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Do you believe your name affects who you are?


Does your name determine who you are?  

  1. 1. Does your name determine who you are?

    • Yes!
      103
    • No!
      66
    • Obligatory other (please explain!)
      21


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What's the deal with the named Butch anyway? My uncle who is in his early 60s has been nicknamed this since before he was born. What's wrong with it?

 

Nothing wrong with it at all. I think it's a nice nickname. I've never meet a Butch that wasn't a rugged tough good guy.:)

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The name I have never understood is the nickname for Richard.

I have never met a guy named D!ck that didn't live up to the title.

 

There's a doctor in Austin whose name is Richard. I've been told he goes by Dick. His last name is Chopp. He's a urologist and is THE go-to guy for vasectomies. :lol: I know 5 couples who have used him for their permanent birth control. He's the example DH gives every time I argue that your name doesn't affect who you become.

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influence, yes, determine, no.

 

I made a rule that my children's names would sound at home as the CEO of a major corporation.

 

dh has family members (well, a nephew) who named his son something that all I can say is: it's a good thing he's going to be big to defend himself from the teasing in school.

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I have known some really nice/wonderful older men named Dick.

 

When exactly did it become a derogatory nickname?

 

Dawn

 

The name I have never understood is the nickname for Richard.

I have never met a guy named D!ck that didn't live up to the title.

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The name I have never understood is the nickname for Richard.

I have never met a guy named D!ck that didn't live up to the title.

 

Well, you never met my dad, awesome husband, father, son, grandfather. When he was born his dad was George. My dad is a junior, so they went by the middle name. In the 1930's, Dick was a legitimate name.

 

My dad went to the Naval Academy, and there they called people by their first given name. So family and friends who knew my dad prior to 1953 call him Dick. After that, he's George. After a certain point, depending on who you are, he's Admiral. No matter what you call him, he's my hero. I adore him, my kids adore him, my mom adores him, dh adores him, you get the picture. :)

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I have known some really nice/wonderful older men named Dick.

 

When exactly did it become a derogatory nickname?

 

Dawn

 

My dh speculates it's all Pres Nixon's fault. :tongue_smilie:

 

Ftr

I'm not saying ALL live up to the title.

Just my personal experience.

 

Course bc I wrote that, I bet the next one I meet will be very nice. :)

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If you were hiring for a snazzy job and had a choice between, for instance, a Bambi, a Kat, and an Elizabeth, you would probably have some unconscious leanings away from the Bambi & possibly the Kat just from the names. IMO.

 

By the time Bambi applies for a snazzy job, she is likely to go by her middle name anyway.

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There's a doctor in Austin whose name is Richard. I've been told he goes by Dick. His last name is Chopp. He's a urologist and is THE go-to guy for vasectomies. :lol: I know 5 couples who have used him for their permanent birth control. He's the example DH gives every time I argue that your name doesn't affect who you become.

 

We know a Dr. Kidd who is a pediatrician and a Dr. Skinner who is a dermatologist.

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I think it probably says how crazy your parents were, and what part of society they may have been. I believe that the kids who name their children in the vein of Doug Phillips will all "know" each other by their names... Providence, Valor, etc..... Yup... Amazing. And the parents always seem to have "normal" names.

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Yes, names obviously have an impact on how others see you.

But that doesn't mean one person might not be overly influenced by a past association with a person with a particular name, say a negative association....as in, they can get stuck there, unecessarily.

For example, my dd's name is Genevieve. We had to overcome some negative association...its not a common name, but dh had a brief affair with a young woman names Genevieve well before we were together...and there were negative associations around the name for his family for various reasons...but we loved the name and decided that in calling our dd Genevieve that previous assocations would soon be wiped....and really, they have been, although I do remember the issue.

Having your own child called a particular name can easily overcome previous associations such as a girl back in highschool etc if you let it, especially if you love the name other than this past association.

I think names do carry energy, and make an impact, for sure, and i always like to know the meaning behind names because even though we may be many generations away from the source of the name, that source is still in there.

I like modern, different names, too, and I think often people can get away with them nowadays more than in the past. (although, unusual spellings of common names can just be plain annoying.)

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The name I have never understood is the nickname for Richard.

I have never met a guy named D!ck that didn't live up to the title.

 

 

My dad was named Richard over 80 years ago, and Dick was his nickname from the beginning. I have to say, he's really a nice guy!!! :D

 

That said, I would never have given a son of mine that nickname in this day and age.

