glad you've finally made the decision makkapakka and that you are happy with it.
Imogen Naomi is lovely name.

DH and I are currently 'testing' names for our baby who will be arriving in just under 2 weeks. Hope we choose the right one!

I just wanted to add a postscript to this for all those people who were considering doing the same thing.
A month on since the name change, it all seems to have gone pretty smoothly. I think DH still wishes she was called the original name but he seems fine with the new one and now the name has changed i am a lot less preocuppied by the whole thing which he certainly appreciates. I think it has helped me move on from the difficulties we had around the birth too.
People's reactions have varied. Some been completely underwhelmed, some very understanding - some have said that they wished they had too, but it is probably too late for their DC (lots of name regrets out there?) but a sizeable proportion of people have had eyes out on stalks, just in a curious way. I think a few thought i was joking at first. However, there are far more shocking things in the world.
My dad and brother seem to think it is a good thing to take the p out of me over, but hopefully eventually they will just forget it.
DH who was so worried about telling people at his work, just started using the new name to some people there and no one commented
I am enjoying the new name and really proud to tell everyone. It finally feels like the name she was destined to be (in my head at least, if that doesn't sound too corny).

Well done. Imogen Naomi is a lovely name. You obviously really needed to change it so don't worry, DH has clearly accepted it!

Imogen is a clever choice - so pretty, but not over-used at all now.

It's something that will give you a little 'glow' for EVER imo, when you love hearing their name and are proud of it.

I should add i have told some friends already who have been very supportive. One said she completely understood as she and her DH had had great difficulty naming their dog!

Many thanks to all of you who've commented. I changed it today, she's now Imogen but we've kept Naomi has a middle name at DH's request. She's three months old today so a nice present

I found the comments of those who regretted not changing, or were talked out of it, very telling and it's good to know that you can survive the change fairly easily.

Thanks again, without your input I may never have had the confidence to make the change.

My one worry is the impact all this has had on my relationship with DH who really did never want to change it. In the end he was happy for me to change it to whatever i wanted as he just wanted a different topic of conversation in the house, so let's hope we can move forward from here.

I'd better change my mn name now as anyone out there will definitely know who i am after this! What to change that to???!

Makkapakka, I've been keeping an eye on this, and plugging for you to resolve your dilemma. My ds was 2.4 when we changed angharad's name. He is now 8 and cant remember her as a baby, or as any other name. Your plan to keep the name as a middlename sounds fine to me, although we handled it differently. When we did it, we ditched the old name totally, and replaced it with angharad. Her middle name (tess) stayed the same. Either way, the only thing that matters is that you get to a name that you are comfortable with. Trust me, it will get easier. Wishing you all the best, and keep us informed.

Xmas cards went out in the current name, BUT

We are trying out another name at home this week (started on Sunday). Lots of chipping away at DH has made him realise that this is really important for me and won't go away. It is really hard to change, even for me, as i had got used to her name. Knowing that other people regretted not changing has inspired me to push this forward. I don't want to regret it for ever, just to avoid hassle now, so I think we may change it formally in the new year.

Her current name will still be a middle name (which means two middle names, not ideal but ok as all the names are quite short.

DS (2.6) is calling her either name and 'baby' or 'babby' - as he is completely confused!

My mum changed mine when I was about 3 months old and I love my name now.

I have been keeping an eye on this thread. We have not yet 100% made our mind up.

I think we may add another name into DS name. Then if he wants to use it later he can (let's hope he does!!!)
I spoke to my vicar about my dilemna and he said that to change the first name we would need to go via deed poll (which I knew) but we could call him it and hope that at confirmation time he chose the name we have called him for the last x number of years.
However, ds may not wish to be confirmed, so we would still need to do somethng legally before then.
I know exactly how you feel and wish I had been brave enough to change it when I had chance.

