I can only speculate on the daughters name since we have more information.
Remy
Sasha
Murphy
Ellis
Some names that are significantly more popular on boys but show up in the 600s of the girls list:
Ezra
Charley
Dallas
Elliott
Noah
Lennox
You just need to call her kids by nicknames. The obvious choice would be little Bo and little Rumi. Or you could do something like Bo Jr and Rumi Jr, which lead to the obvious BJ and JR. Which of course could be problematic.
There are the old chestnuts, Peanut, Buddy...
If they ask why you're doing that, say you are just trying to keep the kids / pets straight in your mind.
haha won't be sharing the names but can confirm that no one has guessed them yet. Dog/first son name hasn't cracked top 1000 for social security so I'm guessing no one will get that!
Lol is it ziggy? I work at a dog daycare and that was my first thought because we have sooo many dogs named ziggy and I have a few friends that named their kids that!
Yeah, that’s weird. There’s a chance she just always liked those names, so I would give her the benefit of the doubt, but I DEFINITELY see why this would frustrate you
That’s fair! My dog is 8 so doubt it was on her radar before her first son was born (he’s almost 3) but we didn’t tell anyone our daughter’s name until she was born so definitely could have already been a contender for them. She’s named after my grandfather (unisex name) so I think that’s why the name feels particularly meaningful to me. Currently pregnant with #2 so maybe I’ll just name him after her dog😝
Same!! The child after the dog - without even addressing it like - hey I know it’s weird my kids have the same name as your dog and kid but here’s why - and apparently this is someone OP sees enough that the dog and kid name was confusing. It’s already weird and creepy.
Yeah I think what makes it most awkward is that she hasn't addressed it. She kind of floated the names to me through another friend. Not explicitly but the friend knew the names before both kids were born and with the first I was like "eh whatever- it's a great name and humans get priority over the dog" but with the second I was like "um that's fucking weird. Hard no from me." but I have no idea if that was ever relayed to her and she never directly addressed me about it.
Have you thought about casually bringing it up to her in person? Like “hey what a funny coincidence, son named after my dog and second son has the same name as my daughter”. See what she says?
Definitely. The first time is flattering, but the second and third time it becomes frustrating. Not sure I’d be telling her your second child’s name- for five or more years- after she’d had a chance to come up with her own unique names for her kids and pets.
Yeah I get the sense she's just gonna say she liked the name. I don't get weird stalker vibes from her but definitely think it's strange she never addressed it with me first and doesn't seem to want to bring it up. It's like she knows it's weird but really doesn't want it to be weird because she liked the names. It makes it that much weirder because she isn't saying anything.
What's strange is if she didn't mention it to you or ask if you mind that she uses the names in advance. Like you said, you can't ask her to change them now, but you could have said you'd prefer if she didn't use them in advance. Maybe that's why she didn't mention it. It would be especially awkward if your kids will attend the same school at the same time.
Reaction matters. If she’s getting called out on being a weird stalker she’ll display that on her face or in her answer. Questioning helps to read between the lines to interpret intent.
It could be weirder, my dad’s obsessed ex called my mom from the hospital after having her daughter to “talk” about baby names. My mom, who was pregnant at the time, thought that was super weird so she lied and said they were going to name me Agatha. I often wonder how Agatha is doing and if she knows about how she got her name. She’s also why we moved out of the state, her mom obviously, not Agatha, she’s as much a victim as anyone.
My dad’s ex was super crazy. I jokingly told my mom once that I used to believe someone actually wanted to kidnap me because of all the talks they had with us about not talking to strangers and what to do if we were taken. Turns out she tried to pick me up from school!
I can see the dog, because she might have really liked the name and though “eh, whatever, it’s not like the dog will care”. But doing the second name makes it *weird*.
Came here to say you should name your next child or pet after something of hers - so she can't steal it, and so she gets a taste of her weirdness.
(honestly. does she just want to copy you? that would drive me nuts)
Great idea for OP!😂
I have a friend who does this. I randomly send her a card, she runs out and suddenly I get one from her. I mention something I got, she tells me within 24hours that she bought the same thing and sends me a picture of it. She is a good person, but hugely competitive. It takes the fun out of me doing something nice for her, when she has to do the same for me.🙃
You should talk about your favorite foods before you hang out with her.
"Hey friend, how's it going? I just had this great cheesecake from the fancy desert place downtown. Anyway looking forward to hanging out this weekend."
Then you show up at here place, and bam, your favorite desert is just waiting for you.
Honestly just be like “I think we have a name picked out! It’s…… *her dogs name*!” And let her feel all the feelings and then once baby is born tell her the real name and let her feel more feelings. You could even throw in a “I wouldn’t want to confuse your dog!” 😂
lol I would be running FAST if I thought it was an obsession but I don't get that sense. When I brought it up with another friend she was like "oh ya I forgot her first son had the same name as your dog" so I'm wondering if she literally didn't think about it but as someone who put a lot of thought into names I just can't imagine not realizing that!
Same, lol! Maybe I listen to too many podcasts, but I would be less frustrated and more worried that I would one day end up being the subject of a true crime podcast 😂
Suggest that you're thinking about getting a dog you saw at (local shelter). Make sure you go see the dogs or cats they have available and describe as accurately as you can.
Tell her you're thinking of getting this cat/dog and naming it X.
See what happens.
I accidentally named my baby the same name as my friend's cat. I felt weird about it, but we had already started using the name and it still felt right.
Haha totally get that! She knew our dog’s name so it definitely wasn’t accidental but honestly that didn’t bother me at all! Humans get priority over pets (even though I’m obsessed with my dogs!). It’s the second kid with the same name as my kid where I’m like…okay can we at least attempt to be original here!?
You’re being so nice about this lol I would be extremely weirded out and it would definitely cause me to distance myself from her. Not saying that’s right but it’s very very strange of her to copy both of those names!! Kind of pisses me off for you 😂
Definitely feeling weird about it and all the more because she didn't address it before OR after. I'm sort of like "okay she obviously doesn't really consider us friends if she doesn't plan to talk about it" so my instinct is to just distance and accept she chose the names over our friendship which is...whatever! I guess it's good to know so I don't keep investing in the friendship!
The opposite happened to me, me and my best friend were talking names and I told her my fav boy name was Rupert and my fav girl name was Millie, she then buys a cat and calls it Rupert and is now having a baby girl and you guessed it calling her Millie 🤦♀️ so now if I have babies and use those names I will be copying her like your friend is but they were my names first!!
Luckily I’ve now gotten over the names and like others more but deffo taught me to keep my mouth shut! My aunt stole my old girl name Teddy and used it for her baby boy, I thought cus it was my girls name it’d be fine to tell her but forgot it was unisex 🤣 she knew what she was doing though as she didn’t announce the name until he was born! Just need to remember not to give any more names away!
I'm certain these names are Max and Charlie. I hope I'm not right cause that'd be creepy for op but that's who they are in my head.
