[name_m]Hi[/name_m] I’ve bought this up a few times and sorry for repeating myself but I just need to check in one more time. We named our daughter [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] and I have name remorse. She’s three now so the remorse is clearly not going away. We call her [name_f]Emmy[/name_f], em,munchkin, amelia or mimi. We have two other boys who have three letter nickname names and we often extend there names as a nickname but I would never consider formally changing their names as I love there nickname names. [name_f]My[/name_f] question is should I change her name formally to amelia so she has a range of nickname options and she can decide later what she prefers or is this too damaging? Also how would i tell people without them thinking I had gone mad? Is it really just too late and I should just let it go and stick with [name_f]Emma[/name_f]? I feel like such a fool. I had so much time to choose a name. I really wanted to call her claudia or bonnie or lily but succumbed to people’s opinions. Maybe that is part of the problem.the last thing I want to do is make it about me and my feelings. [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] was not on my list originally but the more I see it and hear it and feel that it could be at a stretch for a longer name for [name_f]Emma[/name_f] the more I feel it could be right for her??? Or should i just give her a nickname which could be totally unrelated to her name and not change her name at all plenty of people do that right? I guess I was never someone who thought like that I just wanted to name my kids whatever I was going to call them but I’m reconsidering this now to overcome the remorse I’m feeling. Anyway thanks for listening. Sorry for gramma or spelling errors. I’m typing on my phone.
If you already call her [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] on occasion, I would say it’s find to change her name legally. Three year old kids probably don’t understand the concept of names in terms of their legality. She won’t even notice. When she goes into kindergarten, just explain that if she wants to be called [name_f]Emma[/name_f] not [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] she has to ask the teacher. Remorse sucks, and I would say as long as you keep it simple, like, don’t change her name to something she’s never heard, you would be fine.
I agree with the above poster.
I vote that you stick with [name_f]Emma[/name_f].
[name_f]Emma[/name_f] is a great name, take it from me. Your daughter will love her name, even though it’s common. It’s warm, strong yet sentimental, and simple. [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is wonderful! [name_f]Do[/name_f] you ever call her by her middle name, or her whole name, first and middle? I always found [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] rather… mealy. Aside from [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] [name_f]Earhart[/name_f], it doesn’t have much going for it. So I don’t think trying to ameliorate [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is going to help your daughter’s self-image. [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is great partly because it’s so common - sometimes it’s nice to be plain [name_f]Jane[/name_f], to be camouflaged in a sea of Emmas, especially when you’ve got a big regal name like [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] hidden away in the middle to remind you of your singularity.
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is a bit much, whereas [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is classic and beautiful.
What does she say her name is? When you ask her?
If she says her name is [name_f]Emma[/name_f], I’d stick with that. I think [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is beautiful and she should be proud of who she is.
I have an amount of name regret for my dd#1 [name_f]Elena[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] - now that I know [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is so common, I wish I could go back. But, it’s her identity now, and she loves it, so who am I to fool with it? I also still second guess myself on dd#2’s name, [name_f]Felicity[/name_f] [name_f]Iris[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] - I think, should I have not given her the two middles? But as my husband says, she IS “[name_f]Felicity[/name_f] [name_f]Iris[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f]” she is not “[name_f]Felicity[/name_f] [name_f]Iris[/name_f]”, it has just become part of her now as sure as the hair on her head.
I’d challenge you to focus on the positives - you won’t always love everything about your daughter, and it’s a good time now to learn how to live with it, instead of try to change it! lol
What about [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] as a longer name for [name_f]Emma[/name_f]? You still get all the nicknames you like and maybe you can feel satisfied with her name. Good luck.
I would stick with [name_f]Emma[/name_f], changing a child’s name after 12 months becomes a challenge, and it’s unfair on the child to cause unnecessary confusion to suit YOUR needs. She’s three years old now, this name is a part of her, and honestly, it would be selfish to change it now.
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f] is a good alternative, and it’s easier to get to [name_f]Emmy[/name_f]/[name_f]Emma[/name_f] from it. [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] is fine too. It is a bit unexpected but your family and friends should understand that it’s your decision and respect that. What does your daughter answer to usually? If it is [name_f]Emma[/name_f] and you just don’t like the name then you should stick with it, but if your calling her [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] more often already then go for it. I prefer [name_f]Amelia[/name_f]/[name_f]Emilia[/name_f] personally but I don’t dislike either name.
Change it if that is your hearts desire. If people ask tell them you had her supposed nn on the birth announcements but decided that the name [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] seemed to fit her. Also consider maybe naming her
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f] ? 
