Hey all
So I’ve been thinking a lot lately about letting kids pick their own names. What I mean by this is maybe giving a first name and then one or two middles to chose from in case they don’t like their first. I don’t like the idea of kids hating their birth name or it not fitting them, so that way they’d have a few options, all of which you chose, just in case.
What do you think?
I’ve known a few people that chose to go by their middle, so it makes sense.
At what point would you tell the child to pick the name that he/she wants? Until then, legally, would the child have 3 or four names?
Idk…tastes change a lot. 8 year old me would have picked [name_u]Sydney[/name_u] or [name_f]Claire[/name_f] because I had friends with those names, 13 year old me would have picked [name_f]Kaelyn[/name_f], [name_f]Aaliyah[/name_f], or [name_u]Skye[/name_u]. If I had picked one of those I would very much regret it now.
I’ve known a few friends who were given the option of choosing a middle name when they got older (like 8 or 9 years old), and they loved having that opportunity.
Eh, I think if a kid really hates their name they’ll find a new one that fits them or they’ll learn to live with it (and possibly later love it). I don’t personally see the point of setting it up so that they have to make that decision, there are enough big decisions in life already. And just because they don’t like their first names, doesn’t mean they’ll like their middle names just because there are more of them. If someone really doesn’t like their first name then I think they should get to choose out of the millions of possible names, not out of just 2 or 3.
I think it would be cool to have the kid live a name until they’re like 16, and they get to choose their legal name then. And then all the previous records with the other name get destroyed.
I think they should have just the regular names you give them. You know? [name_m]Just[/name_m] the first and middle with no extra. Then if they hate their name, they can choose a new one from any name in existence. I know to people who choose to go by names that aren’t their middle or first. One goes by [name_m]Jake[/name_m] and the other by [name_u]Ryan[/name_u].
I’m a fairly solid no. A lot of thought goes into name. Most kids don’t mind their names until someone at school says something negative or they start noticing it’s super common, or too different. Most people at some point makes a comment that they wish they had a different name, they eventually grow into it. Now if a child started going by nickname, middle name or even something completely different on their own I might ask “why” but would not fight it. If my child was legitimately distressed over their name over a long period time, I might help them with other options, but no I wouldn’t just offer options just to offer them.
I think it’s thoughtful of you to be so worried about your kids not liking their names, but I don’t think this a good idea, necessarily. I don’t love the name my parents chose for me, because my mom and I have very different tastes, but I love the thought she put into my name and their reasons behind choosing it. It’s my name, and I love the warm connection it gives to me to my parents, especially my mom. I would say be thoughtful about the names you choose for your children, maybe choose a name with several different nickname options and tell them the story of how you came up with their name. You can also always let them try out different nicknames or names later in life if they express interest in doing that and support them if they want to change their name later.
Although I like the idea of it, I would totally advise against it lol. Or it really depends at what age are you allowing them to choose their name? Or why not just give them the option to legally change it when they become an adult? The problem with letting a child (at who knows what age) to choose their name is that they don’t really put that much thought into it like what most people are saying, even as a middle name. When I was a child, I wanted to be called Nature and then give that a few more years and I fell in love with [name_f]Dolly[/name_f]. Fast forward to now, I absolutely cringe at those two names. I didn’t grow up loving my name, but I’m glad it was normal or at least I think it is.
Although I like the idea of it, I would totally advise against it lol. Or it really depends at what age are you allowing them to choose their name? Or why not just give them the option to legally change it when they become an adult? The problem with letting a child (at who knows what age) to choose their name is that they don’t really put that much thought into it like what most people are saying, even as a middle name. When I was a child, I wanted to be called Nature and then give that a few more years and I fell in love with [name_f]Dolly[/name_f]. Fast forward to now, I absolutely cringe at those two names. I didn’t grow up loving my name, but I’m glad it was normal or at least I think it is.