Children should be allowed to legally change their name at a young age
Posted by ChainsawSoundingFart@reddit | CrazyIdeas | View on Reddit | 123 comments
Let’s say the first 10 years is a trial period for the child to decide if they like and want to keep the name given to them by their parents when they were born.
The child is then scheduled for an appointment where they can change their legal name to whatever they’d like or keep what they have. The parents cannot intervene or else they will face criminal charge.
How many of you would have made this change? I would have loved hearing “Congratulations Skeletor, you have passed the 2nd grade!!”
sep780@reddit
I would’ve because I didn’t like my name because it wasn’t on any of the personalized things in stores back then. The names I was thinking of changing it to also weren’t, so I would’ve ended up not liking whatever I changed it to as well.
If that idea were to be implemented, move the age to 15 or 16. Brains have had more time to mature then and are better equipped to make big decisions that’ll be playing a role in their lives for years.
nousernamesleft199@reddit
Kids are stupid. I know one person who got to pick her own name and she went with Candy
Old-Research3367@reddit
I mean if we had a world where kids could change their names, adults could certainly change their name as well. It would probably be a lot easier.
SayceGards@reddit
Adults... can change their name
Old-Research3367@reddit
Yes. So the point of kids being stupid is irrelevant because they could change it back as an adult. Also if a kid could easily do it it wouldn’t be nearly as difficult to.
Mein_Name_ist_falsch@reddit
No, because changing names as an adult isn't easy and shouldn't be easy for good reasons. Names have a purpose. That purpose is to keep track of people. If everyone changes their name at least twice and some do it for fun every two years because it's too easy, it's going to be a lot of work to keep track of that. That's exactly why most countries have rules in place that you can only change your name under specific circumstances. It's much better if we just make sure that kids get reasonable names when they are born and if there is a good reason to change as an adult it won't hurt too much to change a name.
Old-Research3367@reddit
I don’t know I think there should be other unique identifiers besides names that would be more suitable that are not changeable but I see your point.
tiera-3@reddit
The problem is, if you change your name, you forever have to answer the "have you ever been known by a different name" question. I would expect if this proposal was used, the temporary name from youth would not apply to that question.
donutdogs_candycats@reddit
I’m pretty certain that expires after ten years of the legal name change, but that might just be in my state.
Affectionate_Hornet7@reddit
My name would be Valentine after Kevin Bacons character in Tremors
ChainsawSoundingFart@reddit (OP)
And she’s a stripper now
rubensinclair@reddit
If my younger son was allowed to do that he would have changed his name to Dinosaur 1000. He literally had all his school calling him that for two months.
ChainsawSoundingFart@reddit (OP)
What’s wrong with that?
Mein_Name_ist_falsch@reddit
That they'll deeply regret it one or two years later or at the very least once they are an adult.
ChainsawSoundingFart@reddit (OP)
I would never regret Dinosaur 1000
DanielMcLaury@reddit
There was a kid whose parents let him pick his own name, and he chose "Loki Skylizard," and today Dr. Skylizard is a respected cancer surgeon.
Just saying.
Elnathi@reddit
How does it feel to be the parent of an icon?
Spl4sh3r@reddit
In this context, I would actually say no, children should not be allowed to change their names on their own. The only reason I am against it, is because the school years is when a name is hardest to deal with. If they are allowed to change it during their school years it will happen multiple times. Therefore I think that above 18 they can do it on their own. Before, then their parents need to co-sign, which is how it works now anyway.
LordMegamad@reddit
A crazy idea in r/crazyideas.
Commenters in r/crazyideas:
"This SUCKS. NOT SMART. STUPID."
Such is life
Minute-Aioli-5054@reddit
This sub just randomly came up on my feed and just read the post itself. I was like this idea is so stupid then I realized what sub I was in 😅
ChainsawSoundingFart@reddit (OP)
It’s like those AskReddit posts “what popular thing do you dislike” and you have to sort by controversial to get real answers
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NeverrGivenAName@reddit
It’s not a crazy idea, I just would change the age to be around 16-18. Ten year olds would come up with even worse names than a lot of parents nowadays.
