Changing Baby's name at 6 months?

General Name Discussion
1

[name_m]Hi[/name_m] everyone,

I’m looking for some advice / opinions, please.

[name_f]My[/name_f] son (#4) was born 6 months ago, during a traumatic time for our family due to an unexpected accident.

We hadn’t really settled on a name beforehand, & finally decided on ‘[name_m]Nathan[/name_m] [name_u]Jai[/name_u]’, ([name_u]Jai[/name_u] rhymes with ‘eye’, not ‘day’); 3 days before his birth. ‘[name_m]Nathan[/name_m]’ wasn’t particularly high up on either of our top 10 list tbh.

6 months on, I suppose he suits his name, but DH I were chatting recently & it turns out he doesn’t really like [name_m]Nathan[/name_m] / [name_m]Nate[/name_m]. [name_u]Jai[/name_u] was always both of our favourite, but at the time I vetoed it on the grounds that it might not sound like a ‘proper’ name when he applies for jobs, etc when he’s older.

However I still really like ‘[name_u]Jai[/name_u]’; & so does DH - I feel disappointed that I didn’t use it as his first name, but I’m not sure whether it would suit him? But I don’t know whether that’s because I’m used to seeing him as [name_m]Nathan[/name_m]!

I’m aware that it’s easy to change a baby’s name up to 12 months, & that he wouldn’t necessarily know his own name yet either - but on the other hand I feel silly admitting to family & friends that actually, we’ve changed our minds now.

Also, if I was to change his name, ‘[name_u]Jai[/name_u] [name_m]Nathan[/name_m]’ doesn’t work quite as well as ‘[name_m]Nathan[/name_m] [name_u]Jai[/name_u]’ - but I’m not keen on using his middle name as his given name, as it’s bound to cause problems in an official capacity down the line.

Any thoughts, opinions & experiences gratefully received - Thanks :slight_smile:

x.

2

I think if you both love [name_u]Jai[/name_u] then start calling him that. You have to tell friends and family though and really stress that you want him called that and not [name_m]Nathan[/name_m]. I wouldn’t change it legally though - too much hassle and [name_u]Jai[/name_u] is already his MN. Tons of people go by their MN’s so I don’t think it is that big of a deal.

3

Exactly! [name_m]Just[/name_m] start calling him [name_u]Jai[/name_u] and leave his name as it is, if he wants to change it later in live, let him make that decision but as [name_u]Jai[/name_u] is already in his name, don’t bother.

4

Funny, [name_m]Nathan[/name_m] and [name_u]Jai[/name_u] are the names of [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] [name_f]Grande[/name_f]'s ex boyfriends :stuck_out_tongue: [name_m]Just[/name_m] thought it was a bit coincidental to see the two together :slight_smile:

I agree with the others, since only one parent seems to have an issue with [name_m]Nathan[/name_m], simply call him by his MN for now. When he’s older, he can choose what he likes. No sense in changing his name if it’s unnecessary :slight_smile:

5

I had dozens of high school & college friends who went by their middle names…they never had problems. It’s not a big deal if you choose that option.

6

[name_f]My[/name_f] bf goes by his middle, he’s been known by his middle name since he was a baby. The only time his full name is used is in government forms like drivers license, tax number, healthcare card and bank card, but at work and school he always goes by his middle and many applications always have a section for preferred name. Many people don’t even know his full name.

[name_f]My[/name_f] friends mother always goes by her middle, she never changed her name legally but she chose to go by her middle as she really didn’t like her firstname. I think she was a teenager when she decided to go by her middle, she introduced herself by her middle and asked family/friends that she wanted to go by ___ from now on and it worked.

7

[name_f]My[/name_f] husband goes by his middle name and has since he was a baby. It is a bit of a pain on occasion (I sometimes fill out forms incorrectly because I forget his first name isn’t the name he goes by, we make sure to have his full middle name on credit cards, etc.), but it doesn’t normally cause problems.

I think calling your baby [name_u]Jai[/name_u] and letting him make the call on his legal name when he’s older is the best bet!

8

I go by my middle name (by choice when I was older), my mom does too (they always called her by her middle name) and so does my husband (they always called him by his middle name). I also have a friend who goes by a middle name. It’s never been a problem for any of us. Sure I get called by my first name on legal stuff but it’s really no biggie. I say leave it [name_m]Nathan[/name_m] [name_u]Jai[/name_u] and call him [name_u]Jai[/name_u]!

9

[name_f]My[/name_f] mother and aunts all went by their middle names and it never caused them too much grief at all. I also went to school with a guy who went by a contraction of his middle name, and even that worked for him.

I think if you leave your sons name as [name_m]Nathan[/name_m] [name_u]Jai[/name_u], but just start calling him [name_u]Jai[/name_u], it shouldn’t be too hard of a transition.

10

I totally agree with everyone else on here. Keeping the name as is and calling him [name_u]Jai[/name_u] is no big deal at all. I, like many others mentioned, know several people who go by their middle name. Especially since you’re a little concerned that [name_u]Jai[/name_u] isn’t all that professional-sounding for when he’s older, I think it’s perfect for him to remain [name_m]Nathan[/name_m] [name_u]Jai[/name_u]. It flows really well, too.

11

Leave the name as is and just call him [name_u]Jai[/name_u]. He can go by his middle name.

12

I’m with everyone else. Luckily you gave him your favorite as a mn. Keep it legally the way it is - he can always but N. [name_u]Jai[/name_u] _____ on job applications - and just call him by his mn. Nobody will find it weird and it’s much less stress on you guys.

13

Thanks everyone for your replies - it’s very much appreciated.

We’ve decided to start using [name_u]Jai[/name_u] as his given name - it’s what we wanted in the first place, & I’m a bit confused as to why we never did when he was first born. That’s why rushing a decision is a bad idea, I guess!

lawsonhaley I can honestly say I’ve never heard of [name_f]Ariana[/name_f] [name_f]Grande[/name_f] before I googled her…co-incidence! :wink:

Thanks again one & all xx.

14

I agree with everyone else. [name_m]Just[/name_m] call him [name_u]Jai[/name_u] and don’t bother with the hassle of legally changing his name. [name_f]My[/name_f] dad and grandfather have gone by their middle names their entire lives with little to no issue.