could have let her know as a "gesture of courtesy."

Many on Reddit felt the teen was right to feel aggrieved.

"They all heard you talking about that name, probably, for years, and that got in their mix and they went with it," one user commented, with another telling the woman her brother was "really rude and dismissive of your feelings."

"Obviously you don't own the name, but your own brother knew you liked that name a lot then proceeded to name his baby that," a third commented. "That it is hurtful."

Newsweek reached out to u/AcademicPop7165, but was unable to verify the details of the case.

If you have a family dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

Man introduces woman to baby.
File photo of a woman being introduced to a baby by a man. A teenage girl has reacted angrily to her sibling's choice of name for his newborn daughter. YurolaitsAlbert/Getty

About the writer


Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more

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