My name is Jamie Gillespie.
This is what I have been called my entire life. It is how I have always introduced myself and is the only name I respond to.
It however hasn’t always legally been my name.
My parents chose the name Jamie not sure why exactly, I’m sure it was mostly down to my mum.
Shortly after my birth while my Mother was exhausted due to producing life. My Dad went to register my birth. Alone and unsupervised.
He registered me as James Denis Gillespie. Jamie was apparently short for James in his mind. They both contain 5 letters.
James was also his name and his Father’s name. So to balance that out my middle name was that of my Mother’s Father.
This would prove to be a mild annoyance. While growing up teachers would constantly refer to me as James earning nothing but an uncooperative child as a result. As an adult it meant disclosing my legal name to employers, banks and anything official.
The name James never bothered me, my Dad and Granda were both named James. Though neither was ever called it. My Dad was Jim and Granda was Jimmy. I almost saw it as a strange family legacy.
The name Denis I was never fond of. I never got along with Granda Denny. I hated the summers that he would look after me. As I got older and I knew more about the man I liked him less he was an alcoholic and hadn’t been a good husband to my Gran.
Then a few years ago a great secret was revealed to my family. Denny was a monster a truly detestable and unredeemable human being.
I regretted saving his life when I was younger.
I wanted to end his life.
If not for my Mum I might have.
About 2 weeks after the secret was revealed I remembered my middle name. It went from a name I disliked and seldom thought about to a name I detested and refused to keep.
I used an online service and changed my name to James Danger Gillespie. I used the initials JDG on a lot of things and wanted to keep it and I needed to do something silly to cheer myself up.
To me that was the end of it the name was gone and the namesake was dead to me. I eventually moved on with my life. Later I regretted not changing my name to Jamie at the same time but it didn’t bother me too much.
So now a few years have passed since the change and everything is going great I have a job I love doing work that benefits the local community and I’m getting married to the woman I love.
3 months before the wedding the registrar points out than my name change wasn’t legal in Scotland.
As it stands I will need to say my full legal name as I get married.
I have never filled out paperwork faster. I talk to the registrar and the national records of Scotland, my form for changing my name is sent with an essay attached pleading for it to be fast tracked.
After everything is away I panic that I have sabotaged my wedding. My future wife tells me that everything will work out and that she understands. I love her so much.
Then about a week ago my revised birth certificate comes through the door.
For the first time in my life I am legally Jamie Gillespie.
jamiegillespie 