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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

What would you do?? Help.

38 replies

Samzzz · 17/01/2024 09:53

You may have seen my other threads but if our third baby is a boy then my DH wants to name him. To give context, we have two other DC (Boy Ezra and girl Winter), I named them both with DH agreeing. My DH shares the same first initial with his Dad beginning with M and the same middle name, James. If we have another boy then I agreed he could name him. He really wants to use a name beginning with M to follow this new ‘tradition’. I personally don’t care for it all but it’s important to him and he’s now fixated on it. The difficulty is he loves the name Maddox and I don’t. He won’t agree on any other name and has made his mind up. I don’t hate it but it’s not a name I would have chosen. Question is, do I agree and accept it with the hope Maddox will grow on me or refuse and tell him point blank it’s a no and risk upsetting him?
Thanks for reading this far :)

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theduchessofspork · 21/01/2024 07:50

Maddox is grim

You have to agree on the name - it’s not on for him to force you. Just say no.

If you want to OK the M start, then he has to come up with a short list that works for you. Otherwise you find something else

Matthias
Malachy
Maximus / Maximilian
Moses

Miles / Milo
Magnus
Marius
Michael

DuchessOfSausage · 20/01/2024 19:48

@3within3 , for some things. Not for things where the full name is required.

I'm not saying it for the sake of it. It really is a PITA.

James is very popular as a middle name, and it will look like a middle name. Think about it, If you saw a name like Verity Rose Smith, would you register that she went by Rose without being told?

3within3 · 20/01/2024 19:39

DuchessOfSausage · 20/01/2024 14:19

@3within3 , Could you officially name him Maddox James so that the initial tradition gets carried on, but call him by his middle name of James?
Do NOT do this.@Samzzz .
He'll get called Maddox at all the negative occasions like hospital appointments, GP appointments, new school etc and will probably hate it.

Edited

Well that depends how you fill the forms in…

DuchessOfSausage · 20/01/2024 14:19

@3within3 , Could you officially name him Maddox James so that the initial tradition gets carried on, but call him by his middle name of James?
Do NOT do this.@Samzzz .
He'll get called Maddox at all the negative occasions like hospital appointments, GP appointments, new school etc and will probably hate it.

3within3 · 20/01/2024 13:51

Could you officially name him Maddox James so that the initial tradition gets carried on, but call him by his middle name of James?

Or name him Maddox James but introduce him
as a nn of Max?

IMO if you don’t like it now, then it may grow on you a bit but you may always resent it a little

Anjea · 20/01/2024 13:50

Crikey.

Maddox is a shocker. Sounds like a brand of bubble bath.

DuchessOfSausage · 20/01/2024 13:44

@DangerousAlchemy , it's a Welsh name and trendy.
I like it but it would probably get said/spelt as Maxon, which is awful.

Madoc is much nicer than Maddox

DangerousAlchemy · 20/01/2024 13:36

CaffiSaliMali · 20/01/2024 13:11

It's Welsh. In Welsh Magnus Maximus is known as Macsen Wledig. He features in Dafydd Iwan's song Yma O Hyd which is popular with Welsh football fans.

Ah @CaffiSaliMali sorry I didn't realise!

Milkand2sugarsplease · 20/01/2024 13:18

It doesn't matter what the name is - some will love it some will hate it. But a child's parents have to like it! So it's a no.

CaffiSaliMali · 20/01/2024 13:11

DangerousAlchemy · 18/01/2024 14:14

Macsen?? is that even a real name lol @Wediblino7

It's Welsh. In Welsh Magnus Maximus is known as Macsen Wledig. He features in Dafydd Iwan's song Yma O Hyd which is popular with Welsh football fans.

user1492757084 · 18/01/2024 22:29

You don't like Maddox. It is a silly name.
Mad as an ox. Mad ox = Maddox.

There are hundreds of M names.
Max
Maxim

BillyNotQuiteNoMates · 18/01/2024 22:15

Personally I think you need a two syllable name, if you want James as a middle name. I like Max, but Max James doesn't go well together.
Milo
Marcus
Matthew
Maxwell
Morgan
Any of them work

Happyinarcon · 18/01/2024 15:37

Murdoch might be a happy compromise

Onelife2024 · 18/01/2024 15:23

Agree with pp that you need to both like the name.

Max is my favourite M name.

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 18/01/2024 15:18

Maddox is dreadful! My DC have names that I suggested but DH loves them too. When we didn’t know if DD1 was a girl, I suggested a boy name and my DH didn’t like it so it came off the table. No reason at all why you can’t say no to Maddox if you don’t like it.

MrsB74 · 18/01/2024 15:07

Schoolrunmumbun · 17/01/2024 18:18

A really nice joiner who came to quote for our kitchen told me his son was called Maddox and they regretted it because his siblings called him Maggots and it had stuck. Ask your DH if he wants his son to get called Maggots!

Here is your best argument against Maddox! Not a name I’d have agreed with either, although it’s just as well we had girls as we really struggled to agree on any boy names as well. He needs to compromise if you really don’t like it. As others have said, Max is the obvious similar-ish choice.

DangerousAlchemy · 18/01/2024 14:14

Wediblino7 · 18/01/2024 14:08

Could you maybe shorten Maddox to Max? Or Macsen is a lovely name and goes well with James

Macsen?? is that even a real name lol @Wediblino7

Thereader90 · 18/01/2024 14:13

My first thought when I read the name was "he's gunna get called 'Mad'." Think about whether you'd rather upset your husband slightly by telling him you don't like it or have a son called 'Mad'?

Wediblino7 · 18/01/2024 14:08

Could you maybe shorten Maddox to Max? Or Macsen is a lovely name and goes well with James

Snowydaysfaraway · 18/01/2024 13:59

Better a gladiator than a mad cow imo...

Snowydaysfaraway · 18/01/2024 13:58

Maximus nn Max.

whatsmyname123 · 18/01/2024 13:57

My husband chose our second son's name, I didn't hate, wasn't sure it was "the one" but I went with it. I love it and him now.
However the name he chose wasn't Maddox, I'm not a fan of that personally. If I really didn't like it I'd say so, it's both your child so you both should agree.

Schoolrunmumbun · 17/01/2024 18:19

What about a nice sounding M surname as the first name.

Marshall
Mitchel

Schoolrunmumbun · 17/01/2024 18:18

A really nice joiner who came to quote for our kitchen told me his son was called Maddox and they regretted it because his siblings called him Maggots and it had stuck. Ask your DH if he wants his son to get called Maggots!

Doublebiscuit77 · 17/01/2024 17:31

Yep Maddox isn't a great name- you can't name him something you don't like. Ask him to come up with a shortlist of three 'M' names and you choose one of those.

(My favourite M names would be Maxim/Max, Milo, Monty, Matteo.

Magnus, Malcolm, Martin, Matthew, Marius and Marco aren't bad either.

Merlin and Moses maybe for less conservative choices.)

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