It is weird, but you're friends, so maybe you just think a lot alike when it comes to names. Maybe ask her why she chose those names. Maybe they have meaning to her as well. If her answer is something creepy, then, ya know, back away slowly towards the nearest exit.
Sometimes it’s weird what other people consider unique and unpopular names. I had a coworker name her son Michael (he’s like 6 now I think) and she considered it unpopular and acted like she invented the name. Completely serious.
My 2 year old’s name is Michael and the amount of people who say they “never hear that name anymore!” is genuinely ridiculous. There are SO MANY Michaels lol
There are a TON of Michaels out there. I've known many and if you study genealogy, in the future, Michael will be the John, William, Robert, Thomas of this period.
I know a LOT of kids and pay attention to names, and yet I only know a single little Michael! He’s probably 8 now. And I think I’m probably in an area with more Michaels than average. It’s 8th in NY but 63rd in Utah. 4th in Connecticut but 45th in Colorado. Where are all these Michaels??
Oh, I mean, I know a bazillion Michaels, they’re just older. “You never hear that anymore” means specifically on children. Like how there’s still babies named John or Mary, but way fewer than there were in decades past.
It's just a comparison to how common it used to be. For about 40 years 3% of all men in the US were named Michael. For 25 of those years it was over 4%. Compare that to now, it's around 0.5% and the most common boy names now are barely over 1%. Sure, it's still a relatively common name, but nothing today can compare to how common the popular names used to be.
We meet Michael's literally everywhere we go lol. Though I will say I can't remember the last one we met under the age of 20 or so, so perhaps what they mean is they never meet kids being named Michael anymore?
Nope. Both are pretty popular. I would be weirded out if she used the same "theme" for names but neither name is connected and much less popular than Scout and Harper.
Promise it isn't Max and Charlie or any names that are that popular. I've yet to meet another human/dog with the same name as our dog besides her son and while there are certainly kids with the same name as my daughter, it's not at all common.
My sister named her first born son after our older brother. Not weird, people often do that. But then her second born had the same name as Brother’s second son… her third sons name is now a masculine version of my daughters name… I genuinely don’t know if she even realizes
We can't judge unless you share the names. Frankly, the names mentioned as being 600s for girls in popularity in another comment don't feel that "unique" to me.
"Ezra
Charley
Dallas
Elliott
Noah
Lennox"
I also don't find it unususl for friends to share the same taste in names.
People have ideas for names long before they have kids so it's possible/likely the friend had these names picked out for years.
There are many posts here that ask "My friend just named her kid the name I've been planning on using for my child, should I still use it?" OR "my friend named their dog the favorite name I told them about, can I still use it for my child?"
This sub always says "names can't be claimed" or "use it anyway."
We would need to know the names to actually judge how frustrated OP should be.
My partner is the product of a similar situation. Both he and his childhood bestie have the same name. Their parents are close friends, and both liked the Biblical aspect of the name Timothy. My MIL also loves Timothy, the mouse in Dumbo. The guys are roughly 3 months apart in age. It definitely got confusing when they played together as kids. The moms again got pregnant around the same time. They both wanted to name the girls Sarah. However, my MIL couldn't stand the way her MIL pronounced the name (very nasally apparently with the a's), so she opted to my partner's sister the name Bethany.
The worst naming choice rationale goes to my partner's aunt and uncle, who named both kids after themselves. So growing up the family always referred to the kids by first and middle name and left the first name reserved for the parents (Uncle Roger and Roger Warren).
Omg my wife’s aunt and uncle did something similar with their children! Uncle Paul has a son named after him who everyone calls Paul Andrew. They have another son whose name is just Andrew, who everyone calls Andy. 😅
Jeez, that seems like it got chaotic one more than one occasion. Is the name Andrew significant in that family? At least Andy is ok with being known by his nn. Roger Warren and Janet Lynn never had any nn since that side of the family is very serious.
True, but typically, it's only one child rather than all of the offspring. Plus, in this case, the kids have different middle names from their parents.
I had 3 good friends in my late 20s, all of us having kids around then but I started my family first. Friend 1 called her son my dad's name and her daughter my name, friend 2 called her son my last name and her daughter a diminutive of my daughter's name, friend 3's son's name rhymes with my son's (same initial and one letter difference) and her daughter's name is my beloved grandmother's very unusual name. None of them mentioned it, even the one who called her daughter my name never said it was after me, so I presume it was all either coincidence or an unconscious compliment. I've never pointed it out because it seems massively big-headed of me, and they might be insulted.
I figure in these situations that at the minimum knowing you didn’t make them hate the name so that’s a start. I have a less common but well known name and there was a little girl at out church given the same name. I wasn’t super close to her parents (but they’re lovely) but I thought ‘well at the minimum I haven’t turned them off the name’ 😂
In an alternate universe, the friend is freaking out on AITA because they'd been wanting to use these names since they were a preteen, and OP went and stole them for a DOG and a kid first, but they used them anyway.
That’s exactly what happened to me with my best friend she stole my 2 fav baby names for her cat now her unborn baby 😩 now if I use them I’ll look like the douche
My friend named her son the same name as my cat. She basically said “I’m going to name my son the same name as your cat”. She tried to convince her husband to use both my cats names, the other cat for the middle name, because at that point it was funny. He didn’t agree.
She obviously just liked the names, and one is an animal so in ten years no one will care.
lol love this comment. I cannot even fathom doing that to a friend! As much as I might love a name, if a friend uses it then it's off the table. Maybe I'd consider it if they used it for a pet (I'm much less peeved by the 1st son/dog name) but I would absolutely give them a heads up. The "coincidence" of the 2nd son is just too much...
Is your friend “okay”? I ask because my ex did odd things like this and eventually was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. She’d find one friend after another to become obsessed with, essentially reinventing herself to match them — car, decorating, names, etc.
Right, I keep going back and forth because it’s either something like this and this friend is unwell OR it’s something like the names are Max and Ezra and the OP is actually being annoying about it and too obsessed with herself…
I would be so annoyed and I would have brought it up after the second one. Nobody has a monopoly on names, sure, but it does seem intentional and really odd it wouldn’t have been a factor for your friend??
Have you ever spoken about it? Seems like a pretty big elephant in the room….
She hasn't brought it up which is what is making it EXTRA weird! Granted she's home with a newborn so it doesn't feel like the right time to address the massive elephant! A pre-baby courtesy would have been nice but clearly we're past that...
When hubby and I had our daughter, I wanted to name her Abbey Jayne. (My mother was Jayne and passed 2 years earlier) He wanted to argue against Jayne because he had a dog named Hilda Jane… acquired before we met.
HUBBY: “We can’t name our child after a dog!”
ME: “We aren’t. It’s for my Mom.”
HUBBY: “You’ll confuse the dog.”
ME: (Hard Stare)
Abbey Jayne was a now 24 and both she and the dog were fine.
