PeacefulChaos Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I misread the other thread title and thought it was this. :) So just out of curiosity, how do you like your name? Did you always like it? If it's a common name, did you switch over and give your children more uncommon names? If it's uncommon, did you do the opposite? Just curious! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I am not especially fond of my name. Too many other people have the exact same name. My last name is common too, so now I share a first and last name with other people, even within the same town. My kids all have names that are not completely unusual, but also aren't at the top of the list for most common baby names. I wanted a name that meant something and that I liked, but didn't want something where the kids would feel like me that half the population shared their name with them. I have never really liked my name, for some reason it just feels weird to me, like it didn't fit who I felt like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Meh. My given name is OK but I was called by a nickname of my given name since birth. The nickname is rarely used in conjunction with the given name these days. Most people don't even know the two are connected. The nickname is a very young sounding name. Or a dog name... My maiden name and married name aren't common at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 My only complaint is that my mom chose to use my middle name. I've spent all my life telling people I go by Beth. When i was a kid, I had to argue with a woman at church who refused to believe that my name, Beth, is NOT short for Elizabeth. She acted like I didn't know my own name. I chose my kids' names with the intention of calling them by their full first names. Only my youngest dd has decided to go by a nickname. I used family names for my kids and none of them are especially unique. But that's okay, because my kids are! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I dislike my name to the point of going by my initials as much as possible. Yet, since Daddy came up with it (and I can think of no name I really like for myself) I have kept it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth78 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 My only complaint is that my mom chose to use my middle name. I've spent all my life telling people I go by Beth. When i was a kid, I had to argue with a woman at church who refused to believe that my name, Beth, is NOT short for Elizabeth. She acted like I didn't know my own name. I chose my kids' names with the intention of calling them by their full first names. Only my youngest dd has decided to go by a nickname. I used family names for my kids and none of them are especially unique. But that's okay, because my kids are! :tongue_smilie: I go by Beth also and its not short for Elizabeth either. I have gotten asked if Im sure its not short for Elizabeth. LOL I dont really care for my first name and instead go by a shortened version of my middle name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I like it. Mind you I picked it out. The story goes that when I was about 3 or 4 I insisted that MyFirstName was dead and didn't live here anymore. I supposedly got very annoyed that people addressed me as MyFirstName and couldn't understand why they did so. I then picked out a new name and have used it ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I like my first name well enough. It's Kristen. I can't think of a name I'd change it to if given the opportunity, so I'm fine with it. I used to hate it when I was a kid. I preferred to go by Kristi, which is what my parents called me, but then in school I went by Kristen and that was it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I like mine. Somewhat short. Recognizable, but not overused. Plus a background reason my parents chose it (female variation of grandfather's name). I think we achieved similar results for our kids. Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuddleJumper1 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I like my first name in its given form which is hysterical to my parents as I wouldn't let anyone use it that way when I was a child. I chose a common nickname for it which I now hate with a passion :lol: In high school I changed to a shortened form of my name to show my tomboyish nature and to get away from the name I'd come to dislike. When I went to Bible college they wanted to be formal and use only given names. It stuck and from then on it has been the name I use. Even the shortened version seems strange to me now. My children's names all have significance. My ds' have common names. Dd's wasn't common when she was born but has become more popular. We spell it as it was intended - the female version of a male name. Most people spell it with a twist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I don't like my name. It's sort of modern and sporty sounding. I always wanted a name that you read in books. Anne. Elizabeth. Jane. Sarah. Those are the types of names I chose for my kids - just basic, classic names that don't really come in and out of fashion, don't attract a lot of attention, aren't really original but also can't be too trendy. I didn't want to use names (even names I actually liked) that were likely to be associated with a particular decade - either because it was kind of "new" then or was a reclaimed "old" name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I like my name. I went through a period in high school when I wanted to spell WITHOUT an "e" - WHAT was I thinking???!!! :lol: Anne - definitely with an *e*! