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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

DD is 4wks old and we're having 2nd thoughts about her name. Anyone else been through this?

102 replies

Jivegirl · 22/07/2008 21:13

Hi there,

Well, as the post title suggests.. DD2 is nearly 4wks old and we're not sure that her name (Charlotte) suits her.

Not sure whether this is just because she's a teeny baby and needs to grow into her name.

Her middle name is Elisabeth, but I guess one option is to pick a nickname from her middle name and call her that?

We haven't registered her yet, but of course we've told everyone she's called Charlotte, all the congratulations cards have her name on, her red book etc. etc.

We've tried shortening it to Lottie but it just doesn't feel right.

Is it terrible to change a name after 4wks? Has anyone else done this? I know it's daft, but I'm really worried about what other people will think. And that it's changing her identity in some way!!

OP posts:

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lulumama · 23/07/2008 16:48

we have chnaged DDs name by deed poll to her nickname, after almost 3 years !

whoops · 23/07/2008 16:53

I have a Charlotte with the intention of shortening it to Lottie but when she arrived at 10lb 15oz she just wasn't dainty enough so she is now called Charlie most of the time!

norkmaiden · 23/07/2008 16:59

shybaby, any chance of a clue??

norkmaiden · 23/07/2008 17:00

OP - Charlotte is a lovely name, and I agree with others who say you seem as though you like it really, but perhaps it feels 'new' and strange atm?

MKG · 23/07/2008 17:52

I think most people go through a phase where they wonder if the name they picked was the best one. I know I have.

I often wonder if I gave them a good name, but then I can't imagine calling them anything else.

Original poster

Jivegirl · 23/07/2008 19:43

Arse.

After deciding to stick with Charlotte last night, I was just looking through our name shortlist and one name hit me..

She looks like a Zara. Feck feck feck.

OP posts:

Zebraa · 23/07/2008 20:31

Call her Zara for a few days before ultimately deciding to change.

cece · 23/07/2008 20:36

DS didn't suit his name when he was born. A longer name similar to Charlotte (but obviously a boys name) in that it isn't really a baby's name.

However, it really suits him now. I think you should stick with it unless you can find something that really suits her.

savoycabbage · 24/07/2008 09:38

My baby still doesn't suit her name and she is nearly two. I wish I had changed it, which was my instinct, but I felt like a bit of a spanner so I didn't. I totally regret it now.

seeker · 24/07/2008 15:28

cc - surely not Charlemagne?

Jackstini · 24/07/2008 16:50

What does dp think of Zara and does it suit both your surnames? (or have you decided which one to give her yet?)

SummatAnNowt · 24/07/2008 17:27

My midwife did it and had no regrets, her daughter was in her 20s. She looked back on it as an amusing story.

Original poster

Jivegirl · 24/07/2008 20:54

Jackstini my DP prefers Zara but reckons we might as well save any hassle and leave her as Charlotte

(despite complaining that charlotte was never his choice anyway

Zara works with his surname but not mine - and jury is still out on that debate too!

Poor little DD, I feel I am really messing around with her identity!

OP posts:

Jackstini · 25/07/2008 08:43

Am sure dd is not worried in the slightest Jivegirl! She will be your wonderful dd whatever you call her

stripeybumpsmum · 25/07/2008 09:49

Keep it as Charlotte but give her nickname Chara? (pronounced Shara) - half way between Charlotte and Zara?

tortoiseSHELL · 25/07/2008 09:51

She's only 4 weeks old, she won't know, it will make an amusing anecdote to embarrass her with, if you both like Zara better then change it!

AnnBoleyn · 25/07/2008 10:08

Don't call her Chara!

Call her Zara for a day, say it out loud and to her as much as possible and see how it feels. If it just feels really right then change it.

If Zara feels wierd too then conclude it's too do with apply the names to a tiny baby, and not the name, and keep Charlotte.

They are both lovely imo.

Don't worry about changing it, or feel bad for her, she's happy, oblivious and will love this story when older.

My DS2 was Hamish for a couple of days, but although I love the name, it didn't feel right sayting it somehow, so we changed it. He is 5 now and loves to hear about this and sometmies likes us to call him Hamish for a day to see what it would have been like.

kids love this kind of stuff about thier names, what they were going to be etc.

melpomene · 25/07/2008 10:09

Change the name if you're not happy with it. Far better to change it now than to register it and then regret it. Find a name that you love love love!

Original poster

Jivegirl · 25/07/2008 10:43

Thanks Stripey, but I don't like Chara

Tried Zara for the last few days, not sure about that either!

Like Jessica Charlotte today.

It's really doing my head in all of this! AnnBoelyn you might be right on the no name suiting a tiny baby suggestion!

Only problem is since talking to friends/family about the dilemma, one or two have confessed they never liked Charlotte anyway. My brother detests it.

I know it shouldn't matter what other people think.. but it does to me

OP posts:

AnnBoleyn · 25/07/2008 10:58

Charlotte is a beautiful name!

A lovely name for a girl and a women I think.

When you said earlier that you felt 'proud' when you siad her name, that was very telling, that actually it's a name you do have a real attachemnt to. If other names are also not suiting I'd be inclined to stick with Charlotte. If zara had been a 'YES!, this feels right moment' then that would have told you something.

You'll never find an name everyone loves, so it's pointles to try.

singersgirl · 25/07/2008 11:00

My DB and SIL registered their DD2 as one set of names, but then called her a completely unrelated made-up nickname for the first 6 months of her life. Sometime in the first year they re-registered her and they didn't keep any of the original names! The only name they really liked for her was their DD1's middle name, which they eventually decided to give her as a first name.

kama · 25/07/2008 11:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

caykon · 25/07/2008 12:01

my ds is now 14months he has been registered as one name but somehow we never used it and he became another. we still put his registered name in cards etc but he wont anwser to it if callled. only other name. Bit worried he will grow up very confused. Names arnt even similar

loler · 25/07/2008 13:16

The names you've mentioned are all lovely and she would happily grow into any of them. If I think about the names I've chosen, I probably wouldn't chose any of them again but they really have become the child's own. I think after you get used to using any name you just can't imagine it being called anything else.

Lots of friends have said they were unsure of ds1s name at first but all of them have have since said he couldn't be called anything else.

Easier said than done but go with your gut feelings.

ILovePudding · 25/07/2008 13:31

When dd was born one of the mw's asked what we were calling her. dp blurted out one of the names we had discussed, but I wasn't convinced i wanted to call her that. i was so engrossed with meeting dd for the first time that i didn't bother to argue. but for months afterwards I kept getting dd's name wrong and would call her by a different similar sounding name (similar to the carla/clara post mentioned previously).

I now love her name and think it really suits her.

It sounds like you should stick with Charlotte as you haven't been able to settle on another name anyway. It's a lovely name. Classic and feminine.

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