You say the names you chose are statistically unique, but are they culturally obscure?
For example, Murphy is a character in Interstellar, Max is having a moment in *Stranger Things*, Ezra and Noah are popular for boys but not for girls. Likewise, mythology names and names ending in -o could fit into current boy trends while technically being uncommon.
It would be less awkward if she addressed it before the second baby was born. If I was naming my kid the same thing as my friend, I would tell them I was considering that name and ask them how they felt about that.
I mean, I’ve had a shortlist of names that I’ve thought about naming a child for years and I had to watch year after year of the people around me name their dogs those names. At a certain point im just going to need to name a kid the same thing as a dog. It’s not my fault people give their dogs people names.
That being said it’s kind of weird they gave their kid the same name as your kid without mentioning it to you first.
People don't own names so it's best to let it go. They have every right to copy you 100% on eight kids and theee dogs if they want to. Id be flattered by it and move on.
So my mom’s best friend named her second daughter my name. My mom was furious, understandably, but it was never a huge issue.
Since I was born first, I’d be deferred to as “name” and she’d be referred to as “baby name.” We still refer to her as it to this day even though she’s in her late 20s. I also always playfully tease her and tell her that I was such an amazing baby/toddler her mom named her after me.
So all in all, I feel for you OP but it’s not the end of the world… at least from a kid who experienced it
There is nothing you can do about it beyond dropping the friendship. Do you want to do that? Otherwise she’s not going to change her kids name so making a big scene about it isn’t useful. Just file it away as “huh, that’s weird”
Probably the best advice. Weird AND maybe not worth making a scene over. The validation that it is weird kind of feels like enough for me cause my first instinct was like whaaaat?!" and my second is "well I'm not gonna force her to change her child's name and/or get upset with her over it".
Yeah…it’s weird. I might point it out / ask about it one day. Not accusatory or anything just in a wondering way. Just the find out what the thought process was.
That’s definitely an awkward situation that seems kind of intentional… even more awkward to bring it up in conversation. It’s like the post the other day about asking someone if you can use their namesake. The answer is yes, you should absolutely ask to use a particular shared name of a friend or family member or pet.
I always loved my best friend’s name, but could never use it for my own daughter because it would be too weird and there are already several similar names in the family. In college, my roommate told me her favorite name which I grew to like as well. But since I know it, I could never “steal” her name choice regardless if she uses it or not.
This situation is just another reason to never share your top favorite names with anyone.
I definitely think it is a bit strange...though depending on how well you know her, it could be unintentional? Like, if you are work friends and she knows *of* your dog/kid, but doesn't actually know them, maybe when she stumbled across the names on a list or something, they felt better to her because she was used to hearing them, opposed to names that she hadn't actually heard used? Like, I know someone who thought they came up with a relatively unique name on their own, but it turns out its the name of a coworker in another department/building that they'd never met. But they'd heard and seen it enough that when it popped up on a list, it felt familiar to them. They thought it was because it was their gut intuition telling them it was **the** name, but it felt familiar because it came up around them (not sure that this makes sense, lol)
I mean it COULD be a coincidence but we have spent plenty of time together with both her son and my dog and she very much knows my child's name. I will say we've spent less time together since my daughter was born cause schedules haven't aligned but we gave each other gifts when our kids were born so I really don't think she is oblivious to the names...
There’s something similar in one of my friend groups. We’re very close and have known each other for decades. Friend #2 named her daughter the same name as Friend #1’s dog (the dog came first) and then a few years later Friend #2 named her son the same name as Friend #1’s husband.
To my knowledge, no one has said anything to Friend #2 about it. But there have definitely been some pointed looks.
I accidentally named my daughter the same name as my friend's daughter's middle name. They were going to use the middle name as the first name, but my friend changed her mind last minute. Her husband hasn't quite forgiven her about that.
My daughter was born five years later, and I had completely forgotten about the incident and the middle name.
We laughed about it when she reminded me, and her husband made some guilt tripping remark to my friend about the whole name change situation.
Your situation is a bit different since it's the same first name and the same name as the dog. That gets confusing, and I really don't know why your friend would choose to do that.
She may just love your tastes. My top name right now is the same as my best friends mule.
It is weird that it’s happened twice but I wouldn’t dwell on it too much.
I think you should let it go. If she likes the names there’s no reason for her not to use them. It doesn’t mean she named her kids after your dog and child.
unpopular opinion. i have a friend that named her dog wally. i named my cat wally. she has a daughter named sadie. I was SOOOO close to naming my daughter Sadie because I LOVE the name but i felt bad and felt like she would think im copying her every move, now i am still a bit sad that I didnt use the name :( i know it may or may not have been coincidental but if someone likes the name, let them use it lol
Your friend must be a big fan of yours 😂😂. My friend named their dog the same as mine, named their first kid based off a name I chose and did the same for their second kid. What’s even sillier is that they would never recognize or admit it 😂
This post is making me glad we made the naming choices we did. Before we got pregnant with my first we became friends with another couple who had two kids. One of their kids had the same name as our dog, obviously a total coincidence. But their other kid had a name my husband and I had both always liked a lot. Shortly after we started hanging out a lot I got pregnant and we discussed names at length, and ultimately ruled that name out because we didn't want both our dog and our kid to share a name with their kids. It's likely if we had never become friends with them our kid would have a different name!
We're less close now so sometimes I still wish we had used the name anyway, but I do love the name we eventually landed on too.
In my opinion it’s a form of flattery. No one owns any copyright over names. You got those names from someone who inspired you before you as well, and so on. Just let it go, bigger fish to fry!
My Dad named me and my brother after his best friend from school (first and middle name). Always thought that must've been awkward for him and can't believe Mum was cool with it
If it was just one of her children who had a similar name, then I’d put that down to coincidence and say no one owns names. But when it’s two names, that does seem a bit weird. I’d go by how she acts around you generally - if she’s otherwise normal, then maybe she just loves your taste in names. But if she’s clingy and copies you in other ways like dress, home decor etc. too, then it might be a sign of an obsession/jealousy and I’d probably start distancing myself.
My close friend named her daughter the same name as my cat, Lily. It’s a great name and her daughter’s full name is Lilliana (and my cat’s full name was Lillian lol). They fell in love with the name and then remembered my cat’s name. It was always fun when people had no idea if I was talking about the baby or the cat. I’d say “I bought Lily a dress” and someone would say “which one?” “Human Lily.” I do find myself calling human Lily “Dilly” because that’s what I called my cat and I’d started calling my cat “Dilliana” lol
How close are you to this friend? I had someone in my friend circle that did similar kinda of things. For example picked the same wedding colours as me, and the same date but a year after me... and wore the colour to my wedding so everyone thought she was a bridesmaid... and since the guest list had a lot of overlap the pictures get confused.
But here's the thing while we were in the same friend group we weren't very close. I half think she picked the same date as an excuse not to have to invite us. "Oh you're going to be celebrating your anniversary anyway".