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saraswati Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I like my name. However, you'd be astonished at how many people are not only unable to spell it, but they aren't even aware that it's a season. I even had one fella argue with me and inform me that there are only 4 seasons: summer, winter, fall and spring. He was very excited to inform me that autumn is NOT a season - all this time, I thought.... :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Never liked it. It ends with an L, which I find hard-sounding. I always wanted to be Julie...or Caroline. Nope, not what I got. It is not terrible, just not "me". I go by it, though. I named my kids very classic, common, easy to spell names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I like mine. Pretty much everyone knows it, there aren't really any automatic nicknames where everyone chooses to call me a nickname I might not like but it's not very common in the US. I think it's more common in the UK. It's pretty rare that I meet another Alice but it's also pretty rare that anyone asks me how to spell my name or hasn't heard it before. In fact, when dh and I got married a friend of his had a relative in China do a calligraphy for us. Dh has a Chinese name (he's Chinese-American) so that wasn't an issue and at first dh was wondering what they would put for my name but the friend said "Alice? Of course we have characters for that, like Alice in Wonderland." So it is fairly universal. The downsides are the Alice in Wonderland jokes (Really? Do you think I've never heard a white rabbit reference before in my life?) and people calling me Alison and then insisting that it's the same name. No. No it's not. Dh has a very unusual name in that no one else has it but it's also well-known. He's only met one other person in his life with his name (oddly, that person was also Chinese-American). Dh loves having an unusual name and when we were choosing names for our kids it was important to him that they were fairly unusual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 My given name is Tamara...which I love...but my parents only used the nickname Tammy when I was a child. In college, I chose to go by my given name and did not introduce the nickname. I don't mind the nickname (although after watching television as child I once asked my mother 'why she named me a bimbo name?'). I actually like when family call me that, but I think my given name is more sophisticated and interesting so I choose to use that. I tried to give the boys at least one sort of normal name and one slightly more unique name so they could swing either way if they wanted. Only ds3 has been saddled with 2 unusual names (one not too bad and one very ethnic). Hopefully he won't mind too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I like it okay, but it's very typical of its generation. Sometimes I wish I had a more timeless name. On the other hand, when I think of the joy it brought my parents to choose it just for me, then I'm alright with it. :) We gave our children more traditional names -- very old-fashioned in a way, but still considered good classic names today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I've loved my name as an adult, but could never find anything personalized as a kid. Monica, yes. Monique, no. I still really hate it when people call me Monica by mistake. It's a ridiculous pet peeve of mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 Oh, I forgot to answer my own question in the OP. :) I'm ok with my name. I don't absolutely adore it or anything, but it's not super common. People often mispronounce it (and say car-ah, while we pronounce mine care-ah) and a lot of times I turn my head when someone calls out to Tara. ;) Or Sarah. There was a brief time when I was in elementary school that I wanted my name to be Elizabeth. No idea why. There was also a brief time in middle school when I thought it would have been so cool if my mom would have named me Twilight. :ack2: In retrospect, I'm so glad that was not, in fact, the case!!! My last names - maiden and married - are very uncommon. My maiden last name was pretty straightforward as far as pronunciation, but it was work getting people to spell it right (it was 2 words + uncommon spelling - Dutch background). Married last name is always misspelled, as well, and mispronounced when people see it UNLESS they have a background with other people with that name. A lot of mennonites have our last name lol. :lol: So there are rare factions who can say it correctly on the first try. ;) Our kids have very, very unusual names. Pretty sure none of them have ever even gotten on the radar when it comes to popular names. I made one of them up. One would potentially be recognized by people who had read specific books, even though I wasn't aware there was a character with his name in there until after he was born - he was actually named after a different book series character, but we spelled it differently so it really doesn't bear much resemblance. The other would be recognize by specific video game fans. Link's name gets mispronounced a little. Astro's is totally straightforward. Pink's gets mispronounced the most, but oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heatherwith4 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reign Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 My name is Lindsay. It's ok. Kinda boring. My girls will never complain about having a boring name. They were all named for book, comic, movie , tv show characters. So they have visuals for whom they were named after. Thirty years from now they'll probably be complaint about their unusual names. They like them now though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 The only people who call me by my first name are doctors and government employees. I've never been called by my first name by friends or family from birth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I