I wish to God I would have changed my son’s name after my husband named him. I was home from the hospital 10 and detested the name…We are divorced now and my son will be 25 soon…still hate it!
I think that if you do change it, [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] would make more sense than [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], since you should really keep the options of [name_f]Emma[/name_f]/[name_f]Emmy[/name_f]/[name_f]Em[/name_f] as nicknames since she’s had that name for three years already! However, I really think you should stick with [name_f]Emma[/name_f]. Yes, [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is a popular name, but [name_f]Emma[/name_f] that’s because it has so much going for it. [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] is such an elegant, classic name. [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is literary, easy to spell and say, sweet but strong, has a loooong history going all the way back to medieval times, and it ages beautifully. Plus, the bonus to such a well-used name is that an [name_f]Emma[/name_f] can really grow into her name and make it her own, without any “that name is way too bold for that shy girl” or “that name is way too frilly for that tomboy” type issues. I always wish I had a more classic, common name with the beautiful kind of history [name_f]Emma[/name_f] has! I can sympathize with feeling sad that you were pressured into giving up your real favorite names, but changing her name to [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] won’t make up for the fact that you didn’t push for [name_f]Bonnie[/name_f] when she was born. Your name regret seems to be more focused on the fact that you tried to please other people instead of pushing for what you really wanted, not about the name itself, which is so lovely. At three years old, it really seems like it’s time to acknowledge that what’s done is done, and let yourself fall in love with [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], a gorgeous name. If you really think you can’t let it go, perhaps adding [name_f]Bonnie[/name_f] or one of your other original choices as a second middle name would make you feel a bit better, without taking anything away from the beautiful name she already has and knows? [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_f]Bonnie[/name_f] Surname would be very sweet.
Thanks for the responses so far i really appreciate it. I should make refernece to the fact that if it wasn’t for my daughters initials I wouldn’t consider altering her name. (Although I think I will always regret not using claudia or bonnie but that is my issue not hers) I don’t want to turn this thread into an issue about her initials though as it seems no amount of reassurance eases my anxiety about it. i just cannot get past it. I am constantly wondering if only i had called her something : anything else that doesn’t start with the letter E but I can’t change her name completely its too late for that so that is how I came to the amelia option and wondered if it was too much of a stretch? If not how on do I tell people without looking like I’ve lost my mind?!
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this it is so nice to know the berries are there to help and be a sounding board.
[name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] and [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] are both beautiful! If she knows her name is [name_f]Emma[/name_f], then it’s too late to change.
I had a bit of name remorse over our first daughter [name_f]Lilla[/name_f] after we had our second daugher. Whenever we would introduce [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] people would ask if [name_f]Lilla[/name_f] was short for anything or worse was it made up. 2.5ish years late that remorse is comeplely gone, I love her name again and so does she. I think at this point [name_f]Emma[/name_f], is [name_f]Emma[/name_f]. Three year olds know their names I don’t think changing it would be fair to her.
I wouldn’t change it. Kids absolutely know their names by 3- my sister is 2 and she is very vocal about her name, and won’t answer to anything but her name. They are a lot smarter than people give them credit for.
I also don’t really think [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], nn [name_f]Emma[/name_f], makes a lot of sense. The only name I’d consider changing it to would be [name_f]Gemma[/name_f], as it is so incredibly close to [name_f]Emma[/name_f], so it’d be much easier to do. Plus you’d have all the same nicknames.
What initials could possibly make you want to change her name? Sorry, but I think you’re overthinking this. I’ve gone through the entire alphabet, but there’s nothing with E that spells anything obscene… E.T. is the only one I think might be slightly funny, but funny in a cool way, nothing to worry about. E.C.? Are you someone who practices elimination communication and has a strong association with those initials? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you work in an ER?
If I remember correctly the poster has two initials for the last name. Something like V and L so the initials seem close to the word “evil”. I could be wrong but it’s something very much like that.
I would stick with [name_f]Emma[/name_f]. Who pays attention to initials anyways? I am 33 years old and never give a person’s initials a second thought.
[name_f]IMO[/name_f] [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is a far better name than [name_f]Amelia[/name_f]!
There are tons of [name_f]Em[/name_f] names that wouldn’t be too far of a stretch from [name_f]Emma[/name_f]. [name_f]Emmaline[/name_f], [name_f]Emily[/name_f], [name_f]Emilia[/name_f], [name_u]Emery[/name_u], [name_f]Emiliana[/name_f]. If you are concerned about changing her initials, any of these could be long forms of her name
Seriously, dont worry about initials. Someday she will probably get married and have different initials. Then youll change her name to amelia and her new initials will be ass. Lol dont sweat this anymore.