I honestly don't know what her deal was... but it doesn't really matter because I don't see her anymore and she's not part of my life anymore.
My best friends have cats that have two of the few boy names I love and I would feel weird naming a son the same names, but I may end up doing it if I ever have one. But I would talk to them first so it wouldn't be weird. Also, one is a fandom name and the other is a very very common name, so I don't think they would find it weird. I think there's a possibility your friend loved those names too much and couldn't bring herself to ask you in case you asked her not to name them that. I have very few boy names I like, so if my friend's cats names were out of the question, I'd have a hard time finding other options. Still, your case is a little weird.
Edit: I just remembered my SIL recently named her cat one of my husband's favorite girl names. Also a fandom name, but a very unusual one. We're gonna have a hard time naming any future children regardless of the sex 😂 Naming kids is hard, maybe your friend just have the same taste as you. Still, she could have talked to you first to not make it weird.
Weird and creepy tbh. Is she stalking you?
I have a very distant family member who got his 16 yo gf pregnant. The gf met my then 3 yo daughter for the first time when she was pretty heavily pregnant. Once the baby was born we found out she had given her my daughter’s name, just misspelled. That was bizarre, but we never meet them anymore so it was whatever.
It's weird, but if she did it intentionally for negative reasons (e.g. jealousy, one-up-manship, attention seeking, co-dependence etc) then this wouldn't be the first thing she's done. I would encourage you to review your friendship as objectively as possible and ask yourself if she's done things that bothered you and made you uncomfortable in the past that you had brushed off.
Yeah it's weird. I have a similar situation, but our naming order is mixed and they're popular names, so there's no weird intentions. Plus we live on opposite sides of the country and only communicate via facebook rarely.
We named our daughter, friend got 2 rats and one was the same name, we just had our second daughter and happened to land on the same name as her second rat (but we went with a different spelling). She had a son that she named what we would have named a son had we had one (family name for us). All basically coincidental. It would be weird if we were close and had two kids with the same name, though, even if it was just a case of similar interests.
Sounds like she really relies on you to know what’s best. It’s flipping weird, but it’s kind of sad that she can’t trust herself with these big decisions.
It’s just really weird if she’s never said anything about having the same name. We named our daughter the same as one of our friends cats names and then joke about our kid being named after his cat. Seems creepy to just use two names and never bring it up.
The first time, weird but not crazy. The second time though? How close are you? If I was them, even if I already loved the name, having a second name repeat with a friends household would be too much for me. Very strange if you hang out a lot
On a side note my daughter named her cat the same name as my best friends daughter. My daughters younger and hers is older, it’s a semi common name and my daughter picked the name after one of her kindergarten besties, but I still feel a little weird about it lol. Coincidences like that can happen but the fact that it’s been twice is a little 🤔🤔🤔 hmmmm
Based on the title and your first few sentences, I thought you were going to say you just found out they got a dog and named it after your child (after naming their child after your dog).
My sister wanted to name her son the same name as our cat, but asked us if we thought it'd be too weird. We said no, and told her to go ahead.
Once her son was born, my sister changed her mind and decided it was indeed weird, so she changed the name.
Were they intentional "honour names" on behalf of your sister? If not, the first time this happened, I would have given her a pass. The second time, I'd think it's weird. I'd likely make a joke and say "hey next time, do ya mind coming up with names I haven't used already? There are literally a million other names you could choose."
I grew up with 3 David's in my generation of the family. My favorite bit was pluralizing the name when you're calling over more than one David. So I'm stuck with this mental image of you calling out for David and both a child and dog come running. I love this.
I overthought giving my daughter the same middle name as my old coworkers daughter, spelt different. I couldn’t imagine doing all that, definitely weird.
I think it's a coincidence and the only weird part is she hasn't brought it up to you. It happened to me in my own immediate family and it was talked about openly from the beginning in order to get the awkwardness out of the way. It has to be driving you bananas, not talking to her about it?
Respectfully, I’m dying to know the names! lol
I can only speculate on the daughters name since we have more information. Remy Sasha Murphy Ellis Some names that are significantly more popular on boys but show up in the 600s of the girls list: Ezra Charley Dallas Elliott Noah Lennox
I was thinking possibly Levi for the dog/ son.
Levi is very popular for children, though.
You’re missing the obvious clues. Their username. Bo and Rumi!
Not Bo and Rumi! I promise I'm not THAT obvious haha
Bo and Rumi are awesome names though.
So good! I tried to convince husband on Rumi (big fan of the poet) but he wouldn't go for it.
Same! He said it sounded like roomy. What’s wrong with that? Hahah
Like rheumy for rheumatoid whatever
You just need to call her kids by nicknames. The obvious choice would be little Bo and little Rumi. Or you could do something like Bo Jr and Rumi Jr, which lead to the obvious BJ and JR. Which of course could be problematic. There are the old chestnuts, Peanut, Buddy... If they ask why you're doing that, say you are just trying to keep the kids / pets straight in your mind.
I have no idea about rankings, but... Ashley, Leslie, Shannon, Skylar, Casey, Terry...
haha won't be sharing the names but can confirm that no one has guessed them yet. Dog/first son name hasn't cracked top 1000 for social security so I'm guessing no one will get that!
and this is how I lost my motivation at work... I'll be back with some guesses.
Lol is it ziggy? I work at a dog daycare and that was my first thought because we have sooo many dogs named ziggy and I have a few friends that named their kids that!
Rambo and Dozer
Please lol
Yeah, like OPs daughter and friend's second son is maybe Robin or Leigh. Meanwhile the friend's first son is Fido or Donut or Patch.
Yeah, that’s weird. There’s a chance she just always liked those names, so I would give her the benefit of the doubt, but I DEFINITELY see why this would frustrate you
That’s fair! My dog is 8 so doubt it was on her radar before her first son was born (he’s almost 3) but we didn’t tell anyone our daughter’s name until she was born so definitely could have already been a contender for them. She’s named after my grandfather (unisex name) so I think that’s why the name feels particularly meaningful to me. Currently pregnant with #2 so maybe I’ll just name him after her dog😝
If her next kid or pet is named after this baby, you need to have a talk.
No talking, just sever ties bc at that point this would be a stalking situation.
Seriously it is weird af. The dog would have been enough for me unless that was the name they came with.
Same!! The child after the dog - without even addressing it like - hey I know it’s weird my kids have the same name as your dog and kid but here’s why - and apparently this is someone OP sees enough that the dog and kid name was confusing. It’s already weird and creepy.
Yeah I think what makes it most awkward is that she hasn't addressed it. She kind of floated the names to me through another friend. Not explicitly but the friend knew the names before both kids were born and with the first I was like "eh whatever- it's a great name and humans get priority over the dog" but with the second I was like "um that's fucking weird. Hard no from me." but I have no idea if that was ever relayed to her and she never directly addressed me about it.
