Woman Says She Named Her Daughter After Her Late Mom. Then Her Sister-in-Law Accused Her of 'Stealing' the Name
Mar. 15, 2025:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/women-fighting-over-baby-121324-6aeaa3a7a0974ff19aa8cbaf6c635a23.jpg)
Getty
A woman named her daughter after her late mother — and she said it’s caused some unexpected drama with her sister-in-law.
On Reddit’s popular “AITA” page — which stands for “Am I the A—–” — the woman, 32, said she and her husband’s decided to name their newborn daughter “Lena,” after the woman’s mom, who died a few years ago.
“The name has deep meaning for us, and it felt perfect,” she wrote of the name.
“As soon as they heard her name, my SIL’s face dropped,” the woman wrote. “She said Lena was the name she had ‘always planned’ to use for her future daughter (they don’t have kids yet) and accused us of ‘stealing’ the name.”
“At first, I thought she was joking, but she kept going, saying we were ‘selfish’ and ‘ruined’ the name for her,” she added, noting that her brother took his wife’s side and suggested the new parents change their daughters name since “they called dibs” several years ago.
“I lost it and told them they were being ridiculous and disrespectful, especially since the name honors my mom,” the woman wrote. “When they wouldn’t drop it, I asked them to leave.”
“No one can call dibs on a name,” read one commenter, going on to point out that it is also possible for “two people can have the same name EVEN COUSINS.”
Other commenters pointed out that even if the Redditor would have agreed to give up the name, there’s no guarantee her sister-in-law would have children, or if she did, that she would have girls.
“The petty in me is really hoping she only has boys,” read one reply.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Meanwhile, another commenter offered up an alternative suggestion.
“They can always use it as a middle name!” read their reply. “Both mine and my brothers daughters have the same middle name, our moms. It’s an easy solution.”
source: people.com
Other Posts
- Woman Says She Invited Social Club Over to Her Home — Except for 1 Member Who Calls Herself a ‘Total Klepto’
- Woman Says She Refused to Let Her Brother’s Girlfriend Stay in Her Guest Room After She Made a Scene at Dinner
- Woman Says She Refuses to Apologize for Saying Her Stepmother and Stepsiblings Aren’t Her ‘Real Family’
