To change DS's Name?

[BlooBelle]

DS is 4. He has an unusual name which in hindsight I may not have given the go ahead...

DH loved the name and after having difficulty deciding on one I felt it would be better to give DS a name that meant a lot to DH rather than a 'compromise' name - plus I quite liked the name at the time!

I have been regretting his name for a while (feel really awful about this on many levels) and sfter reading a recent thread on AIBU I am seriously considering asking DH is we can change DS's first name on his birth certificate... We can keep his current name as a middle name but just him a more conventional first name... AIBU?

There is a Rock at dd's nursery (wocky, according to dd). It's not that bad...

If he wants to be known as William why can't you just call him William? (assuming that is his middle name) and he can go through life as R William Smith, rather than Rocky W Smith.

Maybe change it by deed poll to Rocco or something, so you can still call him Rocky but he's got something a bit more, um... strait-laced for his job applications?

A few threads on here recently.

When you said unusual I was thinking something out of the norm, like one of the Beckham children. Instead I'm now thinking of the Sylvester Stallone films instead.

Sorry, OP, I'm not meaning to offend.

I still think you need to let him make the decision when he's older, maybe use his middle name for now.

The marvellous Barbara Pym, writing in the 50s, had a character called Rocky. Short for Rockingham (Rockingham Napier, in full). Read Excellent Women, fall in love with him, and the name will suddenly seem much more appealing...

Amazing

I thought his name would be either 'Horse' or 'Hound'....

he can be known by any name you all choose. he will appear on official documetns as rocky though. if you want him to be knowwn by his middle name at school, tell them. they will label his peg/drawer/books with the chosen name.(eg a charlotte may be charlotte in the register but lottie on all labels. )

I would change that name without a doubt, sorry.

I think it's a great name, if he wants to change it when he is older he could always go by his middle name and keep Rocky as a nickname. I really wouldn't worry about what future employers may think because by that time your Rocky would have so much character and so many positive qualities that will help him stand out and his name will only compliment that and help him to be even more memorable. :)

I like the name Rocky. I think it is really sweet on a wee boy but agree may not be so great when he's older.

I think it's a nice name for a tough sporty person.

It would not suit boys like my two, who are Mr Puniverse types.

In your position I would try calling him William and say that after a while (a year or so) if he likes it and wants it to be changed to that you will sort that for him.

I don't think it's so bad as an adult he could always change it on his bc to rocco and continue to use rocky. I don't think names effect jobs just by being a bot wacky, Chardonnay would probably be a tough one to pull off but rocky seems fine to me.

Don't change it

When I was in my first marriage (aged 19 ), the name I had earmarked for my child was Jordan, girl or boy.

I think it's a mercy for all concerned that 10 years passed before I actually had a child and gave him a much nicer name.

What I am saying is that a name is pretty much the most important thing about a person, if you get it wrong through being a bit young then I don't think it's a problem to change it if all concerned are in agreement.

Name is the most important thing about a person?! Really?

I would go ahead and change it. A name like that is something that will hinder the poor boy. Who will take him seriously when he is called Rocky!

Initially, yes, I think it is. It is your first impression. Hence it being the first question everyone asks on meeting someone.

How exhausting it would be to spend your life trying to change others immediate perception of you from the get go.

I this your reasons for wanting to change it are valid.

Agree with you akaemmafrost. I have a very unusual name

think, not this.

First impressions? Thats assuming the interviewer didn't bin the CV/Job application in the first place because of 'name prejudice'

I know a Barry who is now Matthew, he reversed his first and second names in his early teens and then formalised it by deed-poll at 18. If you dc is asking you to call him William why not try it for a period of weeks and see if he and you stick to it? If it does stick, it can then be changed at school, and he can request to change it, I think, at about 10 or 12 through a solicitor. But I don't think you can impose a name-change without damage to the self.

ou don't really have to change the name on the birth certificate....when he's older he can ask to be called by any first name he wants. I don't know if this is something typical of the older generation, but my mum has always been known by her middle name (she prefers it), and for about 20 years my dad was known by his middle name at work, as there was already someone with the same name working there when he started.

FYI, you can change first names (not surnames) for the first 12 months of a child's life;- it's free, and they send you a new BC, but leave a note on it recording the child's original name. I know this because DS's father insisted on giving him a middle name which was the name of a brand of beer. I let him at the time (post-birth hormones), but when it became clear that he was going to have nothing to do with his son, the name just seemed like an insult, so I had it removed.

Rocky is a great name - I know a Rocky :)

Who was that WAG on celeb BB, Nicola? Her son is called Rocky.

When he is older and IF he wants to change it then he can fill out the application on anyway he wants and be known as anything he wants or use his middle name - plenty of people do.

Call him William if he wants, ds had a different name every day at 4 ranging from Lion to Blue Power Ranger

I like it. Its unusual and there is a lot to be said for that in terms of identity too. People with unusual names are supposed to be more confident in themselves and don't feel the same need to conform to society or its expectations. They are supposed to be more extrovert. The logic is they are used to standing out and being different just from their name.

Just because its his name doesn't mean he has to be called by that name. If he wanted to be called William indulge him and see how it goes for now. I wouldn't change it straight away at all.

If you have an unusual name, its easier to get rid of than to decide to adopt a strange name. Its a gift he can choose what to do with later in life.

I don't think it will affect his life chances. Its not a name that leaves you with a negative imagine. The imagine you get, is one of a confident, strong and athletic individual. I rather suspect that his father isn't go to be a wimpy type for you to have chosen the name in the first place. Even if he doesn't match expectations, you have given him a name that has the power to influence in a good way rather than an anonymous William.

Celebrate difference. Its a good thing not a bad one. Learning to be able to cope and not always conform is a very valuable thing.