I have a good friend going through this very same dilemma,so don't worry, you are not alone, and good luck with your decision!

walking primrose, i feel so much better hearing your story.

eviz i'm still not really sure whether or not its a phase that will pass. With
friends / family it seems ok but strangers often pronounce it wrong which drives me bonkers as i really don't like the mispronounciations. some days i feel i am getting used to her current name, other days i am very keen to change. maybe i am just fussy. But i love DS's name and never thought of changing.

have been trying to convince DH to change for xmas cards but i think we will probably wait until the time we had originally agreed. I would def rather change now but just have to convince DH.

apologies for lack of caps - post fed baby on knees

If you change it now then you get the chance to stick the new name on all your xmas cards and let everyone know that way - it'll make a change from boring messages or unbearable round robins!

I was never very happy with the name my son was given to him by my mum and my partner when he was born. I popped into the registry office the day before the 12 months were up and gave him the name I liked as an additional middle name. Kind of 1st birthday present. My DH was livid actually but I didn't care.
Anyway what I wanted to say was that it's REALLY easy to change a name before 12 months are up, and if you're not happy, then go ahead and do it, you definitely won't regret it.

Ds2 is 2. We changed his name 1 week before he turned 1 (12 months is the legal limit).

We did it by post, had to send the birth certificate. The "short" certificate just shows the new name, the "long" certificate (that details what is actually on record) shows both the original name and the revision.

I agree with everybody that you should change it if you feel that's what you like. I have been using my middle name as main name for several years, so maybe you could just "add" a name or two and then you can pick your favorite one and she can choose which one she likes bast for the rest of her life.

Just a comment to say that my daughter is Naomi and I like it - but we have had a lot of hassle because we want people to pronounce it the way we do. I have stopped correcting people now as even our childminder doesn't seem to realise that she never repeats the name the way I say it. You say tomato....?

hi know you have loads of advice but just want to mention my circumstance as very different and regrets not good.
my partner chose my sons name and i did like it alot and it does suit him but i desperately wanted to name him after my father. when i hear that name now i sigh
worst of all i prob allowed current name to involve partner who actually ended up leaving us anyway so that was daft of me!
secondaly my ds has a nickname just used by me and noone else
he began school this sept and on parents eve last week the teacher told me harry said he would like to be called by his nickname.
i felt delighted he felt good about it.
thirdly my ex partner is known by his middle name always had been yes doc passport etc uses first name but never had any trouble

go with your heart you are mum and you will be using it the most!!

fwiw, i love my dd name, but didnt use it for months, and like my ds name, but didnt use it for months and am now actively trying to call him it as dd seems to think he is called boy.

tiny tiny ones seem odd with big person names, even if you like them, i dont think its odd that youre not calling her it yet.

but if you really feel unhappy, change it.

i had a clerical error - misspelt surname - on my sons cert. bit sad it can only be amended, not changed, and had to make a few visits to register office to get it sorted, but it can be done

My mum hated her given name so much she actually changed it when she was in her 50's. She was Gertrude Clara, and had hated it with a deep and abiding passion for as long as she could remember. She loathed having to put it on official forms. So she asked eveyone for money for her fighting fund one year, and used it to change her name officially. She's now Trudy, and is delighted with her new name. So, however much you agonise, your child may still not agree with your choice!

We registered our twin daughters names knowing that we would call them by nicknames in addition to that (maybe partly because we always use the shortened version of our son's name?). Their names are:

Amelia Bethan (Millie) and Imogen Elysia (Immie).

They are now three and have recently started at Nursery, where the teacher decided to call them by their 'proper' names, as there were several others in their class with similarly sounding names to their nicknames. This confused Millie a little at first (but only for a week or so), telling me I was calling her by the wrong name when I called her Millie! She is fine with it all now, and calls herself Milia most of the time! Although, having said that, they are also learning each other's names by sight at the moment, so recognises her name beginning with A rather than M...

When they were little, their older brother (2 1/2 at the time) called them both Mimi (and they also called each other Mimi when they began to talk!) yet they always seemed to know which one was being spoken to - I think they just adjust to the names as they grow.

