By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
What to do when you and your spouse can't agree on a baby name
65521f6201357f1b97b508ea41209967f8a078d737b59d73b027d73c78904645
A couple in New York doesn't agree on their soon-to-be born baby's name. What should families do when they face the same issue? - photo by Herb Scribner
Nicholas Soukeras and his wife Kseniya, who are having a baby in August, have narrowed down their firstborns name to two choices, both of which honor their respective fathers: Spyridon and Michael, according to the New York Post.

The husband wants Spyridon, a traditional Greek name, as the child's name. The wife wants the more common name Michael, the Post reported.

To resolve the conflict, the couple has asked those in support of the name Spyridon to sign a petition. If the petition gets 100,000 signatures or more, Kseniya will budge and give the name Spyridon to her son, the Post reported.

Ill settle for 100,000 this is an approximate population of my hometown Maladzyechna, Kseniya, who is from Belarus, told the Post. I dont want to call my son something I cant even pronounce."

Right now, the petition has about 5,000 signatures.

Like Nicholas and Kseniya, many couples struggle to find the right name for their new baby. In fact, more than half of Americans report regretting the name they initially chose for their child and wish they had gone with something different, The Huffington Post reported. Many parents regretted their decision because the name they chose became too popular or didn't accurately represent their child's personality.

This can lead to disagreements between spouses over the names of their children. Evonne Lack of Baby Center, an expert advice website on early parenthood, said soon-to-be parents should listen to their spouse's choices for a name and try to see things from his or her perspective before moving forward. She said that when couples listen to each other about their name choices, theyre less likely to argue because they feel as though their opinions are being taken into consideration.

"When it's your turn to listen, avoid jumping in to offer a counterpoint," Lizzette Potthoffk, a social worker, told Baby Center. "Instead, acknowledge what he's saying, even if you disagree. For example, 'I understand that it's really important to you that we choose a non-trendy name, and I want you to know that I hear that.'"

Lack also suggests couples flip a coin to determine the name, or take turns choosing, meaning one spouse decides the firstborn childs name and the other spouse chooses for the next child.

Parents can also combine names as a compromise, according to Parents Magazine, or use one of them as the middle name.

These kind of compromises are what make happier relationships, experts say. In fact, compromise is one of the most desired behaviors for both men and women in a relationship, according to a 2013 study from Baylor University.

The study asked married couples what they desire most from their spouse like apologies, affection, investment, compromise and communication and found compromise, or the willingness to sacrifice power in a relationship for the sake of another's wishes, ranked at the top.

"It's common for partners to be sensitive to how to share power and control when making decisions in their relationship," researcher Keith Sanford said in a press release.

Listening to your partner's desires is important, as long as both partners do it, according to Mark D. White of Psychology Today. White suggests both partners make compromises in relationship decisions whether that's where to go on a date or what to name your baby to help one another grow.

"Little compromises are natural and unavoidable," White wrote for Psychology Today, "but be careful not to give up too much of what is important to you for the sake of a relationship that should help to affirm who you already are."