My husband wants to name our baby after him!!!!!?

Question

I am 5 mo + preg. with our first baby! His name is Jimmy and the name Jimmy/James has been documented in his family history since the 1800's. He wants the first name to be Jimmy like his and won't consider anything else. It feels so wierd referring to by baby as Jimmy. I don't know how to get him to consider using a different first name. I have put name books by the toilet, written out lists of names I like and he says no to all of them. I feel the baby should have his own name and we can use Jimmy or James as a middle name. I love him and would be fine I guess with naming it Jimmy as well but, it doesn't feel right when I say it at all. I don't want to sound selfish but, I don't like it at all. I haven't had the heart to tell him no and I am not sure if I will. Has anyone else named their child the same name as their husband? Does it grow on you? ty for advice.

Answer 1

It gets really confusing in our family...my grandfathers name is Ronald and my grandmothers name is Catherine their first born son is named Ronald and his wife is named Cathee. My uncle Raymond's first son was named Raymond after him. My aunt named her son Regis after her brother (my uncle). There are three Michael's (my husband being one of them) and two Gina's (my mom being one of them). So if we are ever refering to someone we always have to say or ask if they mean Big so-and-so or Little so-and-so.

So to make it a little easier there are 2 Ron's, 2 Cathee's, 2 Ray's, 2 Rege's, 2 Gina's and 3 Mike's. Pretty confusing huh.

Stand your ground, let your son stand out and have his own identity.

Why is it when we have daughters that they are never named after their mothers, especially when thier name will change with marriage, when a man's never does, so he is always carrying the family name no matter what.

I think men even have an ego when it comes to thier children.....as if they want to make a carbon copy of themselves.

Show this to your husband and then maybe he will understand more. I believe that it is your choice as to what name goes on the birth certificate, so tell him that you two can either agree on something, or that when the time comes you will name the baby as you see fit. Just maybe put it in a nicer context at first, then give him and ulitmatum if necessary.

Answer 2

I just went through the same problem. I had to name my son the 3rd. I didn't realize how much I hated it until my son was born and people would ask what his name was and I was told that I made a face as I said my son's name. I realized I did this all the time and I told my husband how unhappy I was with the whole thing and he said I should have discussed this with him before the birth. Now my son is 6 months old and we call him baby John right now but we are still playing with names like JJ or JT so that when he is a little bigger I can call him that instead. I guess my advice is to talk to your husband about how you feel and now that I have I realize my husbands side of it too. It turns out that my husbands family see this as a way of showing their respect and honor to their father and my husband hopes his son would do this as well. All I can say now is just because you name him that doesn't mean you have to call him by that name. You can give him a nickname so that he has his own identity.

Answer 3

You should have at least as much say about the baby's name as your husband does. Naming children after oneself is not only egotistical but boring and confusing, as there will be two people with the same name in the house. Since there are thousands of fine names out there for your baby, why should he be a "Jimmy"? Your husband needs to get over this idea that somehow the baby is a "mini-me" of him, because the child deserves to be an independent person able to feel that way with his own name!

Answer 4

the name of the baby is not the problem, it's your lack of communication with your husband. He may be willing to change the name of the baby to something you Both agree upon, but you have to discuss your apprehension to naming him James with your husband first. Leaving books around as a "hint" wont work, he has already settled on a name so he wont have the desire to look for an alternate one.

As for the other part of the issue, naming your child after yourself is not weird or unusual, people do this all the time and it is a pretty good tradition. A good example of this is Casper van Dein, in his family. all first born males are named Casper ... or how about Geroge Froman, all his kids are named George ...

Bottom line, talk open and honestly to your husband, if you cant do that than you have other issues.

Answer 5

Well, at least James isn't some God-awful name. However, my husband is named after his father, and it's a real pain in the butt. His father's stuff shows up on our credit reports, we get calls, mail, etc. Also, when we were dating, I sent him something X-rated via mail order. His father opened it. It was embarrassing. If he insists, I would name him Jimmy but call him by his middle name. If he insists on the first name, you should insist on the middle name. My husband wanted me to name a girl and him to name a boy. I wouldn't agree to it because I don't think it's fair for either person to have to live with a name that they just don't like. We found it difficult to agree on any names that we both LOVED, so we ended up with average names that we could both live with. In time, though, the kids become their names, and you can't imagine them being anything else.

Answer 6

Personally...I would not name my child after my husband.. no child these days wants to be named JUNIOR.... Jimmy Junior? nahh.... look, its your child too... you are the one that carried this boy for 9 months, went through the pain of labor, and morning sickness!! You have a right too... like you said name him his OWN name an give jimmy or james as the middle name. Besides, Jimmy/James is a little outdated. By the time he goes to middle school it will be an old name like "George", "Bernice"... etc.! anyways good luck

Answer 7

Well just be as stubborn as he is being... and refuse to name your son Jimmy. There is nothing he can do about it. I think using Jimmy or James as a middle name was a great suggestion for compromise on your part.
A lot of men want their little boys that have their same name.. There must be something appealing about "Jr.'s" to men that women just don't get.. you want your son to have his own original name, something that was picked special just for him.. What is not to understand about that?
Just refuse to do it.. and demand that he compromise, after all you do have the final say..

Good luck.

Answer 8

I personally don't care for that, and would prefer not to name a son after his father. I agree that I would maybe use his first name for a middle name for our son, but I feel that there is no need for a "Jr", especially since the child will already be carrying on the family name. But, I know several people who HAVE done that, and I don't criticize it or think anything of it. I like the idea of a new name, not one that's already used in the family.

I have no idea how you should try to convince him of changing his mind - I've never been good at that, and now you've given me a new topic to discuss should I find myself with a future husband! lol I have a brother who is named after my father, I've gotten used to his nickname, but in school he is known better by his given name. But I agree that two men with the same name in the same house is always a little confusing...

Answer 9

I had the same problem except that it was his grandfathers name, and I just kept suggesting that we should use the name as his middle name. I was not going to name my son
Zealous James, And so then he decided to just use James because it has been used in his family for years, but finally he agreed to it being used as a middle name. Well I hope the best of luck.

Answer 10

Thor is a time honored name, although, you may condemn him to a life of Body Building. LOL, just saying. How about Antonio? Anthony (or Tony) seems to be the name for a very masculine sexy male sought by females throughout the Ages. Can't get much better than that. And, it keeps true to the Italian. Good Luck and Have Fun.