Calling baby by middle name

My family have a trend with this. My mother and two female cousins are known by their middle names. They’ve never had any issues with it beyond the minor inconvenience of telling people the first time they meet you that you’re not known by the name on the form you filled in - no difference to a nickname e.g. Katherine known as Kate at all times.

Difference is they were all known by their middle names from birth - I think you’ll find it very hard to get other people to suddenly start calling your baby by a middle name. Although due to lockdown it may be smoother than normal as fewer people will have met or interacted with your baby. I think to change a name after several months you and DH would have to really seriously regret your original choice.

At the end of my brother's first day at school in the early 1960s (no prior home visits or visits to school) the teacher asked my mum if he was 'a bit deaf'? My brother then came out of class sporting a large badge with his first name on. He has never been known by that name, didn't recognise that it was him they were calling by that name, and at the age of 4 could not read the badge.
My parents chose his two forenames but decided they sounded odd with his given name first, so reversed them.
He has had the same problem at every doctor's surgery, hospital appointment, job interview etc ever since. No massive deal, but really unnecessary in his case.
At the age of 50, he did consider swapping them over for official purposes, but decided he really couldn't be bothered!

You can change the name really easily up to a year old. I do know someone who did this, they just said they'd made a mistake and child was now 'x'.

I had this. We named our first and months later, the name still didn't feel like it fit. So I asked other half if we could change it at the registrars. I looked into it and I'm sure you get a grace period. He said yes, I started second guessing myself and had a change of heart (I do wonder whether it was just me being an awkward bugger on some level).

Anyway, at 2 his eye colour and hair have changed completely and his first name fits perfectly.

If you want to call him by his middle name, of course you can.

My friends daughter is known by her middle name. I assume nothing was officially changed, xxx

My dad, one uncle and one grandad all used their middle name. All other grandparents used totally different first names from their real ones.

Be careful. We were going to call my first daughter Adele (which he loved) and Emma (which I did). Had been sold on that for a couple of months when I was telling someone on the phone a week before I and must have just said it at a different speed. They said....you can't call her that....I didn't get it she said you cant call your child A DILEMMA :-)

If you're going to change it then change it now, my name was changed 3 times in 2 months so I don't notice, but my friends parents preferred her middle name to her first and so eventually she did but her friends were really confused when it was changed at about 10 years old so ended up switching between the two

Meghan, the duchess of Sussex is known by her middle name. Her first name is Rachel.

I know quite a few people that go by their middle name actually. My nephew interchangeably goes by his first and middle name, his father’s family call him the middle name because it has family connections, his mothers side (my side) call him the first and at the age of 5, responds to both of them, and doesn’t seem confused at all.

I think as this thread shows, it's quite common
My partners dad goes by middle name, I didn't know for quite a few years his first name.
Apparently he's just always been known as his middle name.

I know a couple of family members who go by their middle names and a colleague too. And lots of kids at school- very common to have a Mohammed Hussein referred to only as Hussein, for example. Makes the fire register trickier than it need be but aside from that it's fine. Schools can record a 'known as' name that sorts out most of the administrative issues.

I've always been called by my middle name. It's a minor pain when booking plane tickets (or rather when other people book them) but other than that it's fine. I answer to both if I am paying attention :)

I was called by my middle name from birth. But she's so little it won't take long for people to get used to it.

my DS goes by his middle as does my Dad, Brother and aunt and non have had any issues really

a middle name is equally as valid as a first name and many people go by their middle names its just most people dont know and 'assume' it must be their first name

the only time my DS ever gets called his first name is on medical records everything else including school etc... all call him by his middle name

Sorry, that should read 'by her middle name'.

You don't need a new birth certificate, just start calling him by his middle name.

Pretty much the same as @spacelab.

"My parents gave me a first name that they have NEVER used, I have always gone by my middle name, I've never really asked why they never used my first name but they just didn't. Apparently even when I was a baby they introduced me with my middle name and everyone just accepted it.

I also hate my first name, it's not that I'm not used to it but it's just I actually really dislike it. It's a very average name and I've never identified myself with it. My middle has always been my identity, even to the point that people are surprised to find I have a first name when they somehow manage to see an ID or when we were in school. It's only an issue sometimes because usually strangers will call you by your first name (mostly teachers, doctors appointments, etc) but there's also plenty of times when people will ask which name I prefer and that's it."

My name was something ordinary followed by an unusual name, so it looked like a middle name - think something like Julie Cassandra (but not). I hated the first name although it was ok on others. It would only be used at things like appointments and by a teacher I disliked. It had no part in my identity and I changed my name at 18.

My siblings had proper middle names to honour relatives.

What made it worse was that my father found it amusing that I hated it and would tease me. Bullying.

If I were you, I would change the birth certificate before he is a year old.

I noticed that colleagues would sometimes have had e-mail addresses and usernames allocated by full name, so [email protected] not [email protected].

I go by my middle name and my sister uses both interchangeably. No issues here

For us it stems from Welsh heritage.

Both my DH's cousins are known by their middle names. I was so confused at their weddings when they were called a different name. No idea why, I think it's some sort of family tradition.

When my daughter was born she was called her full name, nickname and her middle name until she was old enough to chose. Family and friends all inter changed. She answered to all. Her cousins are the same. It just seems to be something we do in our family.

I have always been called by my middle name as have my siblings and parents. It's a bit of a pain when starting new jobs and at school each year with a new teacher I had to to explain that I'm B not A bit other than that I like my name - people in day to day life only know me as B as that is how I introduce myself.

Start calling DC by their middle name and others will quickly follow though if your DH isn't as keen on it then that might be a sticking point.

I know quite a few people who use their middle names. Just start calling him that. People just get in with it. On official forms like school forms etc put “Edward Ethan Smith known as Ethan”

My dad is known by his middle name. I realised even DH (of 20 years) didn't have a clue. Change it now, no one will remember in a few months.