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Dad’s ‘Unique’ Idea to Name Daughter Rejected by Mom as the ‘Worst Ever’

Some parents have no trouble choosing unique, meaningful names for their kids, but others might want to reconsider their options. When one parent gets attached to a name the other finds off-putting, it’s almost always a recipe for conflict. The more one parent resists, the more the other digs in their heels.

This was the case for a soon-to-be mom who posted on Reddit's AITA forum, second-guessing her strong reaction to her husband’s baby name suggestion, which she deemed “the worst name ever.”

Here's the backstory: The couple initially thought they were expecting a boy, so they had already decided on a classic name—Stuart Jr. But then they learned they were having a girl, and that’s where things got complicated.

The husband thought he had a clever solution. “My husband suggested Stuarta,” she shared. “His reasoning was that since Stuart ends in ‘t,' adding an ‘a' would make it more feminine.”

Now, we all know that sometimes you can make a name more feminine or masculine with a letter change, like Robert/Roberta or Eric/Erica, but some names just don’t work that way. The wife tried to explain that “Stuarta” sounded more like a furniture brand than a human name. She was worried about endless questions and the potential for bullying.

However, the husband was insistent. “He says it ‘honors’ him while giving their daughter a unique name,” she explained. She even suggested alternatives that still honored his name, but he refused to budge.

In the end, the mom was concerned about subjecting her daughter to the awkwardness of the name and the impact it could have on her confidence. She asked the Reddit community for alternative suggestions—just no more “-ta” names, as she joked.

As you might expect, everyone agreed that “Stuarta” was a poor choice. One person said, “It sounds like a word your cousin tried to use in Scrabble during the holidays of 1997,” while another joked that it sounded like a pharmaceutical product. Many commenters also pointed out that if the child’s last name is already the father’s, it might be a bit much to insist on naming her after him, too.

Others felt that naming a child after a parent could rob the child of their individuality. “The name should be about the child, not about the parent,” one commenter wrote. “It’s selfish and arrogant to insist on this.”

In the end, a key piece of advice was shared: both parents need to agree on the name. “Baby names need a yes from both parents or it’s a no,” one commenter advised. “You both need to be able to live with it.”

Let's hope the husband comes around, and that we don’t end up with a little “Stuarta” in the world. But regardless, we can all agree: kindness is key!

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