I had also initially liked the spelling Emilia as an alternative to Amelia, but didn't want people shortening her name to Em as it would be too similar to Im / Immie.

Sorry to waffle on - and hope you are happy with your final decision!

Our DD has an unusual 1st name that i actually think is really cool, but as a nickname we use her middle name (Rain) but alter it slightly to Rainy...it suits her as much as her 1st name and she responds to both. She can choose either when she's older and it doesn't cause any probs!! I find Rainy is a cute nickname for her as her 1st name cant really be shortened to a cutie sounding name....its more bold...anyway, hope ur happy with the name u chose now! (everyone i know has at least 2 nicknames for their kiddies anyway!)

I know someone who was called Ben until he was five and then they started calling him his second name (Nick). Doesn't appear to have harmed him in anyway.

hi, just flying in to say we changed dd2's name at 6wks (ie called her name 1 from birth but registered her as name 2 at 6wks)

It did cause some confusion at first but was only awkward for about a week whilst my 2yr old struggled with the change. FIL was also cutting and pretended to forget new name - but after that everyone kinda moved on.

with hindsight I think I'd have stuck with the original name - but at the time I got into a real tizz about it. I'd say if you really really love name 2 then change - otherwise it's probably just a phase which will pass

We kept name 1 as middle name -so she can always have the choice later on!

Why don't you call DD by the new name for the next couple of weeks (at home amongst yourselves) and then in a few weeks you may either love it or hate it. No-one else need know and if it works you can change her name oficially and let people know in their Christmas cards - and if not no-one knows and no face is lost.

To all of you regretting a name choice - as i said in my other post - do it! Fixing DD's name at 4 months was a lot easier than you might expect. We decided to try her new name for one weekend, and if it seemed right, we would tell people on the monday. On the saturday, we went to a fair and saw some friends who had not yet seen the baby. When they asked "What is her name?" I took a deep breath and said "Angharad". No worries! - as the weekend went on we barely ever mixed up with the old name. By the sunday, we both felt like a HUGE weight was off our shoulders and we felt much happier. We told people and the gossip stopped within a few weeks because everyone else had better things to worry about than our kids name. If you stand up and announce a change, work people won't really care and family members will just have to deal with it.

Every single day since Angharad's name change (she is now 6 years old) i spend lovinglovingloving her name. I get a buzz seeing it on her school books, uniforms, pictures etc EVERY time i see it. It suits her perfectly. If we hadn't changed it, i would be spending all those moments wishing we had. So i say only you (and maybe dh's) know WHO your kid is supposed to be. If you got it wrong -fix it! If Dh's are sick of talking about it, explain that you dont want to spend the rest of your life regretting it.

ooops typo - it's DH i need to convince that we want another baby - although don't think DS would be too keen either.

Deckchair - let us know what you decide to do and how it goes.

walking primrose, i don't think i can give her all three names as she already has a middle name which is my mum's name and removing that would not be a good idea

But we will definitely keep Naomi somewhere in the mix as DH feels he has got used to it and it's becoming part of her. Imogen was 1st on the list of names i made before birth, Ellen was 5th and Naomi was 8or9th. Ellen may really suit her though.

Saw a different doctor today and he said that it would be ok to get pregnant again, but think convincing DS of this will be rather difficult.

I am plucking up the courage to talk to DH about it again but it is getting to be a very sore subject. And it doesn't help that my opinion changes a bit from day to day. Christmas is our d-day for sorting it out so will let you know what happens.

I had a name for DS when I was pregnant and I loved it, was certain that's what he'd be called, looked right on the 4d scan etc - then he was born and DH didn't like it anymore I was pretty devastated actually, and it took a couple of weeks to settle on a name after that, changing it a few times along the way. Finally we picked on that we'd previously said no to and I wasn't 100% happy but just wanted him registered really

Anyway DS is 13 months now and his name is perfect for him, I love it and don't feel at all sad for the old name anymore.

If I had a DS2 - I don't know...

