Would you be a good registrar?

I'd be bad at it. I'd be thinking oh you are so yoooooooneeeeeek arnchoo

I'm a registrar - sorry some of you have encountered some grumpy ones!
I have an excellent poker face.
And I often tell parents if I like their choice.

I could never tire of asking what someone is going to call their scrummy new baby - it is such a major decision for them.
It's the best job ever.
Plus we get to go to weddings all the time!!

I couldn’t be a registrar. There’s no way I could ever accept youneek spellings, they are a pet hate of mine. I would also struggle to accept some of the outlandish or just plain ridiculous names I come across on the baby names threads.

When my DB went to register his baby, the registrar commented that it was a very nice name that he hadn’t encountered before, and what was it’s origin? This wasn’t in the U.K. though, where names are far more diverse than in most countries, and registrars have seen it all before!

I couldn’t do because I’d get twitchy about people that didn’t have at least one middle name

My DD doesn’t have one. I never really saw the point in them? Both DP and I dislike ours which was why we decided on none for DD

I think I'd have a decent poker face, but I'd have to get my phone out straight away after registering unique ones and send a group chat like..... "Guess what someone just called their baby.... 😂"

is it like Steven / Stephen ie free choice?

I'd always thought that Stephen was the traditional/"posher" spelling and Steven was a fairly modern invention.

@Zoflorabore oh Ballonz 🤣

The registrar we saw to register DDs birth seemed particularly grumpy. I’m a teacher so enjoy seeing some interesting names, even better is then trying to match the kidsto the parents at events🙊

Ballonz has pretty cool parents I’m sure 🤣

NicoandtheNiners Yes! You can't be a registrar and a midwife. I was most put out when I found this out, I looked it up after a friend's wedding, I thought it would be a lovely thing to be a registrar

Most disgruntled when I discovered I couldn't be!

I think I would make a good one.

I would absolutely love hearing all the different names all day.

I've been doing training for work at the same office where they register babies... I asked them about the bonkers names and they said they call it "the registrars nod" when they acknowledge the names. Apparently they aren't supposed to show a preference to their favourite names either, so it made me feel better that our registrar didn't hate my baby's name!

I had an unplanned home birth and when we went to register our baby they knew the birth had been at our home address.

All births should be registered on the nhs computer system, even suprise home births. A midwife would register it after if she knew. That info goes electronically to the registrars office. So a couple can’t register a baby at the registry office unless a midwife has inputted the birth if that makes sense. Otherwise people could register the same baby ten times over to ten different couples!

I don’t think deaths could be covered up by a doctor/registrar because there would be coroner involvement? Unless there would be some way where if you do both roles you can bypass notifying the coroner.....I have no idea actually who should do it. I know sometimes the hospital will ring the coroner but if a registrar feels the coroner hasnt been informed and should have been do they flag this?

I'd be fine with the unusual/less conventional name but probably roll my eyes when I heard something from the top 10 list! Or yoonique spellings like Alyvia

TulipsInBloom1 I used to work in admin for a large children's nursery group and I couldn't wait to share with family & friends some of the absolute peaches that I used to come across! Genuinely afraid to name some of them here for fear of outing as they were that unique (read: ridiculous)

Ooh, @NicoAndTheNiners, I hadn't even thought of that scenario where births are concerned... I'd be a bad criminal!

@Thighofrelief

I just tried to look up why a midwife can't be a registrar and didn't get very far... However my assumption would be that it's due to potential conflict of interest. Possibly not so much where births are involved, but a doctor (also on the list of those not allowed to be a registrar) registering the death of a patient could be tempted to cover something up, for example.

nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/registrar-of-births-deaths-marriages-and-civil-partnerships

My poker face would be dead on, but I would have to share all the bonkers names with family and friends. Probably straight after the appointment.

Cbeebies yes.... it's Sanskrit although obviously was not familiar to me as such upon first hearing.

Midwives can’t be registrars because there’s the potential to make up fake babies and claim benefits. So I could input a fake birth on the system at the hospital and then actually register the birth at the Registry office. And claim child benefit, get passports, etc. I guess you could set up a business selling such stuff to people.

I think doctors are banned from being registrars as well.

There was a girl in my eldest's class called Swastika. Indian parents, but the girl herself had been born and raised in the UK. No idea if her parents were aware of the name connotations, but if it was me I'd want someone - like the registrar - to tell me.

I had a registrar point ask me in front of my ex whether I was absolutely certain that a) I wanted to register him as the father and b) I wanted DS to have his surname. As it was legally entirely up to me and he had no say in it, not being married to me, and I couldn't change it afterwards without taking him to court. I mean, what did she imagine would happen if I said oh, I've changed my mind then? It would have been a rather awkward ride home at very best, and police required at worst if my ex had been the violent type!