 

Anne

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My dad was named Richard over 80 years ago, and Dick was his nickname from the beginning. I have to say, he's really a nice guy!!! :D

 

That said, I would never have given a son of mine that nickname in this day and age.

 

Anne

 

 

The only Dick (Richard) I know works for a non-profit organization as an attorney. He's won many awards for his service to the community. If you need help, he's the guy you want on your side.

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Yes. I hate my name. I've still only ever met one other person my own age who was named Audrey. Audrey is a dull, boring old lady's name. Perhaps an old lady with a bit of class, but still dull.

 

Thankfully, I'm aging into it well.

 

I'm sorry to hear this, Audrey - one of my favorite nieces is named Audrey, and she's still under 30, and definitely not boring!

 

Anne

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I'm sorry to hear this, Audrey - one of my favorite nieces is named Audrey, and she's still under 30, and definitely not boring!

 

Anne

 

 

 

I think you ought not to waste another second with this train of thought. Just be yourself. The most boring people I know are self-absorbed and contribute nothing. That's not you. It hasn't anything to do with a name.

 

Although if you want to waste that time, have at it. I waste plenty of time on other ridiculous thoughts. :) Everyone needs an easy worry. lol

Edited by LibraryLover
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My dad was named Richard over 80 years ago, and Dick was his nickname from the beginning. I have to say, he's really a nice guy!!! :D

 

That said, I would never have given a son of mine that nickname in this day and age.

 

Anne

The priest in my last parish is Fr. Dick. Some people would call him only by his last name.

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My name is Therese...pronounced Teresa. It is not my fault. I did not do it to myself. I constantly have to explain the pronunciation and people just look at me like it is my fault that it is spelled weird. Or ask why don't you just go by Terese instead. Well...because I am 40 and I have always been called Teresa:D Yup, to some extent I do believe it has effect on you.

 

I don't hate my name but it is confusing to people and makes things complicated. BTW- I do not get offended when people do not pronounce it as Teresa. Sometimes I do not offer correction. I usually only say something if I think we will interact again.

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:iagree: Which is why I hate my name.

 

Ditto for me. I'm glad I have nicknames and alternate names to fall on. But some friends call me by what they hear my husband call me. He only calls me by that name because of my stepdad.

 

But then, that name is easier than trying to explain to people why my name is Jamal.

Edited by mommaduck
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Yes. I hate my name. I've still only ever met one other person my own age who was named Audrey. Audrey is a dull, boring old lady's name. Perhaps an old lady with a bit of class, but still dull.

 

Thankfully, I'm aging into it well.

 

Ah, but when I hear the name Audrey, I think of Audrey Hepburn. A beautiful, intelligent, humanitarian woman who used her famous name to do good in the world. Not boring at all.

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I don't think it affects the person you become, but I do think names affect how people view you (whether you're a certain way or not).

 

Yes, this. I think the more unusual a name, the greater the possibility that people may view that person in a particular way, whereas with the more common/traditional names, people know enough other people with those names that there is not necessarily a preconceived notion of how people with those names are. I've known Saras of all types, for instance, but not so many Dweezils -- if I'd ever met one Dweezil, that one person might tend to color my view of all future people named Dweezil, however unintentionally.

 

(Then again, DH, I, and all four children have very traditional names, all but one being Biblical, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.)

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So, ultimate test--has anyone ever met a NICE, kind, respectful, and intelligent person named Butch? :lurk5:

 

Butch was the guy who sold me my first car that I bought by myself. He had bought it at auction, rebuilt it, and sold it to me basically for what he put into it. He and his wife Mary have been family friends for years. They're awesome. That said, I wouldn't want to piss him off!

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Ditto for me. I'm glad I have nicknames and alternate names to fall on. But some friends call me by what they hear my husband call me. He only calls me by that name because of my stepdad.

 

But then, that name is easier than trying to explain to people why my name is Jamal.

Is the name I know you by your real name? The nice Irish name that sounds similar to mine?

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I think that names usually fit the personality of the person to whom it is given. My husband was supposed to be named Scott. He was born, my MIL took one look at him and said, "No, he's not Scott" and named him something else. DS has always fit his name, and he doesn't like nicknames, either, which fits perfectly with his Asperger's personality. I wanted to name my daughter Ruby, but in my head Ruby is a mild-mannered brunette or auburn-haired girl. DD is blonde and has a wild-child streak a mile wide. I'm glad I picked a different name, though she often likes to call herself Freyja!

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There's a doctor in Austin whose name is Richard. I've been told he goes by Dick. His last name is Chopp. He's a urologist and is THE go-to guy for vasectomies. :lol: I know 5 couples who have used him for their permanent birth control. He's the example DH gives every time I argue that your name doesn't affect who you become.

