"When I was expecting, I planned to see what my baby looked like before I officially named them to make sure the name “fit.” We didn’t find out the sex of our baby, so my husband and I had our top names for boys and girls as I went into labor. It had taken us two full weeks to find the perfect name to fit our first baby (our dog), so we wanted to make sure the name felt right for our actual baby. Luckily, our top girl name seemed to fit our newborn daughter perfectly—and still does. However, I can easily see living with baby name regret if her name didn’t seem to match her personality as she grew. And I might have wondered—should I change my baby’s name?
But can you change baby’s name after the birth certificate is filed? How long can you wait to name a baby? And does anyone really do that? Well, one popular TikToker and Instagrammer, Jen Hamilton, shared in a now-viral video that she did change her baby’s name! Not only did she have baby name regret, she formally changed her son’s name when he was 18 months old. Her videos on TikTok and Instagram now have millions of views and thousands of comments, many from people who wondered if they could (or should) change their baby’s name.
Jen Hamilton on Changing Her Baby’s Name
Labor and delivery nurse Jen Hamilton is a mom and a social media star with over 5 million followers across TikTok and Instagram. Fans love her heartfelt—and often humorous—stories from the delivery room and her advocacy for women and moms. She also shares a sneak peek into her own life from time to time, like this video about regretting her son’s name and changing it months later.
The Viral Video About Changing Her Son’s Name
In the video, Hamilton shared why she originally chose the nature-inspired name Aspen for her son—both her eldest son and husband were “outdoorsy boys.” However, she realized “early on” after her second son was born he was not that boy. She shared, “He gets carsick in the Chick-Fil-A drive thru and… likes air conditioning and sitting down.” On the advice of her sister, Hamilton began the process of changing her son’s name.
Wondering how you legally change your baby’s name? Hamilton shared that they hired a lawyer and the process did take a long time, but his name was officially changed from Aspen to Luke when he was 18 months old.
Responses to Her Video About Changing Her Baby’s Name
The comments section of Hamilton’s video is full of other people’s baby name stories and advice on the complicated task of choosing the right name for your baby. Here are some of my favorites:
Advice on Waiting to Name Your Baby
“Should we start naming babies at 18 months? This makes so much more sense.”—@namingbebe
“Someone said ‘choosing a name for your baby is like choosing a tattoo for someone you’ve never met,’ and I repeat this fact all the time, because, yes.”—@lesterva
“I feel like they should have a free, no hassle, 12-month name change window for babies.”—@Sarasauraus
“Some cultures don’t name their babies until their first birthday or such. It makes sense to me. I didn’t like my name so I changed it as an adult.”—@Bad Luck Charm
“You also don’t have to put a name on the birth certificate in most states, they tell you you HAVE to before you leave the hospital, but you don’t. Now you then take ownership for filing all of the correct documentation, but when my ex was deployed with the last two kids I had I didn’t think it was appropriate to give the baby a name without dad meeting them first, so six months and four months later they got their official names.”—@kikibythebeach
Others Living With Baby Name Regret
“Uh. Yes. My son’s name is Elan 😭😭😭😭.”—@kleeman1
“We named our daughter Alexa… right before Amazon decided to use it for their device 😭.”—@Michelle
“I regret what my mom and dad named me for obvious reasons 🙄.”—@KarenHrycenko
“…My daughters middle name is Belle from Disney. She’s now 11 and still low-key hates Disney 😭.”—@kel_c
“I have a friend whose cousin’s name is dawn. Dawn’s parents jokingly call her Dusk because she sleeps in so much.”—@Becca
“I named my daughter Brianna Juliet which is very pretty and we shorten it to Brie which is cool….but the initials [are] not so good 😝😬🤭.”—@lindy_cellucci
“I’m 40 and about to change my whole damn name. Ever since I could remember, my name has never fit. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life living with a name that feels so foreign and disconnected to my being.”—@a.in.pursuit
Cautionary Tales When Choosing a Baby Name
“My son is Axel. I love it. But I never stopped to think how other children would pronounce his name. Between the ages of 2-5 a lot of kids pronounce his name Asshole 🙃.”—@courtnroberts
“Named my son Gunner, we call him Gun for short. Started kindergarten, first day of school he was so excited to get inside [that] he ran in the parking lot. I screamed ‘Gun stop’ [and] caused massive panic.”—@c.pearson0125
“Mine and my wife’s moms are both named Sylvia. When my daughter was born we panicked and couldn’t decide between Livia and Sylvia. Somehow in the chaos after delivery we named her Livia Sylvia 🤦♂️.”—@ChrisAmongTheFence2113
Changing Baby’s Name Gone Wrong
“When my daughter, Morgan Grace, was born, we left the hospital after 12 hours, unnamed. In BC Canada, you can do that. In Alberta Canada, you can not. And this is where she was born. I did not know this, as all my other kids were born in BC. I put ‘baby girl’ on her paperwork, and thought , ‘I’ll just come back and fill it in once she has a name.’ Well, the hospital staff sent her paperwork in that way! They literally thought I named my daughter Baby Girl! I had to LEGALLY change her name to Morgan. Which took a year! It’s hilarious, and as the youngest of five, is definitely fitting, but seriously, Baby Girl??!!😂”—@candacefrank
Kathy Sisson, Senior Editor
Kathy Sisson has been a key contributor in the editorial parenting space for eight years, not only as a full-time editor at The Everymom but previously as a freelance writer for top parenting sites, including Scary Mommy, Motherly, Parent Co., and more. As an editor at The Everymom, she has produced hundreds of articles on a range of parenting topics, reviewed dozens of family-focused products, interviewed leading experts in the children and parenting world, and created viral parenting social media content. A mom of two, she is committed to sharing the honest, helpful, and often humorous stories of motherhood.