How did you choose your babies name?

[2021xxxxxx]

Currently 23 weeks! Still early on but we know the sex of our baby and we’re so excited!

However, the name discussion has been so difficult! I have a list as I had a feeling that I was having what I am

We have half agreed on 2 names but we haven’t had one that’s popped out to both of us and caught both of our attention!

I had some names I’ve loved for years but DH doesn’t like them - so the name list consists of names I’ve thought of since being pregnant.

As I say, I know I’m only 23 weeks but I do worry that we’ll pick a name a while after baby arrives then I’ll change my mind or that we won’t be able to pick one and end up just using a random one that we both half agree on!

Did anyone else struggle? I do worry about if we pick a name and then baby doesn’t suit it but a wise friend of mine says babies grow into their names, and added that most babies look just like newborns for a little while so don’t look like any name😂

Ps sorry about seeming dramatic!

It’s our first baby. Never picked a name before and just really want it to be perfect for our baby

1st born - I had a list of names his Dad only liked one of them, it was from a TV documentary series.

2nd born - we only had 2 names we agreed on the one we went with is from a computer game. The other is a sportsman.

Family names for middle names.

We never agreed on a boy name. For girl names, he had a name he really liked and I liked it to, so we started referring to the hypothetical dd as that name before she was conceived. So by the time she arrived it was impossible to imagine her with a different name, even though I had a long list!

For middle names, we both chose one each (dd has two), which were names we individually liked and had meaning to us.

I picked the first name of my favourite F1 driver and DH chose the second name to be his favourite F1 driver

They do go really nicely together and they’re not ‘out there’ names or anything.

We just spent hours and hours reading through lists of names and slowly creating our own list and then crossing ones off. We finally found two names that we love but it was pure luck that we happened upon them

@SmidgenofaPigeon

I picked the first name of my favourite F1 driver and DH chose the second name to be his favourite F1 driver

They do go really nicely together and they’re not ‘out there’ names or anything.

Aw Max was our 2nd choice for our youngest if I had a third now it would be Lando 😁

@WhensomeonementionsMN oh nice! I love Max. That was was definitely my second choice.

Actually there are a lot of good names in F1!

DS - I’d liked a name for years, but DH didn’t really like it. So we had a list of other names but nothing decided. Four weeks before the birth he had an about-turn on the one I loved and actually suggested it, I was thrilled. For the middle name it was one from his family but I love the name too so was really happy with it

DD - I found a name in a book about the 1930s. DH loved it too. Her name is my middle name.

^and her middle name is the same as my middle name, that should say

Middle names were always going to be family names, so it just depended on the order that flowed best from the first name.
We knew what sex from the 20 week scan from both dc.
Dd I always loved her name and dh liked it as soon as I suggested it, from right when we knew she was a girl. Nothing else came close. We did have a backup in case it didn’t suit when she was born, but it was perfect and still is. It was top 10 but I didn’t care, and I only know one other who is a few years older. I just really liked the name.
Ds was more of a struggle. I had a girl name but then we found he was a boy. Nothing seemed right. Then I had a dream when I was about 30 weeks where I was pushing a girl on a swing and calling to another child out of view… the name was the one we went with. I know it sounds a bit mad but I woke up that morning and said to dh, I had this dream and this was his name. Dh liked it too. Not something I had ever considered before, but it was spot on. I think it was also top 10 that year, but hey. I only know one a year below ds.
Both my kids love their names and have told me they don’t want a different one. So I think we did good. And neither of them are names that I think could be ridiculed in some way, which was my main worry.

Trust your instinct xxx

I had no idea at all until DS1 arrived, but knew within a few hours. DS2 got my favourite name as it suited him but not DS1. DS3 got a name which I loved but was a bit more unusual. It's got very popular now but I don't care as I got in early, DS3 is in his 20s. Luckily DH had no strong opinions and agreed with me every time.

Hi,

1st - husband liked a name and I liked it but wasn't overly fond at first. He suggested a middle name with it I really didn't like so think it just put me off the whole name. The other name we both liked we tried out a few times and decided it wasn't the one. Soon as baby was born I just blurted out the name my husband liked with a name I really liked and luckily it suited her and we both loved it and still love the name now.

2nd - we didn't really have any ideas and kept debating lots - the name we settled on at 20 weeks was one suggested by a family member and we loved and went well with other child's name. Middle name was after a relative.

The first time round, we liked two names and vaguely thought they would suit different hair colours. He didn't have much hair at all when he was born, and the name we decided suited him best was the one that theoretically didn't suit the hair he eventually grew, but it suited him well enough! The second time, we had agreed on one name without any problems and it's always seemed to suit him well. But I think it's true to some extent that any name you choose becomes just "their name," whatever qualities you used to associate with that name before your child had it.

All of my favourite names were turned down by DH. We brainstormed names. We both looked at name lists on the internet. We came up with a shortlist and ended up calling DD a name he likes and I’m indifferent to. Middle name I chose.

Try to choose it now before you have the baby. It’s better while you’re not sleep deprived!

We had actually decided on a completely different name. when DD arrived it just didn't feel right for her so we took a couple of days to see what suited her and went with a name that we'd actually both dismissed weeks previously, it just suits her so well.
Write a list of ones you both like and go from there, if you pick one you could change your mind once baby arrives.

I had a dream while I was pregnant that we had a little boy with the name we picked. It was the first name I mentioned to my OH that he actually liked. We already new we were having a boy just as well because picking a girls name seemed so much harder

Both were given a different name than the joint favourite. DS wasn't a Hugo and dd wasn't an Isabel or Imogen!

Sons name
First name - just a name I liked
Middle name - partners nans maiden name

Daughters name
First name - partner chose royal family members name
Middle name - a name we both agreed on that rolled nicely off the first name

Dc1: I was reading a book series to my class and a name just struck me as looking nice written down and sounding nice. It was only name we both liked so when we found out the sex DH walked out of the scan and said the name. It stuck and she definitely suits her name.

Dc2: I was reading a list of weirdest names you've heard of on Mumsnet and I just loved one of the names. To be fair it's not a weird name, it is 100% a legitimate name and it suits my child completely. We only had that one name in mind so was lucky he was the right sex.

Current pregnancy: another name I'd read on a thread on Mumsnet and just felt right. Suits the names of our other children as well as in keeping with our beliefs.

Children all have grandparent names as middle names

After the births of my two children I did have a slight worry that their names didn't suit them until my dh pointed out that all newborns look like ET so names don't suit them. I definitely agree that children grow into their names

I had a list of names I liked so did dh. We found common ground and compromised a bit.

Both wrote a short list

Each crossed off unacceptable names from the other persons list

Ranked the rest

Negotiated

Ultimately all three kids named were DHs favourites from my list

Middle name chosen first after a late parent. I had to ditch my long term favourites as they didn't work with last name /middle name. We used an app in the end for the first name where we each liked names and ended up with a shortlist. DD was born on bastille day so has the most French name from that. It's well known in the UK but not used much.