Has anyone changed their baby's name after it was registered?

[TooMuchMakkaPakka]

Maybe this is a strange manifestation of pnd, but i don't feel happy with the name we chose for our lovely DS. She's just under four weeks old, we've registered the name and told everyone. She was even called a different name for the first three days before changing to current one. I really wanted a particular name (a third one, hope you're keeping up with this!), but in the stress surrounding the birth, she was early and i was in hospital weeks beforehand, it sort of didn't get picked. To be honest, feel DH wanted me to choose and put pressure on me to decide then and there - I hadn't had more than two hours sleep in the previous 48, or so it felt. I feel my little girl has got second best (well on the lists we wrote beforehand the name she's got was 9th on mine and 8th on DHs) so 8/9th best . Has anyone out there changed a name at this point and if so, what did you have to do, did your DH certify you (i think mine might!) and was it worth the complete confusion / ridicule of family and friends (some of whom (e.g DH work) have already been told of one name change already!).

I did this with my DS before he reached 1 year of age as I regretted not giving him a middle name. TBH I don't think anyone even knew the difference as it's an official document and you only show it when needed. It did cost about £14 to alter tho and had to be done within one year of birth.

Hey TooMuch - YES, I did . DD 2/DC4 came along and got registered as Madeleine at 7 days old. Then I find that everyone - everyone - called her Maddie - immediately, and I decided I just couldn't go through a lifetime of it . So, I drove myself back down to the registry office when she was 4 weeks old and re-registered her. It was simple, and the Registrar said she had see in all before . She's now Arabella (6) and thinks it's very funny that all her birth announcement cards are in the wrong name and that she has a baby blanket saying Madeleine! It took about a week for the family to get used to the change, that's all, and DH thought I was mad but still loves me. My advice is to get on and change it NOW so you can all get used to the new name.....

i think the name Naomi is lovely

I wish i'd know all this before dd2s first birthday a couple of weeks ago as i am still not convinced about her name.

So, if you really don't want her to be called that, then change it

thanks everyone for responding. I was going mad mulling it over.
BTW no offence meant to any Naomis or mums of. I do like the name (that's why we were considering / chose it), but just can't get to grips with it at the mo for my little girl. I feel like i can't call her it, and don't want to admit to people i meet what her name is.
Also, a bit like Sal with the shortening, i didn't realise that we would get so many different pronounciations and misspellings. I am a pedant and this really bugs me, started to straight away. If DD is anything like me, it might her too.
Now i know that i have a year I won't panic into doing anything before she is 6 weeks (which i thought i might need to do) .But I will see how i feel in a couple of weeks time and talk it over with DH when we are both not too tired (i might show him this thread to prove that i am not uniquely barmy!). I'm not really that worried about what people think, it's him will struggle most with that (says if the name is changed again he will never get promoted at work as will be seen as too indecisive???!!).
In the meantime i am calling her 'supergirl' and DS (aged 2) is calling her 'babby' both of which suit her just fine.

OFGS tell Dh to tell them you are irrational woman and that as a bloke he cares not for name madness so is easier for a quiet life to let you get on with it.

I would do it sooner than later though, i could have got away with it up to 6 months after gets harder.

toomuchmakkapakka - I think if you want to change it then just get on and do it asap so you can put it behind you and get on with your life. Tell Dh not to be daft - that is no reason not to change her name, and he can always tell them it was you that insisted, being hormonal etc and he just went along with you to keep you happy if he doesn't want to look responsible for the indecision at work.
It sounds like you have really gone off Naomi if you 'don't want to admit to people what her name is'. That doesn't sound good, and although 'Supergirl' is cute, I think Ellen or Imogen are more suitable in the long term!!!
And if you wait until she's older, closer to 6 months or even a year it will be a whole lot harder to do it.
I'm just thinking of you when I say doing it immediately is probably the easiest route.
Good luck and let us know what you decide. x

Hi, you probably made up your mind by now but my parents changed my name when I was 2, almoust 3 and Im sooooo gratefull to them!!!

DO it, my child is nearly 6, I called her a name that I didnt even like, I had picked Isobella or Imogen but in my drugged up post labour moments I picked Jessica, now its not a horrid name but if I chose again would definatley not be a Jessica.

and her middle names are traditional old fashioned fuddy duddy family names that she will not want to be known by.

This was discussed on THE WRIGHT STUFF today on channel 5

They had read this thread etc

watch it on channel 36 at about 12.10 today for the repeat

Wow they have just been talking about this on The Wright stuff, did you see it OP? They used your story as a discussion for a phone in. Hope you seen it

BTW if I were u I'd just change it. I regret not changing my youngest daughters name as like you I went 'off' it not long after I had registered her. Luckily though her name can be shortened which suits her more. Her names Bethany but we call her Beth -Bethy and even sometimes Betty (her friends at schoolo call her Betty too) lol.

Beat me to it RTKangaMummy :D:D

The Wright Stuff is on at the moment on FIVER (sky channel 176) then repeated on 177 (FIVER +1) at 12pm if you're interested. Am watching with interest...........
Love the programme, Matthew Wright is fab

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

woah. That is really surreal. I like the Wright stuff v m but haven't seen it for a bit due to being rather busy with two children and the older one becoming hideously addicted to CBeebies whilst I was in hospital before birth - hence my name! I wish i'd seen it, missed the repeat too, as i've only just checked the thread. If i'd seen it originally i could've phoned in about myself?!! What did people say?

Hi. Stumbled on this discussion and HAD to register so i could add in my story. We changed our daughters name at 4 months. BEST THING WE EVER DID! Hubby is Welsh, me australian. we live in oz. Both loved the name Angharad. Rellies and friends were horrified so when she was born we tried to make everyone (except us) happy and called her something else -dont even like to write it). It started to eat away at us and I knew we had made a mistake. At 4 months we announced that her name was going to be Angharad after all. People (work/family) gossiped for a while but most people said "If it means that much to you then ok". Quite a few people told us they'd done the same thing. New birth certificate - easy. She is now 6years and loves her name. She knows the story and thinks the old name is yuk. Every day i feel glad that she is Angharad - the name she should have been all along.

argh i didn't see it!! will it be repeated again?

woohoo, a thread i replied to was on the TV, woohoooooooo

www.ukofficialdeedpoll.com/?gclid=CJOjlcvjv5YCFQWc1AodCguzyQ

this might help?

laughgiraffe

I love the name Angharad

Naomi is a lovely name, but I do prefer either Ellen or Imogen. In fact I think we will use Imogen if we ever have another daughter (am not even pregnant)

Using Naomi as a middle name is a good idea.

DH can blame you . He can be promoted on the grounds that he is considerate, compromises and negotiates! (he can get the middle name naomi as his compromise!)

friends of mine did this when their son was three weeks old and are pleased they did. I got a bit stuck witha name for DS3 and ended up calling him a rather dull name which I rather regret as he is quite a character (but in my defence DH wanted Otto or Oscar and we live in smalltown Scotland not Islington).

I've worried too much about what people will think in the past. DP probably won't know most of the people he's worried about telling in a few years from now but your dd will still have the name....

I would do it now while you are thinking about it - we gave DS a second name (He has 3 names + surname) we later regretted & kept meaning to change it, but never got round to it.
Ds has always hated it never uses it except for his passport - which means that plane tickets also have to be booked in that name.

lulumama - I always thought you could only change a surname by deed poll,so thanks for that info - maybe DS would like to change it himself now he's an adult.