For Jamie.. should I have James on birth certificate?

I know three just-Jamies in their 30s. Suits them just as much as any other name and hasn’t done them an ounce of harm professionally. I also know of one who would be a teenager now.

These days, I’d expect a Jamie to be that, rather than James.

We have friends who had a Frederick. They just introduce him to everyone as Freddie, I’d guess 90% of people don’t even know he’s a Frederick on his birth certificate.

Could you not do something similar?

I prefer the proper name on the birth certificate, it’s traditional and won’t go out of fashion

The full version gives more choice too. Especially for girls. Elizabeth can be Beth, Liz, Lizzie, Eliza, Bess,Bessie; Katherine can be Kate, Katy, Kath, Kathy; Margaret can be Meg, Maggie, Mags. The Elizabeth's, Katherines and Margarets I've know have all used different versions of their names depending on age/relationship.

My brother is James (family name, many James in the extended family). He grew up being called Jamie but couldn’t stand it from @12, felt it was babyish. He now goes by Jim or James.

Putt g James on the birth certificate gave your son the flexibility to choose a nick name or not.

I have a Jamie (who is officially called James). It just gives him a choice in the future.

Mine is a James on the BC and Jamie in day to day life. He's 8.5 months old. I just thought it was better.

Funnily enough, XH was adamant I couldn't have James on the BC and call him Jamie because they're two separate names! I ignored him and went with my preference. Obviously love the name!

Put James down, call him Jamie. He'll have the choice when he's older of a more grown-up name but he can be known to all and sundry as Jamie. If he really wanted to be a Jamie officially then he could change his name to Jamie officially when he's older. But I would definitely go for James and just tell everyone he's Jamie, if that's what you want people to call him by.

One of my DC's has an "official" name which nobody ever uses, just the short version. It doesn't bother me, they will have the choice when they are older.

James, give him the option. I went through school with a James (Jamie) that's exactly how it was written on the school register. So perfectly clear what his formal name was but there was a preference for Jamie.

Jamie, Charlie, Alfie, Ollie etc are all nicknames imo. I'd always use the full name on the bc.

I prefer the proper name on the birth certificate, it’s traditional and won’t go out of fashion. I have a long name but go by the short version most of the time, however I like using both versions.

I would always put the ‘proper’ name on the BC because I am prim and traditional, but I don’t think you need to if you have no intention of using it (and are not prim and traditional!). Jamie is a perfectly acceptable name for an adult, not cutesy.

I know an adult Jamie, he's Jewish and it was his parents' take on Chaim if I recall correctly.
I was engaged to a Jamie, too, my childhood sweetheart. He became Jay when he was about 18/19 and has kept that now still at 40. Never used James (birth certificate name), but maybe nice to have a choice.

No just put Jamie on bc

James, simply so he can have the option to call himself that if he wishes to when he gets older.

No! Let Jamie be Jamie! I've got a Joey, not Joseph, Joey and he only gets Joey. He was only ever going to be Joey, he deserves his birth certificate to be in his name!

A good friend of mine is a Jamie but goes by Jay - he’s in his 40s and I’ve never thought being called Jamie was weird for an adult / him. Do what you prefer - plenty of kids that don’t have the formal version of their names and they can go by an alternative version if they want to anyway

Yes, James on BC.

If put James on too.

I'd put Jamie. It's going to be the name you call him, the name he will be introduced as through his life, the name he will be at school. If you use James and give his birth Cert to school what's to say they won't call him James - child will be confused. Just stick to the one name which you want to call him - Jamie is a lovely name.

I would put James on the BC. Jamie as a name might go out of fashion and names that seem dated nowadays, like Jim, might, and probably will, come back in.

You are naming a baby, but a baby will be an adult for most of his or her life.

I can see why James on BC makes sense, but you can put Jamie.
Most people, I expect, would assume Jamie was really James, so it might be easier. It would give him a choice of using Jamie, James, Jim or Jimmy.

Ds is James. Will always be James to me and dh. If he chooses to be a Jim or Jamie that's his choice

My friend's brother was Jamie when I met him. He's now Jim to everyone except his sisters (still Jamie) and mum (he's always been James)

I would just stick with James, it’s in a different league to Jamie.