 

:iagree:

In Rochester, there was a urologist (just recently passed away) that was the go-to guy for vasectomies and his name was Dr. Stop! :001_smile:

 

I do think names have some influence on who you become, but are certainly not the biggest or only factor!

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Your name can affect the way people treat you, which in turn can have a lot to do with how you respond to people in general. I'm thinking of kids in elementary school making fun of a different name, or just one that rhymes/sounds like a silly/bad word. If you're being picked on in elementary school, while your social skills and view of yourself is being developed, then it defiantly will affect who you grow up to be.

 

There is also the case of people being named after a father or other relative. In a lot of cases, from what I understand, that can go two ways Either the person named after a relative tries to live up to the example set by the relative, or they rebel and do everything they can to be different. Either way, that is affecting who they are. It's why ds#1 wasn't a Jr, even though originally that's what I wanted (he is sooooo not his father's name.)

 

ETA your post title is different than your poll question. I agree with the post title that our names affect who we are, but I do not believe that our names determine who we are.

Edited by theYoungerMrsWarde
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Is the name I know you by your real name? The nice Irish name that sounds similar to mine?

 

It's part of my real name. It's the one I don't like. My stepdad didn't like Jamal, so I got called by my middle name growing up. I go by a combination of both now and most people just call me "JC". Unless you go to church with me...then I'm called Brigid :lol: I even have some friends in real life that call me Mommaduck :D My evaluator asks me to remind her of my name, because she thinks of me as Mommaduck.

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um, my maiden name is Lee and my parents called me Tracey(real name is Teressa)

 

And there were 2 of us in school. I was Tracey Lee, the other was Tracy Lee. :lol:

 

And have you both had horrible lives? :001_huh: No? Well there goes my theory. :lol: But it doesn't matter. I'm not having any more daughters so there won't be any Tracey Lee girl children in my house anyway.

 

Don't argue with superstitions, Lady. You can't win against the irrational.

 

:D

Rosie

 

 

P.S When I think of the name "Audrey," I think of sexy, wood-elf looking chicks with green hair. So Audrey probably doesn't have green hair IRL, but since I'm never going to meet her, I'll continue imagining she does. :tongue_smilie:

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P.S When I think of the name "Audrey," I think of sexy, wood-elf looking chicks with green hair. So Audrey probably doesn't have green hair IRL, but since I'm never going to meet her, I'll continue imagining she does. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

I'm so glad I'm not the only one.:)

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My parents named me after a town they drove through once. Thank goodness it was "Felicity," not another town with a weirder name. Felicity means happiness and I hated when people would ask me why I wasn't living up to it if I was sad or something.

 

Other than that I have always liked it. I'm not sure it's made me who I am, but it has made me more conscious of how I'm seen. If I'm the only Felicity a person is going to know, I don't want to ruin the name for them. Of course, we did name ds10 a very famous wizard's name, so ask him the same question in a few years.

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My just graduated son has been exposed recently to two men named "Dick" who he said, lived up to their names. This is unfortunate, IMO, because I'm sure there are a lot of really nice "Dicks" in this world (no double entendre intended).

 

 

This got an outburst of laughs from me. :lol:

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Other - your name says a lot about your parents and your parents have a lot to do with who you are.

 

I heard something along these lines on the radio one day... possibly on NPR. A study was done concerning names and it was found that very AA names seemed to result in people that had a harder time succeeding. On further study it seems that their names indicated certain things about their background and parents and that those factors were what hindered their getting ahead.

 

IOW, a parent that might name their daughter Sexxi, might also be less likely to raise their daughter in such a way that she could succeed. So, what comes first, the parent or the name? The parent, so it's all their fault :lol:

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Yes!

 

I have a name fiasco. My first name is Alveraz, which is commonly a last name and is commonly spelled Alvarez. However, my mother named me while in labor and misspelled the name on the birth certificate. She also didn't realize it was a last name.

 

I haven't forgiven her. My life is consumed by people confused upon hearing or spelling my name. 99% of the time it is put in the last name column whenever calling customer service. To make things worse, my last name rhymes with my first and is usually misspelled and butchered orally. If you also add my two middle names, you're looking at an additional 15 minutes of confusion during any phone conversation or business meeting. My last name is usually switched with my first and God forbid if try to tell someone to just "call me Al". It then becomes spelled All, as if everyone suddenly forgot the English language.

 

Ugh.

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