For Jamie.. should I have James on birth certificate?

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Hello all

I quite like the name Jamie but everyone thinks I should have James on BC rather than just Jamie. What does everyone think? I don't even know any Jamie's to ask what their mums did!

Yes, James on BC.

A good friend of mine is a Jamie but goes by Jay - he’s in his 40s and I’ve never thought being called Jamie was weird for an adult / him. Do what you prefer - plenty of kids that don’t have the formal version of their names and they can go by an alternative version if they want to anyway

No! Let Jamie be Jamie! I've got a Joey, not Joseph, Joey and he only gets Joey. He was only ever going to be Joey, he deserves his birth certificate to be in his name!

James, simply so he can have the option to call himself that if he wishes to when he gets older.

No just put Jamie on bc

I know an adult Jamie, he's Jewish and it was his parents' take on Chaim if I recall correctly.
I was engaged to a Jamie, too, my childhood sweetheart. He became Jay when he was about 18/19 and has kept that now still at 40. Never used James (birth certificate name), but maybe nice to have a choice.

I would always put the ‘proper’ name on the BC because I am prim and traditional, but I don’t think you need to if you have no intention of using it (and are not prim and traditional!). Jamie is a perfectly acceptable name for an adult, not cutesy.

I prefer the proper name on the birth certificate, it’s traditional and won’t go out of fashion. I have a long name but go by the short version most of the time, however I like using both versions.

Jamie, Charlie, Alfie, Ollie etc are all nicknames imo. I'd always use the full name on the bc.

James, give him the option. I went through school with a James (Jamie) that's exactly how it was written on the school register. So perfectly clear what his formal name was but there was a preference for Jamie.

Put James down, call him Jamie. He'll have the choice when he's older of a more grown-up name but he can be known to all and sundry as Jamie. If he really wanted to be a Jamie officially then he could change his name to Jamie officially when he's older. But I would definitely go for James and just tell everyone he's Jamie, if that's what you want people to call him by.

One of my DC's has an "official" name which nobody ever uses, just the short version. It doesn't bother me, they will have the choice when they are older.

Mine is a James on the BC and Jamie in day to day life. He's 8.5 months old. I just thought it was better.

Funnily enough, XH was adamant I couldn't have James on the BC and call him Jamie because they're two separate names! I ignored him and went with my preference. Obviously love the name!

I have a Jamie (who is officially called James). It just gives him a choice in the future.

My brother is James (family name, many James in the extended family). He grew up being called Jamie but couldn’t stand it from @12, felt it was babyish. He now goes by Jim or James.

Putt g James on the birth certificate gave your son the flexibility to choose a nick name or not.

I prefer the proper name on the birth certificate, it’s traditional and won’t go out of fashion

The full version gives more choice too. Especially for girls. Elizabeth can be Beth, Liz, Lizzie, Eliza, Bess,Bessie; Katherine can be Kate, Katy, Kath, Kathy; Margaret can be Meg, Maggie, Mags. The Elizabeth's, Katherines and Margarets I've know have all used different versions of their names depending on age/relationship.

We have friends who had a Frederick. They just introduce him to everyone as Freddie, I’d guess 90% of people don’t even know he’s a Frederick on his birth certificate.

Could you not do something similar?

I know three just-Jamies in their 30s. Suits them just as much as any other name and hasn’t done them an ounce of harm professionally. I also know of one who would be a teenager now.

These days, I’d expect a Jamie to be that, rather than James.

One of our good friends is Jamie. His business, social media, friends and family all refer to him as this. I was a bit surprised when I found out he's James on his bc, and therefore his passport.

I know one! Jamie on BC. Why call a child a name you will not use? He uses Jay and Jim (in his 50's now) but still Jamie to people who don't know him so well.

I'd definitely put James on the birth certificate

I always think of job applications. Jamie is a friend and James is a contender for the post.

I don't think you always need to put a more formal name on a birth cert e.g Leo is fine and doesn't need to be Leonardo or Leopold (!), but in the case of Jamie and James I definitely would. Firstly a lot of people will just assume he's a James anyway and secondly he may well prefer to be a James when he's older. Jamie is a little boy's name to my ear.

Jamie is babyish and cutesy. James is solid and strong.

I’d put James on the BC.

Jamie as a first name feels very dated to me. Like a slightly updated version of Keith. Adult Jamie’s are 30-40.

James is timeless and classic.

definitely go for james