Mum gobsmacked as husband chooses ‘utterly unfit’ name for son – and he won’t budge

A mum-to-be has been left baffled after her husband suggested a name for their son that she thinks is ‘utterly unfit’ – but he claims it has special meaning to him

Choosing a baby name isn’t always an easy process, and the perfect choice will require both parents to be on board with the moniker – as if one parent doesn’t like a name, then it isn’t one that should be chosen. But one mum-to-be has been left completely baffled by the name her husband wants to give their first child, and despite her attempts to shut it down, he’s refusing to compromise.

The woman claimed she and her partner, Mark, had been set on naming their baby boy Zachary after Mark’s late grandfather, and while her husband still wants to use the name, he apparently has a very interesting way of spelling it that his wife really doesn’t want to use.

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In a post on Reddit, the mum said she had initially thought they would spell the name ‘Zachary’, but was open to alternative spellings including ‘Zackary’ and ‘Zakary’ when her husband shut down the initial and most common spelling.

But she was left horrified when she learnt how her spouse actually wanted to spell the name – ‘Xaiquiri’ – with the unusual spelling seemingly related to the rum-based cocktail known as a daiquiri.

She explained: “My husband Mark and I are expecting our first child, whom we have been planning on naming Zachary for the short duration of our pregnancy journey. The name is rather meaningful to Mark, as it was his deceased grandfather’s middle name. I, on the other hand, just happen to rather enjoy the sound of it. I also happen to favour how common it is.

“Mark and I were recently discussing our future son’s name, as we felt the need to ‘double-check’ everything before our son arrived, as I am seven months along. I decided to write the name on Mark’s dry-erase board, just to clarify our decision.

“Understandably, I wrote it down as ‘Zachary’, as that is the main spelling I am aware of. Within seconds, Mark said no, and claimed that I had spelt it incorrectly. I decided to write it down as ‘Zackary’, then, assuming that he was referring to that spelling. In common fashion to ‘Zachary’, though, he vetoed it.

“In the last attempt, I scribbled ‘Zakary’ onto the aforementioned board, though, shockingly, Mark informed me that I had spelt the name wrong. Finally, I asked him what spelling he was considering. He stood up, took the marker, and wrote ‘Xaiquiri’ on the board.”

The woman initially thought her husband was joking, but he doubled down on the choice and said it was “Xaiquiri or nothing” despite the mum-to-be’s protests.

She added: “Carefully, I asked him if he was joking, but he said no. I told him that while his feelings surrounding our son’s name are certainly valid, I did not support his idea of naming our son ‘Xaiquiri’. Unfortunately, he refused to listen, despite my commentary, and insisted on it. Eventually, he even said that it was ‘Xaiquiri or nothing’.

“I told him that because he seemed against ‘Zachary’, and I was against his suggestion, we may have to go back to the drawing board and pick a new name, as naming a child is a ‘Two-Yes Business’. Mark told me that I was being very unfair and that ‘Xaiquiri’ was a perfectly ‘normal’ name.

“Needless to say, Mark was incredibly frustrated.”

In her title for the post, the woman referred to her husband’s spelling choice as “utterly unfit”, as she wrote: “Am I the a**hole for essentially telling my husband that the apparent ‘meaningful’ name he is insisting on for our unborn son is utterly unfit?”

And people in the comments were firmly on the mum’s side, as they said the couple’s son will have to constantly correct people on the spelling of his name if they go with her husband’s suggestion.

One person wrote: “I’m confused. If the grandad’s name was pronounced Zachary, why does he have a problem with spelling it that way? That name looks confusing and you are saving your son a lifetime of having to explain his name.”

While another added: “Not only the constant request for spelling he will face, every teacher will stop and ask how to pronounce it and people will spell it the normal way without asking and his files will be lost. Think also about what his nickname will be.”

And a third said: “Your child would have so much trouble explaining his name to everyone. It’s a nightmare. I have a name that’s more common with an ‘H’ at the end, and having to clarify every time is already annoying. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find a new name you both like.”

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