Name change at 14 months?

My husband and I are both feeling name regret when it comes to our daughter’s name. Problem is, she is 14 months old and we don’t know what to do. Should we change it to a name we truly love and feel like it’s hers (and let her gradually become used to it) or do we just keep the name [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]? We both know [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] is a beautiful and wonderful name, at the time of her birth it was really the only one we could agree on (neither of us were truly and madly in love with it)… but now we just can’t stand it anymore.
I’m afraid we are in desperate need of advice!

It might be too late but you sound really distressed. [name_m]Bear[/name_m] in mind it’s not only legally but with friends , family and any daycare/play groups she may go to. What name are you thinking?

We’ve been thinking [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] or [name_f]Angelina[/name_f] because we’ve called and referred to her as [name_u]Angel[/name_u] and [name_u]Angie[/name_u] for so long. She’s even used to being called these more than [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] itself.

Dear@belcanto, I don’t have any great advice to give you but I hear your distress too.
My only idea is that if you have been calling your daughter [name_u]Angel[/name_u] or [name_u]Angie[/name_u] and that makes you happy then stay with it.
If you have been reading the Name Regret thread posted before you then you will see some of the advice offered and I think its applicable to you too.
Does [name_u]Angie[/name_u] have a second name? Can you insert a ‘known as’ in most places where she won’t be called this, until you sort it out?
If you don’t perpetuate the name you chose originally, then you will get a better feel for what its like to have her known as [name_u]Angie[/name_u]. I would not add further stress by worrying about changing it ‘legally’ immediately. In cases it has brought immediate relief but only if you’re really sure.

That’s the million Dollar Question, is [name_u]Angie[/name_u] right? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you have any thought about ‘missing’ [name_f]Cecelia[/name_f]. Could it be left as a second name?
Since [name_u]Angel[/name_u] and then [name_u]Angie[/name_u] are such are natural endearment names to call your baby. That it became so loved that you legally change her name to a fuller name is understandable. I would suggest you think hard about the longer version -[name_f]Do[/name_f] you love [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f], or [name_f]Angelique[/name_f]?
I think that is what you need to decide before you change her name because then she will be [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] in many cases, not just [name_u]Angie[/name_u].

But to your question is it too late -no, I certainly don’t think so especially compared to a lifetime of regret. [name_m]Just[/name_m] think ‘how’ you can change it over it to [name_u]Angie[/name_u] without having to announce "oh we just changed our minds’ which I think is the daunting part. I think the truth as you put it is exactly right.
I would try to talk to as many other parents as possible who have been through this too.
All my very best wishes.

it_is_morning, thanks a lot for the advice. Husband and I have been thinking about this for months and are just about 80% sure of changing her name. It’s just that around us, we don’t know anyone who could give us advice on changing their child’s name, which is one of the reasons why I decided to join Nameberry.

We do call her [name_u]Angie[/name_u] and [name_u]Angel[/name_u] a lot and to some extent [name_f]Angelina[/name_f], because she’s begun to twirl around like an [name_f]Angelina[/name_f] Ballerina. Thing is, we also love [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] and I think that if we could just be sure that the right thing to do is change her name legally, we could easily choose one or the other as we have grown to love them and feel like they are the ones that fit our little girl and not the lovely [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f].

I strongly advise against changing her name. I strongly recommend that you keep [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] but use [name_u]Angel[/name_u] as her family nickname. 14 months is a bit too late to change her name. Perhaps if [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] feels as strongly about [name_f]Angelina[/name_f]/[name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] as you do when she is older, with her consent you may change her name.

I get where you’re coming from bellczh and what you’re saying is really what’s prevented us from changing her name sooner. We have been doing this exercise of calling her [name_u]Angie[/name_u] and [name_f]Angel[/name_f] at home for almost since she was born, to the point where to our few family members and friends she’s all [name_u]Angie[/name_u] and [name_u]Angel[/name_u]. She doesn’t go to school or daycare yet and stays with me or my husband at home, so basically she’s primarily [name_u]Angie[/name_u] and [name_u]Angel[/name_u]. [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] is a beautiful name that we chose, but in everyday life we were just naturally inclined to not use it… [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] was perfect in theory but to us it doesn’t feel like her name anymore.

This is such a difficult decision to make and honestly, my husband and I both agree that now is time to decide once and for all, should she continue having [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] as her legal name or not.

Sorry for lack of info but I don’t want to give to much personal information about a friend
I have known someone in a similar position they named their child one name (unusual so not wanting to post it) and as they were calling their child the a nickname ([name_f]Jewel[/name_f]) and not using the unusual name they changed it to the name that they liked but felt was too common at the time of birth. She was about 12/13 months at the time and is now 6 she has no trouble with saying or writing her name.
Thinking back as they mostly used her nickname she still responded and they just started saying the new full name occasionally and if she didn’t respond they said the full name, nickname the full name again. The family was supportive and her close friends were fine about it, we had questions but we understood. As long as she is healthy we didn’t care. (she was the first baby in my friend circle)

I would say change it soon don’t muck around and once it is changed stick to it.

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] that all made sense without me giving a lot of detail.

Good luck

Xmintiex, thank you for sharing your friends’ situation. At this point I think we really will be changing my daughter’s name, just need to be sure to which name, [name_f]Angelina[/name_f] or [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f].

@belcanto, I do think you should change the name. If you joined Nameberry to ask whether you should change it, the answer is yes – you just need support for your decision. [name_f]Angelina[/name_f] or [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f], both are beautiful, but if it were up to me I’d say [name_f]Angelina[/name_f] just because the path to [name_u]Angie[/name_u]/[name_u]Angel[/name_u] is more direct/less confusing. You don’t want to choose [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] and have other people start calling her [name_f]Evie[/name_f]!! [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t agonize any more, just do it, and know that it may never be an unambivalent decision – people are sure to disapprove, you may wish sometimes that you’d chosen [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] (or [name_f]Angelina[/name_f], depending on which way you go) or even that you’d stuck with [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]. But my guess is that you’re going to feel all-around much more comfortable and clear once you make the change.

I like the names [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] and [name_f]Angeline[/name_f], I think you should go for it if that what you want

I’d personally choose [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f]. [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] is beautiful

I feel that you are completely spot on, [name_f]Pam[/name_f]. A million thanks for taking the time to comment. We’ve made the resolution today to begin calling her [name_f]Angelina[/name_f] as well as [name_u]Angie[/name_u] and [name_u]Angel[/name_u] so that she’ll grow used to her new name. I feel so relieved and happy. We’re still waiting a few days to get into the process of legally changing her name, we want to be 100% sure. Thank you!