I really feel for you - as I said in my previous post, I was preoccupied by it too and wanted just the right name. I also wish I'd chosen different middle name for my daughter but was 'saving' my other fave name in case had another girl. I didn't have another girl and now it v.v. unlikely that I'll have any more children. So I say give her all you 3 favourite names, its quite common to have 2 - would they all sound ok with your surname?

Naomi Imogen Ellen ....
Ellen Naomi Imogen ....
Ellen Imogen Naomi ....

Just be honest with what you REALLY want if you can and then insist on it!
Please let us know what you decide x

We could add Ellen as a middle name but on my other post loads of people have advised against calling someone by their middle name, they say it is really confusing for having a bank account, going to school, going to the doctors, or anything really.

I feel relieved to know that other people are going through this, as I think about it every day. Daren't mention it to DH much as he now feels happy with the name we chose. We are at a bit of an impasse because there doesn't seem a compromise on the change / no change dilemma. But it seems that I feel more strongly about it than him. Perhaps if she gets the 'right' name i will stop thinking about it?

I am getting used to calling her her official name and it comes to mind now very easily, but, it still makes me feel sad.

I have asked both GP and HV if it could be pregnancy hormones and they say not. I have been a bit up and down, but regardless of my mood i still feel the same about the name.

As an aside HV mentioned that some of this could be due to in my case at least, associated the chosen name with all the crap that was going on around the time of the birth (i was very unwell for a good while before and after) and my need to have a name chosen when things were better. Also the fact that i have been told not to try for any more children for health reasons, so the feeling that this has to be the very best name, as she is the only daughter i will ever have so no chance of an Ellen or Imogen later

Why not just add Ellen as an additional name now (doesn't matter whether as a new first or second name); then she has both names officially, and you can decide as and when which you call her by, or even use both interchangeably! Lots of people are known by their middle name.

I can empathise with the changing name dilemma totally - I was SO undecided about my DS's name for months, kept going between 2 names; it was all I could think about and talk about, husband got so sick of it. Eventually, when he was baptised (at 6 months old) and the priest refered to him throughout the service by the name we'd finally gone for as the first name, I sat there in church and thought "Oh No!!He's not xxxxxxx, he's xxxxxx afterall!!!" So, we had him Baptised in one name and got back to our house for the 'do' and told everyone to call him by the other name!

So now we actually call him by his middle name and my new dilemma is should I change it round by Deedpoll?!

My advice is change it if you're not happy, its your baby, do not care about what anyone else thinks. Other people might think its strange for about 5 mins and then they'll just get on with their lives - you've got to live with it forever.

x

I'm going to out myself as a mn'er now as I have spent the last couple of weeks, talking to lots of people about my ds name. He was 1 recently and I am seriously thinking about changing his name.
I have never been 100% happy and now he looks less and less like the name we gave him.
The only thing that stops me is the fact he knows his current name. I know if I am going to change it, I need to change it NOW.
DH is on side for this after some months of me niggling about his name

The pressure even now!

Hi,

I have just joined so i can join in!! How are you feeling about the name change thing now?

I am going through almost exactly the same thing, we chose the name Jacob together and had him ergistered but even now, when he is 12 weeks old, i still can't help feeling sad about his name and regretting not calling him Luca.

I don't know what to do about it as dh says he sees him as Jacob now :0(

Eating me up though and i too don't know if its just post pregnancy hormones...

Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide

Thanks for your help / advice everyone. It was very helpful to know that other people had also regretted name choice and I was not on my own. Also gave me the confidence to seriously consider name changing rather than just fret about it. Ok, you may (or may not) be interested to know, that I have finally found a time when neither DH or nor myself were asleep, dealing with a screaming child, at work or in a bad mood, and have managed to raise the name changing issue (it took a few weeks!).

He said he didn't realise how seriously i felt about it which was why he had closed all previous conversations down with flippant comments (work promotions etc). Obviously he's not overjoyed about prospect of name change but willing to consider it given how strongly i feel.

