BABY NAMES

How to Agree on a Baby Name You Both Love

7 min read
How to Agree on a Baby Name You Both Love

It can be tough agreeing on a baby name. You want something that is unique and special, but your partner may have other ideas. How can you come up with a name that you both love? Check out these tips!

You’re having a baby! Congratulations!

You’re so excited to welcome your new family member and you have the perfect name!  Except your jerk husband hates it. What do you do?

You might have had the name picked out since you were a kid. Or it could be a family name that means a lot to you. Whatever it is, it might be something you’ve absolutely fallen in love with and have your heart set on, but your other half won’t come around.


Here are some lists of baby names on SAHM:


Maybe he’s making suggestions that are just terrible, and causing you to cry. Because you’re hormonal and his name choices are just so awful, you are convinced he must hate you and the baby, it’s the only explanation for the names he’s throwing at you (yes, I do believe I accused my own husband of this once).

In fact, it can be shocking to find out that this is something you can’t see eye-to-eye on because up until now, you’ve always been really compatible. And now, you’ve discovered you are bringing a new life into this world with a man whose taste in names is clearly up his arse!

You can’t avoid it forever because baby needs a name. Instead of arguing about it, here are some suggestions to get you talking about it together so you can come up with a name you both love.

1.  Write down the names of all your exes (and mortal enemies)

How to Agree on a Baby Name You Both Love | Stay at Home Mum

Just get it over and done with. These are all no-nos, even if the name is awesome. It’s just bloody weird for everyone if you find out down the track that you named your kid after an ex the other partner didn’t know about. Don’t even try to justify this, you’ll cause yourself a world of headaches.  So if you like the name Josh, but you had a fling with a sexy guy named Josh at uni, the hubster is probably not going to be understanding if he ever finds out.

Include people who you hate on the list too. Unfortunately, my husband seemed to hate just about everyone with every name I ever loved. Every name I suggested seemed to come with “I went to school with a girl with that name and…”  I’ve got a mate who is a high school teacher who had the same problem, she needed to find a name that she didn’t associate with a student who made her life merry hell.

2. Do you have similar tastes?

Perhaps he likes traditional names and you like names that are unique, with funky spelling. Can you compromise? You need to communicate your preferences with one another to find some common ground. Let them know why you don’t like certain names, don’t just say no (or cry!).

3. Write a list of the baby names you both like

How to Agree on a Baby Name You Both Love | Stay at Home Mum

My husband and I did this with our firstborn. After a lot of arguing, we each wrote a long, long list of names we liked. Then we matched up our lists and found there were a few on there we both could agree on.

4. Prepare to compromise

Look, if either of you absolutely hates a baby name, you aren’t going to get the other one to come around. Let it go. There are plenty more names in the sea. You will need to compromise here. Your top name isn’t going to get an outing, and neither is his.

Naming a baby is one of the most important decisions you will make as a parent. After all, your child will have to live with their name for the rest of their life. For many couples, choosing a baby name is a relatively easy task. However, for others, it can be a source of contention.

If you find yourself struggling to agree on a name with your partner, it may be time to compromise. Start by making a list of your top three favorite names. Then, ask your partner to do the same. Once you have both lists, see if there are any names that overlap.

If not, try to find names that have similar meanings or origins. Remember, the most important thing is that you and your partner are on the same page. With a little bit of effort, you should be able to find a baby name that you both love.

5. Do research together

How to Agree on a Baby Name You Both Love | Stay at Home Mum
via myvmc.com

Spend some time looking at online baby name sites or get hold of one of those old-fashioned things known as a book that will contain thousands of names. Look through it together and see what you both like and don’t like. There will be plenty of names neither of you has considered before.

6. Take turns naming your kids

Some people swear by this one – you get to name this one and he can name the next one. I personally have reservations about this after I allowed my husband to name one of our pets.

If you’ve ever struggled to agree on a baby name with your other half, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s a surprisingly common problem. One study found that nearly one-third of couples surveyed had argued about baby names. So what’s the best way to resolve this disagreement?

A good strategy is to take turns naming your kids. That way, both parents get a say in the matter. Of course, this approach won’t work if one parent is significantly more attached to a particular name than the other. In that case, it might be best to compromise and choose a name that both parents can live with.

Ultimately, the most important thing is that you and your partner are on the same page about the baby’s name. After all, it’s something that he or she will have to live with for the rest of their life!

7. Take your time

How to Agree on a Baby Name You Both Love | Stay at Home Mum
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Don’t rush into anything. Keep searching. Keep making lists. Talk to family and friends. Ideas can keep coming from lots of places. Don’t hastily agree to a dud name just for the sake of stopping the argument. Turn it into an ongoing conversation.

Have you struggled to agree on a baby name with your other half?

Choosing a baby name is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a parent-to-be. But it can also be one of the hardest. If you can’t agree on a name, it can put a lot of strain on your relationship. You may start to feel like you’re never going to find a name that you both agree on.

The best thing to do in this situation is to take a step back and relax. Don’t put so much pressure on yourselves. try thinking of names that you both like. It’s also important to remember that there are a lot of other things that are more important than the name you choose for your baby. So don’t let it cause too much stress in your life. In the end, everything will work out fine.

How to Agree on a Baby Name You Both Love | Stay At Home Mum

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About Author

Caroline Duncan

Caroline Duncan is a freelance journalist and photographer with almost 20 years' media experience in radio, magazines and online. She is also a mother...Read More of three daughters, and when she's not writing or taking pictures, she's extremely busy operating a taxi service running them around to various activities. She can't sew and hates housework. Read Less

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