I accidentally stole my brother's baby name

A family tradition meant that the name and gender of babies aren't revealed until a 'welcome home' party a few days after the baby was born.

A new dad recently shared his baby-naming saga online, sparking a flood of comments and advice. 

The poster, a 28-year-old, found himself in a 'stolen' name dilemma - however, he remains adamant that it was all down to a simple miscommunication. 

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A 'stolen' name debacle

He explained that both he and his brother had vowed to name their firstborn son after their late brother, who passed away as a baby.

Years later, they both happened to be expecting around the same time but both decided not to go ahead with the agreed-upon naming plan.

For starters, the brother's wife was keen on another name, and the OP also had other plans for their child's name as well.

But plans change as they do, and both of them actually ended up using the name. 

But here's where it gets tricky.

The OP's brother's baby was born first, and their daughter came a few days later and they tweaked the name to suit a girl.

A tradition in their extended family meant that the name and gender of babies weren't revealed until a 'welcome home' party a few days after the baby was born.

That meant that the OP found out the brother's baby name after his daughter was already born. 

Now he wants to know what to do, as only he and his wife know their baby's name. 

"Should we just change the name altogether?" he asked. 

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"It's actually cute"

Commenters reassured that dad that drastic action wasn't needed.

"You need to take a breather," someone advised.

"You both had the best intentions, plus you tweaked the name so they're not even the same. They'll have different nicknames as they grow up too."

"Given that you and your brother had already discussed it (even if it was long ago) I can't see why there'd be an issue," a second person replied.

And a third concluded: "It's actually cute! They will both think it's fun as they get older."

Originally published as I accidentally stole my brother's baby name