How can I change a middle name (or am I stuck with it)?

[Notevenmyrealname]

My daughter turned 6 weeks old this week and we picked her first name straight away but struggled to come up with a middle name. The name I thought went best with her first name, we couldn’t use as we already used it for one of our other children so we were trying to find a name I liked as much.
We went to register her on the last possible day we could but still hadn’t agreed on a name. My husband wasn’t very enthusiastic about my favourite name and vice versa so we ended up rattling off a few names in the car on the way and agreeing on one, but I’m having big regrets now. I haven’t actually told anyone what her full name is yet apart from my other children. They like it but my eldest who is 6 said (unprompted) “I prefer xxx (my favourite name)”. I can’t actually sleep at night now as I’m so preoccupied with it. I haven’t told my husband I don’t like it yet as I think he’ll be a bit annoyed at my ongoing indecision 🙄. Is there any chance I can change it? I’ve read somewhere that you can but can’t find it on my local council site so would like some accurate information if anyone has any.

In my council it’s £90 to change but I think you don’t get a new certificate - they just cross out the name you don’t want and add the new one.

Nobody really uses (or cares about?) middle names. Why don’t you just add your name, rather than replace? You’ll still have to pay though...

Wow you can't sleep cause you don't like your babies middle name?? OTT.

Just don't use it.

I had a spot of middle name regret too, OP. In the end decided against changing it, but I know how you feel.

If you're having her Christened under age one, you can change her name then with relatively little fuss.

I think you may be overreacting slightly. As PPs have said, middle names aren't used that much. Im sure that whatever you originally picked isn't that awful.
You could just do what people on both sides of my family have done, which is call her by the name you like/prefer and leave the birth certificate alone?
For example, Aunt Mary was actually Rachel Maureen Blogs. Uncle George was really Harold, etc.

Ive lived 52 years with a middle name I hate, but it doesn’t affect my life so i never changed it.

Your daughter may love it, and if she doesn’t it wont affect her life either unless its something ridiculous.

I detested my unusual middle name as a child and used to pretend it was Louise like everyone else's.

As an adult I love it and the story behind it...

You can change a first or middle name easily (but with a fee) in the first year after the baby was registered. If you're in England or Wales give your local Register Office a call and they'll help you.

What does Christening have to do with it?

OP: none of my children have middle names, and I haven’t got one either. I have never felt the loss!

Daisiesarenotflowers
Thank you. I’ll give them a call.

What does Christening have to do with it?

Just one way of doing it fairly easily. Might be relevant to op, might not.

But Christening won’t affect her legal / birth certificate name. That will remain for use in passport , exam certificates etc unless changed or deleted with the Registry office.

Though I can see it would be a good way to introduce a new name amongst family members.

You can have baptismal names entered into the birth certificate in space 17, apparently.

www.ukdp.co.uk/name-change-birth-certificate-england-and-wales/

I would add your favourite name too, and leave her original middle name as the second middle name.

I totally disagree with the pps who said to get over it. Wow! Of course you should change it - a mistake was made and you regret it. I've heard from someone who changed their child's name in the first year that it is quite straightforward. Glad to hear that you're giving your local registry a call. And it is definitely worth doing - it would keep me awake at night too!

I changed my daughters first name they don’t cross anything out there is a designated box on the bottom of the birth certificate for the new name & it was very straightforward and I wasn’t charged a penny.

As long as it’s done within the first year & the child hasn’t already been christened with the name they have then you can change on the original birth certificate & for all legal purposes it’s as though she had that name from the start. I am very pleased I changed it as it was upsetting me a lot.

Change the name if you're really not sure. It's relatively easy, as PP have said, for a child under one.

It's easy to fixate on these kinds of things in the early days and to give them more weight than they deserve, especially when you're so tired and your hormones are up and down. Just change it and then don't give it a second thought!

No-one cares about middle names!! Far far far too much thought and too many threads on here obsess about them, when no-one cares/notices/gives them a 2nd thought. Move on.

I'm surprised at people saying to forget about it. There's a human being that has to live with that name...

I didn't have a middle name - parents didn't see the point.
I'm expecting and there will be a middle name, either my grandma's name or ExDPs brothers name. I don't think it matters how they sound with the first names (no idea yet), people only use full names when they're cross lol.

But, it does matter for you. So you should discuss it with your DP again. Don't demand it be changed, if he likes what you both agreed it wouldn't be fair, but you can ask him to think about it on the basis you'd sort out the admin

I'm surprised at people saying to forget about it. There's a human being that has to live with that name...

Yes, but since that person is 6 weeks old, it's hard to know what her feelings about it will be.

Thank you for all your advice. I know I’m hormonal and that will have an effect on how I feel about it but I was a bit taken aback by some of the harsh comments. It’s nice to know I’m not alone and others have changed their babies’ names too.