He finally ruled out Imogen as too silly with our surname but is potentially ok with Ellen. He is a bit worried I might stil not be happy with the name, even when it is changed (bear in mind we've changed it once already in the first couple of days) and so reckons we should wait until xmas. If i still want to change it at xmas, he'll go for it (god knows what we'll put on the xmas cards). I can't see me changing my mind about wanting the change, but as I am madly post-natal at the moment, anything could happen.

I think if we do change he would like to keep Naomi as a middle name.

My DD is Imogen but is known as Imo, Mo or Mojo. I always loved the name and when I first heard it long before she was born I fell in love with it and it was not that common. There is another Imogen in her class this year who is also known as Mo !!

I would do it now while you are thinking about it - we gave DS a second name (He has 3 names + surname) we later regretted & kept meaning to change it, but never got round to it.
Ds has always hated it never uses it except for his passport - which means that plane tickets also have to be booked in that name.

lulumama - I always thought you could only change a surname by deed poll,so thanks for that info - maybe DS would like to change it himself now he's an adult.

I think if you are really not happy then you should change it!

For what its worth, i had a baby girl around similar time to you (21st sept) and we have called her Naomi also and i LOVE her name, i suits her enormously and I am very proud to announce it to everyone who asks that is why i think you should think about it seriously, if you are not proud to call her Naomi then perhaps you have made the wrong choice - Good luck and hope you feel better soon.

I've worried too much about what people will think in the past. DP probably won't know most of the people he's worried about telling in a few years from now but your dd will still have the name....

friends of mine did this when their son was three weeks old and are pleased they did. I got a bit stuck witha name for DS3 and ended up calling him a rather dull name which I rather regret as he is quite a character (but in my defence DH wanted Otto or Oscar and we live in smalltown Scotland not Islington).

DH can blame you . He can be promoted on the grounds that he is considerate, compromises and negotiates! (he can get the middle name naomi as his compromise!)

Naomi is a lovely name, but I do prefer either Ellen or Imogen. In fact I think we will use Imogen if we ever have another daughter (am not even pregnant)

Using Naomi as a middle name is a good idea.

laughgiraffe

I love the name Angharad

http://www.ukofficialdeedpoll.com/?gclid=CJOjlcvjv5YCFQWc1AodCguzyQ

this might help?

argh i didn't see it!! will it be repeated again?

woohoo, a thread i replied to was on the TV, woohoooooooo

Hi. Stumbled on this discussion and HAD to register so i could add in my story. We changed our daughters name at 4 months. BEST THING WE EVER DID! Hubby is Welsh, me australian. we live in oz. Both loved the name Angharad. Rellies and friends were horrified so when she was born we tried to make everyone (except us) happy and called her something else -dont even like to write it). It started to eat away at us and I knew we had made a mistake. At 4 months we announced that her name was going to be Angharad after all. People (work/family) gossiped for a while but most people said "If it means that much to you then ok". Quite a few people told us they'd done the same thing. New birth certificate - easy. She is now 6years and loves her name. She knows the story and thinks the old name is yuk. Every day i feel glad that she is Angharad - the name she should have been all along.

woah. That is really surreal. I like the Wright stuff v m but haven't seen it for a bit due to being rather busy with two children and the older one becoming hideously addicted to CBeebies whilst I was in hospital before birth - hence my name! I wish i'd seen it, missed the repeat too, as i've only just checked the thread. If i'd seen it originally i could've phoned in about myself?!! What did people say?

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

The Wright Stuff is on at the moment on FIVER (sky channel 176) then repeated on 177 (FIVER +1) at 12pm if you're interested. Am watching with interest...........
Love the programme, Matthew Wright is fab

Beat me to it RTKangaMummy :D:D

Wow they have just been talking about this on The Wright stuff, did you see it OP? They used your story as a discussion for a phone in. Hope you seen it

BTW if I were u I'd just change it. I regret not changing my youngest daughters name as like you I went 'off' it not long after I had registered her. Luckily though her name can be shortened which suits her more. Her names Bethany but we call her Beth -Bethy and even sometimes Betty (her friends at schoolo call her Betty too) lol.

