I am considering changing my one year old’s name even though I realize it’s quite unusual to do so and I wanted to get some opinions. I’ve shopped the idea by my family and my husband and even though they think it’s strange, will be supportive.
There are two reasons for the change… while I loved her name at first, might be pregnancy hormones clearing but I started realizing how awkward it was to use in real life and also that I named her two unisex boy names!! Should have come on here first… While I do like her nickname, am worried it’s childish and will not take her through life well. Also, it’s trendy and not a classic which I love and should have picked (again, pregnancy hormones). Also, I want to baptize her and she needs a [name_m]Saint[/name_m] name which I can’t make out of the first and middle we chose. Also, she’s not named after a family member like my son.
Here current name is [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] [name_u]Reese[/name_u] W. and she mostly goes by ‘[name_f]Emmy[/name_f]’ (which I cringe every time I hear) and I would like to change it to [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f] W. Last name is three syllables and 8 letters. This name honors my grandmother who passed from cancer.
What do you think? Too much trouble? Not worth it? I have the paperwork from the attorney and it’s all filled out just need to turn it in. At this point I’m mostly calling her ‘sissy’ and her brother does as well… lol…
I think the change you have set up is very reasonable, and I think it’s worth whatever small amount of trouble you may encounter. I think it’s nice that [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f] slightly echoes [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] [name_u]Reese[/name_u], so maybe it won’t be too confusing for your little girl. I say turn those papers in, I think you’ll regret it if you don’t. Best of luck! I do prefer [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f] to [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] [name_u]Reese[/name_u], for what it’s worth.
I love [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f], and definitely think you can and should change your little girls name! Especially now when she’s little. I think you’ll regret it if you don’t. I can’t imagine having a child whose name I hated, and also [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] [name_u]Reese[/name_u] is not a name she will thank you for later in life. So in a nutshell, you have my support!
Yay, yay, yay!!! Thank you so much for the support! I think my husband’s family will think I’m insane but the way I look at it is I’m correcting a big mistake and taking the heat now so she can have a gorgeous name.
The only thing that’s been stopping me from doing it earlier is people thinking I’m nuts and also wondering if she would prefer the original to the new one later in life. This is also my last baby and only girl so I think it’s been weighing on me for that reason as well.
But, let’s be real… I’m the one that makes her meals, bathes her, rocks her to sleep, changes her diapers, buys her clothes, etc, etc, etc… No one else is hanging around to do all those tasks. I should be able to call her a name I like! And order her a monogrammed Pottery [name_m]Barn[/name_m] back pack with a name I like on it!
Yes, [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f] is a truly beautiful name, a perfect choice. It does slightly echo [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] [name_u]Reese[/name_u], phonetically, too, so it will definitely not confuse her. I’m sure everyone will love her gorgeous name that I’m sure will suit her.
Personally I find it odd when parents start changing their kids’ names. I mean there must have been something you liked about the name when you chose it. But it’s your kid and not anyone else’s business so if you want to do it and your husband is on board, then do it. But I would first consider just adding a name instead of changing the whole thing. The earlier you change it the better so the kid doesn’t get too confused and it’s also easier for the people around them to learn the new name. I do think it’s already kind of pushing it if she’s already 1 yo.
Zum, you are right, it is out of the norm, a little weird to most and I know people feel strongly about it which is why I haven’t done it. I have a very hard time naming even pets before I have a chance to ‘know’ them. Strange to me that we have to pick out names so quickly after birth. My sister picked the names for her three children long before they were born - has no trouble with it.
The naming process was not easy for me. She was supposed to be named [name_f]Rose[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] honoring my great grandmother, [name_f]Rose[/name_f], and my maternal grandmother, [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]. That was the name I always had in my head. [name_f]Imagine[/name_f] my surprise when my husband vetoed [name_f]Rose[/name_f] because his ex sister-in-law had the name. It was all downhill from there… he vetoed pretty much every classic name stating he already knew someone with that name which is how we came up with her trendy name - he didn’t know anyone else with it and liked it okay.
I may still just keep it to avoid the negativity from family, etc. For the record, I’ve never called her her name… I call her ‘[name_f]Sissy[/name_f]’ or ‘Lovebug’ and so does my husband.
If you and family mostly call her [name_f]Sissy[/name_f] instead of [name_f]Emmy[/name_f], I don’t see it as a big deal, but you will probably get a lot of questions/comments from extended family and others you know, and it will be quite a hassle.
I think I’d be more inclined to keep her FN and change the middle to a more classic saint name, which she can go by as she gets older. Or change it to something more classic with the same [name_f]Emmy[/name_f] NN, even if you slowly change to calling her another NN, new full name, or just keep [name_f]Sissy[/name_f].
I think you should it, it is 1 year versus the rest of her life. And sounds like you will avoid using her current name if you keep it, and cringing when other people do use it.
Compromising on names always makes it so difficult to pick something that you know you will be happy with, we all have the names we love and then the names that both parents can tolerate,when both parents happen to love a same name, that’s a very lucky but very uncommon situation, so it’s understandable that sometimes through that process decisions we come to regret are made, the great thing now is that your husband is on board with the name change. [name_m]Noone[/name_m] else matters quite frankly. When you weigh it up, extended family thinking / saying you have done something odd is a lot easier to live with than name regret with your only daughter.
Good luck!
If I were in your shoes, I’d ask a child psychologist before making a change - discuss with a professional how much [name_f]Emmy[/name_f] actually hears her name, and if a name change at this point will wind up very confusing and detrimental.
I don’t want to sound too negative, but at age 1, while it’s really very early on in her life, you daughter still has a personal identity and a self-perception.
I agree with the pp. It’ll be a good idea to get a child psychologist opinion on it first. [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f] is a beautiful name.
[name_u]Emerson[/name_u] [name_u]Reese[/name_u] is much too masculine for my taste. However, [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f] is quite lovely. It will be a nice honor for your family.
I do not see any problem in you changing her name. In fact, my husband and I are contemplating on possibly waiting until our child is a few months, or weeks old in order to gift her with an adequate name in regards to her personality, look, and spirit. At a minimum we will wait until her birth, and seeing her to name her.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] not feel weird, sad, ashamed, etc. You are having perfectly normal feelings. Best of luck!
[name_f]Catherine[/name_f] [name_f]Elise[/name_f] is a nice name, but no nicer than [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] [name_u]Reese[/name_u]. [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] works just fine; it doesn’t sound awkward to me at all. At this point, your daughter is probably old enough to recognize her name. But since you’ve been calling her “[name_f]Sissy[/name_f]”, I don’t think the name change would affect your daughter as much as long as you continue calling her [name_f]Sissy[/name_f] afterwards.
I think that the fact that you are changing it to such a completely different style of name with help other people understand why you are changing it. You are going from unisex and modern to totally classic and feminine and I think will help your situation.
[name_m]Don[/name_m]'t listen to anyone that makes you feel guilty. People change children’s names ALL THE TIME after birth. People make mistakes all the time and picking the wrong name is an ok mistake to make because you can actually go back and fix it!! (unlike a lot of other mistakes people may make). Save your $$ and don’t go to a child psychologist. Change the name to what feels right to you and if people make comments just say quite honestly “We felt like the other name was a mistake and we’re really excited to be changing her name. Thanks for your support.”
