My old friend named her baby after me without even asking me first

"You don't own the name, the world does not revolve around you," one user said, shutting down the 'entitled' woman. 

Naming your baby is not just a choice you make as you're waiting for your little one to arrive, but practically an Olympic sport. 

You've got to consider naming conventions, cultural significance, potential nicknames and now, apparently avoiding accidental homages to long-lost friends. 

Let's get into the story, where one internet user found herself the unexpected inspiration for her friend's new baby. Or so she thought...

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"We didn't feel close enough for her to name her baby after me"

The woman began the post by explaining that she had a friend in her early 20s called Melinda.

They were bridesmaids at each other's weddings but then drifted apart over the next few decades as their lives took different turns, keeping in touch only via Facebook or the odd text here and there. 

She wrote, "Recently, Melinda had a baby girl, announcing her name was Amelia but they refer to her as Mia. I found this odd as my name is Mia. I felt as if she were naming her child after me and we didn’t feel close enough for that, plus she didn’t even ask."

To confirm that her concerns were valid, the OP said something to a mutual friend, who also thought it was strange. 

The OP wasn't planning on saying anything but then happened to run into Melinda and her husband at another friend's party and took the opportunity to mention it.  

"She was showing me the baby and I half-joked, 'Yeah, my namesake'. She gave me an odd look and I said, 'Her name is Mia… I’m Mia.'

"Melinda said her name was Amelia and Mia was a nickname, while my full name is just Mia. I said I understood, but she still had to have named her after me, which I said was odd but cute."

Melinda then looked confused and explained that they named their baby after her husband's mum. "I nodded and she was clearly annoyed," she said. 

But here's where things take a nasty turn.

"She asked why I assumed I named the baby after her. I said it was just a weird coincidence and seemed like something she would do.

"Melinda said, 'You’re not important enough for me to name a baby after'. I told her that was rude and she said so is trying to imply she’s odd because her baby and I have the same name."

Well, that escalated. Now, she wants to know if she should have brought it up at all. 

Image: IStock

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"Why do you think you have ownership of a name?"

The top reply got more likes than all of the other comments combined. It read: "YTA - Why do so many people think they have some kind of weird ownership of names? You're not the only Mia. Mia isn't even that unusual of a name; it's like the eighth most common name for a baby girl right now.

"Spoiler: if a friend picked a name because of you, they'd tell you. That she didn't, and that you've grown apart should be a big indication that it had nothing to do with you.

"You don't own the name, so she doesn't need to be 'close enough' to you to decide to use it as a nickname, regardless of the reason.

"The world does not revolve around you. Why are you upset that she thinks you're not important enough in her life to name a baby after you when you also think that? You literally noted that you're not close enough to each other for that, so you should be glad that she confirmed she feels the same way."

That comment got 14k likes alone, with many others replying in agreement. 

"You are the odd and obsessive one"

Meanwhile, another comment simply read, "Seriously? YTA if this is legit. Your inflated sense of importance is unbelievable."

Someone else made this point, "OP says that the other woman is odd and obsessive, which is hilarious since the only one that comes across as odd and obsessive is OP."

"I’m so embarrassed for OP. Like, it wasn’t just a fleeting embarrassing thought, she literally said it out loud to people. Yikes," remarked a different user. 

Finally, this person concluded, "People can have the same name, and her name isn't even Mia, it's just short for her real name. You should have at least asked about her name before assuming things, or just not brought it up at all."

Originally published as My old friend named her baby after me without even asking me first