This was discussed on THE WRIGHT STUFF today on channel 5

They had read this thread etc

watch it on channel 36 at about 12.10 today for the repeat

and her middle names are traditional old fashioned fuddy duddy family names that she will not want to be known by.

DO it, my child is nearly 6, I called her a name that I didnt even like, I had picked Isobella or Imogen but in my drugged up post labour moments I picked Jessica, now its not a horrid name but if I chose again would definatley not be a Jessica.

Hi, you probably made up your mind by now but my parents changed my name when I was 2, almoust 3 and Im sooooo gratefull to them!!!

toomuchmakkapakka - I think if you want to change it then just get on and do it asap so you can put it behind you and get on with your life. Tell Dh not to be daft - that is no reason not to change her name, and he can always tell them it was you that insisted, being hormonal etc and he just went along with you to keep you happy if he doesn't want to look responsible for the indecision at work.
It sounds like you have really gone off Naomi if you 'don't want to admit to people what her name is'. That doesn't sound good, and although 'Supergirl' is cute, I think Ellen or Imogen are more suitable in the long term!!!
And if you wait until she's older, closer to 6 months or even a year it will be a whole lot harder to do it.
I'm just thinking of you when I say doing it immediately is probably the easiest route.
Good luck and let us know what you decide. x

OFGS tell Dh to tell them you are irrational woman and that as a bloke he cares not for name madness so is easier for a quiet life to let you get on with it.

I would do it sooner than later though, i could have got away with it up to 6 months after gets harder.

thanks everyone for responding. I was going mad mulling it over.
BTW no offence meant to any Naomis or mums of. I do like the name (that's why we were considering / chose it), but just can't get to grips with it at the mo for my little girl. I feel like i can't call her it, and don't want to admit to people i meet what her name is.
Also, a bit like Sal with the shortening, i didn't realise that we would get so many different pronounciations and misspellings. I am a pedant and this really bugs me, started to straight away. If DD is anything like me, it might her too.
Now i know that i have a year I won't panic into doing anything before she is 6 weeks (which i thought i might need to do) .But I will see how i feel in a couple of weeks time and talk it over with DH when we are both not too tired (i might show him this thread to prove that i am not uniquely barmy!). I'm not really that worried about what people think, it's him will struggle most with that (says if the name is changed again he will never get promoted at work as will be seen as too indecisive???!!).
In the meantime i am calling her 'supergirl' and DS (aged 2) is calling her 'babby' both of which suit her just fine.

i think the name Naomi is lovely

I wish i'd know all this before dd2s first birthday a couple of weeks ago as i am still not convinced about her name.

So, if you really don't want her to be called that, then change it

Hey TooMuch - YES, I did . DD 2/DC4 came along and got registered as Madeleine at 7 days old. Then I find that everyone - everyone - called her Maddie - immediately, and I decided I just couldn't go through a lifetime of it . So, I drove myself back down to the registry office when she was 4 weeks old and re-registered her. It was simple, and the Registrar said she had see in all before . She's now Arabella (6) and thinks it's very funny that all her birth announcement cards are in the wrong name and that she has a baby blanket saying Madeleine! It took about a week for the family to get used to the change, that's all, and DH thought I was mad but still loves me. My advice is to get on and change it NOW so you can all get used to the new name.....

I did this with my DS before he reached 1 year of age as I regretted not giving him a middle name. TBH I don't think anyone even knew the difference as it's an official document and you only show it when needed. It did cost about £14 to alter tho and had to be done within one year of birth.

I would just go ahead and change it otherwise it may well bother you long term. I did have PND and was too befuddled to really think about DDs name, and she ended up with an unusual spelling. I do like her name, but I'm sure when she gets to school she'll have trouble spelling it for herself and others - especially annoying for the poor soul when our surname is also uncommon and has to be spelled out! I wanted to change her name but didn't necause DH didn't want to - I now regret it and think at almost 4 it's too late.

