Many people dream of the names they will give their children long before becoming a parent is even close to being a reality.
Most of the time, inspiration for these names might be in tribute to someone who meant a great deal to them.
Of course, people who know what they want their children’s names to be often forget that their spouse or co-parent might not be as fond of their chosen names.
Sometimes they may even be actively against it.
Redditor throwaway_4444444567 and his wife were looking forward to welcoming their first child.
The original poster (OP)’s wife was dead set on what their child’s name should be.
Unfortunately, the OP was not on board with this name at all.
Specifically owing to this particular name’s connotation.
Wondering if it would be wrong to address his concerns to his pregnant wife, the OP took to the subReddit “Would I Be The A**hole” (WIBTA), where he asked fellow Redditors:
“WIBTA for refusing to name my child after my wife’s deceased dog?”
The OP explained why he was so vehemently against the name his wife wanted to give their child:
“I, 31 M[ale], am expecting my first kid with my wife of 2 years, 26 F[emale].”
“We have been together for 3.5 years.”
“We met at a bar and instantly clicked.”
“She has always wanted to be a mom and considers herself a ‘maternal’ person.”
“She is 6 months pregnant, and it has been an easy pregnancy.”
“We both have relatively established jobs and make well above our means.”
“We both have debt remaining from school, but we make our payments on time, etc.”
“All of this is to say that our relationship is stable and develope,d and there aren’t really any external problems.”
“Our families love each other, we have friends separate from each other, and everything is healthy.”
“We have one problem, though.”
“She is absolutely dead set on naming our kid after her deceased dog from when she was a child.”
“I honestly think this is really strange.”
“We are having a girl, and the name isn’t a ‘human’ name (in my opinion).”
“I don’t want to say exactly what it is, but it’s pretty similar to Lucky.”
“I feel uncomfortable about naming our daughter a dog name.”
“I don’t think that dogs’ lives are less valuable than human lives; however, our daughter is going to have a life beyond us.”
“I would be weirded out if I were named after a dog.”
“I don’t know how to approach this subject with my wife because she has wanted to name her future child after her childhood dog since she was a teenager.”
“I don’t want a blow-up fight over this, but I feel like this will affect our future child in the long term.”
“WIBTA if I refused to name our kid after her dog?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
The Reddit community was in agreement that the OP would not be the a**hole for refusing to name his child after his wife’s childhood dog.
Everyone agreed that the OP and his wife needed to be in 100% agreement on what their child’s name was, with others agreeing that giving a child a name that sounded like a pet, but not a child, was bound to subject their child to bullying and embarrassment:
“NTA.”
“Names are always 2 yes, 1 no.”
“If you say no that should be it.”
“That’s so weird though, and I agree with you, I’d feel weird if I knew I was named after a dog.”-WickedAngelLove
“NTA.”
“But, maybe it’s not bad enough to not be a middle name?”- Comfortable_Stop_717
“NTA.”
“But people really need to start having this conversation before kids are involved.”-Queen_Sized_Beauty
“NTA.”
“Solely because naming a child requires two yeses.”
“A single no and the name is vetoed.”
“It’s both of your children and you have to both agree on a name.”
“Naming a child is the time when no one should give in to a name they don’t agree on.”-seecarlytrip
“NTA.”
“Names should be agreed to by both parents.”
“Funny enough, my dad told me once that my brother got his name bc it was one he wanted to use for a puppy, and my mom said it was too good a name to waste on a dog.”- HerGrinchness
“NTA.”
“Naming a child requires a yes from both parents.”
“If you aren’t on board with naming your child something, that’s the end of it.”
“You both need to work together and come up with something together.”- LovingWisdom
“NTA.”
“Check out r/namenerds and see if they can help you find a more human-sounding name.”
“For luck, you could do Lacy or Lucille, and have luckY as a nickname.”
“Or make it her middle name.”
“For Spot, you could do Dorothy or Dot.”
“Names should be two yeses.”
