My son is going to be a 4th: “[name_m]Peter[/name_m] [name_m]Edward[/name_m] Lastname IV.” I don’t love doing that but it is really important to my husband and there isn’t some other boy’s name particularly I adore. The compromise we settled on is that we’d call him [name_u]Teddy[/name_u], a nickname of [name_m]Edward[/name_m] that I quite like. I embraced that and for the whole pregnancy he has been [name_u]Teddy[/name_u]. We even have it painted on his wall. However, now that I am about to give birth I am panicking. He is only ever [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] in my mind and he doesn’t feel at all like a [name_m]Peter[/name_m] or an [name_m]Edward[/name_m]. But I am now envisioning that little nameplate on the hospital bassinet saying “[name_m]Peter[/name_m] [name_m]Edward[/name_m]” and it feels so foreign to me. I’ve never gone by a nickname myself so I think that makes it feel even stranger to wrap my mind around. I am sure on most paperwork and such we’ll have to put [name_m]Peter[/name_m] [name_m]Edward[/name_m], right? I don’t even know if I have a question so much as a sense of panic and I’d love any and all thoughts, especially if anyone has experience going by a nickname of a middle name.
I understand the last minute name panic! A year ago I was scheduled for a c-section on the 19th of [name_f]April[/name_f]. For the entire pregnancy our boy was going to be [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_u]Finn[/name_u] [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] and our girl would be [name_f]Alaska[/name_f] [name_f]Claire[/name_f], but for whatever reason I had doubts about her not having a third middle and panicked. We ended up giving her one but we still call her Laska-[name_f]Claire[/name_f] as a nickname and I told DH that somehow what I had panicked over didn’t seem like it really affected anything at all now. So it could just be the same thing for you, especially if you’ve had this name for the entire pregnancy. I have a cousin who was named [name_m]Charles[/name_m] after a relative but had the middle name [name_m]Jackson[/name_m], but he’s always gone by [name_m]Jack[/name_m]. He’s [name_m]Charles[/name_m] [name_m]Jackson[/name_m] on paper and [name_m]Jack[/name_m] on everything else. Besides having to tell his teachers/doctors that he goes by [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] at first, I don’t think you’ll have much issue if you decide to go with [name_m]Peter[/name_m] [name_m]Edward[/name_m], although I can totally see why the thought of that being his name on paper would freak you out! Would your husband maybe consider [name_m]Edward[/name_m] [name_m]Peter[/name_m] nn [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] or is he set on [name_m]Peter[/name_m] [name_m]Edward[/name_m] IV? Good luck 
[name_m]Don[/name_m]’t freak! [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is a wonderful nickname. I’ve known people who go by nicknames based on their middles. One of my best friends in middle school was [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] “[name_u]Tony[/name_u]” and the most confusion it caused was having to explain where he got “[name_u]Tony[/name_u]” from “[name_u]James[/name_u]” on the first day of school, and that didn’t take much more than him saying “My middle name is [name_m]Anthony[/name_m]” before it was settled.
Yes, he will most likely have to put [name_m]Peter[/name_m] [name_m]Edward[/name_m] on paperwork, but most forms I’ve had to fill out (I’m 18 so just for college and my drivers license) they have a spot to put a preferred name so he could put [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] there and whoever the form goes to will address him as “[name_u]Teddy[/name_u] Lastname” instead of “[name_m]Peter[/name_m] Lastname”.
Nothing to worry about-- [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is a great nickname and [name_m]Peter[/name_m] [name_m]Edward[/name_m] is very handsome.
Both of my parents have gone by nicknames of their middle names for their entire lives. My father doesn’t mind at all; he likes having a family name as his first. My mother does mind, but then she only learned that what she thought was her first name was really her middle name when she was a teenager. As long as your son understands early on, it should be fine.
I don’t personally have experience with going by a middle or nickname. But I think it’s very common for thirds, forths, fifths, etc. [name_u]Teddy[/name_u] is an awesome nickname and it’ll be easy to explain. This obviously means a lot to your husband so I would think he would teach your son to have pride in their name too. I think you’re making the right decision. Good luck.
My best friends dads name is [name_m]Edward[/name_m] [name_m]Anthony[/name_m] but he exclusively goes by [name_u]Tony[/name_u]. I didn’t even know [name_u]Tony[/name_u] wasn’t his first name for about 9 months…I’ve never heard anyone refer to him as anything other the [name_u]Tony[/name_u]. [name_m]Even[/name_m] his mail is addressed as [name_u]Tony[/name_u]. It took me a little while to get used to it but now it’s totally normal.