Would it be crazy to change my 9mo's name???

[Pleasebegentle]

Ok so i wouldnt even allow myself to entertain the idea until i saw this threat from 2008: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/baby_names/630785-has-anyone-changed-their-baby-39-s-name-after-it

Now im thinking maybe im not crazy and kicking myself for not acting sooner!

As soon as DD was born i was uncomfortable with the name we'd chosen for a girl. Caught up in the hormones and sleep deprivation I just went along with DH uber organisation and registered her at 6 days old.

Her name is Evelyn. I still think its a really pretty name but i just feel a bit wierd saying it out loud. It doesnt really suit her. Mostly she's called Evvy, which i like. It kind of irks me when people call her by her full name, or "Ev" - thats even worse! I dont think she knows her name as i call her pet names all the time.

Haven't even mentioned to DH (he'll think ive totally lost the plot) so no other serious name ideas in the running.

For what it's worth, I think Evelyn is a lovely name. Is there another nickname you prefer? Eve or Lynnie maybe? But if not then does she have a middle name you could use?

Thank you EsmesBees. I do like Evvy. That suits her. I guess lots if people only use their shortened names day to day... Maybe if i just strongly discourage the Evs i can live with it....

My friends baby is called Evie and I think it's gorgeous, I would be happy with Evelyn (it's a beautiful name) and just use Evie everyday.. I don't call my little girl by her full name often most people refer to her as
Bea..

Have you tried out any other names to see if they suit her? 😘

Love the name Evelyn.
I'm all for changing names with good reason eg. you've been bullied into a name you hate/chosen something "out there" and lost your nerve/didn't register the name you've always loved to appease family or friend or whatever. This doesn't sound like that.

Maybe it just doesn't suit a baby? She'll grow into it. She'll be a woman longer then a child. Can you picture her as Evelyn running out her classroom, pigtails flying? Can you picture yourself cheering, 'Evelyn!' at a sporting event when she's a teenager? Can you picture wedding invitations announcing the marriage of 'Evelyn and X'?

Evelyn is a fine name to go through life with. What would you change it to?

I like Evelyn (pronounced Evvlyn). I wouldn't change it!

Evvy is really sweet. I would say this is Evelyn but she is known as Evvy. As she gets older and you use the name more hopefully everyone will call her Evvy as well. Stand strong on people calling her Ev and say politely it's Evvy!

Thank you, ladies

I'm convinced. Just a sleep deprived wobble. I think you hit the nail on the head, Raines100; it's probably just not a baby name and she'll grow into it :)

I always say the same on these threads - it's not your name to change any longer. You have the responsibility as parents to give a baby a name when she doesn't have one, but she is not your possession to have her name chopped and changed as you wish after that. I would hate for mine to have been changed months later by my parents (and I don't particularly like my name!). It seems disrespectful to her as an individual. It's her name now, and that should be it.

Thanks for the alternative perspective sycamore54321

Sorry Cross post. I hadn't seen your answer when I began typing. Just to say though also any new name could run into the same issues around a nickname you don't like developing. I think Evelyn is a gorgeous name

I wouldn't worry. I also have a 9mo (Juliette) who we never ever call by her name - she is almost always called by a nickname which derives from her middle name, so has nothing to do with her actual name! She only responds to the nickname and doesn't know her name. It feels really odd to use it and I feel a bit awkward when people like receptionists or baby group staff refer to her by her name. I wouldn't say it suits her, and I don't think of her by that name. But I still love it and can imagine her suiting it as a young woman, so I just don't worry 😊

With my older DD, similar happened though to a lesser extent. She always suited her name, but has still always been known by a shortening. When she got to about 2 I realised she didn't know her real name so just taught it to her like a fact we went over! 😂 She still has to think for a moment when someone says 'what's your full name?' But she does respond to it!

And Evelyn is lovely. I think it's just quite mature, like my DD's

Evvy isn't far off from Effie which is a name in its own right. I would just introduce her as Evvy.

I wouldn't change it. My 12 month old has a name I adore but she is always called by her nickname. It just happens naturally.

I'm a firm believer that when the baby is named, introduced to everyone and registered you should stop thinking about names. Just like how you don't keep looking at cars to buy after you've bought one. It's the way madness lies.

I understand the urge, but she's not a doll. It's her name now and that means something. She will recognise her name by now so I definitely wouldn't change it. I might shorten it as you are doing.