Baby name change

[Rainbowsun9090]

Hey has anyone Made amendments or a change to their babies name once registered would love to hear stories ....

If baby hasn’t been christened and is less than a year old, you can have a new birth certificate issued x

From looking at sources I think the old name is still present on the birth certificate and the new name is added !

Only if christened. If not christened then it is replaced.

It isn’t , not in England , it is inserted at the bottom of the certificate

Hmmmm. I must have read the info from the wrong place then! Apologies op x

I was just after stories of people’s own experiences of making amendments to their child name . I want to make her name we call her official whereas she is registered as long version that she has not once been called and now seems not her name wondering if anyone had anything similar ?

It is to do with being registered, not christened. Every baby must be registered within 6 weeks of birth, but christening is a church service and is optional.

I did not do name changes, but I think OP is right. The new name is simply added?

Hi there,
Slightly different but we changed my sons middle name.. after he was born we took ages to name him (4 weeks!) and in that time I got so confused he ended up with a middle name that wasn’t right. 4 months later I told DH I wanted him to have the middle name we’d always wanted him to have not the new one we chose after he was born and DH was totally on board and I’m glad we did as we often call him by first and middle name together which really suits him. So big thumbs up to changing if you both agree and love the new name. In our case only family knew as people don’t remember middle names so we didn’t have to explain it to people, and it sounds like you won’t either as it’s already the name you call her.

The original name is still on birth cert at the top but the new name is in at the bottom so you just need to make it clear to anyone who needs to use it, but apart from that it’s very simple. To make the change you call up your council where you registered the name and they send you the forms to fill in. I think it cost £80 from memory. Worth it to get the right name!
Good luck

Under a year old a brand new bc will be issued. No mention of previous name at all.

We changed my daughter's name spelling when she was 16 weeks. No regrets, absolutely the right decision. It was legally straight forward to do as it was before 1 year; yes, on the birth certificate her original name is at the top and amended, legal one at the bottom. Any questions I can help with?

@Rollonspringtime2020 that isn’t correct ! You aren’t just issued a new birth certificate if in England. The old name is still recorded as it is the original entry it can only be amended

@Wishiknewtheanswer thank you for your supportive comment and so lovely to hear people’s experiences . I just wonder whether having the old name still on there and having to explain to my DD one day would still bother me ! It’s so hard as these threads are so useful yet they do cloud your judgment. As I am aware the long name gives her ‘ options’ but to us it isn’t her name.

That’s hard OP I do know what you mean about the long name giving her options. I’m sure though whichever you pick she will love as that will be her name and part of her story and something you carefully and thoughtfully chose for her. Out of interest if you had another child would you want them to have a full name or a shortened name like Alfred vs Alfie? I sometimes find it helps to think about it in a different context.

I would really try to listen to your gut and go with what feels right for you. Trust yourself, and what you feel is the right name for her.

If it is only a short version don't change it. It could be complicated later. I changed dd's name and the full certificates have the new name at the end, you would not see it at first. The short form certificates only have the new name, but every once in a while you get asked for the full certificate. My dd is usually called a variation on the name she ended up with anyway.....

@Mummyeyes thank you for your comment . Surely you just draw their attention to the bottom . Once your child as a passport etc when would they need the bc ?
I’ve never seen mine in my whole life ?

@Mummyeyes it’s also not a shorten version as easy as say Isabella to ‘ issy’ or say Victoria to ‘ vicky.

It’s a diminutive but mostly used now as a stand alone name and one I don’t think may of this generation would even no it’s short for the long name I gave her to begin with .
I also through therapy have no realised it was from the strong views of my mother feeling you need a long name

Oh like James and Jack? Go for it then.

I had chosen dd's name carefully, researched it etc. DH thought it is a black name, and we are white, but it's not. He chose a different name. I researched that and found it is a black name. Day before dd's birth my sister asked the name and I told her my preference. She laughed her head off and said it was chavvy, so I went with DH's preferred name. Then got a ton of stick for that name - people are basically horrible. So I changed the name but something went wrong and it took months. By the time we got the new certs, everyone knew DD by the other name. I had to change it back by deed poll for avoidance of doubt. A right saga!

Glad you’ve had therapy @Rainbowsun9090 it sounds very interesting

That’s wrong. The original name will always be on the birth certificate unless parents get married after birth registration.