It's weird that your parents get to choose your name. Should it be the norm for kids to choose their own name when they reach a certain age?

[ToddBonzalez]

Isn't it weird that the name you are saddled with for your whole life is chosen by someone else? Of course I know it's possible to legally change your name, but few people actually do this.

Should it be the norm for your parents to give you a temporary name for when you are a baby and toddler, then when you hit the age of say, 8 (or somewhere around there). Kids can look through a list of names and choose what they'd like to be called permanently? It seems like it should be the cultural norm for people to have autonomy over this aspect of their lives.

 

[Squarehard]

Just call them "hey you" for the first few years.

 

[gamescoltsfan]

Well it's like birth right vs independent knight.

 

[EssBeeVee]

isn't the birth name just temporary and they just choose to keep it?

 

[King Alamat]

No, because then I would've been stuck with Ash until I turned 18.

 

[Ferrio]

I find it weird picking your own name, it's like giving yourself a trophy you made yourself.

Also since I work at a school district I've seen kids who were able to pick their own name.... ya I'm not sure we should give them that much power.

Ultimately, it's their life so whatever.. but it's weird imo.

 

[WascallyWabbit]

I mean if I had an 8 year old with the willpower and attention span to actually want to change their name then sure but most kids that age would forget about it within the hour. Or they'd want it to be something different every other day

I think being able to change it at 18 is fine for 99.9% of kids

 

[Kraid]

Probably, but it won't happen. I'm thankful my parents let me choose the spelling of the shortened version of my name before I entered school; people still fucking spell it wrong but I had my reasons and I'm thankful since I mainly go by that name.

 

[Poppy]

it should just be easy to change your name

 

[Reckheim]

Can you imagine the names that kids would choose for them selfs at 8 years old.

 

[Stowaway Silfer]

I find it weird picking your own name, like giving yourself a trophy you made yourself.

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Much less weird than some person you might end up hating giving you a name you're stuck with for at least 18 years.

 

[super-famicom]

If the temporary name idea did take off, I don't think I'd trust an 8 year old's judgement. I'd say raise the age limit in this scenario to maybe 15-16 or so.

That said, having autonomy is important. I was raised Catholic and now that I'm an adult I wish I was given the choice back then. With names, thought, I never thought about it. My wife and I spent a while thinking of a name we thought was good, and my son actually has two names (English and Japanese), so at least he can choose whichever one he wants to use.

 

[CaptNink]

I actually kind of like this idea.

 

[Ryuelli]

I find it weird picking your own name, it's like giving yourself a trophy you made yourself.

Also since I work at a school district I've seen kids who were able to pick their own name.... ya I'm not sure we should give them that much power.

Ultimately, it's their life so whatever.. but it's weird imo.

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Lol, I currently teach a kid who currently goes by Thor, and in Korea I taught a kid who insisted I call him Iron Man.

 

[butzopower]

I feel like you need a name to grow an identity. I think it might actually be abusive to not name a child.

 

[morningbus]

This would be overcomplicating a process that the vast majority of people don't necessarily have a problem with.

 

[Ferrio]

Lol, I currently teach a kid who currently goes by Thor, and in Korea I taught a kid who insisted I call him Iron Man.

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This is a funny reply cause Thor was going to be my first name, my mom vetoed my dad and made it my middle one instead. Also Thor is VERY VERY normal to these names I've seen.

These are names I can google and get 0 results, that's how far out they are.

 

[Yerffej]

Ah yes, 8. When I became a man of the world and knew not childish ways. Probably would have named myself Philip or some such and certainly not Sword.

 

[Ryuelli]

Much less weird than some person you might end up hating giving you a name you're stuck with for at least 18 years.

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Nicknames are a thing. I had a friend in middle and high school who never went by his first name, he wanted everyone to call him Penguin, so we did (teachers included).

 

[nsilvias]

eh, just give em a middle name and let them pick which they like better

 

[Digital Dinosaur]

It's never made sense to me, especially since the vast majority of people end up with a generic name that's either chosen from a relative's name, or a trendy list.

Always felt a much better convention would be for the parents to select a "birth name" which then becomes your middle name when you turn 18. At 18 you fill out a form to select a first name.

Yeah, people can change their name legally at any time, but it never seems to occur to most because we are conditioned to accept the parentally chosen name.

 

[super-famicom]

Lol, I currently teach a kid who currently goes by Thor, and in Korea I taught a kid who insisted I call him Iron Man.

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This teen in a martial arts class I was taking years ago introduced himself as Odin. Later, the instructor told me that wasn't his real name.

And I do know someone whose actual name is Thor.

