A soon-to-be dad has sparked debate online after revealing that he “secretly hates” the baby name his wife has been dreaming of — and waited weeks to tell her.
In a candid post on Reddit, the anonymous 35-year-old says he’s struggled with his wife’s top choice for their baby girl’s name: Elowyn. While she describes it as “magical and lyrical,” he admits he’s been biting his tongue about it — until now.
“She says it sounds like a forest fairy, which she thinks is beautiful,” he writes. “But to me, it sounds like something straight out of Dungeons & Dragons. I want our daughter to have a name that commands respect in a boardroom — not at a Renaissance Faire.”
He says he didn’t voice his opinion earlier because he didn’t want to upset her during pregnancy. “I kept nodding along, trying to be supportive,” he writes, “but I couldn’t stay quiet forever.”
When he finally spoke up and suggested names he felt were more “grounded,” like Claire or Julia, his wife was furious. “She accused me of waiting too long, of being dishonest, and said she feels betrayed,” he explains. “She’s now ‘mourning’ the name. I get that emotions run high during pregnancy, but that feels a little over the top.”
He adds that they still have 21 weeks to decide and hopes they can find common ground. “I told her maybe this is a sign we should keep looking.”
Still, he’s now wondering if he was wrong to speak up — or to wait so long. “Am I wrong for holding my ground and not wanting to name our daughter something that sounds like a Tolkien side character?”
Commenters were divided. While many sympathized with his discomfort over the name, others criticized his timing.
“You should’ve been upfront from the start,” one commenter wrote. “If it was a dealbreaker, hiding it only made things worse.”
Another added, “Naming a baby is a two-person decision. The first best time to speak up was then. The second-best time is now — but never isn’t an option.”
Despite the fallout, the dad says he still hopes they’ll find a name they both love — ideally one that doesn’t come with fairy wings.
