Anger at Woman Ridiculing Sister-In-Law's 'Old Fashioned' Baby Name Online

A woman has been criticized after it emerged she had taken to social media to mock her sister-in-law's unusual choice of baby name.

It's common for parents today to opt for unique baby names in an effort to help their offspring stand out from the crowd—but it doesn't always go to plan. While it's one thing to express concern about a relative's choice of baby name, it's a whole other to share those concerns with strangers on the internet.

Yet, according to one upset mom posting to Reddit's "Am I The A******?" (AITA) forum under the username u/princessbeatrix1923, that's exactly what her sister-in-law ended up doing after taking issue with the "old fashioned" name they chose for her niece.

Distinctive baby names have been known to cause major rifts between mothers and fathers. In some instances, close relatives have also been left far from happy at the names given to new arrivals. There have even been occasions when loved ones have been known to try to persuade the new parents against a particular moniker.

Having a less-common name has been shown to have a detrimental effect in some instances, though. A 2011 study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science found that people with unusual names were more likely to be overlooked or ignored by fellow singles on an online dating site.

"I don't want to share [the name] for privacy reasons," the mom wrote. "But it's something similar to 'Astor' or 'Saffron,' just an old-timey plant name." It's also a saint name, she said, explaining that they chose that name because it was important to her in-laws' Catholic faith.

According to the post, the new mom's sister-in-law runs an "online baby name discussion board" and took to the platform to "ridicule" their unique choice.

She apparently told people on the forum they were "cursing" their daughter with a "terrible and embarrassing name" and the response from other users was not kind.

"Everyone commenting was being nasty about my name choice," the mom said. "I was hurt."

As a result, she ended up sending an angry email telling the sister-in-law she was a "b****" and had "no right" to shame the name. "I'm just sad," the mom said. "It's hard enough breast-feeding and dealing with sleepless nights, but my husband thinks I overreacted and I think I may have."

Lisa Mirza Grotts, a leading etiquette expert who posts to Instagram under the handle @GoldenRulesGal sympathized with the mom's reaction.

"There is nothing worse than online bullying," Grotts told Newsweek. "When you're face to face with someone, would you make the same comment? Probably not. But it's so easy online. However, there are consequences and even more so because there's no face-to-face contact."

She urged the mom to let some time pass until things have "calmed down" and then talk to the sister-in-law face-to-face. In the meantime, she suggested the new mom vent her frustrations by sending an email to herself and then "read it aloud to get it out of your system."

Grotts added: "Then hit delete."

Others on social media agreed the mom was right to feel hurt by her sister-in-law's actions. "Your sister-in-law sucks," one Redditor wrote.

Another person said that there was "no reason to shame" the mom's choice of name, with one commenter writing: "She came for you - and your baby - and you got triggered. That's pretty understandable to me."

Newsweek reached out to u/princessbeatrix1923 for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

If you have a family dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.