Tom Brady: 'Back to Drawing Board' for Baby Name

Bauer Griffin

When it comes to picking out a name for their week-old baby, Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen are still huddling.

The couple had already settled on a name months before Gisele, 29, gave birth to a boy last Tuesday, but then she had a change of heart.

“It’s kind of back to the drawing board,” Tom, 32, said in an interview on WEEI Sports Radio. “We thought we had a name picked out for about six months and then about two days before he was born she said, ‘I don’t like that name anymore.’”

And Tom, who quickly returned to work as quarterback of the New England Patriots, says the couple will need more than the little time they can currently scrape together to have a serious discussion about the matter.

“She makes all these decisions,” Tom joked, adding, “I haven’t been home all week. We have about seven or eight choices. I have got to be home for more than just two-three hours so we can talk about it.”

His only condition? “It will probably be a traditional [name],” he says. And though he doesn’t mind choosing a Brazilian name, in honor of his wife’s heritage, “I certainly want a name that I can pronounce!”

– Charlotte Triggs

Comments

Sue on December 15th, 2009

Poor baby – he’s a week old with no name! Can he even leave the hospital without a name on his birth certificate? You had 9 months to discuss and pick names – it’s not THAT hard!

mandii on December 15th, 2009

It is a hard decision, but you have plenty of time to think about it! C’mon!

Pamela on December 15th, 2009

Sue, sometimes when you actually see your child for the first time, the name you might have assigned/spent 9 months on doesn’t fit. Didn’t Toby McGuire and his wife wait 2 weeks to name their son? It happens, I don’t see what the big deal is!!! As long as he’s healthy

April on December 15th, 2009

Aw don’t be so hard on them. We had Arianna all picked out for our second daughter but when she was born she was just NOT an Arianna. It took us 5 days rather than a week, but she became Elise.

Sue when you leave the hospital the birth certificate says “baby girl last name” and you update it once you have the name. There is a time limit but I think it depends on the state.

Sarah K. on December 15th, 2009

Sue, seeing as Baby Boy Brady is a week old I don’t think he’ll suffer any long term effects from being nameless

S on December 15th, 2009

Moset – Combo of Gisele & Tom (Moset) backwards & all encompassing. Male dominance. International pronounciation. Moset Brady – works.

l's mom on December 15th, 2009

I was wondering about what the rules were for leaving the hospital without a name too. We were hounded for 2 days in the hospital because we didn’t have a middle name for our daughter. I can’t imagine if we hadn’t picked her first name!

Lis on December 15th, 2009

Oh, that is such a pet peeve of mine! You have 9 months to discuss a name!!! That’s an important thing! You should have it ready, just as you have the nursery, etc. ready! I know that the baby probably won’t be scarred for life, but a nameless baby is just so sad to me

Amity on December 15th, 2009

Seeing as how they want traditional, I hope the don’t go with Mike, Greg, Peter, or Bobby lol.

I think it will be James (or maybe that is what they liked previously). John, Edward, and Thomas are already taken by his first son.

jessie on December 15th, 2009

i think it would be cool to pick a brazilian name as long as it fits with the brady last name

sunshine on December 15th, 2009

babys probably too georgous for a name. u get one shot at picking the right one give them the time they need. the kid will be amazing with or without a name and when he gets one itll be the perfect one to reflect all the time spent.

Erin on December 15th, 2009

I thought Giselle didn’t know the sex up until birth, but Tom did?

Rachel-Jane on December 15th, 2009

I didn’t have a name for a week after I was born, am I scarred? No. I know that my parents wanted to meet me first. They had discussed names they liked (as Tom and Giselle seem to have done) but wanted to see what suited me once I appeared. Give them a break.

A on December 15th, 2009

We didn’t name our daughter until an hour before we checked out of the hospital. It was very stressful, the pressure to pick THE name in a day and half. I had three final names on my list but just could not decide. It’s a big decision. Also, not finding out the sex makes it a bit harder because you don’t know until you see them. But I’m so happy with the name we did pick and I’m glad I mulled it over a bit before putting it down permanently.

