'My sister is pregnant and want's my son's name – family say I should change it'

'She got upset, saying I was being territorial and that I don't 'own' the name. My mum is now asking me to consider changing my baby's name or letting it go, so my sister can use it too'

A new mum has expressed her frustration after her younger sister asked her to change her baby boy’s name so she can use it instead.

Picking an ideal name for a new baby can be a tricky process - after all, it’s got to suit them from being an adorable little baby right through to being a working, professional adult. For one new mum and her husband, the name Leo was the perfect choice for their little boy, who was born three months ago.

Taking to Reddit’s popular Am I The A**hold forum (AITA) to vent about her pregnant sister’s antics, the 31-year-old said: “My husband and I had picked out his name, Leo, long before he was born. It’s a name we both love, and we didn’t share it with anyone until he was born to keep it special between us.”

Recently though, her 28-year-old sister announced she and her own husband are expecting their first child, also a boy, and they were “thrilled” to tell everyone they’d chosen the name Leo for him. Confused, the mum said: “When I reminded her that my son’s name is already Leo, she seemed genuinely shocked, saying she “totally forgot” and thought it wouldn’t matter if we shared the name.

“I gently told her that I wasn’t comfortable with our sons having the exact same name, especially since we’re close and the cousins would likely see each other often. She got upset, saying I was being territorial and that I don’t “own” the name. My mom is now asking me to consider changing my baby’s name or letting it go, so my sister can use it too.”

AITA for refusing to change my baby’s name after my sister announced she wanted to use it?
byu/kind_piaa inAITAH

The mum said she feels “frustrated” by her sister and mother’s responses because she and her husband “carefully picked” the name and now she’s “being made to feel like she’s causing family drama over it”.

She added: “I’ve refused to change his name, but now some family members think I’m being difficult. AITA [am I the a**hole] for not changing my son’s name, even though my sister now wants to use it?”

The post prompted thousands of responses from outraged Reddit users, baffled by the woman’s sister’s demands. One person said: “Your sister is being ridiculous. I would go the petty route and call the unborn baby 'Leo 2' A LOT. Like "How's Leo 2? I can't wait for Leo 2! Do you have a crib yet for Leo 2?" I reckon you won't have to wait long for her to change the name.”

Another said: “our son, Leo, was born first. There is no renaming your son. Your mother, and anyone else agreeing with her, is beyond ridiculous to even suggest that you should be changing your already named child!”

A third commented: “This here. I wouldn't think about it another day. The sister is doing this for attention.”

Another joked: “OP [original poster] could start calling her son ‘the OG Leo’ and her sister's kid ‘budget knock off Leo’”, while another quipped: “Temu Leo”. And another added: “NTA. But we all see who your mom’s favourite is.”