My daughter will be 5 years old in [name_f]February[/name_f] and starting school. Her name is [name_u]Rori[/name_u] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] (first and middle). Since she was a baby I have considered changing her name to [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] [name_f]Grace[/name_f], but have never actually gone through with it. I even have the forms printed out already. 4 years later and I still feel like I want to! I think [name_u]Rori[/name_u] is such a cute name but I also want her to have the option of something more “professional” sounding as an adult if she chooses (and obviously [name_u]Rori[/name_u] is a nickname for [name_f]Aurora[/name_f]).
We would still call her [name_u]Rori[/name_u], and the school will still have her on the class list as to go by her nickname, [name_u]Rori[/name_u]. It would be mostly just for legal purposes (as a side note, if I call her [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] she says “what”? Haha). I guess I just want to talk it through here. Oh, her Dad is fine either way, he is happy to change or happy to keep it.
I came in here after seeing the title prepared to say no, but in this case I say go for it.
I like [name_u]Rori[/name_u]/[name_u]Rory[/name_u] as a name itself and I think it holds up well as a standalone name, and [name_u]Rori[/name_u] [name_f]Grace[/name_f] is pretty. But [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] is also lovely and [name_u]Rori[/name_u] is an easy nickname for it. If you’ve loved it that long and have used it in real life enough that she’s comfortable responding to it, I say go for it.
[name_u]Rori[/name_u] to [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] is a very smooth transition and your daughter will surely love having [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] on official documents (It’s so regal and understated).
I think she’s young enough and the names are similar enough so it shouldn’t be much trouble!
Totally your call - that being said, on official paperwork & job applications she will always need to disclose that she has had a namechange (souce: a friend who changed his name)
[name_u]Rori[/name_u] is an obvious nickname for [name_f]Aurora[/name_f], so the transition should be smooth. I love love love [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] and personally I’d prefer to have that name. Then again, your daughter is four years old, so I think it’s important to talk to her about it. If she likes it then you should go for it. You’ve loved the name for so long, after all.
At least as far as (typical) job applications go, that wouldn’t apply to a name changed as a child before they’d have any background-check-relevant records under it (they ask for those checks) - sourceshere.
How old was your friend when he changed his name? Your statement would apply to name changes done once one was old enough to have work references, diplomas, criminal history, credit, etc. under the old name - but not someone like the OP’s daughter (government forms, etc. where they care about her history back to birth may be different - I’m mainly referring to job/loan/etc. applications where a childhood name change would be superfluous information).
Even so, assuming she’d continue to go by Rori as a nickname, forms that would want that kind of detailed information anyway would probably consider any regular nicknames like that as an alias that should be listed too (in that case for practical purposes it wouldn’t be much different than if you named her Aurora at birth and she uses Rori as a day-to-day nickname).
(If your friend is not from the U.S. his experiences may be different, since what I’m saying is based on name changes there.)
I see your reasoning behind wanting to give her options, but if she never goes by [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] at any point during life, it’s very slim that she will decide to go by it professionally later.
I would say sit on this idea for a while, and if she gets older and decides she does want to use [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] as a formal name, then you two can make the change together. At this point though, when she’s still so young, I just don’t see a point in spending money to change her name on paper to something she may never use at all.
I would have to disagree with this. I went by my nickname exclusively as a child but as an adult, I use my full name about fifty percent of the time. I know a lot of people who once they went away to college or entered the working world, transitioned to using their full name instead of the nickname they’d grown up with. Kind of a “transitioning to adulthood” sort of thing. So yeah, I would say go ahead and legally change it to [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] because while I’ve always liked my nickname (and use it for most things in my personal life), I’ve always appreciated having the option of using my full name too.
When I saw the title, I was going to say no, but now I’m going to say yes. Since you would still call her what you call her now, I don’t think it’d be a problem. And she wouldn’t really be used to writing her full name yet, so go for it!
I say give it a few years for her to be old enough to make her own decision. If she was a lot younger, I’d say go for it, but she’s been fine for 4 years of her life so another 5 or so won’t make much of a difference. It’s not like she’ll need a professional name until she’s an adult, anyway!
I was also prepared to say no, because she is 4, and she will remember this. But, I don’t think is a big change and I also think it is a good one. Personally, I love the name [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] and I think that [name_u]Rori[/name_u] is a great and obvious nickname for it, so just go for it!
Maybe if you are insecure, you can ask your daughter what she thinks about changing her name, kids can be pretty intelligent and you will have the final decision, but just let her talk and say what she thinks about it.
When I saw the title my immediate reaction as “no way!” but in this case I think it’s a good idea. [name_u]Rori[/name_u] is an obvious nn for [name_f]Aurora[/name_f], she already answers to it, and it gives her options for the future.
Well I am going against popular opinion.
I am all for changing names even if you just ‘feel’ like it so there is no name change bias.
I hear that you named your daughter [name_u]Rori[/name_u]- its really adorable-just a little different with that spelling.
Going through life with that name -I imagine people saying -“Is that short for [name_f]Aurora[/name_f]?” …another [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] -lovely as the name is.
And she can smile and say "No, that is my full name "- my comment is -how unique and cute is that?
As she gets older if there is any negativity I would do it or when she is at ‘professional level’ -she can do it herself.
Meantime she has a really sweet different name.
Supporting your decision either way.
I also vote no. I know a [name_u]Rory[/name_u] who has that as her full name and she is a successful attorney. I don’t think it is too cutesy to be a professional name, and changing it now might confuse your daughter (but I don’t have kids so could be wrong about that).
I wouldn’t do it. That’s just my personal preference. There could be some circumstances along the way for her life that insist on using her “real or true” name. This might really confuse her… Again, just my opinion.
I vote change it, She’s young enough it’ll be fine and if she already goes by [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] as a nn then it won’t matter if you make [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] official and [name_u]Rori[/name_u] the nn. And if you wouldn’t say [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] is actually a nn for her at this point, maybe use it just a bit more often because once it goes on paperwork strangers who don’t know better will call her it and she’ll need to know to answer (just like any other kid who goes by a nn.)
BUT- bottom line is she’s still old enough to give you an opinion. If she likes the idea of sharing her official name with a princess and feels like it’s her choice she might really be proud later on that she got to pick her name. But if she’s iffy or not comfortable with the idea then maybe wait and ask her in in another five years, maybe when she’s about to start middle school and cares a bit more about her identity and what she feels comfortable with.
SHE’S the one going to have to live with the name either way, and her opinion matters- not us strangers online.
I have always used my nickname rather than my formal name. I actually find it more of an inconvenience to have my formal name on my resume and then correct people that I actually go by a nickname. My pharmacy even confused my order because my formal name was in the system, but my dr called in the prescription under my nickname. I sign all official paperwork- license, credit cards, my signature for work- with my nickname. So, my opinion is to keep your daughter’s name as is.