Liz on December 15th, 2009

Seriously….I think it is one of the hardest things, especially if you don’t have a favorite name. It’s going to be that person’s name for life…give them a break. But I will say a week is getting a little lengthy….

elisa on December 15th, 2009

I hope she pick a Brazillian traditional name, I bet she will.

fay on December 15th, 2009

in my culture the child isn’t named for 8 days, and she didn’t have a name when we left the hospital…

and i knew what my child’s name (boy or girl) was gonna be since i was 15 and in the 10th grade… but once u write that name down on that sheet of paper, THAT’S THE CHILD’S NAME…

funny enough, i don’t even call her by that, i call her by one of her middle names.. lol

it’s VERY daunting task… i know why EYE named her this name, but what if SHE doesn’t like it, does it fit her, blah blah blah…

at any rate, it’s not a big deal, he’ll have one before he knows what a name is…

Natasha on December 15th, 2009

S, “male dominance”? WTF are you talking about?

Rachel from Boston on December 15th, 2009

I’m sorry, I’m a Bostonian and he may be a great athlete but always sounds like such a tool when it comes to his family. I remember when he said that Giselle would be ‘doing all the work’ for once giving birth and now saying that he hasn’t had time in the first week of his new baby’s life to choose a name with his wife and new mother??
I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and hope that his way with words is the opposite of how he really is at home.. lol

mrsh on December 15th, 2009

I’m such a planner, I couldn’t deal with not having a name picked out pre-birth! But, I completely understand when people want to wait to see the baby, or change their minds right before or after birth. I changed my mind about our daughter’s name after our sonogram. I would, personally, be feeling so stressed out not having a name for my child! I can’t wait to hear what they come up with, I’m sure it will be really nice.

Bela on December 15th, 2009

I was not allowed to leave the hospital without naming my boys. We did not have to give them middle names, but the first names had to be picked out for the birth cert before we left. I was there for two days, and it seems like only hours after their birth, they gave me the papers to name them.

Alice on December 15th, 2009

I don’t think I would ever need to wait that long as there are always lots of names I like, it wouldn’t be hard to have a short list to choose from. I hope they name him soon, I’m curious!

Natasha, I think S meant the name Moset sounds more male than female that’s all!

Hea on December 15th, 2009

They are in no rush. Names are important. I think you have 2 months to decide on a name and file papers here in Sweden. It takes a while to receive your (our version of) social security number.

Electra on December 15th, 2009

You have a few weeks to pick a childs name here. My mom had two names picked out if I was a girl Electra and Chloe, but she made the final decision the day I was born. I don’t think Tom really sounds like a tool, just kinda blah about the whole thing. I think its because he’s from a traditional background where a women has more involvement in this type of thing. I mean can you imagine a man telling a new mom what to name her kid?

SBB on December 15th, 2009

@amity – touche!

Chris on December 15th, 2009

He hasn’t been home all week? Hopefully he was joking!

Kate on December 15th, 2009

Rachel From Boston, I was thinking the same thing.

Rachel on December 15th, 2009

Rachel from Boston — this Rachel from Kentucky totally agrees with you. I am not his biggest fan.

That said, I don’t think it’s too big a deal that the baby hasn’t been named yet. He’ll never know the difference :O)

Liliana on December 15th, 2009

I don’t think it’s a big deal. Naming a child can be a daunting task and not everyone has everything planned right from the start. I highly doubt people should feel sad for him because he’s seven days old without a name. It’s not as if he’s reaching his second birthday and still has no moniker.

Chris, for NFL purposes, I doubt he was. I’m sure his schedule becomes less flexible this far into the season.

Sarah on December 15th, 2009

I agree with both Rachels … He seems to be leaving all the decision making to Gisele. What about HIS say in the baby’s name ? It’s a shame to be so standoffish on such an important thing!

Brandi on December 15th, 2009

Give them a break. Tom is an extremely private guy if you know anything about him at all. I am sure he doesn’t want to be answering these questions when he’s on a radio show to talk about football.

Alex509 on December 15th, 2009

I have a feeling that they have named him and are saying that they haven’t because they don’t want to announce it, due to privacy. I bet we don’t hear a name for awhile. I guess they do something like: Luke, Matthew, Benjamin, Andrew, Patrick.

skunknuggets on December 15th, 2009

I say to take their time in naming the baby. I have never understood how people can name a baby they’ve never even seen, but lots of people do. Lots of people can’t understand why I haven’t ever had a name picked out ahead of time, much less that I haven’t ever known whether I was having a boy or girl ahead of time. To each their own. The child won’t suffer any irreparable harm in not being named before birth and it’ll be a nice story to tell him later on. I’m sure they’ll come up with something that works for them soon.

