Turns out DH and I have no common ground in baby names!

[Inspirachion]

We are expecting our first child in July.

My faves are Iris or Meryl for a girl, Tate or Brett for a boy.

DH has suggested Darren for a boy or Hannah for a girl so as you can see we are poles apart.

How did you agree the name for your baby with your DP/DH?

I really feel for you, me and DH could not agree he hated all my favorites. In the end we had to go for names neither of us would have had as first choices and it took some time to find them.

We always have this issue. With DD he came around to my name choice for a girl, we were actually at the Doctors waiting to see the MW when the name i liked came up on the board and he then claimed it as his choice (rolls eyes)

With ds i vetoed his name 6 years ago if our dd was a boy. However 6 years later during this pg and i grew to adore it and he certainly couldn't be anything else.

We were still trying to battle out lists at 38-39 weeks (both times)

lol at Darren!! is he kidding!? People would laugh, and not kindly.

I love Meryl!

What you have to do is think of a really conventional name that he's heard of, such as Margaret and extract a quirkier nick name from it. Margot, Greta, Maggie. Elizabeth can be Eliza, Elsa. Eloise can be Lois. Katherine nn Katya. Would that work for you? having a classic name on the bc and using a nn day to day?

Hannah is ok but I prefer it without the H, just Anna. or Anya or Annie.

Tate and Brett wouldn't be my style either mind you. What about Saul? That's a good one syllable classic snappy-sounding bible name that might appeal to you both?

I feel your pain, I'm more biblical/royal - he'd trawl through the Hollyoaks cast.

Darren? Wtf?

I don't like your choice of boys' names either tbh, but both are preferable to Darren.

I love Hannah and it would be high on my list if I were to have another.

I like Iris and Hannah but not Tate or Brett so your name preferences are not so clear cut.

Not even going to mention Darren. Is he having you on?

He seems to go for the more um traditional names, and Iris and Meryl are not really modern either so perhaps you can find some common ground there.

What about Nathaniel, or Nathan with nickname Nate?

I like your girls names but your boys name seem totally different style to me!
Like Hannah but Darren is as well

DH and I didnt agree at all. I like unusual and probably a little chavvy names (according to MN!) and DH likes things like Damian and Philip!
We just kept at it until we got to one we both liked! With DS1 we found his name and it felt right straight away. A good middle ground.
With DS2 we went for a very traditional name (ideal for DH) but with a nickname that suits my taste totally and compromised that way.

Thanks all.

MaggieMaeve I love your suggestion about the traditional with a more modern nn esp Eloise and Lois, Katherine and Katya. Will see if that helps with DH. Also MmeLindt suggestion of Nathaniel and nn Nate.

Hope we can find out the sex at the next scan to reduce the work and confusion by 50%!

Lol skihorse I see your plight!

Darren, without all the negtive connotation, is a nice name in itself. I love Hannah too and Meryl is perfect - unusual but because of Meryl Streep everyone knows how to say and spell it.

Oh dear. I'm sorry but Tate, Brett and Darren are all pretty dreadful.

I think all baby names are compromises. DD1 ended up with a name that neither dp nor I 'loved' but both thought was okay - and it really suits her. DD2 hadn't got a name until I was in the birthing pool, at which point I surrended to the name dp liked (I wanted Harriet).

You've got bags of time - and many, many conversations to come, before you need to decide - so don't panic!

Nate instead of Tate is a massive improvement!

it was very hard to name my children too, so I know what it's like to just reach a total 'impasse' (is that the right word?)

take a break from discussing it with him until after the 20 wk scan. The 20 wk scan is usually at 21 wks

I think brett and darren are vv similar

saying that, DH and I were like this - he liked Meg, Ruth I liked Persephone and Cecily. That's different!

DD is 6 and has a Brett in her class (twin with Melissa). The family are for want of a better word, rather loud and foul mouthed. All we ever here in our tiny village is Breeeeeeeeeetttttttttttttt, YOU LITTLE S*D, don't drop your bag in the mud, Breeeeeetttttttt don't run across the road without looking This really puts me off the name as in my hometime the Brett their was very much the same.

And i am not sure about Tate either, but then my DS is Gabriel and that seems a shock when people ask 'awww what is he called'

Darren is not my cup of tea, very bland and i just think of eastenders.

I think you have more in common than you think. Darren and Brett are names very much in the same style and era, and I agree with Janeite, pretty dreadful.

Iris and Hannah are lovely (could be sisters?).

You have a few months, it is good advice to take a break from discussing names. I'm sure you'll eventually agree on a name you both love. Please let it not be Tate...

Good luck.

Agree with others that Tate, Brett and Darren are all equally dreadful and all on a similar socio-cultural register. Don't do this to your DS.

Iris and Hannah are both reasonable, if not particular favourites of mine. Meryl is odd.

lol will have to come back for more help after the 20 weeks scan then - especially if its a boy as by the sound of it we are doing worse with our boys choices!

Merrill is a boys name too, like Merrill Osmond!

I think you both need to come up with longer lists, then you might find some common ground.