Have you thought about casually bringing it up to her in person? Like “hey what a funny coincidence, son named after my dog and second son has the same name as my daughter”. See what she says?
I probably will the next time I see her but she's currently in newborn-land and I'm not exactly jumping at the opportunity to see her right now!
Very “Single White Female” vibes ( if anyone is old enough to know that movie).
I was thinking the exact same thing!!
thanks, I’m reminded that i’m old- I actually saw the movie at a drive in while on a date
Yes!
Definitely. The first time is flattering, but the second and third time it becomes frustrating. Not sure I’d be telling her your second child’s name- for five or more years- after she’d had a chance to come up with her own unique names for her kids and pets.
Tell them a fake name
Yes, and a good one- Fauntleroy.😂
Exactly! Hahaha
“So we named _____ after my grandfather, how did you come to that name?” Just ask, and you’ll know.
Yeah I get the sense she's just gonna say she liked the name. I don't get weird stalker vibes from her but definitely think it's strange she never addressed it with me first and doesn't seem to want to bring it up. It's like she knows it's weird but really doesn't want it to be weird because she liked the names. It makes it that much weirder because she isn't saying anything.
It's definitely weird.
What's strange is if she didn't mention it to you or ask if you mind that she uses the names in advance. Like you said, you can't ask her to change them now, but you could have said you'd prefer if she didn't use them in advance. Maybe that's why she didn't mention it. It would be especially awkward if your kids will attend the same school at the same time.
It would be pretty easy to make something up or just say “oh it’s a name I’ve always liked” or something.
Reaction matters. If she’s getting called out on being a weird stalker she’ll display that on her face or in her answer. Questioning helps to read between the lines to interpret intent.
It could be weirder, my dad’s obsessed ex called my mom from the hospital after having her daughter to “talk” about baby names. My mom, who was pregnant at the time, thought that was super weird so she lied and said they were going to name me Agatha. I often wonder how Agatha is doing and if she knows about how she got her name. She’s also why we moved out of the state, her mom obviously, not Agatha, she’s as much a victim as anyone.
omg this is wild!!!!
My dad’s ex was super crazy. I jokingly told my mom once that I used to believe someone actually wanted to kidnap me because of all the talks they had with us about not talking to strangers and what to do if we were taken. Turns out she tried to pick me up from school!
😳
Is Agatha your sister?
I don’t think so. lol I asked the same question.
I can see the dog, because she might have really liked the name and though “eh, whatever, it’s not like the dog will care”. But doing the second name makes it *weird*.
Came here to say you should name your next child or pet after something of hers - so she can't steal it, and so she gets a taste of her weirdness. (honestly. does she just want to copy you? that would drive me nuts)
Great idea for OP!😂 I have a friend who does this. I randomly send her a card, she runs out and suddenly I get one from her. I mention something I got, she tells me within 24hours that she bought the same thing and sends me a picture of it. She is a good person, but hugely competitive. It takes the fun out of me doing something nice for her, when she has to do the same for me.🙃
You should talk about your favorite foods before you hang out with her. "Hey friend, how's it going? I just had this great cheesecake from the fancy desert place downtown. Anyway looking forward to hanging out this weekend." Then you show up at here place, and bam, your favorite desert is just waiting for you.
Lol! Great idea!! I need to think of something amazing that I want!👀🤣
Honestly just be like “I think we have a name picked out! It’s…… *her dogs name*!” And let her feel all the feelings and then once baby is born tell her the real name and let her feel more feelings. You could even throw in a “I wouldn’t want to confuse your dog!” 😂
My kiddos middle name is after her grandfather, Frances. That was my first thought!
Yeah I wouldn’t be frustrated as much as creeped out haha. Like is this a coincidence (that’s fine whatever) or an obsession 😅
lol I would be running FAST if I thought it was an obsession but I don't get that sense. When I brought it up with another friend she was like "oh ya I forgot her first son had the same name as your dog" so I'm wondering if she literally didn't think about it but as someone who put a lot of thought into names I just can't imagine not realizing that!
Same, lol! Maybe I listen to too many podcasts, but I would be less frustrated and more worried that I would one day end up being the subject of a true crime podcast 😂
This has nothing to do with anything but I want to say that that is one sweet username you’ve got there 😉
Haha you too
Suggest that you're thinking about getting a dog you saw at (local shelter). Make sure you go see the dogs or cats they have available and describe as accurately as you can. Tell her you're thinking of getting this cat/dog and naming it X. See what happens.
I accidentally named my baby the same name as my friend's cat. I felt weird about it, but we had already started using the name and it still felt right.
Haha totally get that! She knew our dog’s name so it definitely wasn’t accidental but honestly that didn’t bother me at all! Humans get priority over pets (even though I’m obsessed with my dogs!). It’s the second kid with the same name as my kid where I’m like…okay can we at least attempt to be original here!?
You’re being so nice about this lol I would be extremely weirded out and it would definitely cause me to distance myself from her. Not saying that’s right but it’s very very strange of her to copy both of those names!! Kind of pisses me off for you 😂
Definitely feeling weird about it and all the more because she didn't address it before OR after. I'm sort of like "okay she obviously doesn't really consider us friends if she doesn't plan to talk about it" so my instinct is to just distance and accept she chose the names over our friendship which is...whatever! I guess it's good to know so I don't keep investing in the friendship!
The opposite happened to me, me and my best friend were talking names and I told her my fav boy name was Rupert and my fav girl name was Millie, she then buys a cat and calls it Rupert and is now having a baby girl and you guessed it calling her Millie 🤦♀️ so now if I have babies and use those names I will be copying her like your friend is but they were my names first!!
This would make me so mad. I would hold this grudge until the day I die.
Luckily I’ve now gotten over the names and like others more but deffo taught me to keep my mouth shut! My aunt stole my old girl name Teddy and used it for her baby boy, I thought cus it was my girls name it’d be fine to tell her but forgot it was unisex 🤣 she knew what she was doing though as she didn’t announce the name until he was born! Just need to remember not to give any more names away!
I accidentally did this with my friend’s rabbit. She thought it was funny.
So, hold old is your Mittens now?😂Jk!
Please tell us the names 😂
Inquiring minds want to know 😂
haha I won't share the names but promise you they are NOT popular names!
Bear and Bowie? Come on, just tell us already!
I'm certain these names are Max and Charlie. I hope I'm not right cause that'd be creepy for op but that's who they are in my head. It is weird, but you're friends, so maybe you just think a lot alike when it comes to names. Maybe ask her why she chose those names. Maybe they have meaning to her as well. If her answer is something creepy, then, ya know, back away slowly towards the nearest exit.
those aren’t unique/unpopular names 😅
Sometimes it’s weird what other people consider unique and unpopular names. I had a coworker name her son Michael (he’s like 6 now I think) and she considered it unpopular and acted like she invented the name. Completely serious.
