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Have you changed your baby's name?

58 replies

lenac · 01/07/2009 11:01

I changed my baby's name from Ralph to Huxley when he was six months old. I just felt his name didn't fit. I was quite surprised at the reaction I got from family and friends. Has anyone else done this or is thinking about doing this?

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VAB · 01/07/2009 11:31

I would be really surprised at someone doing this to be honest - never come across it. But if it didn't feel right then I guess you did the right thing... must be hard for people to get used to!!

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gladders · 01/07/2009 12:33

but part of the reaction might have been to the name Huxley rather than the fact you changed it?

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annie896 · 01/07/2009 13:02

Did your DH want to change as well, what was your family's reaction? What does the birth certificate now say?

I have been thinking about this for DS2, he is now six months old, but DH does not want to and thinks I am being mad. DS2 is only 14 months older than DS1 and we just had a mental block thinking of a boys name again so soon we used the name I love for DS1.To be honest at the same time I have got use to his name and given I have changed my mind once I may change it again, so it may be better to stick with it. Its just that if I could turn the clock back I would have called him something else.

I think you are really brave, I would worry about how other people would react and also how I would explain this to DS2 when he is
older.

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scattykatty · 01/07/2009 13:33

I know 3 people whose parents did this

Rosamund Claire (known as Claire from birth but parents liked the sound of Rosamund Claire better than Claire Rosamund) Naturally as soon as we found this out at school everyone just called her Rosamund to annoy her

Caroline Serena (parents changed to calling her Serena at 6 months) All offical stuff was still Caroline, confusing I think

Charles James (parents always called him James but again liked Charles James better than James Charles) Again all offical stuff still as Charles

I do think calling someone by their middle name is just about ok but confusing, but changing their name all together is maybe going a bit far!

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annie896 · 01/07/2009 14:40

Lots of people use their middle and this is
fine, its their name after all, I don't see a problem with this.

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MaggieBeeBeau · 01/07/2009 15:06

My friend did it twice!! Each time she changed it to something nicer though. If she'd done it the other way 'round, it would have seemed harder I guess.

Some of her wider circle of acquaintance though, can't remember which of the five names announced are the final 3 iyswim. (she has 3 girls).

It was quite traditional in Ireland and Scotland to be known as your mn. Definitely not unusual.

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boodleboot · 01/07/2009 20:45

Huxley is an awesome name

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YouNeverCanTell · 03/07/2009 22:46

We changed our son's name unofficially at about 7 weeks old (yes, not long after we'd registered the name!). A few weeks later, when we'd decided we really did like the new name, we changed it officially. Easy peasy. No-one batted an eye - except my mother-in-law who still finds it incredible that we did it! Actually, many people's reaction was ... oh, I wish we'd done that. I think the trick is to do it early. Huxley is a great name.

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Momdeguerre · 03/07/2009 23:01

My friend has recently changed her daughters name from Chloe to Skye - her DD is 14 months old.

She changed it because she said she just felt that the name did not suit her and it was too popular.

Personally - I find it a bit odd and I think her DD was confused, she still answers to Chloe and most people are still calling her Chloe.

I don't think using a middle name is as unusual - imo that is the point of middle names - allows a child some flexibility.

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lenac · 10/07/2009 18:17

I just think if you are unsure about your child's name you should do something about it. At first my DH thought I was mad but when he realised I had a baby whose name I couldn't say he was very understanding. People were shocked but I think so what. Now six months later we have a baby whose name we both love and the mutterings of my in laws have died down.

Anyway as someone pointed out to me, how many different names (sweetie, darling, honey) do you have for your baby anyway? One more won't make much difference surely?

Before the age of one you can just get the birth certificate amended but after one you do it by deed poll but this is also easy to do.

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NanaJo · 12/07/2009 05:26

I have always been called by my middle name, right from birth. My sister seriously considered changing her Ds's very unusual name because everyone seemed to hate it. It is very unusual. However, her DH would not agree to it. My nephew is now 18 years old and has weathered his name very well and she is very glad she didn't change it.

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margotandjerry · 17/07/2009 21:17

changed dd's 2 names around officially just before her 1st b'day, I had been calling her by her middle name consistently since 7 months. So glad I did it, and now she's 3 everyone (family) agrees we made the right decision, although they were a bit reluctant at first. I think people get a bit emotionally attached to the initial name. Now the emotional attachment is to her new name, and everyone loves it!

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deckchair · 17/07/2009 23:10

Oh, I wish I had changed my ds name when he was much younger. He is 18 months. I have never been 100% convinced it is his name, on the way to the register office i said "I think we should call him X". I so wish we had used this name.
However, my decision is that I left it too long and he recognises his name now so I almost have to grin and bear it although I am currently in the process of adding X as new middle name for him.
Even if we had another ds, I could not use the name X as it belongs to DS1 if that makes sense.

