Help - DH and I can’t agree on a girl’s name

[hellsbells552]

I like Norah, Cora, Cara, Keira, Hazel, Martha, Phoebe, Josephine, Francesca, Georgina, Alexandra, Catherine.

DH likes Maya, Emily, Alice, Zoe, Amy 🤨

He seems overly concerned with other kids taking the mickey (he has an unusual name that he hates) and keeps saying my choices in a stupid voice or making up a tenuous ‘insult’ nickname to make his point. He also doesn’t like any of my choices that can be shortened to boys’ names - which is one of the things I love about them!

The only names we both love are Sophie and Olivia - but so did a million other people last year 😂

I think we’ll have to leave it alone for now and come back to it in a few weeks, but how should I approach it when we do?

I don't think any of your choices are particularly out there. They're all beautiful, classic names that aren't made up or terribly unusual.

Elizabeth? Amelia? Margot? Beatrice? Georgia? Imogen?

A little more popular but still classic.

Leave it until the baby is born - giving birth is tough and you might get to dine out on having been through it ... and she may 'look' like one of your names anyway and he'll come round.

I think that when choosing baby names with a partner, if one of you doesn't like the name, it should be crossed off the list. Both parents need to like the baby's name.
Following this, all of your names and all of his should be crossed off. You need to trawl lists and keep thinking. There must be one name that you both like.
Using this approach I had to cross off my favourite girl's name that I'd always thought I'd use on day one of discussing names.

@onlyconnect - this is basically what we did with our first. Well, more like DH vetoed all my boy names and only came up with one himself - luckily I liked it! I ‘invited’ him to go through the 2017 ONS names, and that’s where he found Emily, Zoe, Alice and Amy. His only suggestion before that was Maya (because it’s a programming language 🙈). I don’t really hate any names, and I don’t mind his choices, I’m just a bit bleh about them. I think waiting til the birth and seeing if either of us feel differently might be the best thing to do.

I think that when choosing baby names with a partner, if one of you doesn't like the name, it should be crossed off the list

Ah yes, we did this too. Then baby gets a compromise name that no one is wild about!

OP, you have Alice and Alexandra on your list... could you make something of that? Alix, maybe? Alix is a variation of Alice, but also fits with Alexandra.

I can understand where he's coming from if he's suffered from having an unusual name.

And Sophie and Olivia are beautiful names and for what it's worth I have come across one Sophie and no Olivias in my 9 years of being a parent!

On the face of it your tastes do not appear to be at odds, both your favourites are relatively mainstream and classic

Maybe just leave it a few weeks and then start searching again. There are so many girls names to choose from other than those you have listed which are nice, normal but not too popular

My DP wanted nothing royal, nothing religious, nothing English, nothing Irish (he is Irish) and we weren't left with much!

Amelia ? Then he can call her Amy and everyone else can call her Amelia. And it can be shortened to Mel.

How about Lauren. It isn’t outlandish but can be shortened to Laurie.

@rivertam that’s good to know. I looked back at the top 5 names from the year I was born and the year before and after to see if I knew an abundance of them at school - and I didn’t!

Don't go for Amelia.
If you don't like Emilia then choosing Amelia would be settling.

Sophie and Olivia are lovely. Keep going and I'm sure you'll find more that you both like: the ones you have each chosen are at least in a similar style.

I really like all your name choices tbh, not so keen on DH choice.

Olivia is a lovely name, prefer Sophia to Sophie though.

Have you considered Lydia, Lorna, Megan, Hailey, kayla, Karly, keeley ?
(similar style names to your list).

Emilia and Alicia seem good compromises, both beautiful names.

Your DH has picked out my name, my sister’s, dd’s name and my niece’s! What great taste. We’ve never been teased for our names.

But your names are nice too OP. Not too out there, some classics, some a little less common.

If you both love Sophie and Olivia, then I would use one of those and stop worrying about them being popular. They are popular because they are lovely names.

Ah thanks for your replies everyone! @BikeRunSki - how funny!!!!!
I think I prefer Emily to Emilia or Amelia anyway. I did also consider Lauren, Lorna, Hayley and Megan at one point, but they didn’t make the final cut! 😂
@Perfectly1mperfect I’m beginning to agree, and wish I hadn’t shown DH their ranking now as he might not be able to get past it! 🙈

I've never found a girls name I like but lucky I have three ds.
Me and dp also got stuck with the name polls and I got really pissed at times when a name I like would appear.
Why not try family names so if it's popular it doesn't matter or a boys name like Noah, I love this for a girl.

Also I'd never met a person with my name until I went to secondary school and their was 3 in my year.
And with nicknames - I don't really think kids do that much anymore, it's more of an adult this to get rid of names you don't like.
My grandad didn't like the name Tammy because it reminded of tampaxs lol ( it still the oddest thing to have come out of his mouth)

I like both yours and your DH lists although yours is a little more interesting. Have you considered Hannah, Jemima, Heather, Georgia and Grace

My DH hates pretty much all my choices, but doesn't have much to add when I ask what he does like! At least yours has some opinions haha

For what it's worth, from both your lists my favourites are:
I like:
Cora
Hazel
Georgina
Alexandra
Alice
Zoe