Hey guys/gals! So I have a son who we’ve named [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] and he’s mainly called [name_u]Ollie[/name_u]. [name_f]My[/name_f] initial choice, or, rather thought, was [name_f]Orlean[/name_f]. I’m seriously considering changing the name. Thoughts on Orléan for a boy? Thanks in advance!
I think [name_f]Orlean[/name_f] is a cool choice! However, I wouldn’t know whether to say Or-lean, Or-lin, or even “aw-lin” because I’ve heard the city [name_u]New[/name_u] Orleans pronounced all of those ways.
I think if your son is used to being called [name_u]Ollie[/name_u] and doesn’t know his full name yet, it’s fine to change it to [name_f]Orlean[/name_f] assuming you’ll keep using [name_u]Ollie[/name_u] as a nickname so it’s not confusing for him (which makes sense!). I would say if you’re really regretting [name_m]Oliver[/name_m] and wishing you’d used [name_f]Orlean[/name_f] instead, then it makes sense to change his name. But I recommend trying out [name_f]Orlean[/name_f] for a little while before you change it legally.
1 Like
Is it Or-lee-ann or Or-lee-on or…something else?
from your older posts, it seems like your son is a little old to change his name… he’s around two, right? i think that’s too late to change his name. honestly, Orlean sounds so different from Oliver that it could work as a middle name, if you were up to changing that. Oliver Orlean?
aside from that, i just don’t like Orlean. the pronunciation isn’t super clear since people say New Orleans several different ways, and Orlean feels incomplete because there’s an s in New Orleans. with the or-leen pronunciation (which is how i would pronounce it) it sounds quite feminine to me
It’s Or-lee-yun - and the pronunciation plus the fact that it seemed female (Arlene; even nameberry highlights it in pink). Having said that, we live in [name_f]Canada[/name_f] - and compared to some of the names/names’ pronunciations [name_f]Orlean[/name_f] seems as simple as [name_u]John[/name_u] 
I think there are two dimensions:
- Oliver versus Orlean
- Psych harm to your child
Regarding the second (more important), many jurisdictions have legal limits on when and how many times you can change a child’s name. Babies recognise and internalise their name from around 12–15 months (so you generally need the involvement of the court to change their name after 12 months of age). You have the Ollie to Orly leap not being too wide (ie you could slowly start calling him Orly) but if your son is older than a year, I probably wouldn’t do it until he can decide (eg once starting school/middle school). You could call him Ollie and Orly in meantime (and not Oliver) and slowly move over.
Re the first, I don’t mind Orlean - I can see why you like it - but it’s a pretty faffy name - with the acute, the different pronunciations and the possibility of being called “Or-leeeeeeen”. I would keep Oliver.
If you’re unsure about Oliver and wanting to spruce it up a little, what about mixing up the nickname and interchanging it with names like, Orly, Lev, Liv, Olen or Olin. But where you still use Ollie as well so it’s not a sudden and complete change.
Hope that helps!