I once had a similar conversation w my brother about how I don’t think women should take the man’s name when they get married, and kids shouldn’t automatically get the father’s name. He asked whose name they should get and I said “I think the couple should create a new surname together.” He thought about it for a minute and said, “that’s actually a cool idea. I’ve always thought andouille would be a cool last name.”
bustacones@reddit
Well at 18 they're an adult and can do just that.
Lost-thinker@reddit
Idk where you live, but where I live the process is long and annoying, and isn't free.
ESLavall@reddit
In UK it's a free form, and you don't actually need it, you can just start using it for stuff
Kathrames@reddit
I'd say at ten works as well, but instead of the kid choosing a name they get to suggest 5. Then an adult (teacher, social worker,...) can pick one or suggest 5 themselves. Kid gets the final say if they want the new name or keep the old one.
Taras_Kvas@reddit
"No, Brucewayne my boy, I don't think Skibidi, Sixseven, Cantthinkofaname, Placeholder or Lickmybutt are good names, so you'll have to choose from Batman, Batmann, Battman, Badman and Darknight! Or, you can keep your old name, I'm good with it."
carbslut@reddit
I went to school with a kid who did change his first name in high school. His parents were immigrants and didn’t understand that they named him something that was completely a joke name. Like something Bart Simpson would call and have Mo announce to the bar.
He changed his first name to Jonathan and then it was fine.
gravelpi@reddit
I knew a couple that did just that. Their last names fit together well (2000s celebrity couple style), so they both changed to that name when they got married.
Nate_Christ@reddit
That's not to far off from the current standard, would probably work fine. Also new surname is a good Idea, like why are all the surnames clearly from 400 years ago lol?
Mircowaved-Duck@reddit
take a look at the roblox names if the children between the ages 10-16 and tell me if it is a smart idea when they choose their own names...
RadioRoosterTony@reddit
This isn't r/smartideas
pandoras_box101@reddit
this sub is banned, wtf happened there damn
Violet351@reddit
My friend’s kid wanted to change their name to something like Princess Sparkles
SaladCzarSlytherin@reddit
Isn’t that the name of a Canadian pop star? She had that song malls, remember?
Violet351@reddit
Omg, yes. Her mum did tell them that they could use that ridiculous name as a stage name but was hoping they would change their mind!
Brinkah83@reddit
Robyn Sparkles? She rocked
tee142002@reddit
I was 14 when gladiator came out. I probably would have changed my name to Maximus Decimus Meridius if it were that easy. Because kids are stupid.
-RainbowUnicornPoop@reddit
My friend got pregnant when her oldest was around five years old. She asked her if she wanted to help name the baby. She quickly changed her mind when her daughter offered up the name Pee Potty. 💀
Lingchen8012@reddit
So you think children are unable to distinguish the difference between a digital username and real life legal name?
rainbow-songbird@reddit
I would have gone with Alexa and then have serious regrets around 2017 when amazon stole my name.
NonchalantRubbish@reddit
What’s wrong with Pikachu Charizard Esquire the Third. I think it has a nice ring to it. I thought my kid would love the name.
NeverrGivenAName@reddit
This made me laugh. So true.We’d have quite a few kids named six seven, some older teens named skibbidy ohio, lots of them “doing it for the plot.”
WishboneFirm1578@reddit
that's a good thing, now people with slightly less ridiculous names will be bullied less
MyKidsArentOnReddit@reddit
Lots of middle aged dads named Megatron and Optimus Prime.
sichuan_peppercorns@reddit
I kept my first email address (from teenage years) for way too long, and let me tell you... it is absolutely a bad idea!
CreatrixAnima@reddit
I probably would’ve gone for it, but I would have picked something that I no longer like.
