Legally Changing Name: Have you/would you?

[eeyore kelly]

In our family we have a Douglas (2 of them), Alexis, Abigail, and Victoria. Not all of these are mine (LOL)

I am married to Douglas Sr. Most call him Doug. I ALWAYS call him Douglas.

Douglas Jr. who we call D.J. (not little Doug, Junior, etc) is using Douglas more and more, especially at School.

Alexis is call Lexi, not Alex. I waited too long for a girl.

Abigail is called Abby not Gail.

Victoria is called Tori not Vicky.

All of us have spent time (lots of it) saying call we call him D.J.

Please don't call her Alex or Gail, or Vicky, but we also realized we were setting ourselves up for it. I think you have to weigh the like of the name against the headache it would cause.

 

[poohandwendy]

Originally posted by birdiesunshine
While I understand what you are saying, I'm not sure that I should have to sacrifice naming my daughter a name that I love because a lot of people don't like to listen. What if I wanted her nickname to be Gail, which I don't but I'm just saying that people should think before presuming someone wants their childs name shortened when I just clearly said her name was Abigail.

You can name your child what you want, you can call your child what you want, but others will still call her what they want. Call it thoughtless, rude, whatever. I was just pointing out that if it is THAT big of a deal to you (generic you), it is best to try for a name that has no shortened version because 9 times out of 10 people will use the shorter version. Most people probably use it as a familiar endearment, not an insult.

 

[poohandwendy]

Originally posted by birdiesunshine
While I understand what you are saying, I'm not sure that I should have to sacrifice naming my daughter a name that I love because a lot of people don't like to listen. What if I wanted her nickname to be Gail, which I don't but I'm just saying that people should think before presuming someone wants their childs name shortened when I just clearly said her name was Abigail.

You can name your child what you want, you can call your child what you want, but others will still call her what they want. Call it thoughtless, rude, whatever. I was just pointing out that if it is THAT big of a deal to you (generic you), it is best to try for a name that has no shortened version because 9 times out of 10 people will use the shorter version. Most people probably use it as a familiar endearment, not an insult.

 

[RadioNate]

I dumped my middle name when I got married so now I'm First, Madien, Last. I really disliked my middle name so when I had the chance I dropped it. My mother lost her mind when she found out and now refuses to accept the change. She now insists on using my former middle name any chance she can.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

I did when I married DH. I think it's so cool that my first initial and my last intial are the same.
I have been thinking of changing the spelling of my first name because I've spelled it an alternate way since I was in 5th grade (it's prettier the way I spell it).

DH's last name is not his family's original last name either. The way the story goes, his grandfather and his uncle (Grandpa's brother)were both in the army during WWII. Uncle dies at Pearl Harbor and in doing up the exit paperwork (or whatever) the army screws up the spelling of their last name. They change ONE letter. Anyway....Grandpa wants to get out of the army after this and they are taking forever to do his exit paperwork because of the name screwup with his brother. So basically Grandpa says FINE...I'll just take the name you gave me, it's one letter difference big deal. So when he gets out of the army, he has a slightly different last name then when he went in. He changed his last name and that of his family's to fit what the army had put on his paperwork and it's remained that way ever since.


TOV

 

[SC Minnie]

I dropped my middle name when I got married-- never liked it because it sounded too 'country' especially with my first name-- people would combine them

I would love to change my first name-- I have never liked it either. How many people do you know named Mona anymore??? I get Monica or Ramona or something else.


I named my daughter Catherine. I thought it was a pretty name that no one would have trouble with. Well people want to call her Cathy or Katy or something else. We decided when she was born that we would call her Catherine and if she ever wanted to shorten it then she could. She's 10 and she is still called Catherine.

birdie-- I wouldn't worry about it. Just politely say 'we call her Abigail.' and only call her that around others. Let her teachers know.

 

[diznee25]

I did when I married DH. I think it's so cool that my first initial and my last intial are the same.

