With a world population of over 8 billion people, it’s not uncommon for names to be borrowed from others or even from objects, countries, or fruit. However, one woman named Mia took ownership of her name, which happens to be the 8th most popular name for girls in 2021. She accused her old friend of stealing her name and giving it to her own baby daughter, sparking a heated debate online.
Mia turned to Reddit for advice on how to handle the situation where her former friend, Melinda, took her name without permission and used it for her baby. Mia believed that she was the inspiration behind the name, as she and Melinda were close friends in their 20s. They even served as bridesmaids in each other’s weddings before drifting apart.
Recently, Melinda had a baby girl and named her Amelia, but she referred to the baby as Mia. Mia found this odd because her name is Mia too. She felt as though Melinda was naming her child after her without their relationship being close enough, and she didn’t even ask for permission.
Mia sought validation from a mutual friend, who agreed that the situation was strange. Although she hadn’t planned on confronting Melinda about the name stealing, she couldn’t stay silent when she ran into her and her husband at a party. While Melinda showed Mia the baby, she jokingly said, “Yeah, my namesake.” Melinda gave her an odd look, and Mia clarified, “Her name is Mia… I’m Mia.” Melinda then claimed that her baby’s name was Amelia and Mia was just a nickname, while Mia’s full name was simply Mia. Mia understood the explanation but still believed that Melinda named her child after her, finding it odd yet cute.
This exchange led to an argument where Melinda questioned Mia’s assumption that the baby was named after her. Mia responded by saying it must have been a strange coincidence and something Melinda would do. The argument escalated when Melinda snarked back, “you’re not important enough for me to name a baby after.” Mia called her response rude, to which Melinda retorted, “so is trying to imply that I’m odd because my baby and you have the same name.”
Mia turned to the Reddit community for advice, sharing her story and seeking opinions. However, many users expressed confusion over Mia’s sense of entitlement towards her name. They pointed out that Mia is not an unusual name, and the world doesn’t revolve around her. They believed that if Melinda had chosen the name because of Mia, she would have discussed it beforehand. The fact that they had grown apart should have been an indication that the name had nothing to do with Mia. One popular comment stated, “You’re not the only Mia. The world does not revolve around you. You even noted that you’re not close enough for that, so you should be glad that she feels the same.”
As the debate continued, some Reddit users couldn’t help but make jokes about the situation. One user compared their own name, Lauren, to their childhood friend’s cousin, also named Lauren, saying that some people are just obsessed. Another user playfully claimed that Mia was named after their cat since they named their cat Mia back in 2000. The lighthearted banter proved that the situation was becoming mildly comical.
In the end, it’s clear that Mia’s reaction to her friend using her name for her baby without permission may have been exaggerated. The Reddit community overwhelmingly felt that Mia’s entitlement was unwarranted, and they urged her to let go of her possessiveness over the name. After all, there are many Mias in the world, and it’s important to remember that not everything is about oneself.
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