Don't worry about other people, if you want to change her name go ahead and do it. Naomi is a nice name, but I much prefer Ellen and Imogen.

Perhaps you could use Naomi as a middle name to placate DH?

got "there"

I sat and registered ds2 in the office in floods of tears, while dh told the registrar his name. She was really lovely and kept saying that I could change it if I wanted within 12 months. It must happen. I wish I had, I feel a bit teary thinking that now.

My step-brother (and wife obviously) changed their ds1 name when he was 6 months old. We (family in general) did find it quite difficult at first - ie kept getting it wrong - but baby didn't notice and we all got their in the end. I was a bit sad cause I liked name 1 better than name 2 but hey, their baby their choice.

I think Naomi is a lovely name. It was my second choice name for DD1 (though in retropect I'm glad we didnt choose it and she isnt a Naomi!)

I changed my ds's name - actually just added a middle name when he was a few months old.

It wasn't a hassle, just had to fill in a form and go and see the registrar.

His new actual name doesn't appear in the main box of his birth certficate but in, I think, box 17, down the bottom. This did cause us a small hassle when we got a passport but only from the post office. They told me I'd got the name wtong on the form. When I sent the passport application, I mentioned it in the additional notes. Anyway, I'm waffling, this was a small hassle.

I think you either have to tell everyone of a name change OR live with the name you've chosen. I'm sure you know which you'd rather.

All your names are lovely, but change it if it will make you happier. It's not going to affect your baby!

I have changed DDs name by deed poll, all done on line pretty much , cost £56 or so when she was 2

within 2 -3 days of being born she was known by her nickname rather than her registered name, and by a few months old would not repsond to her registered name, everyone called her by her nickname etc.. so we changed it

you get certified copies of teh deed poll to use as evidence of the legal change of name

i think naomi is lovely, but def change it if you've decided you don't anymore.

ds2 was zach for several weeks until we realised it didn't suit him (or us!) at all, as it happens we hadn't yet registered his name, so we didn't need to do the legal stuff, but i'm SO glad we changed it and so what if a few friends thought we were a bit odd for changing after we'd announced it

(added bonus, most of his birth congrats cards say zach instead of his actual name, that'll be a fascinating family anecdote one day)

I've just thought that my previous post could be v offensive for anyone/child called Naomi!! Sorry!!

My bf as a child was called Naomi and she always had to deal with mis-pronunciations and mis-spellings. Also, imo, there's not a nice shortening for Naomi (she has Nomi and Nay).

Ellen and Imogen are nicer imo.

Perhaps you could sell it to your dh on the basis that it will be better for your dd - that might make him more inclined to risk the ridicule of his friends?

If you think you'll regret it if you don't do it, then I'd urge you just to get on and do it now. Then you can forget all about her original name and get on with enjoying your new baby.
By the way, I think Imogen and Ellen are both lovely.
Good luck and ignore what other people think / say. She's your baby and there's no reason to be embarrassed about changing her name. You were hormonal and exhausted (I'm guessing here) when she was named - it is a really difficult decision - and now you've had time to live with her you're quite within your rights to change your mind to something that suits her better.
If anyone is negative / horrid about it ignore them. It will be forgotten about in a couple of weeks and I bet your daughter will LOVE hearing about her different names when she's older.
(My DD1 changed her own name when she was 2 - lots of people carried on calling her by her proper name but gave up eventually. She's 7 now and nobody calls her anything but her new name now, and haven't for years (except great-grannie but that's ok!!!)
Good luck. Am with you all the way on this x

We changed name of DS when he was 7mths. Felt like a huge thing to do at the time, so huge that we almost didn't have the courage to go through with it. I never settled on the name given to him at birth. I had a similar experience to you and DH ended up having final say due to the pressure we felt to name our child and after a long tough labour I was just so tired I didn't care what he was called, then later on of course I did care and I felt cheated he didn't get the name that had been my no.1 choice. The name given to him initially was way down both our lists. I did not connect with the name at all, I was in floods of tears regularly over it, until eventually we decided to change it. DS is now nearly 2 and his name really suits him and we can't imagine him being called by his initial name. My regret is we didn't do it sooner for fear of what other people may think. Be prepared for some ribbing over it (although perhaps not in your case as she is still very young). Be prepared for people to openly tell you they don't like the new name and preferred the other etc. Be prepared for other people to get the name wrong. But ultimately it was a fairly easy transition for us. It just took some family members a while to adjust, which is understandable. I have no regrets and I am way past caring about what anyone else thinks anymore. We are happy with our choice and that is all that matters.