dislike my given name, Paula. As a child, I hated that I couldn't have a nickname. It's unique enough that there usually isn't a problem in a group. My middle is a shortened version of an aunt's name, I wish they'd given me my aunts name as a first name, I like it (and her) better. If I could change it (too many years invested in it now to think about that), I would be Natalie or Julia or Morgan, something like that. I'm trying to decide what name to use when I publish books, my maiden name is important to me and I'll use that, but I could pick a pen name just to utterly confuse people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmhearn Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I hate mine and always have! Thanks for bringing up this painful topic. Ha ha ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 It's grown on me, LOL. I kinda hated it when I was a kid, because it's short and plain and relatively uncommon. And people often assumed it was short for something more interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I hate mine. I don't know what my mother was thinking. She named me after a stupid, insipid song. And, she delighted in playing it and pointing out that it was her inspiration. Ugh! Oh, and you don't know how many times I had to watch that stupid movie when I was growing up. Every time it was on late night tv, I had to stay up and watch with her. Double ugh! (Probably should be triple ugh because there were at least two stupid movies - evil Debbie Reynolds spawn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Speaking of being named after something stupid - reportedly, my grandma named my aunt "Stephanie" because that was the name of a character on her favorite soap opera. LOL. (No offense to anyone named Stephanie!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I have a very common, dated first and middle name, and a very common last name. My first doesn't fit me very well, and I suspect that's why people tend to forget it. I think my parents could've done better, but they swear they didn't know anyone else who was naming their baby that. My last is my favorite name, so I didn't change it when marrying. DH has a very common first and middle and a very unusual last name (short, but foreign and then intentionally changed by a foolish grandfather so it's no longer phonetic! :cursing: ). When I picked DS's name, I wanted it to be popular enough in his generation that people would spell and pronounce it right (because he is going to have to correct everyone about his last name) but not in the top 10 (so there wouldn't be four of them in every group). His middle name is more of a classic, so as to provide a solid alternative if he ever decides he doesn't like the first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 My given name is Tamara...which I love...but my parents only used the nickname Tammy when I was a child. In college, I chose to go by my given name and did not introduce the nickname. I don't mind the nickname (although after watching television as child I once asked my mother 'why she named me a bimbo name?'). I actually like when family call me that, but I think my given name is more sophisticated and interesting so I choose to use that. I tried to give the boys at least one sort of normal name and one slightly more unique name so they could swing either way if they wanted. Only ds3 has been saddled with 2 unusual names (one not too bad and one very ethnic). Hopefully he won't mind too much. I didn't see your reply before I posted mine. But, I agree! Unfortunately, my mother didn't even have the good forethought to give me the formal name and just call me Tammy. No, I got stuck with the stupid nickname as my first name. Gah, I HATE it! My major act of high school rebellion was to spell it with an 'i' instead of a 'y'. It irritated my mother but I feel like it's payback for giving my the stupid name in the first place. (Have I expressed how deeply I HATE my name? :glare: ) I have neutral feelings about Tamara. At least it's a 'real' name- not just a nick name. I've seriously considered changing mine so it is Tamara legally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I actively dislike my name. I have never liked it. I have oscillated between hating and tolerating it. . I am in the process of choosing a new one. I find choosing a name for myself to be much more difficult than naming a child. My name is uncommon, but a real, recognizable name. My children have boring, traditional names. Two are timeless and fairly common, two are somewhat dated, as they were more popular in my generation than theirs. All have usable nicknames and middle names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Meh. Mine is a boys name. But since birth I've been called (by my family) a nick name of my middle name. Then I got to middle school in a new school and decided to reinvent myself by using my weird boy name. It stuck. Except a lot of family still calls me middle name/nick name. Then some friends of family get confused as to what they should call me. Very confusing. Turned out for the best though since my middle name/ nick name is dhs xw's name. My dh has a super cool name. Obscure Bible name. As for my son I made sure he got a strong boys name that couldn't be stolen by the girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 My name is ok. I am Karin. The only "complaint" is that I have to spell it correctly for everyone. Always. And my maiden name too because it's German. