Has anyone changed their child's name beyond babyhood?

[spidermama]

My four year old says he doesn't like his name.

Much as I love the name I have to admit that it doesn't suit him.

It's a big one to get my head round but has anyone heard of children changing their names successfully?

Roger Mee!!!! ROLF! How cruel can some parents be????

i had a different name for 3 months then got changed. all baby documents are in original name !

my dad was known by his middle name, Allan until he went to boarding school at c.5. He's always hated it, so he then told everyone his name was Mark (his first name - also his father's name).

It took his mum years to accept his name change - in fact, she never really did, and compromised by calling him Mark Allan.

I had a friend at Uni called Gordon - only someone decided he looked more like a "Billy", so that is hwat he was known as henceforth.

Another friend got nicknamed (and stuck with) the name "Sparkle" for his whole 4 years at Uni, after being slow on the update of a joke.

my mum has never used her official name, apart from banking etc, and my aunt is the same. We keep telling her to get it changed legally. I think it is quite an easy process although time consuming - you have to prove that the name has been used for at least 2 yrs b4 it can be done.

Prettybird- how odd! My grandad is called gordon but has been called Bill by everyone (even my grandma!) since childhood. And I have a friend who is officially Timothy Charles but couldn't be anything else other than Charlie- took us a hell of a long time to realise that all the mail arriving wasn't actually for his brother

Actually - now that I think of it, my FIL's real name is Fowler - but is called Johnnie by everyone.

Wonder why he didn't want to be called Fowler?

My Mum, grandma, 2 cousins, and great uncle all use their middle names!

And dh is known by three names - his real name (to his family), a shortened version of his real name (at work), and a shortened version of our surname (which is like a first name) so it gets very confusing as to exactly how to refer to him, depening on who I'm speaking to!

Couldn't you use both his first and second names until you get used to it (or he tires of the idea), then drop his first name?

Hi sm, can you soften his own name up, like if he's Vincent could he become Vinny (or Alice ), or use his initials of his first and middle name, like Daniel john becomes DJ? Just a thought... Then if it is just a phase, he could easily revert back to his old name.

jerry21 where are you in Aberdeen? I'm in Hilton(ish)

My ds is 2.5 and I'm not keen on his name any more, everyone hates it, laughs at it etc, can only get worse when he reaches school age! Seems such a hassle to change it though so am still thinking about it.

I am known by my middle name which I like, unfortunately all official documents have my first - rather embarrassing - name on it, which I hate simply because I have never used it.

DH's brother is known as Paul by all the family and Dave by his wife and all his friends. It's VERY confusing when there is a get-together of everyone as we just don't think of him as Dave.. and they just don't think of him as Paul! His given name is actually David Paul.. so THEY feel he should be Dave because it IS is name.. (and HE told them it was when he met them because he was fed up with the descrepancies!) and WE feel he IS Paul because that's all he has been to his family since childhood.

Everyone is quite good natured about it tho and he doesn't care either way!

DH meanwhile has only EVER been called Mark.. and only answers to Mark.. he IS Mark, through and through.. but sadly his name is Andrew (!) (Mark)!! Problems arise frequently on legal and offical documents as DH 'forgets' he is called anything but Mark.. and has to really concentrate to answer to Andrew [surname] in waiting rooms etc.

Why people name their kids one thing and call them another is beyond me.. it makes for a lifetime of confusion.

I'm dying to know too

My ds has a really odd name, Javier (i pronounce it Jay-Via..doctors etc call him Havier as it is spanish pronunciation.

He likes his name but everyone calls him by surname as cannot pronounce his name etc

If he wants to change when he is older i will change his first name to surname and use my maiden name as his surname (confusing lol)