Mum asks if it's too late to change baby's name after one year

The Mumsnet user revealed she regrets her baby name choice. [Photo; Unsplash]
The Mumsnet user revealed she regrets her baby name choice. [Photo; Unsplash]

A mother has taken to Mumsnet for advice over whether to change the name of her one-year-old baby.

She revealed she had long regretted her choice to name her son Ezra, a “random” name she chose after he was born because no one in her family approved of her original choice, Jarrah.

“After giving birth, I found out no one in my family approved of the name and in a horrid mixture of pregnancy hormones and anxiety, I instead chose a random name that the doctor suggested.”

The woman, who is a single mother, says she feels her situation made her “[care] far too much about the opinions of my family members.”

She has also learned of the origins of the name Ezra, which she feels are not “appropriate” for her son.

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“There is also the issue of my son being bi-racial and the famous poet, Ezra Pound, was basically a Nazi,” she writes.

She adds: “I have regretted this decision ever since and hate telling people his current name.”

Instead, she resolves to change it to Jarrah – an Australian name referring to a type of eucalyptus tree which has a “special meaning” for her, given she is a wildlife conservationist.

The Mumsnet forum users have been largely supportive of the mother’s decision.

One wrote, “Just change it if it's going to make you unhappy to keep the name Ezra,” while another added: “Change it now. Much easier than worrying about it.”

One user said: “I don't like Ezra. Jarrah is much nicer.”

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However, a lone user suggested it would be a mistake: “Surely he already knows his name? I'd be more worried about that then having to explain your mistake as an adult.”

This user isn’t the first to crowd source opinion over a baby name on Mumsnet. Recently, a woman was begged by her fellow users to reconsider naming her daughter Princess.

How do you change a child’s name?

You can change the name of a child under 18 by registering their name at the Royal Courts of Justice.

It costs £36 to register for a change of name deed poll on the Gov.uk website.

You will need either the agreement of everyone with parental responsibility or a court order in which to do this.