Can you claim a baby name as 'yours'? Mum furious after sister 'steals' her child's name

If you've chosen a baby name you love, can you claim it as 'yours'?
If you've chosen a baby name you love, can you claim it as 'yours'? Photo credit: Getty.

Whether you've had your heart set on a baby name since the age of 10 or you decide to go with something trendy, naming your child is a pretty big deal. 

But once you've picked a name you love, it raises the question of whether you can claim it as 'yours'. 

That debate has reared its head this week after one woman raged online that her sister had stolen the name of her daughter and given it to her own newborn. 

Posting to a parenting Facebook group, the woman asked other parents if she was being unreasonable, or if she had a right to be mad that the two cousins would share the same name. 

Can you claim a baby name as 'yours'? Mum furious after sister 'steals' her child's name
Photo credit: Facebook via. The Sun.

"My sister has just given birth to her little girl three days ago and has also decided to call her [my daughter's name]," the woman wrote. 

"It annoyed me of all the names in the world my SISTER has chosen MY daughters name!!

"Am I being silly for actually letting this annoy me or am I overreacting??? We aren't close but see each other now and again."

She included a poll for people to share their answers which racked up over 1000 responses  - with the majority voting for the option "it would annoy me too". 

People also took to the comments to express their opinion on the matter - answers ranged from "f**kin furious" to thinking it was "no big deal". 

"Na that's f****d up like how many names she could choose!? I'd be fuming," one mother wrote. 

"I don’t think I’d be raging but I’d definitely be confused about it, like I don’t understand choosing the same name as somebody else’s child in the family. Very strange anyway," another agreed. 

"Actually back in the day a lot of family members had the same name. I know a family with at least four generations of the same name - what's the issue?" another countered.