Leslie Fiedler - My husband and I disagree on baby names?

My husband and I disagree on baby names?

Ok, we're planning on having a child, but the problem is, we have exactly the opposite taste in baby names. He prefers the simple, boring names (ie, John, Jessica -sorry if this offends anyone :-) ) and ever since I was young, I always wanted to name my children Gaelic names (Saoirse for a girl (pronounced SEER-sha), or Niamh (NEEV), etc ) but he is absolutely refusing to budge. What would you all suggest? Thanks all for the advice, but to those who think I'm trying to be UNIQUE and different, just get over yourselves ok? My family is Scottish and this is a way to preserve my heritage. In addition, we live in a VERY multicultural city - Toronto, where there are people of all different backgrounds, sometimes with VERY different names. Somehow I see a hard time imagining that a Saoirse would get picked on while a Sundeep is left alone. Besides, I could name her something common as Jill, and kids could think of ANYTHING to make fun of that. I think a name is a gift, and I'm not going to make my choices SOLELY on what will and will not get made fun of.

Public Comments

There are a few strategies to this: 1) Dad names the boy, Mom names the girl 2) coin flip 3) compromise - not too boring, but not THAT unusual that no one can pronounce/spell it 4) use one for first name, and the other for middle name (use rule 1-3 for the order) 5) write down pros & cons for each name (not just because I like it)
quit thinking of being sooo unique...think of the kid and how much torture he/she will endure with your crazy-a$$ names. sound like pops is the one with all the sense in that family
try compromising. No offense, but the names you have in mind, might be hard for others to pronounce... Try a normal one that sounds unique, if you know what I mean...
when my middle son was born we could not decide what to name him my husband had a list of names and i had a list of names when my son was coming out i gave both lists to my lil sister told her to pick 1 name off each list put them together and they would be his first and middle names
roe-sham-bow. it is fair or if you are planning to have another, let him win this won, but make him promise you get to choose the next one. or you could have the name you like as the first name and his as the middle, and when the child is older, let them decide which name they would rather go with. hope i helped
what i think is ya'll pick a name that ya'll both and ya'll agree on it
I think the one who does the most work growing the baby should pick the name. He can pick the middle name.
Lucky for you they ask the mother what name to put on the birth certificate.
Wolfkin obviously has no clue about heritage or celtic names. But don't worry, his name is probably James or something. Me and my husband had the same issue. He liked the more common names and my family was all irish/celtic. He respected that, and we tried to find irish/celtic names that he could tolerate, and then he picked the middle name. I am pregnant with our first girl, and we are having a heck of a time! The two boys were finally agreed to as Aiden and Quinn. Sometimes people will not understand it or even say they don't like them, but personally that's just rude. Maybe i thnk John, Joe, Heather, and Jane are horrible, but i wouldn't say that to someone I knew. So, try to find something you guys can agree on, and let him know why it is important to you....or always flip a coin!!! Good luck!
I think that maybe a compromise might be the best solution. There are many semi- traditional names that have a basis in the Gaelic language. For example, "Kaitlyn," which is actually a diminuative of "Catherine," definatley a traditional name. There are other names that aren't exactly traditional per se, but are considered normal, like Owen (Gaelic is spelled Eoin) ir Graham (spelled Graeme). Maybe you and your husband should just sit down and have a talk about this, without arguing. Perhaps he has a specific reason that he wants a traditional name, or doesn't want a Gaelic name. I, myself, like Gaelic names. However, I do have a cousin Niamh, who has gone through a lot of grief in school because it's so hard to pronounce. Good luck!
May I suggest using both your choices in names. Using his choice for the first or middle name and yours for the opposite. Gaelic names are great! Being unique is not unusual these days. My youngest daughter has an uncommom Irish name but it seems to fit her perfectly. I honestly like your choices of Gaelic names. A friend of a friend of mine is named Saoirse. My fiance wants to use ancient Greek type names if we have a child and I agreed as long as it matched their numerology and Zodiac sign.
I think that you will figure it out when you're actually going to have a child. I gather from the first sentence that you're not pregnant just planning on having a child one day. When the time comes to actually name your child you'll find a way to compromise. Don't worry yourself too much yet honey. Also...Try and find a name that you like for it's Gaelic roots and one that isn't going to get your kid's ass kicked from 2nd grade up. Plus...Keep in mind, that he/she has to try and learn to spell/write his/her name starting at age 5...don't make it too hard on them.
Compromise, he can pick the first name then you can pick the middle name.
Being Celtic myself, I can certainly understand the allure of those names. However, where will you be raising the child, or more to the point, where will the child be going to school? Children are amazingly creative at turning novelty into nastiness. Names are prime candidates for childish tinkering. If you're bringing the kids up in the U.S. I would suggest that you have them use John/Jessica type names, at least in school. However, at home, you can certainly call them more meaningful names (to you) - but those names should have meaning to both you and your husband. Think of them as nicknames. Indeed, many older societies have ancient traditions with special names which are considered private to the family and have more power to a person than their standard name. Those names would NEVER appear in an official document, however, with perhaps the exception of a death notice. Do not abuse the power of your traditions - embrace it!
come up with a list both of you and try to come up to a consensus. maybe the first name he can do and you have a Gaelic name for the middle name
I absolutly love scottish names. Why don't you search for scottish names and try to agree on one. There are some scottish names out there that arn't as unique. Good luck
I feel like men should name their sons and women their daughters. Comprimise is alway best. Make the name mean something, either honoring ancestors or an new name that will bring Light to the future. My son's name is Erif, mostly from me, but his mom had the final say to any of my suggestions.