KirbyRock@reddit
If this happened, I’d be named “Goku” today.
stillpissedatyoko@reddit
Maybe give everyone the chance when they turn 21 or something. Or at least make the process far far less expensive. 10 though? That would be bad lmfao.
Carrot_Cinna_Cake@reddit
Bad idea
Then youd have kids naming themselves after random characters and hating it later
bix902@reddit
I had a few names I was obsessed with around that age and I was convinced some of the elements would make beautiful baby names so I would have picked multiple names...
Everyone, please welcome "Destiny Uranium Crystal!"
Klingenberg1251@reddit
I once played around with a similar concept: people are born with numbers instead of names, and when they turn 18, they get to choose a name for themselves.
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Cool_Park7110@reddit
Actually what a lot of ancient people did. Because children had a nasty habit of dying, some cultures wouldn't name their kids until they come of age.
Pre-modern China would name their kids something unappealing to ward off evil spirits that prey on children. Imagine basically calling your kid Dumbass until the age of like 6. Dog Bollocks was a pretty popular one in certain regions.
Japan had a similar practice in naming young boys []maru, which refers to dung balls, though they also had more classy options.
tiera-3@reddit
I knew one family that used their childrens middle names exclusively until the child started high school - at which point they switched to the first names. It was confusing for me when I hadn't seen the family for a few years and a child had aged up and was now known by his first name instead the middle name that he had previously been known by ... then a few years later the next child also aged up and effectively changed names.
TheirThereTheyreYour@reddit
I like this one, let’s make it a worldwide thing
Lazarus558@reddit
The Romans often did that, hence names like Quintus, Sixtus, Septimus, etc.
Worldly_Might_3183@reddit
Biggus dickis
love_in_october@reddit
Children can already go by a different preferred name if they like. Changing it on documents and things just creates unnecessary administrative trouble. My husband used to go by the name Bruce all through secondary school just because he "looked like a Bruce", no relationship with his actual name.
Zealousideal-Rent-77@reddit
When I started the 2nd grade my homeroom teacher called roll on the first day and told us to let her know if we wanted to be called something other than the name on the roll so she could update it. This was, theoretically, intended for Katherine/Kates and Somebody Somebody The Third being Trey or Trip, but whenever some kid gave a stupid name she treated it just as seriously as more standard nicknames and called the kid that.
Mister Fart only lasted a few days before he was begging her to stop calling him that.
gramerjen@reddit
I think after you turn 18 you should be given 1 free name change opportunity that you can use anytime you want
discostud1515@reddit
No they shouldn't.
My friend taught English in Cambodia, Thailand, Taiwan and other countries in the area. Kids are often allowed to choose their own English name. She has taught like 46 kids named Batman.
Scrangdorber@reddit
Melbourne was actually founded by a guy called Mr Batman so we have a bunch of roads and shit called "Batman Avenue" and stuff
Nicc-Quinn@reddit
I taught a girl named Dolphiny, not dolphin, DolphinY. Very sweet girl, but that’s just one example of the weird names we got.
Also Fanny - there was like 3 Fannys.
DanielMcLaury@reddit
Delphine is actually a fairly common name in French-speaking countries, even today.
(If you want to get technical about it, it was a common name in ancient Rome before the word also meant "like a dolphin," so I guess you could argue that people aren't literally being named after the animal.)
SaladCzarSlytherin@reddit
Fanny used to be a popular Jewish name in Ashkenazi communities. I had a great great aunt named Fanny. She’s dead now, but she was born in the late 19th or early 20th century. Her parents didn’t speak English.
DanielMcLaury@reddit
My dad used to listen to Fanny Brice's radio show when he was a kid. The show ran for over a decade and would have kept going if it weren't for her unexpected death. And then her life got made into a Broadway musical, which in turn got made into a movie that was the highest-grossing film of the year and won the actress playing her an Academy Award.