 

[Ellyshia]

I picked my own name. (Granted, I was in my 30s when I did it.) I don't see why others shouldn't be afforded the same thing.

 

[MercuryLS]

Is this what happens when libertarians have kids.

 

[Wackamole]

Well I think that you should be able to change it if you really don't like it. Not sure at what age though.

 

[Emwitus]

When you give birth and basically keep a child alive for 18 years you'll know the least thing you could give a parent is the option to choose your name. Damn at 8 years old i would chose a name for each day I wake up.


EDIT: Which by the way you could legally change to Metta world peace when your 18.

 

[sionydus]

It's one of those ideas that are good in theory, but in today's world, more than a few teenagers would just use their changed name as an opportunity to troll. If it was already a cultural tradition, I think it would be pretty cool.

Actually, I wanted to change my name for a while. I felt held back by two things: 1) guilt as to how my father would feel that I'm not longer his junior, and 2) having a hard time finding a name that felt right.

edit: learning to count to two

 

[mbpm]

I like the idea

Kids would make their names dumb af tho

 

[darkside]

I honestly kind of like this idea. Something like a coming of age ceremony but with picking your legal name attached to it. Definitely a lot older than 8 though.

 

[RiOrius]

While it's hard to create a full legal name from whole cloth, right now you do have a fair amount of autonomy in what you're addressed by. You can go by your middle name, your last name, various subsets of your first middle or last name, initials, nicknames, etc. If your first name is bad, you have alternatives. You generally can't just pick a brand new name out, but you can reject your first name without too much trouble.

In theory. It does take some social effort, and if your parents are assholes and part of your life it could be a problem, but speaking as an Andrew, there are plenty of things people have called me just out of convenience of not having another Andrew running around. And if you're meeting new people, they're not going to check your ID if you tell them your name is Gideon.

And your legal name is pretty irrelevant most of the time, right? If you really want to change it you can, but... why?

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

It should probably be somewhat easier to change your name, but there's no getting around tying a lot of important legal stuff to names. Also most people aren't that fussed about their given name. I don't know what the minimum age is for changing your name but it *probably* shouldn't be less than 16.

But also, regardless of legal names, everyone should be cool about whatever name someone *asks* to be called.

 

[Soundscream]

Really running out of shit to complain about?

 

[Ryuelli]

These are names I can google and get 0 results, that's how far out they are.

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Okay, Elon.

 

[Mivey]

You want to choose your own name, then go and run for Pope or something

 

[Osu 16 Bit]

IDK about this specific idea but changing your name should absolutely be normalized. It could have meaning to you, like you want a fresh start, it could just be for fun. Either way, it's cool, and the fact that I picked my own name is one of the neat unique life experiences I've had being trans.

 

[Coyote Starrk]

I find it weird that you find it weird tbh.

 

[Antrax]

Is this what happens when libertarians have kids.

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Maybe the other way. I've seen some really crunchy types do this.

Legal name changes already exist and can be done when you're an adult who won't name yourself Goku (probably)

 

[Swiggins]

"I hereby name myself Shadow the Hedgehog"

 

[JackSwift]

Yes, because kids are wise enough to not choose "Optimus Prime" when they get to choose their name before they start kindergarten, where they will need a name

 

[Dyle]

Not naming them at all would seriously mess up their development and would just be hard to do. If you just make it a "temporary" name then it will effectively just be a permanent name. It should be easier to change your legal name but even if it was easy probably way less than 10% of people ever would do it.

 

[Sheepinator]

X Æ A-12 agrees.

 

[mbpm]

"I hereby name myself Shadow the Hedgehog"

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"Tiktok challenge on your Name Day: Everyone name yourself [Cultural Trend]

 

[Rosebud]

Kids can't choose their names because they would be stupid, but parents that give kids weird names or stuff like "Goku" are selfish

But if there was a list to choose from I see no harm in kids choosing

 

[Bulby]

8 years old. Good one.

 

[Swiggins]

Yes, because kids are wise enough to not choose "Optimus Prime" when they get to choose their name before start kindergarten

Click to shrink...

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

My kids would be named Minecraft Steve, Miss Unicorn and Honey Nut Cheerios.

 

[Akira86]

lol save this one for your blockbuster sci-fi YA novel, there are a few cultures that don't do the true name thing until later in life, like initiation. but it's still not left up the to child, lol.

 

[Dust]

You how many "Supreme" and "Based" kids would be out there?

 

[Swiggins]

"Cabbage Patch Kids Freeman you come down here right now, you're in big trouble mister man!"

 

[NinjaScooter]

at 8 I would have called myself Hulk Hogan. As an adult I wouldn't want to choose my own name.