DS is 2 1/2 and I want to change his name, I hate his current one.

[PurplePuffin]

DS is 2 1/2, rather old to be thinking of changing his name. However, we have had some negative comments on it and at first, I thought, hey ho, but now, too many people dislike it and as much as we liked it at first, we both hate it now, but DS does know his name, just wondering if it's a terrible idea? Thanks.

Nothing wrong with Kyle - I know a lovely one :) but if you have to do it, then a PP's suggestion is good. I would do it now before he starts writing his name.

My son has the same name as my Dad.

Just like you, my Dad goes by the shortened version of the name. My son uses the full version of the name.

Initially I thought it might be weird but, actually, we've found it to be totally normal. My son is always referred to by the full version so it's a non issue.

So, in your case, your son would be Alexander (or Xander if you prefer) and your Daddy would continue to be Alex.

I definitely agree with the other posters in that, if you really want to change it, do it now.

You have my sympathies though - I really struggled with choosing a name for my second child. I understand some of the stress and pressure you must be feeling.

I think Kyle is a lovely name, I was in school with a Kyle way back in the 1970's. A good Scottish name .

I know a few young Kyles, it's relatively popular in Scotland, nothing wrong with it as a name.

Is there a reason you don't want him called by the same name as your dad? Just asking because my FiL, DH, and DS2 all have the same name. We just call them by variations i.e. Big Bob (FiL), Bob (DH) and Robert (DS2).*

*Their name isn't Robert, but you get the idea.

You know what, it's a perfectly good name and I doubt the people criticising have called their kids anything so much better. I would stick with it. Unfair to your DS to change now. You don't sound like you actually dislike the name itself so much as what people say about it. Here's the answer: don't listen to people. Most of them are fools anyway.

Kyle is a perfectly ordinary Scottish name. Absolutely nothing chavvy about it here.

Across we have exact same thing in our family fil dh and ds are all called James so they are Jim, James and little Jimmy!

Op I think Kyle is a lovely name (married into a Scottish family- they also love this name!) it's a little boy's name and will also be a good man's name so it's great. Try and remember the reasons why you chose it in the first place - maybe this will make you fall in love with the name again? I think you made a great decision on his name in a time when there are some very unusual children's names floating around

I love it!

There is nothing wrong with the name Kyle, it seems to me that a lot of normal names get branded as 'chav' by someone or other so I wouldn't get hung up on that.

Wardy My DH hated being called 'Little', especially as he's 6' 5" and his late father 'Big' was about 5' 8" as it was inevitably followed by 'tall jokes'. That's why he insisted that our son not become 'Little'. He said he could either be called by the full name or be called 'Three'. We all opted for the full name. He's now 26 and they're both called 'Bob' except by me and my mum who still call him 'Robert'. He actually says it makes him feel 'weird' if his Gran or I call him 'Bob'.

Kyle is a perfectly good name, makes me think of the actor Kyle MacLachlan, who is gorgeous.

It might be a bit too confusing for your DS to change names, now he is over two?

You know when toddlers are adopted how they never have their names changed now? Well that's because it would be really confusing and upsetting for them. Please don't try to change his name now at 2+

You can't change his name at 2.5. He knows his name, obviously. It'll just cause him confusion.

I think Kyle is a nice name, it is not a 'chavy' name at all - who on earth would say that? But I do understand about name taste changing over the years. If both you and your DH want to change it then you should change it now while he'll still have no memory of it. I disagree with the idea that a kid knows his name by age of 2 and so can't be reconditioned to know a new one. Lots of toddlers get called baby names that are very different from their actual names. Once they grow up they transition to their adult names no problem. None of us remembers anything about being two years old.
I also don't see the difference between changing his name to a new name or a middle name - a different name is a different name. If you're going to go through the 'drama' of changing it do it properly and change it to something you both love, don't compromise on the middle name. I guess if there is a similar sounding name then that could make the transition slightly easier for you and your son, but I can't think of many... Something like Kieron or Callum?

I think it's a bit silly to want to change his name now, Kyle is very common in our area now but in 10 / 15 even 5 years time it might not be. Names and what is "in" or whatever change all the time. We called our son the number 1 most common / popular name in our area without realising it! We just liked the name and didn't think about it and I only started to realise how popular it was when I was recovering in the maternity ward and 3 others all had babies with the same name! we still love it though

Kai is cool.

My cousin adopted 2 boys & about the time the older one was ~4.5yo when they changed his name (not changed the other boy's name). It went from something like K'yantta to Kenton, Kay for short on both names.

Not been a problem (lad is now 18).

i think its a lovely name!!

Op I think you've been unnecessarily swayed by other people's opinions and i think whoever has had the cheek to tell you they dislike your son's name is not a friend of yours, that is the height of rudeness. I suspect you've maybe been voicing your own distaste for it and theyve joined in? If so, you should make it your business to tell them same people you've realised what a lovely name it is and you're actually really happy he's called Kyle. Basically stop them having free reign to comment.

Then get on with the business of calling your son his name, there really is nothing wrong with that name, it's a good solid name, call him Kai for short, there's nothing wrong with that either.

Alot of people will come on saying it's fine but they wouldn't choose it, which is also fine! One of mine is called one of the hard to pronounce, hard to read, hard to spell non English names that sometimes end up in long threads on MN and i know at least 99% of people I know dislike the name (they don't tell me though!) and it's fine! It doesn't matter!

I love Sandy (short for Alexander) - could this be an option?

I like Kyle. It's a really nice name.

If people say it's chavvy, then just reply that his full name is Kylewitherington Fortescue Arbuthnott Gilbethwaite but it just seems too much for every day somehow, so we call him Kyle for short.

'My Kyle', gradually slurring into 'Michael' over three or four months?

By 2.5 my daughter was called by a family nick name and never her full name. Apart from at pre school where they insisted on full names (this was a long time ago).

Every day they would write out her name in dots so she could fill in the letters herself with a pencil.

Every day she ignored the dots and wrote her nickname in very wobbly letters underneath.

She might have been just two and a half, a baby, but she had a very strong sense of identity and her name was an important part of that.

I do t think it's fair to compare this to children who are adopted. Obviously adopted children are in circumstances where there is a lot of change already. The OP's little boy is not in that situation. He's just living his ordinary life in his own home with his parents.

I think the idea of calling him Kyle Alexander is a good one. Especially as you can give it a go and if it's not working out for him you can just stop.

Agree people are rude if they say any thing. We have a couple of Kyles at school no one has said "chavvy" in the staff room and we have had a few in
the past that have been very unusual- chavvy
As said Kyle is a Scottish name and I know one that never had anyone say anything about his name and he travels with his sport.
Keep it if you want to and ignore others. Sandy is a Scottish version of Alexander. He might chose himself. My daughter insisted everyone in the family called her her full name and then another one after it. We still tease her about that as the other name isn't a name at all it is a thing.