We used a name to honour my FIL (but changed the spelling) so he is moaning that we might as well not have bothered. Should I change it?

[ConfusedAsEver]

I'm actually upset/annoyed. My FIL has an okay name (I don't love it, but we used my dad's name for DS1, so didn't mind using it) however both DH and I hate the way his dad's name is spelt, it's a 'unique' spelling.

So we used the original spelling. He is very annoyed claiming it's a completely different name and is giving DH a hard time about him preferring my dad and letting me walk all over him

Now I don't even want to use the blinking name!! WIBU to change the name? (Our son is registered btw)

well its a completely different name for a completely different person. Tell him to get over it.

My middle name is the same as my grandmother's first name, except with a different spelling (in this case, a spelling that she herself liked). It was never taken as anything other than a compliment that my parents chose to link her to me by the name! I always felt a bit closer to her having the name growing up (sadly, she passed away when I was young) and the fact that the spelling is different was never an issue.

I have to say that I don't think William and Whillyam (and any other variants like that) really are the same names, so in that respect he has a point. But at the end of the day it's your choice, not his; if one parent being honoured had a name which happened to be on your shortlist anyway and the other didn't, too bad. If he wanted the exact name to continue that badly surely he should have given it to one of his own children.

UterusUterusGhali

......just laughing at the excellent name you've given yourself! (Threads v good too)

My advice - steer clear of family names. We have "family middle names" on both sides. Ambrose, Northcote and Martyn - at least they are only middle names but every generation in each family has one or more of these as middle names and it was very much an expectation that we continued it, I don't have 3 boys so we got it out of the way as my great grandfathers generation did by giving our only son 4 names - his name followed by Martyn, Ambrose, Nothcote poor lad - at least he doesn't have to use them. My Daughter has her own name followed by my Sisters name ( who died) and my Grandmothers names to make her number of names the same as my sons so own name, Isabelle, Gayna, Sushanna.They've made a virtue of it in that my sons nickname is J - Man his initials -and my daughter similarly is called Tigs.

YADDNBU!!! What about a compromise? Have you thought about using a shortened version or different form of William? Will, Billy, Liam etc? It's your baby so your choice.
Good luck!

Armani/Hermione is rather sad, I hope they were within the limit to change the baby's name!

Just call FIL Will-Yam every time you see him from now on.
With that spelling it's how it should be pronounced!
I like the name William but you call your DS what ever you want to!
Sod FIL.

He spells it Whillyam

That looks like short hand for 'I am a Willy' - not something you want to saddle your child with.

I have to say that I don't think William and Whillyam (and any other variants like that) really are the same names, so in that respect he has a point.

I think William and Whillyam is essentially the same name. As pps have pointed out, spelling has only relatively recently become standardised, so there would always have been a verbal name that we know today as William, but historically, that same verbal name could have been transcribed several different ways, e.g. from a pp:

'The 4 churchwardens, Whillyam Godere, John Felde, Richard Dastene, John Brocke, Marthew Chancler Carpintir made this frame 1605.'"

People just kind of took a stab at it and Whillyam was obviously one of the attempts. You never see Marthew much these days, either!

Just tell your Fil that William is the modern spelling of his name.

I expect when you decided to name your first child after your dad you were kind of hoping you'd have a daughter second to avoid Whillyam.

OP, you're going to have delete this thread as if your FIL ever googles his name to see if there is ever anyone else with the same spelling...

Nothing on a google search so far for MN!

OP if you want to change your son's name just contact the Registrar. It's a very simple process for a baby.
FIL is being ridiculous, not to say very ungracious. There are plenty of old fashioned spellings and also names which are no longer used because of the connotations put on them today. Not many people want to own the name Bog etc
I knew someone whose surname was Topliss. He told me he changed his name because when he had daughters he felt it would be unkind to them to have to cope with comments. I then informed him that Topliss was originally Tupp Lass and a nickname given to a randy man so he had probably done the right thing on two counts!
BTW I suspect your FIL is of the old school who feels that any teasing he underwent didn't do him any harm but toughened him up, just as the occasional clip around the ears did

Call him Sue?

Seriously people are terrible at spelling. You'd think they'd check before registering the baby.

Had someone register a cat at our cattery once. It had been taken down by reception girl as 'Clearpatra'. I assumed reception girl had made spelling error and corrected to Cleopatra. Cat owner got very annoyed and said they wanted it spelling 'Clearpatra, like the Egyptian queen'. Although technically who knows as it must've been translated from hieroglyphics?

If you look at the list of registered baby names there are always a load of rare ones down the bottom which are mis spellings of the common ones. eg. Racheal, Hellen, Linzi, Pheobe, Chloey, Sharen, etc....

Any updates on this? Xx

When I see a "unique" spelling..I just assume that the poor unfortunate had thick parents....

😂 that's an awful spelling of the name!