So at least in the late 1960s it wasn't considered that odd of a name.
Nicc-Quinn@reddit
The problem was very much that all of the English teachers (except me) and the vast majority of those they interacted with were British where Fanny is a somewhat derogatory word.
Nate_Christ@reddit
I bet Spiderman felt left out
C-Note01@reddit
Tbf, they're completely different universes.
Dziggettai@reddit
Pretty sure there was a crossover at some point but I can’t remember for sure
C-Note01@reddit
If you can find it, lmk.
Batman is DC; Spider-man is Marvel.
E8P3@reddit
It's a shame, because Spider-Man would definitely lighten the mood a bit. Batman would be all brooding and grim, and Spider-Man would be increasingly desperate to get him to crack a smile at some silly quip. Also, the whole dead relative thing would be great with their very diverging paths.
Efficient_Basis_2139@reddit
When I was younger the dentists receptionist asked my name and naturally I said "Batman". My dad thought it was hilarious. I got a check up reminder every year addressed to Batman.
MajesticBluebird68@reddit
My old teacher taught in China. I've forgotten most of them, but I remember there was a kid called Lovely Pink and a kid called Lion King.
tiera-3@reddit
If given the option at that age, I probably would have switched to an abbreviation of my middle name (which I did use at school for about six months at that age).
My eldest likely would have switched to their middle name also.
jolharg@reddit
You are absolutely gonna get teased and annoy the shit out of people if you do it too much just for the lols though because you don't know any different. But I couldn't put a cutoff on it because there are times you could be smart enough to do it for a good reason having actually thought about it properly from an earlier age than I would've thought.
poly_arachnid@reddit
When I was a kid I went through maybe 20 names I wished I'd been given instead.
We should have advisor professionals in attendence.
KelpFox05@reddit
With some adjustment, not a bad idea. Let kids experiment with their own name and decide for themselves what they want to be called.
Honestly, I think kids are given so little room to experiment with their own identity. People freak out so hard even over just small things like clothes and hair. We need to give young people the opportunity to really figure out their identity and who they are at a young age so they can enter adulthood confident in themselves and their identity and not have to juggle shit like higher education and learning to pay bills with figuring out who you are when somebody else isn't micromanaging every aspect of your being.
StinkypieTicklebum@reddit
Same reason you can’t get a tattoo until you’re 18!
kangalbabe2@reddit
IMHO that should be changed to 21 yrs old too
Next_Sun_2002@reddit
r/unexpectedfactorial
ChainsawSoundingFart@reddit (OP)
Ah fiddle sticks!
Tyler89558@reddit
New name is JohnHalo343
BeebleBoxn@reddit
They also shouldn't be coerced or trapped and forced to change their name either.
Due-Yesterday8311@reddit
Counter: 3 free name changes between 18-25
CaptMcPlatypus@reddit
If this was actually a part of our culture, we'd have traditions in place to impress the seriousness of it on to our kids, so I doubt we'd get as many "Danger" and "67" and famous YouTuber names as we might if we just started tomorrow.
I absolutely would have changed my name. I hated it as a kid. I would have chosen something sensible, because I was a serious and sensible kid.
wildfoxfallon@reddit
This is really funny because in the story I'm writing this exact thing happens except it's the parents that choose. It's a neat excuse as to why all the characters have names that somewhat suit them- they just get given a placeholder name at birth and a proper one at 10 lol
manic_unicornicopia@reddit
from the moment i was conscious of my legal first name i wanted to change it. so like, 5 years old. i always used my middle name and longed for it to be offically my first name. it took about 26 years of life for me to finally get that changed. so i would definitely have done it and stuck with it.
however i like my new middle name that i chose as an adult. im sure as a kid it would have been "sparkle" or some shit lmfao
LeilLikeNeil@reddit
Every 6th grade classroom gonna have 13 Skeletors.
