'You know who's gonna suffer here? This poor kid': New parents resolve to call their baby 2 different names after name argument stalemate

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
May 19, 2024 4:00 PM EDT

What's in a name? A lot, it turns out. Names carry so much baggage with them and it's on the parents to anticipate that ahead of time. Because your baby isn't going to be a baby forever. One day, they'll be an adult, and walk into a job interview with that dumb name you gave them on their resume. And you hope they succeed in spite of it. But even seemingly normal names can hold a lot of weight. I don't know why, but I've never gotten along with somebody named Victoria. Even the name sends a chill down my spine. 

But what's worse than an objectionable name? No name at all. That's the stuff of horror movies. But that's what's threatening to happen in this recent story from Reddit, where a couple's argument over a baby name is spelling disaster for their family. Read on and decide whose side you're on. 

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  • 01
    "She'd call her Elizabeth and I'd call her Indie"
    via Alyssa Stevenson
  • 02
    r/AmltheAsshole u/ObviousDetective9204 .7h AITA for telling my wife I don't believe her when she says she'd be okay with us calling our daughter by different names?
    via u/ObviousDetective9204
  • 03
    My (30m) wife (29f) is pregnant with our first child, our daughter. She's just about a month away from giving birth and we do not have a name picked out yet. At one point we had two potential names on a list but my wife told me she really didn't want to give either name to our daughter so that was gone.
    via u/ObviousDetective9204
  • 04
    Our issue comes from a difference in likes and dislikes in names. My wife likes very common, very classic names and she likes to go a touch old fashioned too. Her three favorite girls names are Elizabeth, Esther and Hannah. She also strongly loves the names Emily, Beatrice, Constance, Patricia, Catherine and Geraldine. But there are many names in the same sphere she likes.
    via u/ObviousDetective9204
  • 05
    My taste is a bit more mixed but I like more uncommon names and names that aren't super used or classic but I have some classics I like. Names I adore are; Indigo/Indie, Lyric, Elodie, Lyra, Dove, Sunny, Scout, Calia.
    via u/ObviousDetective9204
  • 06
    We strongly dislike the names the other strongly likes/loves. We had the name Briony and the name Melody on our list for a while but my wife decided neither were names she could tolerate our daughter having so we went back to square one.
    via u/ObviousDetective9204
  • 07
    I feel like she refuses to try and find names closer to what I like. Whereas the ones I suggest closer to her like (Chloe and Alannah) are names she doesn't feel totally work with her taste. She said at one point she should get more of a say as the person carrying our daughter and giving birth to her but that was dropped soon after.
    via u/ObviousDetective9204
  • 08
    However, my wife has decided the fairest compromise is one picks the first and the other the middle name, and we each call her by the name we picked. So say we end up with Elizabeth Indie. She'd call her Elizabeth or a nickname from said name and I'd call her Indie. The thing is I'm not opposed to this entirely. But I give it a month after our daughter is born before my wife is annoyed that I don't call our daughter by her first name, and I know when she talks about the compromise she means for
    via u/ObviousDetective9204
  • 09
    I told my wife this and she told me she's an adult and she would be fine. She said I have no reason to doubt her. I told her I know how much she hates not getting her way on certain things and this is a big thing to her. She told me she'd be okay with me calling our daughter a different name. Even as she said it she looked annoyed and like she was forcing it. I told her I didn't believe her. My wife said it's unfair not to because she knows herself better than I do. I suggested we trial it out b
    via u/ObviousDetective9204
  • 10
    ESH wanderingstorm • 7h Professor Emeritass [95] You know who's gonna suffer here? This poor kid who won't know her own name and will constantly have her parents forcing their preferred name on her until she's expected to "pick a side". Y'all are both supposed to be adults about to have a child. You're way past the time when you can be the childish ones. Both of you put your adult undergarments on and sit yourselves down and hash this out. Pick a name you can both agree on or put names in a hat
    via u/wanderingstorm
  • 11
    This ^ . WebAcceptable7932 • 6h Certified Proctologist [24] OP listen to people. Don't let this poor child suffer because her parents were both stubborn. ESH
    via u/WebAcceptable7932
  • 12
    ESH just4ajoke. 4h Not only are you both quite rigid in your selections of names, but you both lack flexibility. People prefer common names, and since she will eventually have a profession, a real job, and relationships, she needs a name that will develop with her. Scout and Indie sound like dog names.
    via u/just4ajoke
  • 13
    flaggingpolly ⚫ 6h · Partassipant [2] ESH find a name that works for an ADULT not a child. Babies are babies for mere moments of their life. And it's a two yes situation. Don't make it into a competition because it isn't. And for the record, I call my baby "Sock" most of the time (but in my language) and she has a very traditional name. Let nicknames be nicknames and names be something that works for adults. It doesn't have to be old fashioned or super boring but it's better to not let that chil
    via u/flaggingpolly
  • 14
    Tazilyna-Taxaro • 5h Yeah, I'm with the wife. His names all sound like nicknames
    via u/Tazilyna-Taxaro
  • 15
    Akagikin 6h Calling your daughter by two individual names would be absolutely ridiculous. If the two of you can't even agree on this, and find a way to resolve it between you, there are likely bigger problems coming your way. Names are important, and you should absolutely both "like" the name to a degree, but as long as you don't hate the name you'll grow to love your daughter and her name. A solution would be to pick a name your wife likes that allows for a nickname that you like. Beatrice beco
    via u/Akagikin
  • 16
    Burgundyshirley7 • 6h Partassipant [1] Sorry, but your name suggestions sound like names on My Little Pony-characters.
    via u/Burgundyshirley7
  • 17
    Peony-Pony • 6h Professor Emeritass [75] YTA Do not saddle your child with some horrible "unique" name. Tiffany with an "i" is embarrassing when you are applying for a job or signing a business. letter. My friend's husband wanted to name their baby a "unique" name she told me the name and I said it's a nice name. The name was Portia. The only problem was instead of being Portia like the character in the Merchant of Venice it was Porsche, the car.
    via u/Peony-Pony
  • 18
    YTA notforcommentinohgoo • 6h Professor Emeritass [91] Unless you live in 1969 San Francisco, you don't get to call your kids Indigo/Indie, Lyric, Elodie, Dove, Sunny, Scout, or Calia. And Lyra is pretty borderline too. Just because it worked for you, does not mean it'll work for them. I mean, come on, a girl called "Scout"? What are you smoking?
    via u/notforcommentinohgoo
  • 19
    marleene_o⚫ 5h Elodie is a pretty common name in my country 644 Euffy • 5h Right? I was thinking Elodie sound like a perfect balance between traditional and cute. I know sooo many Elodies.
    via u/marleene_o & u/Euffy
  • 20
    Legitimate_War_397.6h If you agreed on Elizabeth, your wife could call her Elizabeth and you could call her Libby. I've only met one Libby in my life so could also be seen as a uncommon name.
    via u/Legitimate_War_397

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Babies aita baby baby names pregnancy crazy things parents say preggers parenting dad names pregnant reddit thread parent Reddit mom name Parenting Fail parents Parenting FAILS
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