History Main / LastMinuteBabyNaming

* ''TheFlintstones'' also named Pebbles only as soon as she was born.

While it does [[TruthInTelevision sometimes happen]] in RealLife that parents wait to the last minute to name their child, usually because they want to be inspired upon finally seeing the child, it seems highly unlikely that it is as common as the trope's frequency implies.

* ''{{Community}}'': After Chang helped Shirley through her child delivery, she decides to name her baby after him. Then she realizes how unfortunate "Ben Bennett" sounds, but sticks with it anyways.

* Susan and Mike on ''DesperateHousewives'' discuss what to name their son before deciding to name him Connor...until one of Mike's relatives dies and he wants to [[DeadGuyJunior name their son in his memory.]] The problem? His name was [[EmbarrassingFirstName Maynard.]] Despite Susan's distress and discomfort over the choice, and attempts to change it, she has a change of heart after Mike explains how much the relative meant to him. Thankfully, the kid is referred to as "MJ" in following seasons.

* In ''I Should Have Seen It Coming When the Rabbit Died'' by Teresa Bloomingdale[[hottip:*:I hope I'm not confusing her with an Erma Bombeck book... they have similar comedic styles]], Teresa gives birth to her Nth child and, upon seeing him for the first time, tells her husband "He's not our John" (the name they'd come up for in advance). The nurse hastily assures them that it is their kid, but Teresa repeats, "He's not our John" and the husband agrees - the baby looks nothing like a John, so they have to come up with a new name on the spot.[[hottip:*:I'm likely misremembering the actual name they used.]]

* Danny and Lindsay on {{CSI NY}} don't agree on their baby's name even after she's born. Danny says 'Lucy' and Lindsay says 'Lydia'. (it's said in the next season to be Lucy).

* {{Justified}} on ''{{Angel}}''--[[FullyEmbracedFiend Darla]] wanted to just get rid of her pregnancy, but can't, [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Angel]] just found out the child existed and nobody was sure if it would even be a baby or some sort of demonic monster, since [[ButICantBePregnant vampires aren't supposed to be fertile in the first place]]. Then half of L.A.'s supernatural community was hunting them for some reason, and a full episode after the baby was born Angel just sort of announces that his name is Connor when the doctor asked.
* Happens in ''{{Scrubs}}'' with the birth of JD's son, of the DeadGuyJunior variety. To be fair, JD didn't have a lot of time to plan as he was completely unaware that he going to be a father until a few weeks beforehand.

* In ''DragonBall'', Goku and Chi Chi had a hard time thinking of a name for their firstborn son. Until Chi Chi's father realized that the baby responded the best to Goku's grandpa's name which was Gohan and the rest was history.

** At the end of the third season, Adrian and Ben's daughter is stillborn. They hadn't discussed names at all during the pregnancy, but it is revealed the following season that they named her Mercy.

* ''{{Justified}}'' in the first ''{{Rugrats}}'' [[TheMovie movie]]--Stu and Didi apparently thought that Dil would be a girl, and had to revise their plan to name "her" after Stu's mother.

* ''MurphyBrown'' went even further, having gone through multiple names for her unborn child during her pregnancy and kept going even ''after he was born''. Eventually she names him "Avery" after her recently [[DeadGuyJunior deceased]] [[GenderBlenderName mother]].

* Wakka and Lulu's son in ''FinalFantasyX-2'' doesn't get named unless you complete a sidequest, and if you fail or skip the quest, then Rikku jokes that the kid might go nameless until he hits puberty.

** At the end of the third season, Adrian and Ben's daughter is stillborn. What they had named her isn't revealed until the fourth season.

* ''{{Friends}}'': Ross names his son Ben after [[HilarityEnsues a series of mishaps]] which befall Ross and his ex-wife's partner at the hospital while she's busy having the baby; at one point there is a janitor's coverall involved which has the name "Ben" on it. Prior to that they were feuding over what to name him.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* This happens at the beginning of ''Film/StarTrek'', when Kirk's parents are naming him. He's named for his maternal grandfather, and his middle name is his paternal grandfather's.

* ''MurphyBrown'' went even further, changing her baby son's name multiple times ''after he was born''. Eventually she names him "Avery" after her recently [[DeadGuyJunior deceased]] [[GenderBlenderName mother]].

* ''MurphyBrown'' went even further, changing her baby son's name multiple times ''after he was born''. Eventually she names him "Avery" after her recently deceased mother.

[[AC:Film]]

* In the third ''StarWars'' movie, Padme doesn't name her twins until they are born, and she's dying.

[[AC:Literature]]

* Justified in ASongOfIceAndFire - with the GrimUpNorth conditions behind the wall, the mortality of children is so high, naming one that hasn't yet grown enough to walk is considered TemptingFate.

* ''{{Friends}}'': Ross's son Ben is named Ben after [[HilarityEnsues a series of mishaps]] which befall Ross and his ex-wife's partner at the hospital while she's busy having the baby; at one point there is a janitor's coverall involved which has the name "Ben" on it. Prior to that they were feuding over what to name him.

[[AC:Webcomic]]
* Played with in ''SchlockMercenary''. Edward Bunnigus explains the circumstances of her naming; her parents were too stupid to be allowed to breed, so they had her genetically created, and when she was born, they chose to name her Edward, after the ED tag on her (it stood for "exotic dancer" because that's the model of baby they wanted, but they though Ed was the name the hospital gave her).

* In one episode of ''SouthPark'' Kenny's mom is preganant. After his OnceAnEpisode Death, the baby is born and the parents decide to name the new baby Kenny.
-->Mr. [=McCormick=]: [[LampshadeHanging God, this must be the fiftieth time this has happened.]]
-->Mrs. [=McCormick=]: Fifty-second.
* ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Ying and Than, the expecting couple that Aang helps in ''The Serpent's Pass'', don't name their baby until she is born. The child, Hope, becomes the only character in the show with a non-Asian name.
* ''TheFlintstones'' also named Pebbles only as soon as she's born.

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* Wakka and Lulu's son in ''FinalFantasyX-2'' doesn't get named unless you complete a sidequest, and if you fail or skip the quest then Rikku jokes that the kid might go nameless until he hits puberty.