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I hate mine and always have! Thanks for bringing up this painful topic. Ha ha ha! Oh dear, say it isn't so..... Taryn is my daughter's name and I love it. Perhaps it doesn't fit you as well as it fits her. In that case I am sorry your tagged with it for life. My daughter is a strawberry haired Irish girl so it fits her well. Wouldn't it be better if we just gave our kids a number or a rank until they reached an age where we could make a joint decision. I suspect we would have happier kids - with names of this generations famous icons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I hate my given name. ick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I hate mine and always have! Thanks for bringing up this painful topic. Ha ha ha! My best friend's name is Taryn. She likes it, and so do I! Of everyone in our circle of friends, Taryn is by far the best name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 Speaking of being named after something stupid - reportedly, my grandma named my aunt "Stephanie" because that was the name of a character on her favorite soap opera. LOL. (No offense to anyone named Stephanie!) My cousin is named after a soap opera character - first AND middle name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 Peaceful...I'm stressed out by your avatar change. :laugh: :lol: I figured I'd live up to the second half of my name and create chaos with my avatar. (Seriously, though, I wanted a different picture and have now tried MULTIPLE ones and they keep not working. I was sticking with the blonde ninja theme but now I just started grabbing random ones. That's GD - he's my favorite. ;) ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I have never been fond of my name and now, as an adult I dislike it even more. My name is a shortened version or nickname of a popular name. It has always sounded very childish to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I have never liked my name. Dawn. Rhymes with Yawn. Sounds just like a boy's name: Don. In 8th grade, I went to pick up my schedule and when the lady asked my name she actually wrote Don. (I will admit to having short hair, being tall, skinny, and flat as a board. But still. That was 25+ years ago and I still remember the very popular girl who was standing behind me observing the whole thing.) Anyway, I have a lovely middle name. My favorite name. I tried to change to it in the middle of 1st grade. I just started writing it on my papers. My teacher wouldn't let me. "Your mommy and daddy wouldn't know who you are." Bleah. It's too late now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 My real name is Jennifer, and I don't really love it or hate it. I'm sure the other 100 million Jennifers in the US feel about the same. :P At least no one ever has to ask how to spell it. *sigh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerico Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I dislike my name enough to want to change it but I don't hate it enough to go through all of that work. I threaten to go by my middle name everytime we move though. It's unique so I have my kids more common (but not crazy popular- think old man names) names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I have always liked my name. It's one that people have heard of, but is not overly popular. I do get annoyed at people who want to spell it like a boy (Aaron), but generally, yes, I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 It's alright. It was very common when I was growing, because it is pretty common for the 80s/90s. I like it now, because I can appreciate the meaning. I went through a phase of wanting to go by my middle name, Elizabeth. It never stuck :glare: I mean, what is the point of having a middle name if it can't be used as an alternate name??! Anywho, I go by Elizabeth online in one variation or another, and I use some variation of my first name in "real" life, because people tend to use my nickname anyways, and I don't really care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 i like mine. It's a variant of a very common name of my generation (multiple in every class), but the spelling variation makes it feel different and mine. My dh has a nice classic name. We went with classic and unusual for our kids, becoming more unusual the more kids we named! Our boys have never met another with their name. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in NY Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 I went to school with 27 Jennifers.... at least! Mergath.... you look way too youthful to have this name. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 The nickname is a very young sounding name. Or a dog name... I have that problem too. My kids have unusual for our area and culture names, but they don't stick out like sore thumbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 This thread reminds me of the time a friend's son came home from school and asked his mom why she had given him such a weird name. .................... His name is Peter.............. :huh: Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 The name I don't have a problem with, the spelling on the other hand I am ready to be done with. I am one of the millions of little girls named Jennifer. Except that I am not it is Jennefer. Endless corrections. But I have lived with it for so long I don't know what I would change it to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Rachel. Beautiful, but common. I've gone by Slache since 8th grade. Most of my friends were Mexican and pronounced my real name Rachelle. I liked that. Looking back now I should have gone with Rachelle instead of Slache. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Rachel. Beautiful, but common. I've gone by Slache since 8th grade. Most of my friends were Mexican and pronounced my real name Rachelle. I liked that. Looking back now I should have gone with Rachelle instead of Slache. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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