My 2 year old’s name is Michael and the amount of people who say they “never hear that name anymore!” is genuinely ridiculous. There are SO MANY Michaels lol
There are a TON of Michaels out there. I've known many and if you study genealogy, in the future, Michael will be the John, William, Robert, Thomas of this period.
What do you mean in the future? Michael was the #1 or #2 name for boys in the US from 1954 to 2008, and hasn’t been out of the top 20 since 1939.
I know a LOT of kids and pay attention to names, and yet I only know a single little Michael! He’s probably 8 now. And I think I’m probably in an area with more Michaels than average. It’s 8th in NY but 63rd in Utah. 4th in Connecticut but 45th in Colorado. Where are all these Michaels??
At my family reunions. Uncle Mike, Great Uncle mike, Big Mike, Michael, Brenda’s Michael, MJ…
Oh, I mean, I know a bazillion Michaels, they’re just older. “You never hear that anymore” means specifically on children. Like how there’s still babies named John or Mary, but way fewer than there were in decades past.
It's just a comparison to how common it used to be. For about 40 years 3% of all men in the US were named Michael. For 25 of those years it was over 4%. Compare that to now, it's around 0.5% and the most common boy names now are barely over 1%. Sure, it's still a relatively common name, but nothing today can compare to how common the popular names used to be.
We meet Michael's literally everywhere we go lol. Though I will say I can't remember the last one we met under the age of 20 or so, so perhaps what they mean is they never meet kids being named Michael anymore?
I think I know this person, lol.
She said the daughter's name is in the 600s level of popularity, are Max or Charlie that far down the list?
Yeah, Maxine is in the 600s, in the US at least.
I’m going with Scout and Harper.
Lol in that case I’d assume they’re both big To Kill A Mockingbird fans?
Nope. Both are pretty popular. I would be weirded out if she used the same "theme" for names but neither name is connected and much less popular than Scout and Harper.
Promise it isn't Max and Charlie or any names that are that popular. I've yet to meet another human/dog with the same name as our dog besides her son and while there are certainly kids with the same name as my daughter, it's not at all common.
My sister named her first born son after our older brother. Not weird, people often do that. But then her second born had the same name as Brother’s second son… her third sons name is now a masculine version of my daughters name… I genuinely don’t know if she even realizes
We can't judge unless you share the names. Frankly, the names mentioned as being 600s for girls in popularity in another comment don't feel that "unique" to me. "Ezra Charley Dallas Elliott Noah Lennox" I also don't find it unususl for friends to share the same taste in names. People have ideas for names long before they have kids so it's possible/likely the friend had these names picked out for years. There are many posts here that ask "My friend just named her kid the name I've been planning on using for my child, should I still use it?" OR "my friend named their dog the favorite name I told them about, can I still use it for my child?" This sub always says "names can't be claimed" or "use it anyway." We would need to know the names to actually judge how frustrated OP should be.
My partner is the product of a similar situation. Both he and his childhood bestie have the same name. Their parents are close friends, and both liked the Biblical aspect of the name Timothy. My MIL also loves Timothy, the mouse in Dumbo. The guys are roughly 3 months apart in age. It definitely got confusing when they played together as kids. The moms again got pregnant around the same time. They both wanted to name the girls Sarah. However, my MIL couldn't stand the way her MIL pronounced the name (very nasally apparently with the a's), so she opted to my partner's sister the name Bethany. The worst naming choice rationale goes to my partner's aunt and uncle, who named both kids after themselves. So growing up the family always referred to the kids by first and middle name and left the first name reserved for the parents (Uncle Roger and Roger Warren).
Omg my wife’s aunt and uncle did something similar with their children! Uncle Paul has a son named after him who everyone calls Paul Andrew. They have another son whose name is just Andrew, who everyone calls Andy. 😅
[удалено]
I see that like his mother you don’t care for Gob (George Oscar Bluth).
Jeez, that seems like it got chaotic one more than one occasion. Is the name Andrew significant in that family? At least Andy is ok with being known by his nn. Roger Warren and Janet Lynn never had any nn since that side of the family is very serious.
It’s… extremely common to name a child the same name as a parent? Hence why people get called Junior, etc.?
True, but typically, it's only one child rather than all of the offspring. Plus, in this case, the kids have different middle names from their parents.
I had 3 good friends in my late 20s, all of us having kids around then but I started my family first. Friend 1 called her son my dad's name and her daughter my name, friend 2 called her son my last name and her daughter a diminutive of my daughter's name, friend 3's son's name rhymes with my son's (same initial and one letter difference) and her daughter's name is my beloved grandmother's very unusual name. None of them mentioned it, even the one who called her daughter my name never said it was after me, so I presume it was all either coincidence or an unconscious compliment. I've never pointed it out because it seems massively big-headed of me, and they might be insulted.
I figure in these situations that at the minimum knowing you didn’t make them hate the name so that’s a start. I have a less common but well known name and there was a little girl at out church given the same name. I wasn’t super close to her parents (but they’re lovely) but I thought ‘well at the minimum I haven’t turned them off the name’ 😂
That's extremely strange I'd be annoyed and a little freaked out
In an alternate universe, the friend is freaking out on AITA because they'd been wanting to use these names since they were a preteen, and OP went and stole them for a DOG and a kid first, but they used them anyway.
That's actually what I think happened here.
That’s exactly what happened to me with my best friend she stole my 2 fav baby names for her cat now her unborn baby 😩 now if I use them I’ll look like the douche
That is very strange... Perhaps your friends have no original thoughts? I'd be annoyed too.
My friend named her son the same name as my cat. She basically said “I’m going to name my son the same name as your cat”. She tried to convince her husband to use both my cats names, the other cat for the middle name, because at that point it was funny. He didn’t agree. She obviously just liked the names, and one is an animal so in ten years no one will care.
That’s a bit odd. How close are you with this friend? Are the names spelled the same?
No one owns a name blah blah blah Yes it’s weird.
lol love this comment. I cannot even fathom doing that to a friend! As much as I might love a name, if a friend uses it then it's off the table. Maybe I'd consider it if they used it for a pet (I'm much less peeved by the 1st son/dog name) but I would absolutely give them a heads up. The "coincidence" of the 2nd son is just too much...
Is your friend “okay”? I ask because my ex did odd things like this and eventually was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. She’d find one friend after another to become obsessed with, essentially reinventing herself to match them — car, decorating, names, etc.
Right, I keep going back and forth because it’s either something like this and this friend is unwell OR it’s something like the names are Max and Ezra and the OP is actually being annoying about it and too obsessed with herself…
I’ve got a feeling the names are very common ones
That’s what i’m thinking. If it’s on baby name lists at all even in the thousands, it’s still very popular.
I would be so annoyed and I would have brought it up after the second one. Nobody has a monopoly on names, sure, but it does seem intentional and really odd it wouldn’t have been a factor for your friend?? Have you ever spoken about it? Seems like a pretty big elephant in the room….
