Names are curious things. They carry a lot of weight to them, even when we don’t want them to. We might hate our names and spend our whole lives shaking them off. But our parents had a different idea. They probably spent a lot of time and energy picking out our names, making them meaningful, and getting excited to show them off to the world. Parents tend to give their children names with certain intentions in mind. They might want to honor a family member or an artist they love or carry on a part of their culture. 

All to say, a lot goes into naming a baby. So some new parents feel protective over their chosen names. Even though there is no such thing as ‘dibs’ when it comes to names, sometimes there’s an understanding that within a family, you might not have a bunch of repeats. Can you imagine having 6 cousins named Olivia?