HELP! Godfrey or Kingston .. a great household debate

[J5285]

So DH is STUCK on the name Godfrey personally .. I’m not a fan and cannot see myself call DC Godfrey or God as a nickname. He’s already told his family of the name and they all love it. I do like the meaning “God of Peace” but i feel like kids will pick on him and i think it sounds dweeby. It’s also a last name in my opinion and although I want him to feel as much involved in this pregnancy as I am I feel like I’m forced to name DC something i hate.

He originally said Kingston and I love it. His family is from Jamaica. Kingston’s meaning is not as great .. just “kings town” but i do think King is a better nickname than God.

DH feels like i get my way with everything in our relationship and he has no say. Where we live , keeping the baby (which he didn’t want too at this point in time) and now choosing the name. Do I just suck it up and let him name the baby and call DC whatever nickname I want too ?

Um no you don't. You find a name you can both love! Both names are awful and I'm not sure he sounds that great either tbh.

What do you mean by you getting the decision to keep the baby vs him not wanting to? Personally I'd think that was more an issue than him then getting a say on his choices on names?

He loses the argument about keeping the baby/ he got no choice about that by dint of not using a condom.

A man who throws that one at you is one who is playing games.

It seems to me this debate about names is a front for other issues. The name of the baby is the least of your issues, frankly.

Fwiw, Kingston Godfrey Surname-Surname would be my suggestion.

But your relationship is what you should be focusing on.

Neither name is great imo, sorry. I think you both need to keep looking until you find something you can agree on.

Godfrey is very old- fashioned, assuming you live in the UK (and not in a trendy retro way like Sidney or Stanley - it's more like Harold or Clive).

Kingston is the more usable of the two, but it still sounds a bit try hard/hipster/celeb to me (doesn't Gwen Stefani have a DS called Kingston? I think the others are called Apollo and Zuma...).

You could consider something similar but more classic like Gregory instead of Godfrey - Gregory means "watchful" and is aparently quite popular with Christians (hence all the popes and saints with the name) due to 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour".

I'd use Kingston as a fun, quirky middle name instead (since the place has a connection for your family).

I think there are bigger problems in the relationship and the name is just how they are currently being played out. Do not let the name be used in this way. He is trying to assert his power via your baby.

If this post was just asking about Kingston, I'd say that I don't like it, as it isn't really a name for a person, is it, and the nickname 'King' is very Kardashian-esque. But Godfrey is just so so SO awful that it actually makes Kingston seem really nice in comparison! I really don't like either but I definitely DEFINITELY would choose Kingston over Godfrey. I think I actually might choose literally any name on earth over Godfrey?

Honestly, I don't think I've ever said this about a name before, but naming him Godfrey would be almost cruel, it's setting him up for a lifetime of sniggers and potential bullying. I honestly think you'd be getting him off to an instantly bad start in life with a name like Godfrey. It's not only horrible but it's a joke name, like a novelty sort of funny name, with a bizarre nickname option. The meaning is nice but that's the only nice thing about the name. Please put your baby before your partner's wishes and seriously consider if you really want to give him a name which he will he mocked for. Kingston is not nice, and I wouldn't use it, and I don't think being originally from somewhere is a good reason to name your child after that place. It's ... Well, yeah, like I said. Very Kardashian. But please not Godfrey!!!! I can't believe I feel so strongly about this that I've commented twice but I really do!

Also, your partner sounds like an absolute scumbag, trying to bully you over the name of a baby he doesn't even want, and using the child's very existance as a way to force you to name him something hideous. It's almost like he's chosen the worst possible name to see how far he can push it/control you. Choose a name you love. Because are you certain that an arsehole like this is even gonna be around for you and your baby for long? If he already sees the baby as a inconvenience he can use against you to get his own way? Imagine you named him Godfrey shudders just to please him and then you end up seperating. You'd have lumbered your kid with the worst name on earth just to please someone you might end up hating.

Both are awful but Godfrey is definitely worse. What about Kingsley instead of Kingston?

Or Geoffrey instead of Godfrey.
Agree with everyone that if he didn't want this baby, he doesn't really get a say in the name. You're being awfully nice even giving him the chance to have an opinion on this subject.

Kingston is definitely better than Godfrey!!
You definitely need to find a name you both like.

How about Godwin instead as Win is a much nicer nickname?

You need to find a name you both are happy with. Especially as he didn't want a baby - if he has some input in the name it might help him come round to the idea a bit better. But he can't make you choose something you don't like.

Both are awful imo. Sorry

Is this a pisstake? Nicknaming a child God or King? Is it April the 1st?

King and God are both truly awful nicknames. Back to the drawing board. It’s important to find a name you both like.

I was going to say Kingsley. Kingston is too Kingston, Jamaica (or Kingston-on-Thames/-upon-Hull/on-Soar) and Godfrey is ok but a bit more of a middle name.

Whatever name you pick, it really should be one you both like.

Anything but Godfrey! Kingsley could be a good compromise.

You absolutely should not give your child a name you don’t like. You want to find something you both like well enough, although as the person having the baby your vote perhaps counts for a little more.

Godfrey is a very odd old fashioned name in the UK, and Kingston isn’t a name at all - plus you CANNOT give a child God or King as nicknames - so I would suggest either or both become middle names, and you find something more established as a name as a first name. It will make life much easier for him.

There are hundreds of great names in the Christian tradition.

However OP, it does sound like there might be bigger problems in your relationship than this, so please be careful and maintain your independence.

You can 100 percent use the nickname King. Kingston is the better of the two, but like others have said I think it would be best to find a name you both like.

FWIW I work in East London and have met a few children with King or Prince as either a name or nickname. If you live in middle England then maybe avoid it, but if you live anywhere with a good amount of diversity then it’s fine.

Have you got a third choice?