We are 10 weeks or less away from meeting our baby girl. Looking at the names on our short list, sometimes I wonder if I have naming fatigue. DH is uber picky on names. On our short list there are a couple of names that are definitely names he favored. They’re not names I don’t like, but I have a hard time considering how I feel about them. DH thinks if I don’t love them I should veto them. It’s not that I don’t like them I just find it hard to even decide how I feel about them. Has anyone been in this position and did you actually use a name that you might have been unsure on your feelings?
Also, thoughts on [name_u]River[/name_u] for a girl? I typically try to avoid unisex names at all cost. I vetoed both [name_u]Blair[/name_u] and [name_u]Addison[/name_u] for those reasons. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a nature name so it sounds like it doesn’t truly belong to boys or girls even if it started with boys, and it’s currently used pretty evenly for boys and girls. DH loves it but it very hesitant to use it because he feels like it will be poorly received by others. Also, we have a son named [name_u]Riley[/name_u] so I do wonder if it’s too similar, starting with the same sound.
The position of feeling hopeless and unsure with names is so easy to have when your later ahead in the pregnancy and still no name! [name_f]My[/name_f] brother was hesitant about names a week before his daughter was do! I think it’s fine not knowing until you find the perfect name! [name_u]River[/name_u] is beautiful name and while I like it better on a boy I can see it on a little girl and still think it’s darling on both! [name_u]Riley[/name_u] and [name_u]River[/name_u] while have the Ri- have different ending so it’ll work, though I be wary if you have another child you might feel pressured to keep the R theme!
I agree with your husband to an extent. There is a point at which a bit of compromise may be necessary if you both jidt can’t get behind each other’s choices, but otherwise veto the ones you don’t feel enthusiastic about.
Also, just take a break from names for a minute. If right now you just aren’t feeling much from any of your list, that’s definiteky mental fatigue. Steo away from names for a few days, maybe even a week. Delve into some other interests. Catch up on some reading or other leisure activities. Then come back to the list with fresh eyes.
As for River. Do you like it? Because if you do, does it really matter if it’s gender neutral? I agree some “neutral” names I don’t love- either because they’re modern invented names, surnames, or just traditionally masculine names that have become trendy for girls. None of which are my thing. But nature names feel, well, more naturally neutral, and usually very appealing. River is nice! It is a bit similar to Riley/ kinda matchy and that is worth taking into account, but not unusable.
River is a lovely name, I prefer it on boys to be honest but it’s not bad on a girl. I do think it’s too similar to [name_u]Riley[/name_u] though so that would definitely put me off
TBH if I heard a sibset named [name_u]Riley[/name_u] and [name_u]River[/name_u], I would assume [name_u]Riley[/name_u] was the girl and [name_u]River[/name_u] was the boy. If you love it, I would still go for it, but it sounds like you have a lot of hesitation with it. I agree with PP that you should choose a name you love!
I think people (especially name nerds) put a lot of pressure on themselves to find a name for their kid and if light doesn’t shine down from above and bluebirds sing every time they say a name, they think they’ve failed and need to keep looking. It’s a bit of an impossible standard to meet. If your spouse loves a name and you like it (and don’t have any others that you love that you can both agree on) then that’s fine. You’re probably not going to be head over heels in love with all of your kids’ names and that’s okay. In real life, I know a ton of people whose kids ended up with the one name they could both agree on. Others who got to use the name they loved with their first kid, so their spouse got final say on the second kid.
I would say that if it’s stressing you out then yes, take a break for awhile from thinking about names. You could also just go to the hospital with a short list and decide once your daughter’s born.
As for the name [name_u]River[/name_u], I agree with @sunflowerbelle that if I heard [name_u]Riley[/name_u] and [name_u]River[/name_u] together, I would assume that [name_u]Riley[/name_u] was the girl so maybe avoid [name_u]River[/name_u] just because of that?
Oh that definitely wouldn’t be an issue. We have two other children already - [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] and [name_f]Phoebe[/name_f]. The plan is for this one to be the end of the road.
This is so true. I think for people that spend time scouring websites and forums and getting feedback on the names and how they sound, and a lot of the world just isn’t like that. I know a woman that is pregnant and already announced the name of her fourth child and three out of her four kids have names with the same suffix and one does not and it just boggles my mind, but I think a lot of people just go with what they like and don’t think about “rules” like sibsets, first initials, number of syllables etc.
