Internet Begs Mom-to-Be Not to Give Child 'Utterly Unfit' Baby Name

Choosing a baby name is rarely an easy decision. Pick the wrong moniker, and you can cause a rift with family members, ruin your child's career prospects, or set them up for a lifetime of bullying.

One mom-to-be took to Reddit for advice on her husband's choice of baby name, which she described as "utterly unfit."

Posting to the Am I the A******? (AITA) forum on 25 September, user u/BabyBoyNameAITA explained that she'd vetoed her husband's "odd" spelling of the name, causing him to storm off. However, people online urged her to stick to her guns for her future son's sake.

More Than a Name

A 2019 study by GEMM (Growth, Equal Opportunities, Migration, and Markets) found that your name can have an impact on your career prospects.

Over five years, researchers applied for thousands of roles across the U.K., Germany, Spain, Norway and The Netherlands. Using a range of names, they discovered that ethnic minority monikers had to apply for 60 percent more vacancies to receive the same number of replies as candidates with "white" sounding names.

Name discrimination isn't limited to the job market. Research from 2011 showed that your name can stop you from getting a second date, while a 2020 study indicated people with unpopular names were more likely to be involved in crime due to societal expectations.

According to pregnancy planning website The Bump, the top girls' names in the U.S. for 2022 are Olivia, Emma and Charlotte, while the most popular boys' names are Liam, Noah and Oliver.

'Just Spell It Right'

In her post, BabyBoyNameAITA said she was pregnant with the couple's first child. They'd initially agreed on the name Zachary, which was the middle name of her husband Mark's late grandfather.

"The name is rather meaningful to Mark," she wrote. "I, on the other hand, just happen to rather enjoy the sound of it.

"I also happen to favor how common it is, [which] I can acknowledge because my brother-in-law's son (12M) Caleb's classes are filled to the brim with children named 'Greenlee' and 'Stoner', according to his wife."

However, when it came to the spelling of Zachary, things got heated. The poster wrote the name on a dry-erase board, to make sure they were on the same page.

"I wrote it down as 'Zachary', as that is/was the main spelling I am/was aware of," she said.

"Within seconds, Mark said 'no, no" and claimed that I had spelled it incorrectly. I decided to write it down as 'Zackary,' then, assuming that he was referring to that spelling. He vetoed it."

It turns out, Mark wanted the spelling "Xaiquiri," telling the poster it was his spelling or nothing.

"I told him that, while his feelings surrounding our son's name were/are certainly valid, that I did not support his idea of naming our son 'Xaiquiri,'" she wrote.

"Unfortunately, he refused to listen, despite my commentary, and insisted on 'Xaiquiri.' I told him we may have to go back to the drawing board and pick a new name, as naming a child is a 'Two-Yes Business.'"

Her husband told her it was unfair to veto the "meaningful" name and stormed off, leaving the poster wondering if she'd been too harsh.

Fellow Reddit users assured the woman she'd made the right decision, with the post receiving more than 9,000 upvotes and over 2,000 comments in less than 24 hours.

"Has your husband suffered a head injury?" asked UnquantifiableLife.

"Xaiquiri is not a boy; it is a cocktail made of arrogance and regret," wrote MidCenturyMayhem.

Explaining Weird Names

"Kids don't like growing up having to explain or spell their weird names to people," warned Evening_Produce1070. "His teachers will definitely think you're dumb & alcoholic. Just spell it right."

BlueberryBlossom13 said the spelling looked like "the name of a prescription drug," while fizzwitz wrote a limerick in Xaiquiri's honor.

"There once was a person named Xaiquiri, who got killingly drunk off a daiquiri.

"He treated the ache, with the skin of a snake, which his doctor informed him was quaiquiri."

Fortunately, BabyBoyNameAITA told Newsweek they'd come to a compromise.

"We eventually spoke with one another about our concerns regarding our differing opinions on the name for our child," she said.

"In the end, we chose to give our son my husband's grandfather's first name. Several members of his family share the name (which had been the original cause for 'Zachary').

"We chose it for our son because we don't often see them and besides, we found it even more sentimental when it connects him to more of his family."

Update 09/29/22 02:48 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from BabyBoyNameAITA.

We couldn't verify the details of the case.