I wish I had changed it - and good luck to you for the decision made!

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savoycabbage · 18/07/2009 07:27

I wish I had done this too. My dd is nearly three and I am still not comfortable with her name. When I had her I was pressured into naming her. It was all anyone could talk about. It is a huge regret and I wish that I had changed it.

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FlyMeToDunoon · 18/07/2009 08:53

I would like to change DD1's middle name. It was bestowed upon her in a fit of emotional gratitude but is a bit cringy.
Would it be difficult now? She is 10.

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Rumpel · 18/07/2009 10:41

When I had my DS (he was 1 last week) everyone had a porblem with his name (they all kept calling him Callum) and he did in fact really look like a Thomas - his middle name but he has grown into his name and really suits it.

My brother's first name is our family's traditonial name - Thomas but he has always been called by his middle name.

I have a double barrelled first name but changed it to an abbreviated version when I was about 13 as I don't think I look like my name IYSWIM, although I still get called all the versions by various family members.

I think if you are goping to do it do it sooner rather than later. For those of us who got married it took us ages to get used to our 'new' names I like the name Huxley too - unusual.

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DamonBradleylovesPippi · 18/07/2009 11:22

Oh funny enough I have been thinking recently that dd2 looks morelike a similar sounding name to hers. I even told DH I wished I'd thought of that name as she is so like that. She's 15 months. It would not be a big deal to change it for her or her sister who liked it and thought we should change it but all the adult lookes at me in dibelief.
Luckily I still think her first name suits her so I doubt I'll change it. But think I would if really thought it didn't. So well done. It's very early days no one will remember.

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ducdo · 18/07/2009 13:16

I think as long as you do it when they're little it's no big deal, you may live to regret it otherwise.

My friend swapped her DS middle name to first name when he was at nursery and soon enough we all got used to it.

When my 3rd DS was born, I was v. tempted to get his name changed when he was only few months old, we love the name Harry but after he was born and named did I suddenly seem to hear every child was called Harry and I panicked thinking it was too common.
I looked up ways on the internet and really considered it but didn't go through with it. Since grown to love the name and it suits him, although still don't like hearing all the other Harry's around!! oh well...

Do it I say!

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amidaiwish · 18/07/2009 14:02

i want to add my surname as a second middle name for DD1. We did it for DD2 at birth. What do i have to do?? Need to do it sooner rather than later as her first passport expires in sept and i want her next passport to have her new name.

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pippylongstockings · 18/07/2009 14:49

I haven't done it but have often thought about doing it.

Everyone told us that we had to have a name for DS2 when we brought him home from hospital, so that we could say to DS1 'Here meet your new brother ......' Quite why we went along with this idea I do not know. So we spent a day tossing round name idea's & came up with one we both quite liked.

And now we are stuck with it.I really don't like it now, it is a really nick-namey name. But he is 2.6 so don't feel I can change it.
We can't even use his middle name as it is DP's first name.

Should have guessed that as it took us 5 weeks to name DS1, trying out different names to see which suited that rushing it was not a good idea.

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canella · 18/07/2009 16:15

oh i wish too that i'd given ds2 his names the other way round - now not as keen on the first name we gave him - its too long and i'm never liked the traditional shortened version! but he's nearly 3 so would be weird to start calling him by his middle name now!!

so instead we're trying out weird made up shortened versions of his name in the hope one sticks!!

or maybe we just try to call him his middle name!

lenac - love the name huxley!!

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forehead · 18/07/2009 17:17

My SIL unofficially changed her son's name after six years. She then expected the rest of the family to call him by his new name. My dh thinks that his sister is barking and still uses the old name. The poor child seems really confused.

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matildax · 18/07/2009 17:17

im thinking of doing this with my dd2 middle name, does it cost anything? and will her passport still be ok? or is it really complicated to do?
xx

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gero · 18/07/2009 19:57

Huxley is such a fabulous name. What a great choice. Everyone is probably going to copy you Well done for having the courage to change your baby's name. Ralph is a great name, but Huxley is soooo much better.

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largeginandtonic · 18/07/2009 20:20

I like the name Huxley

Dd was born in Jan, we called her India Rose but every India i heard about had Rose as their middle name.

So i have changed it to India Bluebell.

Dh thought i was bonkers. I wanted to call her Bluebellas a first name in the end. Dh said nope. I call her it anyway

She get's called both, she may be confused as she gets older but i doubt it.

She will probably just say "Oh ignore my loony mother, she always calls me that"

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