I hate my name. How do I get my mom to change it?

Wait till you’re 18. Then you can change it to anything you want. By that time, however, you’ll probably change your mind.

You can call yourself Meredith without a formal change of name. That’s not illegal (unless it’s for purposes of fraud). Just tell people that’s what you want to be called.

But do be forgiving of people who’ve known you and called you “Maddy” since you were in diapers.

Getting your name changed can be a long, bureaucratic process (and there might be more red tape for minors, but I’m not sure.) If you are dead set on changing your name now, then you should be prepared to tell your mom why you want your name changed, how you feel about your current name, why your new name might make you feel better.

Rather than jumping into a heap of paperwork (and potentially hurting your parents feelings if they have any attachment to the name they chose for you), you may want to consider giving your new name a trial run. Start by asking your friends at school to call you by your new name. Start to grow accustomed to hearing it, responding to it, owning it. If you can’t do this step, then you probably aren’t ready to have your name legally changed.

That’s the thing: names are legally-binding things, but nobody is going to stop you from trying on a new name. You could even approach your mom and asking her to call you by this new name. If you grow more accustomed and attached to the new name, and feel like it suits you, then you can consider taking legal action for a more permanent change.

I’ve gone by several different names in different relationships (friends call me one thing, family another, and everybody online knows me by something completely different), but I have never legally changed my name.

@muppetish . . . why would you want to? vin deisel is an outstanding name.

don’t worry. i whispered this so your secret identity is safe.

Nooooooo! I love the name Madelyn.
I don’t think it’s really all that common either, at least in the area I live in.

You could start by asking why they named you Madelyn, there may be reasons behind your name you don’t know about. Maybe they named you after a grandparent or someone that had a significant impact in their lives, or even in your conception.

example: My sister hated her name until she was told she was named after the nurse that saved my mother’s and her lives.

I think Madelyn is a lovely name, but I know what you mean. I had a name that was a conversation stopper. In high school and college I used a nickname. In my 20’s, when my friends found out what my real name was, they insisted on calling me by it. So I gave up and used it too. It still stops conversation, but I got used to it. It was my grandmother’s name and not well known where I lived.
Have your friends call you Meredith.

My niece was called “Mamie” until she was 13 and got fed up and insisted on being called by her first name, Margaret. It took about three months for everyone to get used to it. Get your teachers and friends to call you Meredith, and it will become you soon.

But also think of the unintended consequences. People like to shorten longer names, it’s common even for people in their fifties. People will call you “Merry” within a week. And punsters like me will say “don’t get in a dither”.

Another vote for loving Madelyn. Not a fan of Maddy though. I don’t care for Meredith, for what it’s worth. It reminds me of Meredith Grey and she is like nails on a blackboard. (callmemere I hope you realize how much crap I’ll get for that.) Welcome to fluther.

You might want to wait to legally change it, just in case you like it later on. Although, I know several people who have changed their first name, and several jellies here have done it. Legally changing you first name is usually very easy in most states. How about start using Meredith? You could try it out next time you go on vacation or are at a party, before you change it with people you will see regularly. Even if you legally change it, you still at some point need to start telling people you are Meredith. I grew up with a few people who didn’t use their given name.

Why won’t your mom let you change it? Did you ask her? Maybe the name has special meaning for her.

OK, @Sunny2. What is your real name??

Madelyn is kind of an awesome name. I like Meredith also, though. As others have suggested, I’d vote for waiting and seeing. I grew up hating my name, but I really like it now.

@Adirondackwannabe How do you not love Meredith Grey?? “Pick me, choose me, love me!”

You said you don’t like it because it is common. My name is extremely common and I like when I meet someone with the same name. It’s like we have our own club. I have about 10 friends with my same name, some of those are more like aquaintances. I meet bunches and bunches of people with my name all the time.

By the way, I didn’t always love my name growing up either. It’s fairly uncommon. It was my great grandmothers name. I learned to appreciate it as I grew older. I have the same name as a redheaded actress and one of the dancers on Dancing with the Stars.

Start making a concerted effort to get people to call you Meredith the way Piscine Molitor Patel did in “Life of Pi.”

Call me Ishmael.

Legally changing your name is done by the county courts (if you are in the U.S.), and you might be surprised at how simple and inexpensive that it is to accomplish. Contrary to what many people think, you almost certainly don’t need a lawyer.

Just download and complete the necessary forms, then make a court date to present the documents and reason for the change before a judge at your county courthouse. He / she will only be interested in your reason, and that you aren’t trying to be deceitful in some kind of criminal way. Then you just make copies of the legal decree and give a copy to your school, employer, and anyone else who will want to see it later in life (the DMV, for example).

For you, the hardest part of the whole episode will probably be in convincing your parents to show up in court with you and state their OK with it.

Court costs shouldn’t be much more than around $200.00

If the county where you live is doing their job right, they will also send a copy of the legal decree to the county where you were born. Your new name will be reflected in their records, and will show on any new requested copies of your birth certificate, if you ask them for it.

Good luck…...Meredith….

@OneBadApple Excellent post!

It’s easy to change your name but the aftermath is hell! That’s why women have to change their name when they get married. Men can’t handle it!

File the papers at the County Clerk’s .office. Cost will about $400. You have to advertise the name change for four weeks in the legal newspaper where you live.

You have to appear in court, and so does your mom since you are under 18.

It’s an easy process and it takes about a month

I think Madelyn is a lovely name, and Maddy is also a cute nickname. It is not as common as you might think.
My name is Jack, and my nickname is Archie. I find the latter to be silly and stupid, but there is nothing I can do about it. I find Jack to be a boring name. I would much rather be called Ronan or Gunner or Hunter or Madison.
I have known many people who were unhappy with their names. Some gave themselves nicknames (my friend Suki, for example, who sounds Japanese, but is quite blonde and German.) When you reach your twenties, you will be happy with Madelyn. You may even pronounce it Mad Ellen to give yourself a mysterious persona.

I had a couple of friends who had a daughter who decided that she did not like her first name, the one she had been called for 15 years, and asked that everyone call her by her middle name. Everyone, including her parents, complied and today, 15 years later she still goes by her middle name, the name she chose.
Tell you the truth though, I still think of her by her first name and then mentally change it to her chosen name.

Never met a anyone named Madelyn or maddy….it’s not a very common name.

What’s wrong with being called Lyn? Seems like a good nickname…