Moms win when it comes to naming babies

Ladies first

Four out of ten mothers disreg ard the views of the father during the often- fraught process of selecting a name before we’ve even got to know them,” The Daily Mail quoted Faye Mingo, spokeswoman for bounty.com, as saying.

“Parents have to take into consideration when choosing a name — like nicknames, what they will be called in the playground, how the Christian name will sound against their surname, and so on,” she added.

The study also found that 15 per cent of couples argued regularly during pregnancy over what to call their child. And for indecisive parents, the new arrival remains nameless for an average of 11 days.

Forty-two per cent didn’t want any name associated with a celebrity. A third of parents said they wanted their new baby to have an original moniker, while 21 per cent didn’t want the name to be shortened or changed at all.

Incredibly, one in ten parents end up drawing names out of a hat, and a further 14 per cent opted to toss a coin as a final decider. And when it comes to the final decision, a fifth of new parents named the baby after their favourite colleague or friend, while 37 per cent included a family name.

Four in ten Britons took into account names approved by the grandparents, and 52 per cent avoided names of all friends and their children. “If mum and dad are the only ones involved they are lucky — as most couples have input from friends, family members, work colleagues and even strangers in the hospital waiting room,” said Mingo.

Thankfully, nine out of 10 parents who had changed their mind at the last minute grew to love the name of their child. And 15 per cent of mothers had fallen out with a friend after they copied or stole a name they liked.