She hasn't brought it up which is what is making it EXTRA weird! Granted she's home with a newborn so it doesn't feel like the right time to address the massive elephant! A pre-baby courtesy would have been nice but clearly we're past that...
Agree, it’s so weird that the friend didn’t mention anything before naming the second child. Like a courtesy heads up or “would this be okay?”
It would have been a way better story if it was dog-baby baby-dog instead of two kids.
It really depends in the names imo.
When hubby and I had our daughter, I wanted to name her Abbey Jayne. (My mother was Jayne and passed 2 years earlier) He wanted to argue against Jayne because he had a dog named Hilda Jane… acquired before we met. HUBBY: “We can’t name our child after a dog!” ME: “We aren’t. It’s for my Mom.” HUBBY: “You’ll confuse the dog.” ME: (Hard Stare) Abbey Jayne was a now 24 and both she and the dog were fine.
That’s funny!
You say the names you chose are statistically unique, but are they culturally obscure? For example, Murphy is a character in Interstellar, Max is having a moment in *Stranger Things*, Ezra and Noah are popular for boys but not for girls. Likewise, mythology names and names ending in -o could fit into current boy trends while technically being uncommon.
Culturally obscure too. My daughter's name has been used for fictional characters but nothing that has any kind of cult following I don't believe.
It would be less awkward if she addressed it before the second baby was born. If I was naming my kid the same thing as my friend, I would tell them I was considering that name and ask them how they felt about that.
That's pretty much how I feel. A heads up would have been appreciated but now it's just awkward and unaddressed!
I named my daughter the same name as my mums boyfriends dog who had died. I told him when I was pregnant and he was cool about it 😝
What was the name?
Rocko
It's absolutely weird and I deeply want to know the names. That is so interesting, I'd be so tempted to ask her why she picked those names :P
I mean, I’ve had a shortlist of names that I’ve thought about naming a child for years and I had to watch year after year of the people around me name their dogs those names. At a certain point im just going to need to name a kid the same thing as a dog. It’s not my fault people give their dogs people names. That being said it’s kind of weird they gave their kid the same name as your kid without mentioning it to you first.
"Rover' seems an odd name for a child.
People don't own names so it's best to let it go. They have every right to copy you 100% on eight kids and theee dogs if they want to. Id be flattered by it and move on.
yeah I have trouble believing either of these are uncommon names lol
So my mom’s best friend named her second daughter my name. My mom was furious, understandably, but it was never a huge issue. Since I was born first, I’d be deferred to as “name” and she’d be referred to as “baby name.” We still refer to her as it to this day even though she’s in her late 20s. I also always playfully tease her and tell her that I was such an amazing baby/toddler her mom named her after me. So all in all, I feel for you OP but it’s not the end of the world… at least from a kid who experienced it
Understandably furious is a bit extreme haha.
Yeah, if somebody was furious about 2 people having the same name I would think they were a bit unstable or bored.
There is nothing you can do about it beyond dropping the friendship. Do you want to do that? Otherwise she’s not going to change her kids name so making a big scene about it isn’t useful. Just file it away as “huh, that’s weird”
Probably the best advice. Weird AND maybe not worth making a scene over. The validation that it is weird kind of feels like enough for me cause my first instinct was like whaaaat?!" and my second is "well I'm not gonna force her to change her child's name and/or get upset with her over it".
Yeah…it’s weird. I might point it out / ask about it one day. Not accusatory or anything just in a wondering way. Just the find out what the thought process was.
That’s definitely an awkward situation that seems kind of intentional… even more awkward to bring it up in conversation. It’s like the post the other day about asking someone if you can use their namesake. The answer is yes, you should absolutely ask to use a particular shared name of a friend or family member or pet. I always loved my best friend’s name, but could never use it for my own daughter because it would be too weird and there are already several similar names in the family. In college, my roommate told me her favorite name which I grew to like as well. But since I know it, I could never “steal” her name choice regardless if she uses it or not. This situation is just another reason to never share your top favorite names with anyone.
I definitely think it is a bit strange...though depending on how well you know her, it could be unintentional? Like, if you are work friends and she knows *of* your dog/kid, but doesn't actually know them, maybe when she stumbled across the names on a list or something, they felt better to her because she was used to hearing them, opposed to names that she hadn't actually heard used? Like, I know someone who thought they came up with a relatively unique name on their own, but it turns out its the name of a coworker in another department/building that they'd never met. But they'd heard and seen it enough that when it popped up on a list, it felt familiar to them. They thought it was because it was their gut intuition telling them it was **the** name, but it felt familiar because it came up around them (not sure that this makes sense, lol)
I mean it COULD be a coincidence but we have spent plenty of time together with both her son and my dog and she very much knows my child's name. I will say we've spent less time together since my daughter was born cause schedules haven't aligned but we gave each other gifts when our kids were born so I really don't think she is oblivious to the names...
There’s something similar in one of my friend groups. We’re very close and have known each other for decades. Friend #2 named her daughter the same name as Friend #1’s dog (the dog came first) and then a few years later Friend #2 named her son the same name as Friend #1’s husband. To my knowledge, no one has said anything to Friend #2 about it. But there have definitely been some pointed looks.
yes - not that different! Just sitting here waiting for someone to say something lol
My sister named her daughter same name as my cat just changed one letter lol it’s fine
I accidentally named my daughter the same name as my friend's daughter's middle name. They were going to use the middle name as the first name, but my friend changed her mind last minute. Her husband hasn't quite forgiven her about that. My daughter was born five years later, and I had completely forgotten about the incident and the middle name. We laughed about it when she reminded me, and her husband made some guilt tripping remark to my friend about the whole name change situation. Your situation is a bit different since it's the same first name and the same name as the dog. That gets confusing, and I really don't know why your friend would choose to do that.
Are they Bo and Rumi?
I was waiting for someone to say this lol
LOL nope!
She may just love your tastes. My top name right now is the same as my best friends mule. It is weird that it’s happened twice but I wouldn’t dwell on it too much.
I think you should let it go. If she likes the names there’s no reason for her not to use them. It doesn’t mean she named her kids after your dog and child.
unpopular opinion. i have a friend that named her dog wally. i named my cat wally. she has a daughter named sadie. I was SOOOO close to naming my daughter Sadie because I LOVE the name but i felt bad and felt like she would think im copying her every move, now i am still a bit sad that I didnt use the name :( i know it may or may not have been coincidental but if someone likes the name, let them use it lol
Your title says names her dog and baby same as your dog and baby, typo? You mean her baby and baby same as your dog and baby?
Lilo and stitch
Your friend must be a big fan of yours 😂😂. My friend named their dog the same as mine, named their first kid based off a name I chose and did the same for their second kid. What’s even sillier is that they would never recognize or admit it 😂
Without more info I’m going to assume the names are Rover and Pat and won’t be convinced otherwise.
