Deciding what name to give a newborn baby comes with a lot of pressure and one couple can't come to an agreement on what to call their first son, with the husband keen on a "weird" option10:31, 16 Jul 2026Updated 10:31, 16 Jul 2026A woman and her husband are at loggerheads around what to name their son, with her husband keen to continue an “outdated, nightmare” tradition. Choosing what to call a child is a major decision that carries long-lasting implications, with any chosen name not only having to suit an adorable new baby, but also an adult making their way in the world.‌While some prospective parents are all about finding the most “unique” name for their offspring, others have to contend with family traditions and honouring relatives. This is the case for one woman, whose husband is a “third” in his family, named Robert Karl III. He now goes by Rob, but was called Robbie when he was a child.‌His father “goes by Karl” while his grandfather “goes by Bob”. The woman took to Reddit to ask for suggestions for nicknames for their first son, if they opted to keep the tradition going and call them Robert Karl IV. She explained: “I thought Bobby was cute but my husband doesn’t like it. Thinks it sounds like an old man and reminds him of his grandma scolding his grandpa.”‌Her husband wants to use a quirky nickname instead. The woman continued: “My husband thinks it’d be cool to call our kid Four, like Robert Karl IV. I think that’s kind of dumb and weird to call your kid a number.“A couple close people think it’s cool. I know there’s a character in the popular book/movie Divergent who goes by Four and he’s cool. I guess we could do Bert. I can’t imagine calling my baby Bert though.”She added: “My husband feels like we definitely have to keep the name going. Since there's already three, then it’d be wrong to not continue it on. I'm okay with the idea. I'm not super opposed to it, but also I might like the freedom to just come up with an original name.”‌What did people say?In the comments section, people were keen to share their thoughts, with one person suggesting: “Use the full ‘Robert’.” The woman replied: “So my husband would go by Rob and my son would go by Robert?”One Redditor said: “Sure, I mean, you’re naming them the same thing, it’s going to be similar.” Another commented: “lol I don’t know what they expect. I hate this sexist naming convention.”And another agreed: “Can’t say I've ever understood it. The most we’re doing is it’s my fiancé’s family tradition to give the son their father’s first name as a middle name, I’m due with a girl soon and she’ll have my first as her middle name too. We both agree it feels weird when it’s only a boy thing.”‌Someone else shared: “I’m the 3rd in a matriarchal naming line. It annoys me when people act like that’s the weirdest thing ever when men do it all the time.”One person simply said: “I don’t really have a nickname suggestion, but please don’t call your kid Four.”Article continues belowAnother commented: “I personally can’t stand this type of tradition. It’s very outdated and has always felt like it came from men’s egos. It serves exactly NO purpose, and is a clerical nightmare.“The son grows up in their father’s shadow, rather than being given their own identity. But my biggest peeve with it, is the woman does all the work literally growing a human (and usually the majority of caring for), and the man already gets to stamp it with his surname. To also expect to not only choose the first name, but literally name them entirely after him. For me it is a level of selfishness and entitlement I can’t comprehend.”While another added: “In my opinion, the mother should have 100 per cent say over the first name given the work involved in pregnancy, labour, and delivery, and even more so if the child will have the father's surname.”