Ellen is lovely. So is Imogen

Monkeymonkey, I just thought that wanting to change the name is a bit weird, but having heard that other people have felt the same, well, maybe not. It's hard to tell whether or not my feelings about the name are making me feel sad and upset (which is what i think is happening) or vice versa. i think it is the former as i've been unsettled about the name since she was born.
It's difficult to talk to DH about it as he keeps closing the conversation down and I know he is very worried about what others will think if we change it again (esp given that we changed it already when she was 3 days old or thereabouts). It's becoming quite a problem between us.
He isn't dead set on the name, think he feels that the name we have chosen suits her and is good enough. He would be happy with any of several names.
FWIW her current name is Naomi. If we changed it it would be to Imogen or Ellen.
Ginseng can i ask - did you mind that your mother changed your name?

Change it! Pretty much the same thing happened to me and I really regret not having done something about it. DD is now 3 and I still don't think her name is right.

Change it! She will have her name forever, it is worth it.

Dont worry about what others will think, you have until she is 1 to do it like others said on here already.

Yes, tell us so we can help you

cHANGE IT NOW! I wanted to do this with dd1 v similar circs to yours and was talked out of it. I am still not keen on her name.

Change the name if you want to.
It doesnt really matter what anyone else thinks about the change. You, your DH DS and DD are the main ones who have to live with the name.
Why do you think PND might be affecting your thinking? Have you spoken to you GP/HV?

Change it if it's making you unhappy! She's just a tiny baby and am sure she won't mind! Does your DH agree?
And do tell us the names - maybe we can advise you better? (nosy)

my mum changed mine when i was about 11 months old. my old name is still first on the birth certificate but my name now is on it at the bottom. have never had any trouble with legal docs etc,

Hi there - you can change it within 12 months of registration (only the forenames) if the parents now use a different name or want to add an extra name. If you really don't like the name don't bother about what anyone will else thinks as 1. Most acquaintances may be hard pressed to remember any babies given names a few months down the line 2. friends and family will understand and even if they don't it will be a very short lived topic of conversation and 3. you don't want to be stuck with regrets for the rest of your life. If you do decide to go ahead everyone will have forgotten no doubt by her first birthday. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I'm not sure if it's the same but my friend wanted to change her ds's spelling of his name. She was told up to 1 year you can change it if you can prove you've been using an alternative name/spelling, e.g. congratulation cards. Worth looking into if you feel strongly about it. Don't worry about any1 else, put it down to being a new mum!

Sorry, its our DD, happy with DS name at least (just as well, he's 2 and knows his name by now).

Maybe this is a strange manifestation of pnd, but i don't feel happy with the name we chose for our lovely DS. She's just under four weeks old, we've registered the name and told everyone. She was even called a different name for the first three days before changing to current one. I really wanted a particular name (a third one, hope you're keeping up with this!), but in the stress surrounding the birth, she was early and i was in hospital weeks beforehand, it sort of didn't get picked. To be honest, feel DH wanted me to choose and put pressure on me to decide then and there - I hadn't had more than two hours sleep in the previous 48, or so it felt. I feel my little girl has got second best (well on the lists we wrote beforehand the name she's got was 9th on mine and 8th on DHs) so 8/9th best . Has anyone out there changed a name at this point and if so, what did you have to do, did your DH certify you (i think mine might!) and was it worth the complete confusion / ridicule of family and friends (some of whom (e.g DH work) have already been told of one name change already!).