A lot of the time I see “and if the name is too ___ for them, they can change it later” on here.
Where I am you cannot change your name, at all, can’t drop a name, can’t add a name, can’t put your maiden name in the middle spot.
Only if your name is truly harmful to your (mental) health; say you were named [name_f]Isis[/name_f] 20 years ago, or your parents named you Sexta, or if your first name plus surname initial (or vice versa) spelled something like [name_m]Juda[/name_m] S.
So, what would you name your potential children if you knew they would never get the chance to even just tweak the spelling?
Still [name_f]Diana[/name_f] and [name_u]Arthur[/name_u]. And the laws are same here, you can’t change your name unless you are trans or have a really ridiculous name.
I don’t think my top 5 names for either gender are ridiculous, or anything embarrassing.
Girls:
Dolores(has many nns and has a gender neutral: Rory)
[name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] (same thing, and neutral: Gene)
[name_f]Theodora[/name_f] (same thing, and neutral: Theo)
[name_f]Willodean[/name_f] (gender neutral/masc.: Willie/Will, [name_f]Willo[/name_f], [name_f]Lo[/name_f] and Dean)
[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] (gender neutral/masc.: Ev, Evan)
I would just avoid word names, occupation names, dated names, nickname names or weird/fantasy names, so I wouldn’t use [name_m]Wilbur[/name_m], [name_f]Natasha[/name_f], [name_m]Apollo[/name_m], Aedion, [name_m]Lysander[/name_m], [name_f]Taya[/name_f] or Maxis. [name_m]Knightley[/name_m], Stargazer, [name_u]Voyager[/name_u], [name_f]Morning[/name_f] and [name_f]Soleil[/name_f] are also off limits.
I definitely don’t go into naming thinking that they could just change it later if they don’t like it. I do try to use names that have more tame or accessible nicknames, just in case the full name is too much. I wouldn’t plan to call them a nickname ahead of time but [name_u]Fable[/name_u] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] could be Faye/Fae or Matilda/Tilly; [name_u]Marvel[/name_u] [name_f]Sabrina[/name_f] could be [name_f]Maeve[/name_f], [name_u]Ari[/name_u], [name_f]Elle[/name_f], or Sabrina; and [name_f]Wildrose[/name_f] [name_f]Amaia[/name_f] could be [name_f]Willa[/name_f], [name_u]Willow[/name_u], [name_u]Roux[/name_u], or [name_f]Amaia[/name_f]. [name_f]My[/name_f] boy names tend to be more tame and mainstream in general.
Still [name_f]Fiona[/name_f], [name_f]Cecily[/name_f], and [name_m]Alistair[/name_m] I think I might be a little less likely to choose some of the other Irish spellings in the US though like [name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f].
Im going into this thinking that if my kids dislike their names enough to change them I would be really upset! I don’t know if I would accept it. So it wouldnt change my picks.
This is actually a really interesting question for me. I’ve always gone into parenting believing that it is just my job to make the best possible decisions for them when they can’t, but when they can I am supposed to support their decisions. If my child wanted to change their name when they got older, I can’t say I wouldn’t be a little upset because obviously I picked his name because I love it, but I would also support that decision for him because it is HIS name and HIS life, not mine.
That being said, if they couldn’t change their name, I think my first son’s name would remain the same - [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] [name_u]Atlas[/name_u]. I think it’s a pretty well-established name, while not being too common, and I can’t really see it giving him any real issues beyond personal preference.
But for future children we have more adventurous names picked out (for example, #2 would be Odyssey [name_u]Hale[/name_u] if it’s a boy) and if I knew there was absolutely no way they could change it I might maybe think harder about those. It would make me super sad honestly because I do love the names we have picked and I would hate if I couldn’t use them. So I’m not 100% sure what decision I would make, but I do think it would affect my decision somewhat.
I think I would still use [name_m]Hugo[/name_m] and [name_f]Clara[/name_f] and raise them with the mindset to be happy, proud and thankful for what they have
So it wouldnt change my picks.