Dual Nationality. Two Names

I'm a single parent from country A living in country B and my kids have biological ties to country C. I chose to use fairly international names (like Alex for instance). I used my country's spelling for the names where applicable. The names do get pronounced differently by different people but I really don't care, and I'm not sure why some people seem to think it's a big deal. Even the most common names have different sounds depending on the speaker's native language and accent.

I would give your child the name you plan on calling them in everyday life and let other people, friends, family members manage.

One of my DC is Mathias, which in my SIL's native language is pronounced differently (she'd pronounce the H, we don't). I honestly don't care. In the end she chose to use his nickname the way I say it (Matty).

I have two passports and until recently had my two surnames in the Spanish one, only one surname in the other.

It wasn’t that big of an issue until I started using both of them for work but in different countries. When doing tax returns or other paperwork, I needed to have it all in the same name and with the same amount of surnames, so I’ve added the second surname to my other passport now.

I imagine it would be the same for given or middle names. I’d make sure all documents show the exact same name just avoid this kind of mix up in the future, if the children were to use both passports / names professionally.

You need to ensure passports and birth certificate are the same - you have to show them all your passports these days. Nicknames can be used

My dc's names are pronounced differently but they just see that as normal. My name is pronounced differently too. More difficult when there is a wide gulf in convention but ours are just between 2 European countries so not take an issue.

No, I think it’s much harder to get away with these days, and could be a real headache for your kids as they grow up - as adults they would likely have to standardise to one version for paperwork.

We just picked names that worked in both and lived with the fact that the spelling was more standard in one country eg Anna and Emilie - even though in the other country it would be Ana and Emily it was common enough that it was fine.

It used to be quite common in the Highlands of Scotland to have an English name on the birth certificate, but use the Gaelic form day to day. I.e. John on the birth certificate, but Ian day-to-day. My late grandfather used to call my son by the Gaelic version of his name.

Nowadays, if people want a Gaelic name they just put the Gaelic version on the birth certificate.

Not sure if I'm answering your question, OP but whatever is on the birth cert, put it on every passport.
My kids have 3 passports. I don't deviate from their given names (much as I'd like to- DD and I really dislike her second middle name, chosen by her father).
With the latest British passport renewal, they took their sweet-ass time double-checking that my kids' names are the same on all of their passports. It's taken more than 10 weeks and I'm still waiting. The names matching up on all passports was a big deal this time. I've never had that issue before.

I'm friends with a Fijian family and they have names that still represent their culture but I guess more easier to pronounce in English. But their actual names on documents etc are more complex. I believe some of them have used their middle names for England or used a abbreviated version of their actual names.

They have moved from Fiji but the youngest daughter and son who were born here in England were given an English first name.

I had a close friend growing up called Catherine. Her maternal grandparents and great aunts/uncles called her Caterina.

No one had a problem with it, it was like a nickname for her.

But I imagine it would be different if she didn't like it or if her parents took offence.

Which is why it’s a useful solution. One legal name, but different everyday names for different cultural contexts.

>It doesn't phase kids. Lots of kids have a nickname and a name that get used in different contexts. My nephews have two names as per above - they have alwys heard the Spanish names since birth - it is just part of their life, not something they ever think about.

I see.

That's not how I found it.

Pronouncing the local way is one thing, changing to a different version bugged me. A number of 'oh you were talking to/about me' moments over the years.

Spanish name - Irish name - Spanish family name - Slavic family name.

Faze.

Not my dcs but me!
My English name is on my birth certificate (I was born in the U.K.), but have always gone by the Polish variant of my name with my parents and other family members. (Think like Katherine being changed to Kasia for example) I Use my English name with everyone else.
When I’m in Poland, and people find out my name, they will usually revert to the polish variant, particularly if we are speaking polish.

It doesn't phase kids. Lots of kids have a nickname and a name that get used in different contexts. My nephews have two names as per above - they have alwys heard the Spanish names since birth - it is just part of their life, not something they ever think about.

Two youngest DC were born in Germany and have names which are pronounced differently (but spelled the same) in German and English.

e.g. think Claudia - cloud-ia vs claw-dia.

It seems to work fine. I don't think we would change the spelling, that just seems confusing?

>But our plan would be to allow family from each country to pronounce and write the name in their own way.

What might the bearer of the name think about this in later years?

My nephews have English names that are different names in Spanish. When with their Spanish family, they go by their Spanish names. In everyday life, on passports, at school, and with their English family - they use the English name. Their mother uses two names that aren't even related. Her official name is not English or Spanish (given to her by her father who wasn't Spanish but he took off when she was a baby) but her family always has called her by a completely different Spanish name.

Sorry, this was in reply to the comment about Chinese people choosing English names for themselves. They do, but they're not in any official documents at all.

No, I don't think that this would work. Just choose one spelling for official paperwork and use it for both passports. Let family use their country's version of the name when speaking with the child, but you can't give your child two different official first names used on two official documents. It would become a problem and very quickly

The English names that people have are not in any official documents though

We picked names that worked in both countries but had to make up spelling for 2nd son in English so people would pronounce correctly as only abbreviation was common to English.

I think it's quite usual, especially when the languages and naming traditions are markedly different.

For example, the politician Anson Chan's full name is Anson Maria Elizabeth Chan Fang On Sang (Chan being her married surname, and Fang the one at birth)

And yes, you do need to pick one legal name and still to it on all formal documents.