Changing babies name at 9 months

[jabice]

Ok so we called our youngest a really, really common name. We didn't realise at the time that it was in the top 5 until we had been calling her this name for about a month.

No other name suited her. We kept trying to think of new names and to be honest, I was so hormonal that it brought me to tears to think of changing her name.

Anyway, now I keep thinking that we've made a mistake. There is a name that we really liked for her, but when she came out it just didn't suit her. I'm now torn as to whether to consider changing her name.

We've had loads of personalised gifts with her name on etc and it feels way too late to change her name, but I'm starting to regret the name we have called her. Any advice??

Isla is a beautiful name and I only know one who is 4 months old.
Our DD is called Grace and we’ve suddenly found that we know a lot of Gracie’s since I’ve been attending some baby groups . So we feel Grace is very ‘common’ even though it’s slightly different to Gracie. We don’t nickname her to shorten her name but she does have a nickname that seems to have formed by me, a bit like what @Same4Walls said above. It sounds silly but we call her Boo. It started when she was born and she had a head of black hair like Boo from monsters inc and it just stuck. So obviously we call her Grace when we talk about her but at home and out on walks it’s ‘wakey wakey boo!’ . So maybe a nickname will just form !
Xx

Agree with PP, I have a really really common name. There were about seven of us in my year at school. None of us cared at all, I remember we actually found it quite cool As soon as I left school I found that far less of my peers at work and uni etc have the same name as me as they’re different ages - as another PP said, it’s a very year by year thing.

Isla is beautiful OP

I was given the name that was number 1 in 1974 and was still number 1 in 1984.

I was never the only one in my class with my name.

And you know what? I still like my name. I liked meeting others with my name - it felt a bit like we were in the same club.

I would much rather have been given a nice name that was popular than a possibly not-so-nice name because my parents wanted to be different.

Yes, there are downsides to popular names, which parents may want to be aware of, but there are upsides too. For instance:

*everyone can spell and pronounce it
*nobody will have preconceived ideas about your child based on her name
*a degree of anonymity online and more difficult to cyberstalk
*other people like the name, which is why it is popular

If you still like the name and think it suits your daughter, it sounds like it was a good choice!

You have left it too late. My sister called her dd Mathilda just before the RD film came out and suddenly there were Mathilda's everywhere and she cried but too late to change her name. She goes by Tilda.

If it helps in any way I have a very common name too, well it was common back in the 90’s when I was born and early 2000’s when I was in the first couple of years of primary school but it’s not too common now but it’s never bothered me!

Isla is a lovely name, you love it and much more importantly she knows it’s her name! Changing it now is likely to undermine her growing identity. It’s a bad idea.

If you still love it, don't change it because it's top10. The only Islas I know are adults now.

However, it's not 'too late' to do it now, she will easily look at you if you use a different word but in the same tone try it!

3yo will soon adapt & forget

Personalised staff, she's not reading it! & by the time she is, it's easily explained

Before one, it's easy to name change, after one, not quite so easy, so if you're going to do it, get it done now.

Names are popular for a reason. It's because people like them. Nothing wrong about naming your child you and others like.

My DN is called Isla (she's 8) and everyone calls her Izzy! Perhaps you could call her Izzy, Lala, Lisla (as in lie-luh)?

Isla is a lovely name and there will always be other kids with the same name as yours! I know so many people who chose Levi, Bailey or Kobe for their kids thinking they were SO original and now their friends all have the same names!

Isla is a really pretty name. As somebody who was given an extremely old fashioned name, I would have loved to have had a common name. It was very hard to find personalised things with my name on but with a popular name you won't have that problem.

Isla is a lovely name, so just because it's popular, I wouldn't change it. And it's popular because it's a pretty, without being pretentious, name! Our dd and Ds both have nicknames that have no resemblance to their proper names, at school they are both called their nicknames (by pupils and teachers😂)!

Isla is a lovely name, don't change it!

I don't think having a popular name now is the same as it used to be - people are more adventurous generally with names and the trends change faster so even the 'top' names aren't too common. And I speak as a Jessica, which was very popular for ages but I've never been bothered by it, and don't meet very many others.

I know an Isla. A very trendy old lady - goes by Lally. Car personalised plate even!!

Don't change it but perhaps adopt a family nickname instead, doesn't have to relate to the existing names or consider using her middle name over time

@JofraArchersFastestBall

Isla is a lovely name, don't change it!

I don't think having a popular name now is the same as it used to be - people are more adventurous generally with names and the trends change faster so even the 'top' names aren't too common. And I speak as a Jessica, which was very popular for ages but I've never been bothered by it, and don't meet very many others.

Yes. This.

Also, what if you change your daughter's name and rarely meet another Isla in future? Would you regret changing it?

Ahh thank you everyone!

It looks like a unanimous "don't change it"!
Makes me feel a bit better about it.

I like the idea of waiting for a nickname to just come naturally when her personality starts to develop.

Isla is a lovely name, very popular for a reason. My name is popular for my age and when I was a kid I loved meeting people with my name. I think it helped me to form firm bonds quickly with a few of my closest friends. People won’t have to ask how it’s spelt/pronounced, always a winner.

I have so much sympathy as felt exactly the same. On reflection I think it stemmed from some bonding issues I had. It's totally passed now and think I was mad to think about changing it.

Also Isla is a beautiful name!

Does she have a middle name? A friend in a similar situation changed her dd's name so that her first and middle name were hyphened. Eg: Isla-Rose. I think Isla is a lovely name though x

I know 2/3 Islas but not all in the same place. My dds don't have an Isla in either of their classes at school.
Isla wasn't the name I was expecting from the op. I was expecting Olivia or lily or ruby.

I think I know more Elsa's than Islas

Isla ,What a beautiful name. Does she have a middle name or could you use a combination of parts of her first and middle name as a nickname? I personally don't think it matters if its popular or not as long as you like it and it suits her.

Ive never meet an Isla in my life. There hasn't been a child with that name at our son's schools either. He is in year 10. I live in the midlands.

Isla is such a gorgeous name
I'd definitely stick with it
I love the sound of the name, it's so beautiful

Add a middle name if you're really wanting to give her other options when she's older but I bet she will like her name

I knew before it was mentioned that it would be Isla.

I like the idea of waiting for a nickname to just come naturally when her personality starts to develop
That may never happen. I assumed Ds1 would have been shortened ( to the same name as a particular comic actor) but it never happened. Even as an adult all his friends use the full name.
Why would you want isla changed anyway ? Its not like a name like Elizabeth reduced to Liz. Its lovely as it is.