If you could have chosen a different first name, would you?

[BlueIris]

Just asking. I've always haaaated my first name. Just hated it. I still hate it. It's far, far too common for my eccentric tastes.

[Danger Mouse]

1. Yes. I've never liked it.

[harmonicon]

29. well, Elrond is a funny name

[KitchenWitch]

2. I did

When I got married, I changed both my first and last names.

[BlueIris]

4. I almost put that down as a poll choice.

Just out of curiosity, why did you change your first name upon marriage? Did it go better with your new last name?

[KitchenWitch]

7. No, I hated my given first name - and nobody called my by that name

Everyone calls me by my now legal name (or a shortened version of it).

[BlueIris]

11. Was this before 9/11?

I've always wanted to change my name, but am now concerned it could cause me major issues re: government documents and such.

[KitchenWitch]

13. Yes it was before 9/11

About a year before.

[Mike 03]

20. KitchenWitch, that is awesome.

IMO you are amazing. You have such courage. You just do what you want to do and don't worry what anyone thinks. I admire you very much.

[MorningGlow]

3. I hate my name

It's boring and yet it's spelled weird, so I always have to spell it for people. If it's written down correctly and people don't look at it closely, they assume it's a different name entirely. My name is a pain in the rear. I just haven't changed it because it would be too much of a hassle, and my mom would probably be hurt if I did.

[BlueIris]

6. I feel that.

My name is so common. It was the most popular name in America for a long, long time. EVERYONE HAS IT. You say it in a store and like 20 people turn around. Haaaate.

[MorningGlow]

8. Mine's old and outdated

Used to be common, but not when I was born, and certainly not now. It would have been nice if my name had come back around to being popular, like Emma or something, but no. It's just...one of those names that SOUNDS ugly, if you know what I mean.

[Swede]

5. Mines ok.

Named after my uncle.

[FloridaJudy]

9. Mine's not bad

But it was the #1 popular name for girls the year I was born. There were four "Judy's" in my kindergarten class, and it never got any better all through my educational career. I would have chosen something a bit more exotic if it had been up to me.

[TK421]

10. No, I like mine

I don't like my middle name, though

[trof]

12. Well, it's Massey. I'm a Jr.

My parents were divorced when I was 4, and I never saw him again.
There was, shall we say, 'extreme animosity' between the two families about the divorce. So being a 'Junior' with my father's name wasn't so cool with mom's family.

I have a nickname that's still with me and used my middle name as my 'official name' in grammar and high school.

Later that seemed to me to be a bit affected and burdensome.
So now, in more formal or business situations, I introduce myself as 'Massey'.
I'm OK with it.

I know, TMI.
;-)

on edit: I voted 'No, even though my name is just okay'.

[RevolutionaryActs]

14. I like my name.

So no. :D

[greendog]

15. My parents called by my middle name. After high school...

...I started using my first name.

[Mike 03]

16. Other, but I like my name

For reasons I can't really understand, people call me "David" because they think I look like a celbrity. I am sure I don't look like this person, but I get so embarrassed and tired of telling people I am not this person, and don't like that name, that it's humiliating, so I just wish I had the name "David" anyway.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

17. My dear BlueIris...

My first name is Margaret, and it's a fine name...

But I don't like it, on me...

My mom wanted to name me Peggy, but my dad thought that wasn't formal enough...You know, for all the awards etc I was sure to have!:eyes:

So they decided to name me Margaret, and call me Peggy...

It took me and my husband two children to figure out that nicknames are a pain in the neck!

I like Peggy!

Oh, and they used to call me Margaret when they were mad at me! That didn't help one little bit!

*sigh*

:hi:

[harmonicon]

30. I've never understood that

How does Margaret become Peggy?

I had a girlfriend whose mother and sister were both named Margaret. The mom was called Peggy, and the sister was called Maggy. "Maggy", I almost understand, but not "Peggy".

edited due to drunken spelling.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

38. Somehow the M became a P!

I don't understand the etymology of it either...

But if you look in any book of baby names, you'll see that Peggy is a nickname for Margaret!

:hi:

[harmonicon]

39. I know that it is, but I still don't get it

Also, the "a" became an "e".