After I got married all 3 of my initials are the same! MMM (Before it was MMK)

 

[pjlla]

DS was named Lucas Gunnar "last name" upon birth. My DH took to calling him Gunnar and I call him Lucas (sometimes Luke). We decided we would let him decide when he was older, which he preferred to be called. Right now he is preferring Lucas, but that could change at any time (he is 6 1/2).

My grandmother intentionally named her first two children things that couldn't easily (at least she thought) be shortened or had a "Y" added to the end. Mom is Linda (although I have her her called Lyn") and aunt is Carol. But she must have given up after that because next aunt is Judith, who, of course, we call Judie.

DD is named Laura (after Laura Ingalls Wilder).... just when we thought that there was no nickname for this, my SIL and nephew started calling her "Laura-Lou".... they sang her name like a church song that goes "allelu-allelu-allelu-alleluia... praise ye the Lord" (i.e. Laura-lou, Laura-lou...) and it has sort of stuck! But I don't call her that in front of her friends!................P

EDITED to add: Sorry.... that response was rather off topic, wasn't it!! My SIL and her husband changed their last name after about 20 years of marriage to her maiden last name. Her husband's last name was a good Norwegian name, but in this country is stands for something kind of icky, yucky, disgusting (starting with G). Guess they had concerns about their kids having problems (although their kids were ages about 6-12 by that time). My MIL was convinced that this meant either they were really getting a divorce and didn't want to tell her, or they were in some sort of legal trouble! ................P

 

[remyandhollandsmommy]

On my birth certificate, my name is Angelene (Ann-hel-een), but I have gone by Angela since I was 13 and got sick of explaining how to say it. The only people who know what my "real" name is are family, and well now you . I never changed it legally, but most of our paperwork has Angela on it.

Oh and my little cousin's name is Ryan Matthew, but we always called him Matthew. I was married before I knew his name was Ryan (which is what people at school call him).

 

[Donnainnj]

My inlaws changed their last name before my husband was born. It was ******-Bell Franque, and they shortened it to ******. Everyone still spells it wrong, but at least I didn't have to teach the kiddos to spell all that. When they went to court the judge was dealing with all name changes, as each person/family went up the judge asked, why the name change? When they went up he just granted it with no questions.
Donna

 

[DizGeek]

I once changed my name from "Fred" to "Eric"...didnt work out too well though.

 

[EdiePA]

I went the cheaper route and changed my name on my birth certificate. After seven days of thinking, my parents named me "Edith". I always hated it -- sounded too much like a little old lady in a nursing home. So my name is now officially Edie and I'm happy with it.

All that I had to do was prove that I was using Edie and known by that name. My library card put it over the top!

Edie

 

[jennyanydots]

my grandfather and his brothers all came to NY from the Ukraine at the turn of the century. their family name was something long and Russian and hard to rponounce.

in the 1920's all the brothers legally changed their name. I saw the decree from Brooklyn supreme court legally chanign my grandfather's name, as well as the names of my aunts -- my father hadn't been born yet.

they all chose the same last name -- something two syllables long, and which identified them as Jewish.

one of the brothers' sons (not my father) changed his name again, anglacized it to remove the ethnic identity.

 

[jennyanydots]

and as for names and nicknames:

my daughters are Jennifer and Rebecca. when she was 2 years old, Jennifer told her babysitter "I not Jenny, I Jennifer". she has never been called "Jenny" since then -- but these days she prefers to be called "Jen" -- I think I'm the only one who calls her "Jennifer", and usally I call her "Jen" because it's what she wants.

Rebecca is "Becca", not "Becky". she will correct you if you make that mistake.

if Abigail chooses to be called Abby or Gail, her mom is just going to have to get used to it. if she follows her mom's preference, she'll make others comply.

 

[beattyfamily]

Changed mine when I married too...just dropped my middle name that I never liked and kept my maiden name as my middle name and took my DH's name.