No hospital can legally keep a baby from leaving simply b/c the parents haven’t decided on a name. The hospital just wanted to have all the paperwork filled out so they don’t have to think about it after the baby went home. If it’s true, show me the state law that allows that to happen.

J on December 15th, 2009

I totally agree with Alex. I wouldn’t be surprised they named their baby and are keeping it quiet for as long as they can.

Sarah K. on December 15th, 2009

If Tom doesn’t go to practice and performs badly or misses games he’s letting down a lot of people. I’m sure he would love to take a month off to spend with the new baby, but he’s under contract and it’s the middle of the season. When Jack was born he had to fly out to LA and then back to Boston the next day. Likewise, he was also only able to take a day off when the new baby was born.

It’s not like he doesn’t want to spend time with the baby. When he was injured for a season, he said that he was happy because he got to spend that time with Jack. But, he isn’t injured now so no time off to spend with the new baby.

If he were working another less glamorous, but equally demanding job, would you people still be criticizing him? Just because he’s rich doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have obligations.

Paula on December 15th, 2009

I think what Rachel is referring to was when he did an interview with ESPN. What he really said was that she has all the work when it comes to being pregnant and all he can do is support her. He meant that his role during the pregancy was to support her. I don’t see anything wrong with what he said.

Ply on December 15th, 2009

skunknuggets, I believe that the baby makes the name, not the name makes the baby. And that’s why I pick my kids’ names out pre-birth. I don’t need to see what the baby looks like to name it. Why should looks matter?

Chicki on December 15th, 2009

I agree with Erin (#12) — I was under the impression that Gisele didn’t even know she was having a boy which would presumably make her naming dilemma even more difficult! Also I doubt that a child is permanently scarred without a name right away — in fact I think in the UK you have 6-8 weeks to decide on a name. I really don’t understand anyway how parents can just “pick” an arbitrary name out of the air (yes, even “family” names) before they’ve had a chance to see the baby first – that has always been a little backwards to me!

Mira on December 15th, 2009

I find it a bit annoying when people talk about Gisele and Camila’s “Brazilian heritage”. The ARE Brazilian. They’re not Americans with Brazilian heritage. Their kids can say they have a “Brazilian heritage”.

Anyways, I hope they pick a Brazilian name. It’ll be a shame if a kid, who’s 50% Brazilian is named Bob Brady

Ashley on December 15th, 2009

It took us 3 days after having baby #4 to come up with a name. Even though we ended up with a delivery surprise(was told a boy, and had a girl), we could NOT for the life of us agree on names that we liked. Our previous 3 kids were named Pre-birth.

Ely on December 15th, 2009

I’m not buying it. They named the baby, they just don’t want to release it to the public. You have 9 months to choose two names (if you don’t know the sex), so they had plenty of time. That child has a name. Also names in Brazil are basically Portuguese/Spanish/Italian. That country has a variety of names incorporated from a multitude of immigrants that moved to that country generations ago. Gisele could give her son a German first name and still have it be considered ‘Brazilian’.

graciesmom on December 15th, 2009

Mira, she could just as easily give the child a German name. Despite being born in Brazil, her heritage is German. Same goes for individuals who are American but whose nationalities differ from Italian, Irish, French, etc.

sarah on December 15th, 2009

i keep thinking patrick because her twin’s name is patricia…

brannon on December 15th, 2009

I had everything my son owned monogrammed and ready to go before he was born My brother waited til baby was here before even thinking about it. To each their own! Patrick sounds likely Sarah…but might be too close to the PATriots… I like Lucas.

Michelle on December 15th, 2009

Tedy Patrick.

Regina on December 15th, 2009

NFL players have meetings and practices every day not to mention going back for film study during the evenings. The only designated day off is Tuesday. Monday also if they’ve won their game on Sunday and/or at the discretion of their coach.

They have to stay at the team hotels for home games and away games. For the home games they have to go to the team hotel on Fridays and stay until Sunday (game day). Player’s families aren’t allowed to come to the team hotels.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Gisele and the baby didn’t arrive back home until Thursday or Friday ( a day in which Tom probably went straight from the training facility to the team hotel). They probably had more pressing matters such as getting situated with their extended family around, feedings, sleep, etc. to actually sit down and discuss the name.

