To change my son's name (kind of) at 2 years of age.

[Writerwannabe83]

DS is 2yrs and his name isn't particularly uncommon but nor is it an overly used one either. Prior to having DS my DH was really keen on this name, me not so much but I did agree to it on the premise that we wouldn't spell it in the typical way because that way can lead to a pronunciation of the name which I really don't like.

But anyway, two years down the line and people are still using the typical spelling and it's driving me mad. Anytime he comes home with something from nursery they've labelled it with the typical spelling, they use the typical spelling when writing in his daily journal, when people text me regarding him they spell his name the typical way and I still get birthday and Christmas cards and they have his name spelt the typical way. He received a certificate yesterday after some activity he'd done at a toddler group and as soon as they heard what his name was they automatically wrote it on his certificate but in its default form so now I feel bummed about that because it my eyes it's not my DS's name.

I have told people soooo many times how we spell his name but it's still constantly spelt in its most common form.

It's really starting to grate on me now.

BTW - the spelling of his name is perfectly legitimate but it's just not the spelling that people associate with the name.

I don't particularly blame people because they just spell it as they assume it's spelt but it's starting to get me down now.

As an example of what I'm trying to say, imagine there's a boy called Luke, but instead of his parents wanting to spell it that way they want to spell it Luc but everyone still writes his name down as Luke because that's the typical spelling. That's probably a rubbish example but I just wanted to try and demonstrate it a little

Anyway, despite me really not liking the common way of spelling his name I'm seriously considering changing his name to it because this misspelling of it is driving me mad and I have a feeling DS will be dealing with this all his life and it will no doubt piss him off in the same way it's pissing me off.

Emma, I'm the same age as you and it was definitely Air-Ron when I were a lass. I think I first heard it Arron on Dallas or something and just assumed it was Americans being odd.

Moses and Air-Ron - we did them st school.

I'm Oonagh in RL and still get Una all the time. Including when people send me an email which has my full name spelled out. And yet they still write "dear Una"

People are dickheads basically.

I mean that in a loving way.

That baby you were expecting is TWO!?

Don't change it 😊 Do take it up with nursery, and with everyone else just offer the spelling at the same time as the name. I've just done similar with my newborn DD2 - her name has two variant spellings, the English way and the French way (which has an extra -te at the end). We used the French spelling because we like it more and because the English spelling also has a possible pronunciation I wanted to avoid, whereas the French spelling is always pronounced our way. So I just say 'her name is X, spelt the French way' or 'X, with TTE'.

I had a bit of a wobble when some of the new baby cards people sent had her name spelt incorrectly, and did wonder whether we should register her with the default English spelling instead. But DH told me that he was sick of hearing about it after months of me stressing over the spelling, couldn't face talking about it anymore, and if we changed it I'd only start fretting about the pronunciation instead. So we left it 😄

he second page in, that I have completed does (the one with contact numbers on etc) but the actual front cover of his journal says "Arron (surname)" across the front of it in big letters.

Big red marker pen. Correct on everything until they get it right.

Perhaps part of the problem is the pronunciation doesn't match the spelling, if you are using a u sound I.e. Around rather than the same pronunciation add the island which has an a sound.

Heaven's sake. My DD's nursery spells her short-form name differently than my DH and I do (as do her grandparents, auntie and cousin...). But everyone at least gets her full, birth-certificate name correct. And it will ultimately be up to DD how she wants to spell her nickname.

Misspelling your son's full name on the front cover definitely deserves a big white sticker. Surely all records need to be in order in case there's an emergency or something?

But if it makes you feel any better OP, when my DD was born, we told family her name - a really, really common one that we like, using standard spelling. And somehow, my grandma and her sister got the idea that there was an "r" somewhere in her name (there is no "r" anywhere in DD's name). My grandma was so excited to hear DD was born, she made a watercolor painting just for DD, and mailed it 3,000 miles to us. The painting has DD's name on it. Spelled with an R.

It's pronounced A-run with the 'A' being pronounced in the lower case form: I.e a gentle a, as opposed to a strong A sound. If that makes sense...

I feel empowered now to ask the Nursery for a new front page of his journal

I used to work with someone whose DS was called Macs, I live in Wales and in Welsh there is no letter X. We are however in a non Welsh speaking area, and although is actually IN Wales, isn't far from the border. There is a big English influence, and even native Welsh people used to go for the standard spelling Max. She'd correct them every time, and most took it on board, but she'd always get a few people who insisted on spelling it 'their' way.

oh, just seen you have said the name. A VERY close family member is called (spelt phonetically) Air-run.

It is not spelt in any ways that have been mentioned on here, and in fact doesn't even begin with an A. His thinking is that as long as people say it right, then he doesn't care about the spelling (everyone close to him knows and obviously spells it right).

Aww you change his name or even the pronunciation of his name, not at 2. He knows his name

I see the thread has moved on significantly since I posted but just to add my tuppence-worth, I am not an especially young thing so in my day (ahem), Aaron was (and, to me, forever will be) pronounced 'Air-on'. And I speak 'RP' English.

I'm with Puppy, Emma, Soup and the other 'Air-on'-ers . I agree that the 'Arran' pronunciation for Aaron is a much more recent thing and probably Australian/American in origin.

One of my DDs has a name which is commonly written in two different ways. Every time it was wrong at nursery or school, I got it corrected, as a matter of principle.

Things like a certificate from nursery seem insignificant, but if you keep it to look back in later years, it will be annoying and disappointing.

Nurseries and schools are increasingly having to get used to unfamiliar names because of children from different nationalities joining them, they should be making a huge effort to get all names correct. Anything else is a discourtesy to the child and the parents.

DD1 and DD2 have names that are common. DD1 name is a different spelling and now shes 9 we never have a problem with her name. (its a proper spelling jsut not the common)

DD2 has a name that ends with y but can also be ending in ie. We have maybe had it twice that its been spelt wrong but she corrects them

I wouldn't be changing his name, just legally changing the spelling of it from Arran to Aaron.

When we named him we really didn't think this would be such an issue.

We are currently TTC Number 2 and we will definitely learn from this when it comes to naming him/her.

No, keep Arran, it's a beautiful name and the people at the nursery are clearly morons!!

When I started reading the thread I was thinking you had picked some daft spelling but Arran is a completely normal spelling of it.

Maybe it's because I'm Scottish that I'm familiar with the spelling?

It's a different name. Just say it's Arran like the island/jumper. Make sure nursery correct it.

Becky546 it has already been explained upthread that Aaron is a biblical name and Jewish people, along with countless Sunday School and RE teachers pronounce it Air-Ron and have done for centuries. They are NOT mispronouncing it: you are.

The OP's son is called a completely different name, which she is not mispronouncing either.

Aaron?

Yep, I have an Arran but people keep writing Aaron.

Do you pronounce it as run rather than ran as I would pronounce with ran as in the Island so Arran not Arrun.

Arran and Aaron are two different names! If somebody said their name was Zara

Arran is lovely. With the island spelling, it really shouldn't be any doubt as to how it's pronounced, and your son will soon be able to ensure people spell it correctly. Until then, demand a new front page for his journal and pull the nursery up every time. Bad form on their part.

FWIW, I have a name spelt the less common but classically more correct way. I spend my life correcting people, but I'm damned if I'd have had it the other way about!

Gah posted before I'd finished. If someone said their name was Arran.