To change their name!

[Chesternut]

My DD is 4 years old and I gave her a name which, I thought, was very original as I hadn't heard another girl called it in about 20 years. Only to find when she started nursery another girl called the same but spelt differently. DD is due to start full time education in September and there will be 2 other girls with the same name so 3 in the class including DD. Now there's another in other DC's class.
Totally hacked off and really upset by this. Maybe an over reaction but in the 1970's I was one of 5 named the same in my class and vowed never to have my DC's live with the same. Now history is being repeated.
AIBU to change my DD's name before September? I love her name but HATE it's so common now.

If I ever have decide to have children one name I like is Dana. I may or may not tell them it's inspired by Dana Scully from X- Files. I wouldn't mind if others were called it.

Isobella? That looks odd. Prefer Isabella.

Only ever answers you if you call her Buzz.

That's so cute! When I was in high school I babysat the little girl next door, and she went by Bub. Her real name was Hope.

I do get where your coming from, but its best to let your dd decide if she ever wants to change her name in the future.
It might not ever bother her that she has to share a lovely name with others.
3 of my children have unique names, and I'm sure we will still bump into someone with the same name at some point.
My 9 year old goes by the name of noops lol, her grandad gave it her (not sure why).

DD1 is Serena, which I thought both unusual and elegant but not only has she had another Serena in her class, also a Selena so people get names and spelling muddled up. Worst of all was the arrival of an ugly Nissan car called Serena 😡😡 every time I see one, how dare they? Luckily I think they've gone out of fashion, don't see them so often now. But I'd never have dreamed of changing her name, she loves it and so do we.

Remember there is someone out there called Phillipa Bucket - I wonder what nickname she chose for herself when she got to school.

I keep seeing posters talking about what a ‘faff’ legally changing your name is - I changed mine recently and it genuinely wasn’t a faff at all. The paperwork and formal side of it is the very easy part, you don’t have to go everywhere explaining yourself at all within a week my name was changed everywhere, and I was just waiting on my new passport and driving license to arrive. The harder side of it is explaining it to people you know, but a quick social media post alleviates a lot of that. My name change has never been a problem through either work or eduction.

How about changing her school instead? DS has a perennial top 10 name and five years in to primary school, has never had another in his class. I can't quite believe it and always wondered if that's because we are a bit chav compared to others at the school

I know of 2 Esme's at our school and they are both pronounced Es-meee

Esmé is a very old-fashioned boys' name in French. To be a girls' name it needs the extra e.

I have never met another person with the same name as me (But new born babies are always bloody called it in soaps, so maybe more common now). Never has another one is the whole of the 3 primary schools i went to, or the secondary school with 4000 pupils. Or the big companies I've worked for with 600+ staff in one building.
I did have a few people take the piss when I was growing up (because kids are mean and will pick on up for anything and everything) but I really love my name and the fact I don't really share it with anyone.
In fact my husband laughs at me because if someone on a t.v. program has my name and I hate it because it's so weird hearing someone else he called MY name

@Daffodils07, we have a Noop ( singular ) in our family too. Her sister's name for her.

My daughter has a traditional name which isn't so common and there's going to be two with her name in year r next year (she's going into year 1) and she's so excited by it!
You never know your daughter might be excited about their being others with her name too!

I don't think you should change it, she's had the name for 4 years and it's her identity now.

I do feel for you though, all my DC have very overused popular names which wasn't the case when I named them. I love the names but wouldn't have chosen them if I had known.
I wanted Esme for my youngest but the confusion over spelling and pronunciation put me off. I've also never watched Twilight and knew that's what people would associate it with. I do love the name though.

I do understand you though. I didn't think that my youngest daughter's name was very popular.
But I am very wrong! I think it's the most popular name.

Renesmee was the name of the child in twilight. So similar but not the same.

I feel the same with DS Name i wanted another name for him but let DH choose and now lots of people are using the name, but i wouldnt change it as its his name.

I have an old fashioned Welsh name.
I hated that nobody else had my name growing up. I couldn't get anything with my name on even though I live in Wales.

I'd have loved to have had a more popular name.

I absolutely love my name now though and get lots of compliments on it.

What you felt about your name doesn't automatically reflect on your DD's.

@steff13
Dratts. Here I was boasting about my original and unique name and you'd already mentioned it as someone else's name

YABU

You sound really precious and a bit silly really.

Popular names are popular for a reason.

In DS2's class there are several George's. So they're just known as George A, George B, George C etc (using surname initially, not literally working through the alphabet!). George is a great name, the parents have all chosen well, and there is an easy way of distinguishing them. The same happens with the Williams.

Be proud of your name choice, and you may find a nickname evolves whilst she is at school, anyhow.

I was the only one in all my primary schools and all but one of the secondary schools I went to (moved a lot - forces brat) with my name, and I really didn't like being so unusual. I felt weird. In the one secondary school i went to with someone of the same name, theirs was spelt differently, and I still felt really weird. I'd have loved to have a more "normal" name that meant I could fit in.

If I tried to change my 4 year olds name she’d be completely baffled (and probably tell me where to go!). Surely all your DD’s friends know her name? You can’t expect a load of 4 year olds to suddenly start calling their friend by a different name.

Four years ago will have still been prime time for Twilight to still have a massive impact on names and yes, Esme became extremely popular as a result. Surprised it wasn't showing in the top 50 at least at the time of your daughter being born - although probably without the double E spelling.

To go back to the question, no, you absolutely cannot change a 4 year old's name!

It's a lovely name and just part of that generation of 'old person' names that's coming back in again. I don't think it's that crazy popular, you've just ended up in a school whose catchment is overpopulated with Esmes for some reason. Anyway, you having a French dad doesn't make you more entitled to use it than anyone else.
a) I doubt this will be your daughter's experience throughout her entire life;
b) your daughter isn't you, and you don't know if her feelings on it will be the same as yours;
c) whatever you change it to, you can't guarantee there won't be the same problem somewhere along the line.

Just let her keep her name. It'll be fine.

But Esmée and Esmee and Esme are all slightly different. You might find that the other girls pronounce their names like Ez-mee, or Es-mee, who knows? Or they might be known as Essie. At least yours is spelled the right way. Don't change the name.

@Bobbiepin Rose is spelled Roos in Dutch. For example.

As for Esmé...I have seen it spelt so many different ways it's not even funny (Esmay etc). It just makes parents look illiterate.

OP, you can't change your daughter's name now. It's hers, not yours. And she's 4 years old, not 4 months old. Other people have already pointed out the unnecessary, PITA paperwork this would cause as well.