Tom did skip practices this prior week to be with his family so the criticism is inaccurate. Also Gisele said he was wonderful during her pregnancy to Caras magazine.

Mom*of*boys on December 15th, 2009

My whole pregnancy with my second son we had decided on the name Noah. The baby shower had Noah all over everything….It just didn’t sit well with me because our other 3 children were all “C” names. So hubby and I talked through a couple of names and said we will wait until we see him. So when he was born , he did not look like a Noah…we decided on a “C” name.

So when my hubby wheeled the baby out to meet the family in the hallway, he said “Everyone, meet Cooper” My father in law said “Well where is Noah” HAHAHA

robinepowell on December 15th, 2009

Good for them, picking a traditional or Brazillon name. I thought they might go with something from Brazille.

If they do, they’ll be like Angelina Jolie, who’s adopted kids all have name reflecting their heritage.

Milla on December 15th, 2009

luke! or kieran! those are my favourite names hehe i cant wait to hear the name.

marfmom on December 15th, 2009

Mira, ITA. Although, if you want to get technical, it’s “BraSilian”. :-p Carlos could be a great name and they could call him Carl if they want. We thought about that for our son. I also love Enhique, but that’s difficult for many Americans to pronounce. Can’t wait to hear what they pick!

Hannah on December 15th, 2009

It took us a week to choose our sons name. We went in with a list of 5 favourite names and just couldnt decide. He didnt seem to suit any name! We were dead-set on calling him Caden and it just didnt seem right! Eventually we named him Isaac which is PERFECT for him. Sometime you dont know the perfect name until you meet the baby. I find it a bit sad he’s not been home all week!

Georgina on December 15th, 2009

Well everyone is going to have a heart attack if they knew what my parents did! I was little baby no name for 6 weeks. In England you get six weeks to register the birth of the baby, and my name was decided right on the last day. I really don’t think its that big-a-deal, like a couple of others have said, its better they wait now and get it right, rather than rush in and pick something that they go off later. I wish them luck, it seems like in the US you have to pick quickly, so that must add to the stress.

Anna on December 15th, 2009

I don’t see the problem with not naming the child rigth away. I do a see a problem with a father hardly seeing his child.

CelebBabyLover on December 16th, 2009

Anna- Well, unfourtnately, that’s just life for some dads. And really, Tom will have plenty of time to spend with the new baby once practice is over. Some fathers, such as those in the miltary, go MONTHS or even more without seeing their children.

In the grand scheme of things, I hardly think it’s accurate to say that Tom will hardly see his child.

Lorus on December 16th, 2009

A baby’s name doesn’t need to be submitted for 30 days here in BC, Canada. The hospital will send in info for registration (gender, date, time, etc) but then they wait to get the information from the parents before issuing the B.C.
My first daughter wasn’t named until about 24 hours after her birth. Our second it took over 48 hours. I like to meet our baby before choosing a name.

Angus on December 16th, 2009

My friend had two sons and got pregnant again, twin boys. As the mother of three boys I understand how difficult it is to pick yet another name that you even like, never mind love enough to give it to your child.

Friends babies were nameless for over 2 months, but now mom and dad both love the names and they suit the boys.

I’ll never understand why people have to be so judgemental of other peoples situations that have no effect on them.

fulell on December 16th, 2009

I thought they were calling the baby Gabriel. I’m disappointed that they have changed their mind! I wonder if Gisele assumed she was having a girl and is finding it hard to settle on a boy’s name because she wasn’t expecting a boy …

dutchmom on December 16th, 2009

In the Netherlands, were I live, this would not be possible. You have to register the birth of the baby within two days!

Beverley on December 16th, 2009

Reading this story, I am extremely grateful that when each of my kids were born, my husband’s company provided two weeks of paid paternity leave. With our first baby, my husband’s “daddy switch” turned on and he did absolutely everything. He would change every diaper and get up in the middle of the night and did every feeding. When he went back to work, I suddenly felt panicked because I was alone and had to figure it out. Those first two weeks were wonderful getting to bond with our entire family there.

