Baby Name Dilemmas - Name Carefully

What if there is a pet with the same name we wanted to name our baby.

Unless the name is Fido or Spot – we wouldn’t worry much about it. We had a dog name Jordan (after Michael Jordan), and I’ve met many other people named Jordan. It is inevitable that someone, somewhere named a dog, cat, fish or rabbit the same name you are considering for your baby. If you love the name – don’t look back.

I have a friend/family member who is considering the name I wanted for my baby.

There are a few things you can do. If the person is going to move forward with the name, you may need to choose a new one (or try talking with them). Or you can find the meaning of the name, and see if a different name with the same meaning is appealing to you.

For you parents that have yet to choose a name for your baby – you should learn from this lesson. You may want to keep you favorite names secret – or only share with people that 1) aren’t going to have kids anytime soon or 2) you can definitely trust. Well-liked and/or unique names can become very popular, very quickly.

I love the name – but others do not.

Two points on this.

1. If the opinions of these people mean something to you, it is up to you and your partner whether or not you let other people’s opinions change your mind. If their points are valid – it may be worth listening to the person. See ‘Selecting a Name’
2. You will always be able to find someone that isn’t crazy about the name you’ve chosen for your baby. If you are happy with your choice – then tune the person out. If that doesn’t work, tell them thanks for sharing their opinion with you, and name your baby what you wanted to anyway.

I like one baby name – my partner likes a different name.

There are several things you can do to compromise.

• One of you pick the first name, the other can select the middle name – or a nick-name for the baby.
• Each of you can select a few names you each like, and see if one of those baby names makes you both happy.
• If you are planning on having multiple children, you can take turns selecting the baby’s name. You can pick the name for the first child, and your partner can pick the name of the next baby. Be aware – if you decide to do it this way, one of you may not be happy when it comes to the next baby’s name.
• Dart board – Put the different baby names on a dart board (or something similar), and throw away! If that doesn’t work, try the ‘flip-a-coin’ method.

My partner wants to name the baby after a family member – but I really don’t care for the name (or the family member).

Honesty is typically the best policy in most cases. If you are not thrilled with the name your partner has chosen for the baby, see article ‘I like one baby name – my partner likes a different name’. There are ideas here that will help.

One suggestion: It would probably be best if you didn’t tell your partner that “You don’t like the name they have chosen”. It will be easier if you just say, let’s consider that name, and come up with some alternatives as well. Or, if your partner is insistent on that particular name, you may want to use it as the baby’s middle name.