ExMOnotwiththeflow@reddit
My name would have been Crystal Never Shout Never Potter Way if I was able to change it as a tween.
SaladCzarSlytherin@reddit
I hated my name growing up, but I can assure I would’ve chosen a stupid name for myself if I got to change it at 10.
Expensive-Day-3551@reddit
They should be able to change it at 18. First and/or last name, everyone gets to change it one time for free. Ive seen some really bad names and I know its affecting their job prospects. One woman was named Mariwanna. She went by Mari.
AnotherCatLover88@reddit
Not at that age. That is way too young to make permanent decisions about yourself.
Lingchen8012@reddit
Name changes are not permanent
irish_ninja_wte@reddit
No. Children are idiotsabout stuff like that. I was born in late December. At age 10, I thought that it would be the coolest thing in the world to have a Christmas name. I even asked my mother why they didn't choose one for me.
samantha_pants@reddit
It depends how young. When I was around five, I begged my parents to change my name to Pretty Pretty Princess
Alternative-Eye7589@reddit
I went to high-school with a kid that had been home schooled. He missed a day of school because his 7 year old sister had a ceremony where she told people what name she picked. I don't know what she picked but it was a thing with whatever religion they were.
mothwhimsy@reddit
I would have named myself Kenjiro. I am not Japanese lol
StrainEmergency9745@reddit
yeah
Ambitious_Policy_936@reddit
Sure, but who's gonna pay for it?
etherealuna@reddit
when my mom was like 10, she decided she wanted to change the spelling of her name to be more unique and just started going by the new spelling. her parents thought it was a phase but it stuck and she legally changed it when she was like 50
-K_P-@reddit
When my oldest brother was a kid, he wanted his name to be Mercutio Dynamite. So... ya know...
OriginOfTheVoid@reddit
On the plus side, I’d be called ‘Fang’ and that would be cool as heck
MelonElbows@reddit
As long as they can change the names back later, I don't see a problem.
toomuchfreetime97@reddit
This would backfire fast, at 10 I would have changed it to Hermione or something lol
Just-Standard-992@reddit
Considering there are full on adults out there, applying to jobs with their hotmail addresses that they got at like 16 by using a combination of “cute” + animal + “69” as their username, I don’t think this the best idea.
OfficerLollipop@reddit
I would have been Justine. I liked Justin Bieber when I was 10.
trying3216@reddit
18 is a better age
ObnoxiousName_Here@reddit
I mean, people can change the names they use day to day without legally changing them. And I don’t think children have any reason to care about the specific legal contexts of what their name is. Might as well save that hassle for adulthood
LA_Throwaway_6439@reddit
I love it, but with the addendum that you can only do it once and it's when you turn 20. Everyone would know about it, so there'd be plenty of time to consider whether to change it and if so to what.
atomicsnarl@reddit
"I'm sorry son, Zippy Wham Pow is already taken. Try again."
Surfgirlusa_2006@reddit
My 6 year old wanted to change his name to Rexy. I can only imagine what he’ll come up with when he’s 10.
I told him he can change his name when he’s 18 if he really wants to.
It helped when I explained the meaning of his name and he liked it a lot better after that.
ANoisyCrow@reddit
Maybe 10 years old is too young? “Skeletor!” 🤣
Space__Monkey__@reddit
People would probably be changing their name so often that it would be hard to keep track of who is who.
Remember your first email address??? Unless it was your actual name, most people do not want to be stuck with it and make a new one. Depending on when you were born might make a difference at what age you were, but I was probably around 10 and so were my friends and siblings. At the time we all thought it was great and came up with all kinds of wild and creative names... a few years later the names were not as cool anymore. lol
ChainsawSoundingFart@reddit (OP)
My first was DankyDankPurpz@
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Shmolti@reddit
Let's have everyone comment the name of their first email address and then we'll decide if this is a good idea lol
arrarium@reddit
All fun and games until you're just one of 10 DragonzFires in your graduating class