I don’t like a single boy’s baby name - do I just go with DH’s favourite?

[CreamC]

I am a week away from my due date and I’m getting concerned that there’s no boys’ name that I truly love. I could come up with a shortlist of say 5-8, but I’d be about 50-70% on them. I’ve done all the apps, I’ve scoured the top 1,000 names lists, I’ve even bought a book. I just think boys’ names are all a bit meh!

DH has one name he absolutely loves. To the exclusion of all others. It would be on my shortlist but if I’m honest I’m not totally in love with it.

Do I just acquiesce and go with that?

Yes, 21 weeks with a much wanted miracle baby boy and we’re both meh about boys names. The choices are far fewer and loads of names are really dull or overused. No advice, maybe wait until you meet him?

I feel the same about boys names. Unfortunately husband is less than helpful and just laughs we might have to go with a really left field name his dad suggested!

I have a list of 4/5 we both quite like, but non seem to be ‘the one’.

our first was a girl and I’d happily have called her 4/5 different names, I had to decide which I loved the most!

As we did not know what we were having (only that it was a human, not the puppy I wanted 🤣) we agreed that I would get the girls name I wanted and DH would get the boys.

He won. The PP is right whatever the name the child grows into it. DS didn't look like his name, he looked like an angry potato.

That being said he is universally known by the NN my Dsis bestowed on him on his first day. He does look exactly like his real name at 18 though.

Babies don’t look like a particular name or all babies of the same name would look the same!
Their names grows on them - if your DH has a particular favourite and you don’t, go with his choice of name.

Angry potato 😂😂😂 that’s quite true.

What girls names do you love?

I agree with all of this!!!

OP one person being 100% on a name and the other being 70% on it is fairly high, I'd go with it. Call him that in your head for the next day or 2 and see how you feel.

I agree with this! 100% and 70% is pretty good! I struggled with names for my son particularly, as we were limited in that it had to work in two languages. I wanted to call him James but it doesn’t work in his other culture, and I didn’t like any alternative as much. I don’t think I loved any of the options but liked two or three. We chose one of those - and now I can’t imagine him being called anything else. My daughter was nameless for several weeks, so I don’t agree that meeting the baby actually helps very much either… 😂

Hold the 100% / 70% name in your back pocket. As others have said - those are pretty good odds. But don't commit (ie start telling friends and family) until you have met the baby.

With one of ours, the moment I saw the baby I chucked out the whole shortlist and called the baby a name that hadn't even featured on any of our long lists. It was just the right name!

If he loves it and you like it enough for it to be on your shortlist, then in the absence of any name toy truly love then yes I would.

Baby will become his name and then you'll most likely learn to love it as its his and you love him

Thank you all for your advice, we have been going through a baby name book again together this evening and have got more of a long list together. They’re all a bit different 😂

Benjamin
Arthur
Joshua
Stanley
Ralph

I think we’re just going to have to wait to see what he looks like! 😁

I couldn't think of any girl names to be honest. They were all too loaded or used by people it would have been weird to name mine by.

I think wait and see what feels right when he arrives.

I love Ralph and Arthur from your list. Not keen on Joshua.

Of them all, Joshua only just scraped on! 😅

Benjamin is such a classic, and hardly used these days. Love it!

I'd go with it if your husband is 100%.

I was like you but with girls names. My daughter is now 8 and I still don't know what I want to call her!

Oh I love Benjamin!

I think the fact your husbus so keen means it's a strong contender. I'd be gutted if I had my heart set on a name and we ended going with something mydh didn't feel anywhere near as strongly about.

I liked Benjamin too, but in all honesty does anyone actually know anyone they'd call Benjamin day to day? It's such a mouthful everyone I've known has become Ben. I don't think you'd be able to stop it. Ben is fine but realistically that's going to be his name once he's at nursery or school.

I think yes you should accept the name your DH loves and you are OK with. All the names on your list are nice.

I pretty much chose our son's name, so when our daughter was born I went along with his choice, which I was maybe 80% on and had girls names I liked better. It's grown on me over the years, and it suits her better than my choices would have done. If he loves it and you don't actively mind it, that might be as good as it gets

Love Benjamin! In fact, I like all of the names on your list with the exception of Arthur, which I irrationally really dislike.

Babies absolutely do look like a name. A teeny Magnus isn't ideal. Or a scrawny Axel. The more traditional boys names can go to anyone. I think Benjamin is lovely. Benji or Ben as a nickname is gorgeous.

So long as you like the sound of it too (even if you don’t love it), then if it’s not a name that’s going to cause DS any issues in life (teasing due to a pop culture reference or sound, too dated, common spelling or pronunciation issues), then I say it’s fine to go with DH’s favourite. Maybe you could even look at it as a blessing that you don’t especially love any name, as it means no fighting over who gets their first choice!

I can’t see any issues with your name list - not all are to my taste (my fave would probably have to be Benjamin as I like very classic names rather than more trendy ones) but none are exactly uncommon these days or tease worthy.

Our rule for names was with that name surname could they plausibly be a rock star or an accountant?