It used to bug me when I told people (usually older people for some reason) my name, Laura, they always call me Lori. MY NAME IS LAURA, NOT LORI!!! It used to drive me crazy because to me Laura, Lori, Lauren, and Laurel are all different names and Lori is NOT a nickname for Laura. It doesn't really bother me anymore. One of my sisters loves to abbreviate a name even if you think it's not possible. She calles me Lor. My DD is Malerie, she calls her Mal. Doesn't bother me.

My other sister is divorced and took her maiden name back because her married name was Wulle and she couldn't stand it. Well, my niece, a few years later legally changed her last name to her mother's (and my) maiden name instead of Wulle. Lane is much nicer so her mother let her change it.

My other DD is Julia. It does bother me when people call her Julie. I just repeat that it's Julia but there's nothing else I can do. I've always loved the name, Julia (since I heard the Beatles song AND my Nanna's name was Julia) but I never liked the name Julie. I do have nicknames for her though. Jules and Jul-yee...I only call her Jul-yee to make it rhyme with Mommy or her sister's name, Malerie!!

Those are the only name stories I have.

 

[poohandwendy]

One of my sisters loves to abbreviate a name even if you think it's not possible. She calles me Lor. My DD is Malerie, she calls her Mal. Doesn't bother me.

LOL, sounds like my sisters and I. I have a sister named Lori and we call her ''Lor'', another sister named Dana and we call her ''Dane'' and the youngest sister, Darcy,we call her "Darce" and they all call me "Wen" (wendy)...talk about laziness...

Wierd thing is that our brother Jonathan...we don't shorten his name...although we call his wife, Julie, ''Jules"...

but we do call Jonathan 'Baby-man'...he is the 'golden' child...youngest of 5, only boy...we gotta ride him for it....

 

[mmausse]

I swear I amm not making this up:

That said, I have a cousin who's last name is Snow. As luck would have it, she married a guy who's last name is, drumroll please,....................White. They hypenated their names to be Snow-White.

I got stuck with a loousy middle name. No, I'm not going to share it. It was so lousy that I NEVER used it or the initial M. But legally I'm supposed to. So, when I turned 25 I legally changed my middle name to Michaela - in honor of my late Grandfather and uncle, both named Michael, and of Irish descent.

I have a friend who works for the FBI, his last name is Beecher. He met his wife there and now she is Special Agent Bethany Beecher.

I went to school with Donald Duk, from Thailand.

Sometimes it's just fate that puts names together. It doesn't matter what you do, sometimes its just meant to be.

 

[jennyanydots]

a number of years ago I used to have to write letters to a man whose last name would be blocked by the word filters on this board. it was pronounced "Shmook".

 

[Laura]

I hyphenated my last name when I got married. It's great--I can still be recognized with my maiden name and I share a last name with DH.

 

[JVL1018]

Originally posted by beattyfamily


My other DD is Julia. It does bother me when people call her Julie. I just repeat that it's Julia but there's nothing else I can do. I've always loved the name, Julia (since I heard the Beatles song AND my Nanna's name was Julia) but I never liked the name Julie. I do have nicknames for her though. Jules and Jul-yee...I only call her Jul-yee to make it rhyme with Mommy or her sister's name, Malerie!!

Those are the only name stories I have.

My daughters name is also Julia. I don't even think of Julie as a nickname for Julia, it's a totally different name. No one has ever caled her Julie.
We call her Julia, J, JJ, Jules, Jule and JuJuBee, but never Julie. ;o)
My sons name is Matthew.
We went through a lot of names before we settled on that one-I wanted a name that we liked all variations of because odds are that they won't be called by the one variation we choose. So if people call him Mattthew, Matt or Matty we're happy, we love them all. We call him Matty or Matt.

As for changing names-the only way I would have ever changed mine is if I was given a "unique" spelling..then I would have changed the spelling.
My FIL's name on his birth cert is Vincenzo, but on every other document, other than his army papers he is James. He never changed it legally, but from the day he was born he's never been called anything but James/Jim/Jimmy-don't ask me why he was named Vincenzo. @@
His father was Salvatore on his birth cert but on everything else was Thomas. <shrug>