'My sister wants to name her son after our dead nephew'

“I told Casey I don’t think it’s a good idea, and that Hannah would not find it to be sweet or an honour, it would just hurt her even more.”

Georgia’s* family is threatening to tear itself apart - all over a baby name.

Her little sister Casey* recently announced she was pregnant, but her plans for unborn son’s name have ruffled some feathers.

Why? She wants to name her son after her nephew who tragically died less than two years ago.

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. 

“My older sister Hannah* lost her son late in 2022, so it hasn’t even been two years yet,” Georgia said.

“He passed away at six months due to SIDS, and she has been mourning him ever since.

“Casey is pregnant with her first child now, and she found out it's a boy.

“When I was over at her house we were talking about her plans for the pregnancy and the baby, and she told me she plans to name her son the name of Hannah’s deceased son.

“I can tell she thought it was an honour thing, but knowing Hannah, she would be devastated if that happened.

“I told Casey I don’t think it’s a good idea, and that Hannah would not find it to be sweet or an honour, it would just hurt her even more.”

RELATED: I want to name my baby behind my husband’s back, I’m the one who had the child

Casey* wants to name her unborn child after her dead nephew, but it's threatening to tear her family apart. Picture: iStock

"She said it was incredibly disgusting"

Despite Casey’s request that she keep her plans a surprise from Hannah, Georgia felt like she had to tell her.

“I knew she’d be even more depressed than she already is if Casey named her son after her deceased son, so I went against her wishes and told Hannah,” she said.

“As I expected, she was pissed. She said it was incredibly disgusting and selfish knowing how fresh it is for her, and that she didn’t want to see a baby with her son’s name in the family.

“She was grateful that I told her before he was born because she didn’t know how badly it would have triggered her.”

Georgia said Hannah confronted Casey over her plans, and now the situation is threatening to reach boiling point.

Introducing our new podcast: Mum Club! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.'

“Everyone in our family is siding with Hannah,” she said. “Casey called me in tears saying I’m the reason that Hannah cut her off and isn’t speaking to her.

“However, she’s still going to name her son after our nephew even with Hannah begging her not to.

“I told Casey she’s a horrible person for still going through with this knowing how much it hurts Hannah. She’s says I’m an a*****e for telling her since it was supposed to be a surprise at birth.

“She still believes that seeing her nephew with her son’s name would make her ‘realise it’s a good thing’.”

RELATED: My sister needs to be stopped from naming her son something atrocious

"Your sister isn't dealing with the consequences of her own actions"

Georgia took to Reddit with her family drama, and people were quick to blast Casey for her ‘selfish’ attitude.

“Your little sister isn’t dealing with the consequences of her own actions well and is blaming you,” one person wrote.

“You explained to her it was a bad idea, she’s still going through with it, your older sister is extremely  upset by this, your family is upset by this, but your little sister is still doing it.”

“My cousin lost a son to SIDS last August, and I could never imagine naming a baby after her son,” another person wrote.

“Even if I didn’t know him personally, it still feels insensitive and she’d be absolutely crushed. And that’s my cousin, not even immediate family.”

“This is not one of those ‘no one owns a name’ situations,” a third person said.

“Casey is planning to give her child this name when she already knows it will hurt her sister. How awful.”

RELATED: 'Not meant to be': The sad reality of baby name mourning

"It hurt every time he heard that name"

Another woman shared a story of a similar familial faux pas, and how it almost broke her husband.

“My young adult stepdaughter died suddenly,” she wrote. “She was my husband’s first born and he loved her fiercely.

“I had all I could do to keep him alive for the first few months, his grief was so deep.

“Two years later my stepson and daughter-in-law announced they were pregnant, and shared two names they were thinking of using. No issue with either.

“But when my granddaughter was born, they named her after my stepdaughter. It was a surprise to everyone, and we all struggled with it.

“My husband was never able to call his granddaughter by her name (he had a nickname for her), and it hurt every time he heard that name because it just reminded him of what he had lost.

“My stepson and DIL intended it to be an honour and hoped having the name associated with a baby (and a very cute, delightful child she was and still is) would ease everyone’s grief.

“It did not.”

*Names have been changed.

Originally published as 'My sister wants to name her son after our dead nephew'