Isabel writes:<\/p>\n
It’s Isabel<\/a> again! Surprise! :)<\/p>\n
So there’s something Luke and I have been considering for awhile… should we change Brody’s name? He’s never seemed much like a Brody to us, but now that he’s home we really can’t deny it. Brody just doesn’t fit the boy! We’ve already looked up most of the process – where we are it’s pretty easy, and inexpensive, to do.<\/p>\n
We’re considering the name “Kemp.” It really fits him, and the meaning is fitting – it means “fighter.” We’d probably keep his middle name the same – Nathaniel.<\/p>\n
We were thrown a curveball at delivery (we thought we were expecting 3 girls!) and didn’t have much time to consider boy’s names. We’re really regretting that now.<\/p>\n
So what do you think? Should we change his name? If you think we should, should we go with Kemp, or another name? Should we keep his middle name, or go with another one. Our last name is 2 syllables, starts with J, ends with N.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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If you’re pretty sure the name doesn’t fit, this is the moment to change it: it’s early days, and you have an excellent and understandable reason for wanting to do it. Everyone else will probably still be too distracted by the fact of the triplets and by the “two surprise boys” element to really care what you do with the names. If his name doesn’t fit him and you decide you want to change it, I think you should do it immediately.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, I can understand a hesitation. Announcing a baby’s name is a big deal, and it’s assumed to be a permanent choice. Changing it at this point is almost certain to result in at least a little kerfuffle: a few people will be disappointed or upset, and there will be paperwork to do (doctor’s office, insurance cards, etc.). Some people’s relatives would make a stink about it, pretending not to be able to remember the new name, or saying over and over that they just can’t understand why you had to change it. But if you change it now, when he is only 2 months old, most people will soon forget he was ever any other name.<\/p>\n
I’m in favor of the change in this case, for two reasons: one, you sound pretty certain that the name was the wrong choice; two, I’m very interested in the concept of changing a baby’s name, and so out of pure self-interest I’m eager to know someone who did it. Perhaps you could write a guest post on how you found out what would need to be done, and how it went when you did it, and what you thought of the decision afterward, and what other people thought of the decision afterward.<\/p>\n
The name you’re considering for the rename is Kemp. When I hear that name, I have two immediate associations: Jack Kemp<\/a>, and hemp<\/a>. Neither one is, to me, a dealbreaker.<\/p>\n