Judith is 28
weeks pregnant and has found out she’s having a girl but her and her husband
are struggling to agree on baby names.
“My husband and I are having trouble deciding on a name for our baby. He wants to name him after his grandfather but I hate the name and would prefer my son to have a unique name rather than a family name. My husband likes traditional baby names whereas I don’t want my daughter to have the same name as five other kids in her class when she starts school. He thinks our daughter will get teased if she has an unusual sounding name but I don’t think that different has to mean embarrassing or weird. As you can see this is a real problem and neither of us are prepared to compromise! I don’t want to offend his family by breaking their traditions but I also don’t see why I should have to give my daughter a name that I hate just for the sake of my in-laws. Has anyone else had the same problem? I would love to know how other people have decided on the right name and did anyone give their child a name they didn’t like for the sake of their partner?”
A quick survey of our mums shows that choosing a name for your baby is a huge responsibility and one that most parents take seriously. With such an endless array of options, it’s no wonder that picking the right name for your little one can be an overwhelming decision! Most of our survey respondents did manage to agree on a name with 78% making a joint decision with their partner. Of the remaining 22%, the split was fairly even as to who made the final choice.
It is common to struggle to decide on a name and many of our respondents had some great advice for anyone who is having difficulty deciding. Suggestions included each writing a list of ten favourites and allowing the other person to veto any names they didn’t like. Compromise was also listed as important when choosing a name.
Out of those who replied to our survey, 26% said they preferred traditional sounding names, 21% liked unique or unusual names and the rest said it depended on the individual name. Some factors taken into consideration included religious significance, family reasons and choosing a name which had the option of being shortened easily.
Here’s some advice for anyone who is worried their child might end up starting primary school with no name:
“I think compromising is a good start, if you don't like the name your husband has chosen opt for the middle name theory (Megan - Elizabeth) and try and work from there with names that you both like and see if they tie in with one another” – Paula
“Pick a name which you like. Pick a name which is not difficult to pronounce or spell for the sake of your child. Make sure it sounds right with the surname” – Bec
“Explain to your partner that the only opinions that matter are yours and his. Find out if it's important to him to use a family name or just to his relatives; if it does matter to him offer a compromise of a middle name. Then draw up lists of names you each like and compare them and try to compromise” – Christine
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