DS name not sticking! Anyone else experienced this?!

Have you even registered yet? Covid delays mean my 14 week old isn’t registered and won’t be till March! My DH keeps joking about changing his name because of this, but in your situation it would make it very easy.

Just read your posts again and your situation was so similar to mine it's untrue. No names we loved, I couldn't get on board with his favourites and be couldn't get on board with mine.
I think in that situation a lot of people compromise with a safe name like Thomas or Edward and then there are cute diminutives that work well on a baby, and they become that name instantly as the sounds are familiar to you.

If you choose something more uncommon it can take some getting used to especially if it wasn't something you'd ever considered using before, but it doesn't mean you'll end up liking it less in the end.

I'm actually wondering if it's the same name as my DS. Also uncommon but rising and you can't shorten it easily.
Anyway, if it helps I really do think children grow into more uncommon names. I was out today with my little one year old DS2 and it's one of the first times I've looked at him and thought... I love your name! Now he has a personality and a style and is his own person he is really becoming his name.
I think as long as you still like the name and there isn't another name you are desperate to change it to, then stick with it.

My cousin's parents changed her name when she was about 6 weeks old, didn't change it on the birth certificate until she did it herself by deed poll.

I also know a family where all four of their children are referred to by nicknames that are also real names and unrelated to their official given name e.g. a daughter called Cassandra will be called Lulu by her parents and siblings 90% of the time. Very confusing...

But if there's no other name you prefer

I have this issue with DS2. With DS1 his name stuck straight away and I never gave it a second thought, it was just his name.
With DS2 I have obsessed over his name for a year now. I can't link the name with him, it's too alien to me. I often wish I had just called him something normal like Sam.
I'm hoping he grows into it as we won't be changing it now.

I had a wobble with DD1 whose name was only ever going to be what we gave her. It past though. Dose he have a middle name you could use? It’s very common in both mine & DHs family to use middle names. Also maybe try nicknames out. When DH & I talk about our DCs we always use nicknames they have picked up.

It’s also not too late to change it. I thought you had 12 months to change a child’s official name, happy to be told I’m wrong...

Both my children were mostly called by a nickname (unrelated to their actual name) until they were about 2. They just hadn’t grown into their somewhat grown up elegant names yet.

I think it’s quite normal to feel like this. One of my DDs has a name which feels very formal and so we have always called her by various nicknames. She is fine with her full name and always uses it to refer to herself and it’s what she’s called at school.
Perhaps go with a shortening or other random name for the time being? It might stick forever. A friend of mine is called Tigger even now she’s an adult. It’s not remotely like her real name!

What's his name OP?

I love all my son's names but even so, for some reason it seemed weird calling ds2 by his actual name for ages after the birth. We called him by a slightly daft nickname instead most of the time, and then one day he just seemed to grow into his name.

We chose a very unusual name for our DS2. We loved it before he was born but I did feel a slight “uh oh” after we announced it, was it too out there? I never really considered changing it, and we did give him a very common middle name just in case, plus we used heaps of related and unrelated nicknames along the way. Ultimately what really helped was his older brother starting to call him by his given name as if it was the most natural name in the world. He’s 4 now and it’s his name, absolutely. I wanted him to have a cool name and he’s got it! A more common name would probably have been easier to get used to, this was definitely a departure from my extended family’s naming style (!)

Yes, with my DD I couldn't decide on a name so went with one that seemed 'okay'. After six months I realised that it was really bothering me because I didn't like telling people what her name was. So we changed her name to what I really wanted to name her all along, but had nixed because my mother didn't like it. Mum got used to it and now likes it! It is very easy to change their names before they turn 1, you just go to the registry office and sign a form amending the register. I say do it if you feel this uneasy with it. I am so glad I did!

Could it be because your not used to the baby and him having any name yet? I found this with DD a little. When she was about 2 or 3 months old, someone asked me how “Mary” was. I replied “who is Mary?”.

How out there is it?

Change it if you don't feel happy with it.

My friend changed her 3 month old baby's name. Why don't you spend some time seeing if you can find another name that feels right. No biggie changing it if he's only 10 weeks old.

congrats by the way!

Also, rather than worrying about what people will think if you change it, just imagine the joyful diversion you are giving everyone from lockdown with something interesting to talk about and debate your decision. Talk to your partner about how the name and any nickname are settling, think about what he looks like and what suits him and be playful rather than anxious about it.

You can change it. Your baby doesn't know his name and it's simple to do upto 12 months old. Look at pictures of whoever the baby looks like, when they were boys to see if there's a chance he will grow into the name. Would your DP/Dad/Brother suit the name?

It is normal. You still say 'the baby' for a while. Correct yourself and others each time and you'll get used to it.

I think this is quite normal - I found my DC’s names quite ludicrous when they were babies (a baby with a “real” grown up name seems odd anyway). The only names that I think would have seemed “right” were more cutesy names because they were babies and squishy and cute, but I would never have wanted cute names as they grew so stuck with the sensible names we’d chosen and that I still love as names.

I suppose it depends on whether you think there is another name that is much better (change it) or whether it just seems strange to call a baby most names.

This really does seem to happen a lot and I think if it REALLY didn't sit right I would consider changing it if there's another you prefer but is there one you prefer? We're planning on TTC later this year and already concerned about finding a boys name I love as I think they're all abit meh! X

I'm the same with my DS. He's a year now and there's just something not quite right. Perfectly nice name. Not overly popular but not unusual.

We couldn't quite agree on a name. Well my husband didn't agree with any of my suggestions 😂 and I just picked from his list. My no 1 name for him I still think he looks like that....

Yes I was the same with both of mine. I found it hard to make that transition from a name as a theoretical concept to an actual human. Both of mine were referred to as The Baby for a very long time.