[BlueUnicorn]

I'd leave and just all her Poppy. Quite a few in my family are known by their mn's. No issue.
Poppy is cute!

[Super Cat]

It's not complicated at all. Well at least it doesn't have to be. Keep her name as it is and just call her (and introduce her as) Poppy. My Dad has been called by his middle name since the day he was born, as was his brother. It never caused an issue for him and he's 70 now.

Plus, if she wants to use Alexandra when she's older she can, and it will be an interesting 'fact' she can share with people.

Actually come to think of it we have a bit of a history of names not being our real first names in our family. My name, the one that everyone knows me as isn't quite what's on my birth certificate because my name is hyphenated but I only use the first name. My niece goes by a shortened name that is actually a real name, but it's not 'her' real name if that makes sense? It's just a nickname that is also a name in its own right. My aunt also went through life using one of her middle names as her first name. None of us has an issue with it.

BTW I think Poppy is a lovely name, as is Alexandra.

[doctorseuss]

I'm going against the trend and say change it now if you intend to call her Poppy. It will get confusing once she starts kindy/school. She won't even know who Alexandra is!

We changed DD1's name at 11 months. I did it after enrolling her at occasional care and they said I'd have to write the name on the Medicare card. We were using an unusual shortening of a long, common formal name, soi paid my $70 to birth, deaths and marriages and changed it. DH was happy either way.

Personally I prefer Alexandra to Poppy or Matilda, but use what you want to call her. Whatever you do, do it soon.

[Dusty]

As someone who has lived my entire life being called by my second name I say change it.
It has been a total PITA in so many ways.
If you want me to clarify it with examples I can but I just wanted to add from a perspective of someone who has lived with it for 40 years, in this day and age with bank accounts, bills, registrations for this that and the other, going by your middle name is really frustrating!

[MakeLoveNotBacon]

I would keep it as is. Poppy is a lovely name for a child but not so much for an adult.

[MakeLoveNotBacon]

if you change it now every time you have to do anything official you will have to provide her birth certificate and name change documentation.

I'm not sure if all states are the same, but if you change a baby's name and they are under 12 mths, you don't have to do this.

[Kitty Fantastico]

I would change it.

If there's no way that you're ever going to call her Alexandra, why put up with the confusion of using her middle name. I imagine it'll be a PITA when she's older and has mail addressed to Alexandra, or people telephone asking to speak to Alexandra when she's always gone by Poppy.

This all sounds terribly confusing. It's not like her name is Katherine and she is known as "Kathy", or Alexandra and "Lexi". Poppy and Alexandra are completely different names. What happens when she goes to kinder, school etc, what will she be known as? I don't doubt that there are a lot of people out there (I know some myself) who have a first name they dislike and instead are known by their middle name. But, it does strike me as odd that a parent is giving a child a first name that they don't intend to use. Are there family reasons or other reasons why you feel compelled to call her Alexandra? If you don't like the name and it upsets you, you should seriously consider changing it. And if it's been 6 months and that feeling hasn't gone away - is that telling you something?


FWIW, I love the name Alexandra and while I get why you think it wouldn't suit a little girl, there's a number of nicknames you can give her that may suit her now (Alex, Alexis, Lexi, Xandi, Allie etc).


Good luck!

I agree with all this ^ ^

Also, If you feel you need a "safer" name as insurance incase she doesn't like Poppy when she's older, why don't you change her middle name to Alexandra? Then she can decide if she wants to go by her middle name, rather than using her middle name and having her first name as a "back up" which is silly imo.

This post has been edited by Kitty Fantastico: 05/08/2012, 09:04 PM

[Bel Rowley]

I would leave it and just call her Poppy. Leave it up to her later which she prefers to go by. I know several people who go by their middle names and are quite happy with the situation.

[emlis22]

I would change it.

Poppy Alexandra is lovely and I agree with PP that it might get confusing. I know people who go by names other than their given first name and when something formal rolls around and they get called something else there are a lot of whispers in the room!

[JuniorSpies]

I see no reason to change it. Quite a few of the women in my family go by their middle names and it's never caused any confusion.
Also Poppy is cute on a little girl but you may find that as she gets older she may prefer to be known by a less cute name.