Research shows that four in 10 dads don’t even get a look in when choosing the baby’s Christian name as they are often forced to back down in the name game and let mum have her own way.
The study of 3,000 parents, conducted by Bounty Parenting Club, also revealed a third of couples fall out in a big way over one of the most important decisions they’ll ever make. It also emerged the average couple seriously considers 12 names before selecting their favourite but one in four of couples don’t make their final decision until AFTER the baby is born.
Faye Mingo, spokeswoman for www.bounty.com said: “The name game is a debate which often lasts the whole nine months of the pregnancy and causes the most upsets as couples fail to agree on the best name for their new born. “It’s understandably one of the hardest decisions mum and dad will ever have to make – largely because we do judge a person by their name before we’ve even got to know them.
As well as finding a name both partners like there are still loads of other factors parents have to take into consideration when choosing a name – like nicknames, what they will be called in the playground, how the Christian name will sound against their surname, and so on. All things considered it’s unsurprising that something as important as choosing a name leads to a lot of heated discussion!”
The poll reveals 15 per cent of couples argue every single day of the nine month pregnancy about what to call their tot. And for these indecisive new mums and dads, the new arrival remains nameless for an average of 11 days.
Seven in 10 new parents struggled to choose their baby’s name because they wanted to select something which didn’t clash with their surname. The same percentage wanted to avoid bad nicknames, and 42 per cent didn’t want any name associated with a celebrity.
A third of parents wanted their new baby to have a really original moniker, while 21 per cent didn’t want the name to be shortened or changed at all. Incredibly, one in 10 parents ended up drawing names out of a hat, and a further 14 per cent tossed a coin as a final decider.
Interestingly, a quarter of men and women are just as likely to consult their work colleagues about baby names as their partners. And when it comes to the final decision, a fifth of new parents named the baby after their favourite colleague or friend, while 37 per cent included a family name.
Four in 10 Brits took into account names approved by the grandparents, and 52 per cent avoided names of all friends and their children.
Faye Mingo continues: “There are often so many more people involved in the name game than just mum and dad. In fact, if mum and dad are the only ones involved they are lucky – as most couples have input from friends, family members, work colleagues and even strangers in the hospital waiting room!
Quite a large percentage of our respondents – a quarter – actually settle on the name they have wanted to call their baby since they were children. But 16 per cent of others are so indecisive they even change the name of the baby a few days after naming it – showing even if you have managed to agree on a name you may not feel it suits your child in the end.”
But the good news is that nine out of 10 parents now love the name of their child – the bad news is that the name game can cause major arguments between both partners and friends.
21 per cent of people who had their hearts set on a particular name since they were little fell out with a partner who didn’t like the same name. 15 per cent of mums have fallen out with a friend after they copied or stole a name they liked, and another 15 per cent admit the fall out was because they chose their friend’s favourite name.
Incredibly 17 per cent of couples fell out after choosing the baby’s name, only for one of them to go and register a different name. And another 17 per cent of mums and dads agreed on a name, but one of them misspelt it on the birth register.
