Would you be a good registrar?

[Thighofrelief]

I find names and trends really interesting but think I would get sacked pretty quickly.

I'd say "oooh no dear, don't spell it with a y" and "are you sure? She really looks like a Caroline to me" and "for the love of God pick a spelling! Think of the statistics"

Went I went to register both my DCs I was really interested in the registrars reaction but didn't get one either way.

As a teacher I'm quite used to an eclectic mix of spellings, although have recently come across not 1,but 2 little Swastikas which made my eyebrows raise.

I have a friend whose mother wanted to be called Michaela. But she sent her husband, unaccompanied, to register the birth. He couldn't remember how to spell it so she is Michelle. I couldn't possibly trust anyone enough to register my DCs.

When i was registering my 2 i was so excited and blinkered about the names i had chosen. I may have tried to solicit a positive response from the registrar but just got neutral and pleasant which is actually what the names are, so there you go. I had no perspective at the time though

It is my dream job but I suspect I would be quite bad at it, in reality.

Hah I’d suck at being a registrar. My mouth would be saying ‘that’s lovely’ but my expression would be saying ‘are you sure’?

MewithaC two children called swasticka?!?!?

Surely it's Swastika not Swasticka. Tsk, these racists should at least be accurate.

I also feel a little obsessive about middle names, i mean it's not that hard to shove Louise, Jane, Marie or Anne down is it?

Well I’m a midwife so legally I can’t be a registrar.

I have a total poker face when it comes to baby names though so I would make an excellent one.

Only time I’ve ever offered an opinion was when a couple said they were going to call their baby a name which had numbers in it rather than letters. I genuinely can’t remember what the name was or how it was pronounced but I pointed out legally you can’t have numbers in a name (think I’m right, that’s what I told them anyway).

I had a registrar point ask me in front of my ex whether I was absolutely certain that a) I wanted to register him as the father and b) I wanted DS to have his surname. As it was legally entirely up to me and he had no say in it, not being married to me, and I couldn't change it afterwards without taking him to court. I mean, what did she imagine would happen if I said oh, I've changed my mind then? It would have been a rather awkward ride home at very best, and police required at worst if my ex had been the violent type!

Nico why can't a midwife be a registrar? It makes a lot of sense to double up if you think about it. I had one of my children in USA and we didn't go anywhere to register DC - I just received a phone call at the hospital and I don't physically have a birth certificate for him but he does have a US passport. I may have forgotten something but it was a different experience to registering a birth here.

There was a girl in my eldest's class called Swastika. Indian parents, but the girl herself had been born and raised in the UK. No idea if her parents were aware of the name connotations, but if it was me I'd want someone - like the registrar - to tell me.

Midwives can’t be registrars because there’s the potential to make up fake babies and claim benefits. So I could input a fake birth on the system at the hospital and then actually register the birth at the Registry office. And claim child benefit, get passports, etc. I guess you could set up a business selling such stuff to people.

I think doctors are banned from being registrars as well.

Cbeebies yes.... it's Sanskrit although obviously was not familiar to me as such upon first hearing.

My poker face would be dead on, but I would have to share all the bonkers names with family and friends. Probably straight after the appointment.

@Thighofrelief

I just tried to look up why a midwife can't be a registrar and didn't get very far... However my assumption would be that it's due to potential conflict of interest. Possibly not so much where births are involved, but a doctor (also on the list of those not allowed to be a registrar) registering the death of a patient could be tempted to cover something up, for example.

nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/registrar-of-births-deaths-marriages-and-civil-partnerships

Ooh, @NicoAndTheNiners, I hadn't even thought of that scenario where births are concerned... I'd be a bad criminal!

TulipsInBloom1 I used to work in admin for a large children's nursery group and I couldn't wait to share with family & friends some of the absolute peaches that I used to come across! Genuinely afraid to name some of them here for fear of outing as they were that unique (read: ridiculous)

I'd be fine with the unusual/less conventional name but probably roll my eyes when I heard something from the top 10 list! Or yoonique spellings like Alyvia

I don’t think deaths could be covered up by a doctor/registrar because there would be coroner involvement? Unless there would be some way where if you do both roles you can bypass notifying the coroner.....I have no idea actually who should do it. I know sometimes the hospital will ring the coroner but if a registrar feels the coroner hasnt been informed and should have been do they flag this?

Nico if the patient is elderly and the death expected there is no autopsy - so maybe coroner would not then be involved? Don't know, just thinking aloud. If there is no hospital involvement with a birth, ie a surprise pg then uncomplicated surprise home birth then could the birth potentially not come to the attention of the hospital. Then the couple turn up to register a surprise baby?

All births should be registered on the nhs computer system, even suprise home births. A midwife would register it after if she knew. That info goes electronically to the registrars office. So a couple can’t register a baby at the registry office unless a midwife has inputted the birth if that makes sense. Otherwise people could register the same baby ten times over to ten different couples!

I had an unplanned home birth and when we went to register our baby they knew the birth had been at our home address.

I've been doing training for work at the same office where they register babies... I asked them about the bonkers names and they said they call it "the registrars nod" when they acknowledge the names. Apparently they aren't supposed to show a preference to their favourite names either, so it made me feel better that our registrar didn't hate my baby's name!

Fairy was it a surprise pg or just an unplanned arrival?

Snack so that's why there's so little reaction, makes sense and just professional really. If you gave no reaction to Strawberrrreeee but said "oooh lovely" to something else sooner or later mums would compare notes.

I think I would make a good one.

I would absolutely love hearing all the different names all day.