[bigwillq]

18. Sorry, misread this thread.

No, I like my name.

[skygazer]

19. I voted "other"

I hated my name as a kid - it lent itself to obnoxious taunting nicknames and it's sort of old-fashioned and unusual. My nickname wasn't much better - it sounds more like a boy's name than a girl's and is also kind of unusual and requires explanation.

Now that I'm older, though, I like my name. I no longer use the nickname (except with my siblings and dad) and I think my name sounds professional and different enough to be memorable.

[terrya]

21. Nope. I like my first name.

[Tikki]

22. My name is alright, but, because so many men have this same name....

I have to go by my first and middle names when I start with something new so they will
know I am a girl.

Just extra work that could have been avoided if my parents had given me a more gender specific name.


Tikki

[YankeyMCC]

23. Yes, although I like my name

it is a good strong male name that sounds nice but it is just to common in my generation. Any room with 3 or more people in it always seems to contain at least one other person with my same first name.

[evlbstrd]

24. I like mine.

Not many people will answer to "evl".

[NNadir]

25. I would have preferred to have been known as Albert Edward, Duke of Cornwall,

Duke of Rothsay, Earl of Dublin, Prince of Wales, Knight of the Garter, Knight of the Thistle, later Edward VII of the United Kingdom of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, Emporer of India, 1st Paramour of Lady Randolf Churchill, Guardian of the Faith.

I mean, eventually his mum kicked off.

But as luck would have it, my name is Chuck.

Here's me and my wife, competing in the best dress contest:



Notice that even when I appear to be laughing, I'm crying.

[tjwmason]

57. Well that is a solution

Under English law if you become King or Queen you can pick any name (and number) you want.

Prince Charles could become King Zog XXXIV if he wanted to.

[astral]

26. I used to wanna change my name

but I think it's okay now. I wanted some name real unique that no one else had.

[u4ic]

27. I'm very happy with mine

[DarkTirade]

28. Other: There have been times when I would have said yes

but overall in the long run, I think it works for me pretty well.

[harmonicon]

31. my name is fine

It's a family name, a common name, and a Bible name, so there's no confusion with it really ever. I do find it sort of funny but also neat that men in my family (and I mean, in my family, as in, anyone with my super strange last name), only have 4 or 5 first names between us.

[mopinko]

32. like it now. used to hate it.

actually, like being a mo. went through a time when i was maureen, but that mo kept creeping in. now i like it, tho. people remember it. when i call someone and say it is mo, i don't usually have to elucidate.

[MrSlayer]

33. My name is fine but I would have liked something cooler.

Maximus, Ares, Dionosis the Usurper, Caligula or something like that.

[gmoney]

34. My name gets abused in movies and TV shows...

When they want to brand a character as a dweeb or a loser who won't get the girl, or is the bad blind date, or the like, they give him my name.

Plus, there's not really a "formal" version of it (like David for Dave or Anthony for Tony) which always kind of felt like a rip-off.

Even without all that, I wasn't wild about it growing up, and still to this day I don't.

As Bart Simpson once said "When I turn 18, I'm changing my name to Joe Kickass." I should have done that.

[Lyric]

35. Yeah. I have a stupid name.

"Brandy." I've always thought that it sounds like a porn star name, or some idiotic cheerleader sorority girl. Bah.

I do like my middle name, though. It's "Leigh."

[Fire Walk With Me]

58. Must...resist...song lyric...

So instead I'll ask: If you prefer Leigh, what if you'd been born into an Italian television family, and your middle and last names were Vito Beaver?

[mokawanis]

36. Always liked mine a lot

my father hates his first name so he goes by his first and middle initials only.

[nickgutierrez]

37. I'd like to switch the order of my first and middle names.

It's not like anybody calls me by my first name, anyway - it just confuses people. I blame my parents.

[InvisibleTouch]

40. Other: not only would I, but I did. n/t

[RFKHumphreyObama]

41. Probably not

My first name is strangely enough unique and reasonably common at the same time. I like it but sometimes I'd like something more exotic. OTOH I share the name with a great uncle who perished in World War I and I am proud to share the name of such a wonderful ancestor. So I'd probably keep it

[billyskank]

42. I like Richard. I think it's a handsome, strong name.

My parents chose well, and I wouldn't change it.

