My husband's youngest sister, when we were still in the process of having babies and coming up with names, gave us a list of about five names that we had to promise never to use - she either wanted to use them herself or she had used the names for a child that she miscarried and another for a baby that she had given up for adoption (though he was given a different name from the adoptive parents).

For us, it wasn't a big deal, her name choices are very different from ours but I was wondering if anyone else ever had a family member "reserve" a name besides us?

My cousins did this...
The name Ethan was reserved for my cousin and his wife and it happened that his sister had a baby before them and didn't fallow the rule of not naming her som Ethan.
Well later on, my cousin and his wife had a baby and still wanted to name him Ethan.....So they did.
Now my Aunt laughs (in a not so funny way) that she has two grandsons named Ethan.

I have friends that are sisters and both got pregnant about four months apart. The first pregnant sister picked out her names and told her sister -- who waited about a week and decided she wanted the boy's name for her child if it was a boy. Man oh man. Talk about a war -- luckily first sister had the boy first and the second baby was a girl.

We have the name Jack picked out way before we ever got pregnant...however dh's aunt and uncle had a baby a few years before us and took the name Jack.
We weren't happy but we really had not made it perfectly clear we wanted the name.
When our son came we decided to not use Jack...even though they lived across the state. We do still get together occasionally and didn't want the same name.

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Jodie....Wife to Andrew (1995)
Mommy to Riley (2000) and Wyatt (2003)

My mom and her best friend named their third children (born very nearly at the same time) Steven. All of our lives, we have called one Steve and one Skip.

My opinion about name-saving is that it should be first-come, first-serve! However, if I had a very special name planned, I wouldn't be telling people and giving them ideas!

Marlene

we've called some names but no one has had really any issues with it. DH wanted Thomas for a boy, but when my SIL got married, she and her husband asked that we not use the name. Her husband's father passed away when he was young and his name was Thomas, so they want the name to honor him. Which is perfectly understandable. Honestly I have no issues with two people in the same family naming their kids the same name. doesn't really bother me. it irks me more when I have had a name picked out that I want to use for a long time and then some famous person decides to use it, and suddenly it's "oh, you named your baby after angelina's baby?..."

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That's why you don't tell people your names. LOL!
I never told my names until the baby was born, they could know the sex but not the name . For one, I didn't want anyone to steal my name, for two I didn't want to hear people opinion of the name I chose.
My friend told us of a name she loves for a girl. Which I also love. She had a boy. Now if I become pregnant again and have a girl, I would feel uncomfortable using the name with out her ok.

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"Before I was a Mom I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body." ~Anonymous

My sister tried to do that and I told her "too bad". We didn't use the name after all, but she's nowhere near having kids and we could have already used it.

I personally don't think it's a big deal having two cousins with the same name and I'm actually surprised that even more distant relations where people get worked up about it. I guess the bigger deal is if the parents get upset that you stole their name and you have to decide if it's worth that.

Our best friends won't tell us names they have picked out and if they won't tell us they won't tell anyone!

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It's not what you make; it's what you spend.

One of my aunts did that to my mom. Mom used what she wanted anyway. Can't live for someone else or what may or may not happen!

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I'm sorry but this has always annoyed me! I have a SIL who 'couldn't' name her daughter about 30 different names because her sisters had 'called' them. Well, her sisters were pretty much done having kids and wanted those names 'just in case'. Kinda funny

This is why I do not share my names with others

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