'I Promised My Wife She Could Pick Our Baby's Name ... And I HATE It!'

A first-time-dad says he regrets telling his wife she could choose the name of their first child, saying there’s ‘no way in hell’ he’s allowing the ‘outrageous’ name she’s chosen.

The 35-year-old dad-to-be says his 32-year-old wife is due in just two weeks, and he’s ‘beyond excited’ that he’s going to be a dad.

“Yesterday, we were in bed together, talking about our baby,” he explained on reddit. “All of a sudden she jumps up excited with a huge smile on her face. She told me to stay on the bed because she had a surprise for me.

“She went into our closet and grabbed a box. It was decorated with ribbons and bows so I assumed it was a gift for me. She handed it to me with the same big grin on her face. It was obvious she was excited to see me reaction. I asked her what it was but she just kept on saying “open it open it!”

“I opened it and inside was a blue onesie with the name ‘Bartholomew’ in cursive stitched on the middle. Now, I had agreed that I’d let my wife name the baby since she was the one giving birth and I felt as if it would be something really special for her so I trusted she’d name my son something at least normal.

“I asked her what it meant and she said ‘Surprise!! That’s going to be his name’. She sounded so happy and enthusiastic so I knew she was serious.”

The father-to-be says he couldn’t contain his feelings.

“I busted out laughing to the point of tears. I honestly could not believe she was going to name our son that. What the hell kind of name is ‘Bartholomew’?

“She got really silent and started tearing up. When I noticed this, I sat up and stopped laughing. She snatched the box off me and stomped back to the closet. I asked her if she was serious and she said yes. Apparently she’s decided to name our son after her grandfather who she was very close with before he died.

“I told her that she should think about this because it’s an ‘outdated’ name. She started yelling at me saying I was judging my son before he even came out the womb. She stormed out and is now staying at her mum’s. I honestly can’t believe she’s serious.

“Her dad called me yelling at me because apparently she’s told on me. I’ve been called immature and a joke so far. I’ll probably just apologise but there is no way in hell I’m calling my son by that outrageous name. I’m currently thinking of a nickname to call him, any ideas? Am I the a**hole?”

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38 Comments

- - mom443421 said
  - 09 Nov 2023
    11:53 am
I feel like it should be a joint decision – and if you are going to let your spouse pick the name, they should run it past you first?

- - ~Loui~ said
  - 31 Jul 2023
    10:37 pm
Batholomew is kind of a cool name. These two need to work this out before the baby arrives. Hopefully they can find a name that they both like.

- - mom160270 said
  - 21 Mar 2023
    8:49 pm
Naming a child should always be a joint decision. My husband and I discounted dozens of names before we agreed on one.

- - MummaD said
  - 21 Mar 2023
    12:45 pm
Usually both parents agree on a name and as he said she has full naming rights its tough. Hopefully she will agree to Bart and that’s a better compromise?

- - Mumof4 said
  - 20 Mar 2023
    9:08 pm
Lol your fault for giving her full naming rights.

- - Lovesthecuddles said
  - 20 Mar 2023
    8:06 pm
If you cared about the name you wouldn’t give her the full decision alone.

- - BellaB said
  - 20 Mar 2023
    6:46 pm
Okay, NEVER a good idea to just sweepingly give one parent permission to name a child. They both need to like it. I’m not fond of this one, but it’s not weird either. He either sucks it up or negotiates for it to be a second name.

- - mom492578 said
  - 20 Mar 2023
    5:25 pm
Probably shouldn’t have told her she could name it if you wanted a say…. definitely something that needs to be discussed. Good luck…. you could nickname him B?

- - Ellen said
  - 20 Mar 2023
    10:40 am
I shouldn’t have make a promise he can’t keep, both parents should agree with the name

- - rovermum said
  - 20 Mar 2023
    9:41 am
Oh my. Communication is key. His reaction was terrible, considering he’d allowed her to choose the name and the link it had to her Grandfather. However, it should always be a discussion on something so important for them both. A baby’s first name is for life.
- mom93821 replied
  
  20 Mar 2023 , 6:39 pm
  Definitely need to work on respectful communication in this situation.
- - welshmummy said
  - 19 Mar 2023
    7:59 pm
He shouldn’t of laughed at her suggestion but I feel he should apologize for ridiculing her name choice especially as she was naming the children after her late grandfather and I’ve heard worse names for kids than this.

- - mom489365 said
  - 19 Mar 2023
    5:14 pm
A name is a joint decision unless you’re doing it alone. Poor guy, that name is not a good one.

- - tessie said
  - 19 Mar 2023
    1:26 pm
The first thing I thought of was Bart from the Simpsons. Why not give him Bartholomew as his middle name? You both need to like the name chosen for your son. It was wrong of you to laugh at her though and tell her it was an outdated name. I take no notice of “fashionable or up to date” names. It just needs to be a name that suits your son and you both agree on.

- - Lace89 said
  - 18 Mar 2023
    11:54 pm
Hmm tricky one, I think both parents should agree on a name to be honest

- - mom489452 said
  - 18 Mar 2023
    3:46 pm
Great name I wonder how many Black eyes this kid will get in the years to come its about time you thought of the child not you .Start a fund for the fight training he will need or the medical car. Change your wife’s name to slapme and see how she goes.

- - KateW said
  - 18 Mar 2023
    3:12 pm
In this guys case, he can’t have it both ways. And as far as names goes, Bartholemew is a good one.

- - RA1234756 said
  - 18 Mar 2023
    2:11 pm
Well… you shouldnt have said she could choose with no caveats!

- - Coast477127 said
  - 18 Mar 2023
    2:07 pm
They both ought to contribute and agree on a name. If she really is counting on Bartholomew, maybe as a middle name?

- - mom486197 said
  - 18 Mar 2023
    11:45 am
Awkward situation to be in, I probably would not have said they she could pick the name. Maybe a nick name can be used?

- - cassy26 said
  - 18 Mar 2023
    10:37 am
You probably shouldn’t have told her she could choose without restriction. A name really needs to be liked by both parents.