“The kid is going to grow up and be an adult, not a dog.”- vonshook
“I think you will be TA if you don’t have thar conversation with your wife.”
“You will be a parent soon, and you’ll have to advocate for your baby when you think it’s necessary, even against your wife (this can be done politely/gently, obviously).”
“It doesn’t matter if it was a dog’s name or not, what matters is if you want to name your kid that or not.”
“Even if the dog’s name was Julie, you can still say no.”
“It should be a two-yes situation.”
“NTA.”
“Unless you don’t say anything and protect your daughter from a name you find undignified.”-Crazyandiloveit
“NTA.”
“Parenting decisions aren’t one person being to railroad the other to force them to give in.”
“Names are two yes situations.”
“You both get a say.”- thewhiterosequeen
“NTA.”
“If you don’t like the name, then veto it.”
“Perhaps it could be her nickname instead.”- StormyKitten0
“NTA.”
“Tell her she can use it for a middle name.”
“And actually that isn’t the oddest naming I’ve ever heard of.”
“There was an actress in the 90s called Swoosie Kurtz.”
“She was named after her father’s B-17D Flying Fortress bomber, nicknamed ‘The Swoose’ that he flew in WWII.”- Lilylake_55
“NTA.”
“She needs to consider your child’s future.”
“The deceased dog won’t care.”- st0rmbr1ng3r
“NTA.”
“But maybe there’s a way to compromise or find a human name that’s similar enough?”
“If it helps at all, the late great Steve Irwin named his daughter after his favorite crocodile (Bindi) and his favorite dog (Suey) in that order.”- b00kbat
“Would you rather kick back now or explain to Rover how you got the name?”
“NTA.”
“There are dog names and human names.”
“If it’s is truly a dog name, you need to have this conversation.”
“It’s also incredibly unhealthy for someone to that attached to a pet name from so long ago.”
“Your kid deserves their own name.”- whatsername235
“NTA.”
“No matter what, naming a child is a two-yes-one-no situation.”
“You’ve said no, she needs to find another name that you both like.”- Decent-Caramel-2129
“NTA.”
“Child names need to be ‘two yeses, one no’.”- Fearless_Spring5611
“NTA.”
“Names, no matter how traditional, uncommon, wacky, or timeless, are a two yes situation from both parents.”
“If any parent has a veto, the name is nixed.”
“Plus, you are right that the child has that name for life.”
“Does your daughter really deserve having to live by the name ‘Lucky’ for the rest of her life?”
“How seriously will she be taken?”
“That being said, a compromise MAY be reached here in that you could adjust the name to better suit a human, rather than a dog.”
“If the dog’s name was Lucky, could you maybe go with Lucy as an alternative?”- LittlestSlipper55
“NTA.”
“I can already see the freak out your kid will have at like 13 when they find out she was named after a dog.”
“It’ll be one of those things she brings up to her mom periodically to remind her she is always mad at her on some level for it.”
“And whenever someone asks her how she got her name she’s gonna have to say ‘my mom’s dead dog’, and she’s gonna get asked a lot if it really isn’t a human name.”
“You need to explain to your wife that your kid will never have an emotional connection to the name that she does, cause she never knew the dog.”
“All she’ll know is that she was named after a literal dead animal.”- malificus44
The OP later returned to thank everyone who took the time to comment, as well as reveal what the name he was so vehemently against actually was:
“Yes, the name is Lassie.”
“I don’t think this post makes sense without the context of the name.”
“I am going to suggest alternatives to my wife tonight, such as Lacy or Lacie.”
“I did not expect this post to blow up this much at al,l and it’s difficult to read all of the comments.”
“Thank you for all the advice though!”
It’s not uncommon for new parents to want to give their child a name that honors someone, or even something that meant a lot to them.
Chances are, the OP’s wife probably isn’t even the first person to want to name her child after her dog.
That being said, the OP’s wife might want to think about how many children named “Lassie” she’s met or heard of.
As well as whether or not her daughter being the first child named Lassie would actually be a good thing…