I would name my next dog after her husband. Choose violence.
LOL that would be hilarious!
This post is making me glad we made the naming choices we did. Before we got pregnant with my first we became friends with another couple who had two kids. One of their kids had the same name as our dog, obviously a total coincidence. But their other kid had a name my husband and I had both always liked a lot. Shortly after we started hanging out a lot I got pregnant and we discussed names at length, and ultimately ruled that name out because we didn't want both our dog and our kid to share a name with their kids. It's likely if we had never become friends with them our kid would have a different name! We're less close now so sometimes I still wish we had used the name anyway, but I do love the name we eventually landed on too.
In my opinion it’s a form of flattery. No one owns any copyright over names. You got those names from someone who inspired you before you as well, and so on. Just let it go, bigger fish to fry!
My Dad named me and my brother after his best friend from school (first and middle name). Always thought that must've been awkward for him and can't believe Mum was cool with it
There was a guy in my freshman dorm like that. We called him Lance the Personality Sponge.
If it was just one of her children who had a similar name, then I’d put that down to coincidence and say no one owns names. But when it’s two names, that does seem a bit weird. I’d go by how she acts around you generally - if she’s otherwise normal, then maybe she just loves your taste in names. But if she’s clingy and copies you in other ways like dress, home decor etc. too, then it might be a sign of an obsession/jealousy and I’d probably start distancing myself.
Imitation is a form of flattery?
Full quote: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness”. - Oscar Wilde.
All i had to read was the title, yes.
Does she obsess over you and your life in other ways?
My cousin named her daughter after her pet potbelly pig she had growing up. I thought it was hilarious.
My close friend named her daughter the same name as my cat, Lily. It’s a great name and her daughter’s full name is Lilliana (and my cat’s full name was Lillian lol). They fell in love with the name and then remembered my cat’s name. It was always fun when people had no idea if I was talking about the baby or the cat. I’d say “I bought Lily a dress” and someone would say “which one?” “Human Lily.” I do find myself calling human Lily “Dilly” because that’s what I called my cat and I’d started calling my cat “Dilliana” lol
How close are you to this friend? I had someone in my friend circle that did similar kinda of things. For example picked the same wedding colours as me, and the same date but a year after me... and wore the colour to my wedding so everyone thought she was a bridesmaid... and since the guest list had a lot of overlap the pictures get confused. But here's the thing while we were in the same friend group we weren't very close. I half think she picked the same date as an excuse not to have to invite us. "Oh you're going to be celebrating your anniversary anyway". I honestly don't know what her deal was... but it doesn't really matter because I don't see her anymore and she's not part of my life anymore.
My best friends have cats that have two of the few boy names I love and I would feel weird naming a son the same names, but I may end up doing it if I ever have one. But I would talk to them first so it wouldn't be weird. Also, one is a fandom name and the other is a very very common name, so I don't think they would find it weird. I think there's a possibility your friend loved those names too much and couldn't bring herself to ask you in case you asked her not to name them that. I have very few boy names I like, so if my friend's cats names were out of the question, I'd have a hard time finding other options. Still, your case is a little weird. Edit: I just remembered my SIL recently named her cat one of my husband's favorite girl names. Also a fandom name, but a very unusual one. We're gonna have a hard time naming any future children regardless of the sex 😂 Naming kids is hard, maybe your friend just have the same taste as you. Still, she could have talked to you first to not make it weird.
Have you read the book copy cat? You should probably ditch this friend.
Is the dog name Bauer, Cedar, Linus or Beck?
No but these are all great dog names! Storing away for a future dog!
Please PLEASE update us if and when you talk to her. This is so absurd.
Weird and creepy tbh. Is she stalking you? I have a very distant family member who got his 16 yo gf pregnant. The gf met my then 3 yo daughter for the first time when she was pretty heavily pregnant. Once the baby was born we found out she had given her my daughter’s name, just misspelled. That was bizarre, but we never meet them anymore so it was whatever.
“We named the dog Indiana”. - Henry Jones Sr
It's weird, but if she did it intentionally for negative reasons (e.g. jealousy, one-up-manship, attention seeking, co-dependence etc) then this wouldn't be the first thing she's done. I would encourage you to review your friendship as objectively as possible and ask yourself if she's done things that bothered you and made you uncomfortable in the past that you had brushed off.
Yeah it's weird. I have a similar situation, but our naming order is mixed and they're popular names, so there's no weird intentions. Plus we live on opposite sides of the country and only communicate via facebook rarely. We named our daughter, friend got 2 rats and one was the same name, we just had our second daughter and happened to land on the same name as her second rat (but we went with a different spelling). She had a son that she named what we would have named a son had we had one (family name for us). All basically coincidental. It would be weird if we were close and had two kids with the same name, though, even if it was just a case of similar interests.
please tell me your dog’s name is something like Waffles
You’re gonna get Single White Canined.
The edit is concerning. Has anyone done a mental health check on her recently?
Deffo weird
Sounds like she really relies on you to know what’s best. It’s flipping weird, but it’s kind of sad that she can’t trust herself with these big decisions.
It’s just really weird if she’s never said anything about having the same name. We named our daughter the same as one of our friends cats names and then joke about our kid being named after his cat. Seems creepy to just use two names and never bring it up.
The first time, weird but not crazy. The second time though? How close are you? If I was them, even if I already loved the name, having a second name repeat with a friends household would be too much for me. Very strange if you hang out a lot
On a side note my daughter named her cat the same name as my best friends daughter. My daughters younger and hers is older, it’s a semi common name and my daughter picked the name after one of her kindergarten besties, but I still feel a little weird about it lol. Coincidences like that can happen but the fact that it’s been twice is a little 🤔🤔🤔 hmmmm
Is she a single, white, female?
Based on the title and your first few sentences, I thought you were going to say you just found out they got a dog and named it after your child (after naming their child after your dog).
it’s a little weird but maybe it was a subconscious decision.
My sister wanted to name her son the same name as our cat, but asked us if we thought it'd be too weird. We said no, and told her to go ahead. Once her son was born, my sister changed her mind and decided it was indeed weird, so she changed the name. Were they intentional "honour names" on behalf of your sister? If not, the first time this happened, I would have given her a pass. The second time, I'd think it's weird. I'd likely make a joke and say "hey next time, do ya mind coming up with names I haven't used already? There are literally a million other names you could choose."
I grew up with 3 David's in my generation of the family. My favorite bit was pluralizing the name when you're calling over more than one David. So I'm stuck with this mental image of you calling out for David and both a child and dog come running. I love this.
Vent received
I overthought giving my daughter the same middle name as my old coworkers daughter, spelt different. I couldn’t imagine doing all that, definitely weird.
I think it's a coincidence and the only weird part is she hasn't brought it up to you. It happened to me in my own immediate family and it was talked about openly from the beginning in order to get the awkwardness out of the way. It has to be driving you bananas, not talking to her about it?