Kristi on December 16th, 2009

I know someone who changed their daughter’s name three times within her first month! Although, she was too little to be confused by the name change it seems weird to me to call your daughter three different names in a short period of time. Maybe it is helpful to wait until you know the name is the perfect name for the child before sticking them with a name you are unsure of.

Jessi on December 16th, 2009

I changed my daughter’s name. But it is a differen situation altogether. She passed away shortly after birth and I had a different name picked out, but it wasn’t suiting her. So I changed it again to the original name that I had picked out when I found out that Abigail was a girl. Abigail Faith Lowine (Last name). Two middle names. I hope to use Abigail, Faith, and Lowine for my future daughters possibly. I will use Lowine for this baby if the baby is a girl.

Milla on December 16th, 2009

im sorry your baby died jessi abigail is so pretty

Sobi on December 16th, 2009

I remember Tom announcing Jack’s name to the press and he gave them the wrong name because he didn’t really know it! He told them it was Jonathan Brady when it was John Moynahan! Whatever it is, hope he takes the time to find out from Gisele what SHE names the child.

Bailey on December 16th, 2009

I don’t know why, but I always thought that if the baby was a boy, he’d be called Patrick, Luke, or Brandon. What I would do, even if it was a delivery suprise, is make a list of names I like and then see which works best with the baby after seeing him or her.

Alex on December 17th, 2009

I bet they’ll pick something traditional like Eli/Nick/Connor etc. I think their baby boy will be gorgeous.

Julie on December 17th, 2009

A friend of mine’s daughter was legally “baby-girl surname” for about a month. They “needed” his mother’s blessing before they could name her officially and she wasn’t able to get to the US for a few weeks due to a Visa issue. The hospital wasn’t happy about it, but legally it was fine.

Re: Tom and Giselle, I’m sure they are calling the baby “something”, but just haven’t nailed down the full name yet. Like is it Charlie, Charles, or Carlos something like that…

CelebBabyLover on December 17th, 2009

fulell- They were never planning to name the baby Gabriel. That was just a rumor, and Gisele shot it down a few months ago, saying that they didn’t even know the gender (this was before Tom had decided to find out).

Sarah M. on December 17th, 2009

My cousin and her husband’s 4 boys are: Garrett Logan, Grant Elliott, Graham Quentin and Grayson Wirth. With the 4th, they wanted another ‘G’ name. When they got to the hospital they had a list of 3 or 4 names all starting with that letter. They wrote them on the blackboard on the wall and whomever came to see (or phoned with congratulations) the baby while they were still at the hospital got to vote on which name they liked the best. Family, friends, even the nurses and the doctor voted! Grady, Gunnar, Griffin and Grayson were on the list. Grayson won out. He’s our Gray, Gray and we couldn’t imagine him as anything else! (Their middle names were easier. Each one has a name from each side of the family. Paternal grandma’s, paternal grandpa’s, maternal grandma’s and maternal grandpa’s.)

My grandma’s name on her birth certificate was ‘No Name Carr.’ Her parents were told that they couldn’t take her home until they had her name picked out. When they decided on ‘Iola Margueritte’ later, they simply went through the paperwork to get it changed.

I personally have a long list of names that I like (now I just need to find a guy to have some kids with!). I think I’ll take that list to the hospital and pick one from the list once I see the baby.

leah on December 17th, 2009

im so glad i live in the uk

here we don’t register the name at the hospital, we have up to 6 weeks to register them in a registrar.

My first child, i had a name for him, but it didnt suit. It took me til the last day of the 6 weeks to decide! lol

S on December 17th, 2009

Do we have a name ?

Lisa on December 17th, 2009

They probably already have a name, but aren’t releasing it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is Tom III since it’s traditional in Irish culture to pass on the father’s name.

Sobi- I don’t think anyone would release a name they hadn’t already been told was the name for their child to the press. You think he pulled that out of thin air? Especially when both first names were similar?

What more than likely happened was Tom was told the name, then Bridget changed her mind and opted to let Tom know along with everyone else what John’s real name was when she sent out her press release. Anything else doesn’t make sense.

Terri on December 17th, 2009

I think it’s cool if people take some time to decide. It shows that it really matters to them. Or maybe just that they’re indecisive. Either way, what’s the big deal? The baby won’t remember, but it will be a fun story to tell when they’re older.

Eliza on December 17th, 2009

Alex , I agree. It will be something like Nick or Connor