[LibDemAlways]

43. I was named after my mother. I'm a

female "junior," I guess. It's a name that is popular in my grandparents' country of origin, but a rarity here and is mispronounced all the time. When I was growing up I would have given anything for a "normal" name like all my friends had. I still don't like it and never will.

[Iggo]

44. I was given my dad's first name as my first name...

...and my grandpa's first name as my middle name, and I was always called by my middle name.

If I could, I'd go back and make them call me by my first name. I don't hate my name. It's normal yet distinctive enough that there's rarely two people with my name in the same room. I just like my first name better.

I've used my first name a few times in situations where I'm brand new and nobody knows me...hmmm, now that I think about it, those situations all involved certain levels of anonymity if you know what I mean...AA, NA, rehab, jail.

But still...lol.

[Tektonik]

45. I love my name, Tristan

I just wish it hadn't started getting more popular. It's my name damnit :(.

[Lavender Brown]

46. No, I like my name. Maybe the spelling I would change.

I would like to swap my real middle name for my confirmation name, though.

[datasuspect]

47. i always thought balthasar was a cool name

[davsand]

48. Nope, I am fine with my name, always have been.

Laura is common enough that most of the time people can spell it, but different enough that I don't know a bunch of other women with this name. It is kinda fun, actually, when I do. (Mrs Grumpy and I share this name and it is pretty common that we'll sign posts on here responding to each other as "The Other Laura.")

The only odd thing about my name is that my family and the people who have known me since childhood will still call me Laurie. I stopped using that nickname when I hit my teens. Absolutely FREAKED my secretaries out the first time somebody came in my office and called me Laurie because I have always been Laura in a professional setting. They were almost offended on my behalf!



Laura

[azmouse]

49. My name is now associated with fast food.

I didn't mind my name when I was growing up but that was before 'Wendy's' fast food existed.

I went though some 'hot and juicy' years when that was the motto of the restaurant. Pissed me off. :mad:

[Eurobabe]

50. I legally changed my first name in 2006, I hated it THAT much.

I love my new name. :loveya:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

51. I adore my first name.

Just adore it. Unique and unusual without being "weird" or "trendy" or "fringe-y", memorable, good nickname potential, sentimental family value, people tell me it is beautiful.

No, I really lucked out in the naming department.

[Lucian]

52. Yes.

I don't really care for my name.

[dixiegrrrrl]

53. Hated my first name, and legally changed my last name.

My first name is my grandmother's and mother's first name, I hated it.
NOt too fond of either of them, either ( bless their souls).
So used a "nickname" which pissed off my 3 brothers.

Then a few years later, an attorney friend helped me change my last name after my divorce,
since I hated maiden and married names. Rather daring thing to do in early 1970's.

Total makeover.
Really screwed up a bunch of old records, but the gov. can worry about that.

[mcctatas]

54. Absofreakinglutely...

of course I have the most shitageous name in the history of names!

[BlueIris]

60. I'm sorry. That sounds harsh. nt

[Ivan Sputnik]

55. I don't like my real name either.

It's too common. So is my last name, actually. There are thousands of people in this country with my name, some of whom are criminals. But you can call yourself anything you want, you know -- as long as you're not signing a legal document or trying to defraud someone. Writers have "pen names" and anyone else can too, if they want. My niece has lately decided to call herself "Emily", for reasons I don't quite understand, but whatever -- we go along with it. As long as you're willing to endure some teasing, you can tell people your name is Rumplestiltskin.

[rosesaylavee]

56. I had my first name removed legally.

I always went by my middle name anyway. I now use my original middle name as my first name and my birth surname as my middle and my husband's birth surname as my last.

It's been about 16 years and I still feel I'm going incognito or under an alias. It's kind of fun.

[Symarip]

59. I'm not a big fan of my first name

I usually go by my last name. In the military you go by your last name, which I like, so it stuck.

[femmocrat]

61. Yes. My name is really out-dated.

In all my years of teaching, I have only met two other girls with the same name.

I was named for my two grandmothers, may they rest in peace.

[Fire Walk With Me]

62. I'm fine with it.