Which Name Would You Choose?

I’m another who can be dated by my first name. There were 4 of us in my primary school class, very 1950!

Paperbackbutterfly Lucy runs in our family. As far as I know, it started with my great grandmother but, it could have been earlier. My mother was Lucy, I have it as my second Christian name and my daughter is Lucy. She has not used it for her daughter though so, probably lost now.

I hate my name (Jayne) it’s so abrupt and cross sounding! My Dad used to call me Ginny but now he’s gone no one does. I’d like a name that could be shortened so it could be used and not sound cross! Christine, Elizabeth, Catherine.... I don’t mind!

My birth name was Moira Isobel which I like but would never use in deference to my parents.
I agree Grammaretto you can so often date a person by their name.

I’ve always liked my first name but unfortunately the Beatles wrote a song with my name - pronounced wrongly! Our gp’s nurse even has her version of my name spelled phonetically with “Me” instead of “Mi” at the beginning. Strangers always say it wrongly when they meet me.

I always thought the name Alexa would suit me- now every household seems to have an Alexa to boss around and demand answers to every question, I'm thankful for my own name.

I always wanted to change my name. My initials were PC. A task at school was to embroider our initials on aprons. Had the mickey taken for that. Teacher said I couldn't put my middle initial. Pleased to change my surname when I married.

My husband has aways used his middle name. It's the topic of conversation every time he meets someone new.

Very happy with my first name.

When teaching, my class would love to guess my middle name. They knew my first but only the initial letter of the middle name. I the end I told them it was Summer (it wasn't but I love that name).

I had a friend called Fleur when I was at primary school and another called Fern.

I was named after a Princess (so were lots of girls).

Something French, such as Fleur would go beautifully with my married name. I have never liked my first name.

Just to add that I was the first grandchild on my dad’s side and they took practically the full 6 weeks allowed to choose my name - probably why I have just the one. It’s French and people often misspell it. My brother and sister have two family names each,

I loved choosing girl’s names when I was expecting my daughter - we didn’t choose a boy’s name until we were nearly at the maternity hospital! OH and I just have the one Christian name each, but the three offspring have three each. As I said earlier, I loved choosing girl’s names so had a huge list. But I only had one daughter and then two sons. At one time I wondered about choosing another Christian name, maybe for my 50th. But I didn’t. At the point of a gun, it would have to be Araminta. A good friend of mine had always hated her Christian name. She didn’t change it by deed poll until after her parents and husband had died. By which time she was 70!

I would have liked to have been called Sarah. It’s a name my mum chose first but my dad didn’t like it, apparently. It was also the name of my grandma, who died when I was four. Instead I have a name that dates me to the 50’s and that I’ve never much liked. My middle name is a mundane one and my dad spelt it wrong when he registered my birth. I’m very happy with my married name!

Thinking about it, three of we four siblings have names that date us and the other sibling has a Scottish name although neither of my parent’s families had any connection with Scotland. Baffling! I wonder what went through their minds as they chose our names?

PennyWhistle I'm so annoyed with that registrar, on your behalf!

In the 70s I worked in a bank when a couple from an overseas country opened an account.
The clerk who opened it for them mentioned that they'd said they had different surnames, as was normal in their home country.
He, however, told them that they should use the husband's surname, as was usual in the UK, and that's what he put on their new bank account.
I was horrified that he had actually made that woman change her name!!!

Am happy enough with my name, but if I could choose I rather like Laura, Helen, Catherine, Anna ( sound like rather noble heroines.)
I also like my Surname, so wouldn’t change that either.

At my christening mum wanted to call me Hazel but gran said I would be teased 'Hazlenut' at school so it was hastily changed to a more common name. I like the name of my friend, Marisa.

names go in and out of fashion so much. You can so often date a person by their name.
When I was a child I wanted to be Sally Anne, for ages and then Michele.
I named my guinea pig Sally Anne and my dolls got all sorts of names. .
My own real name was too short and too common for my liking (at one time there were 5 of us in the class) and only 1 syllable both first and surname so I was so pleased to gain another syllable when I married.

I have never heard a dog named after me which is a relief!
Lumbering our DC with names they didn't care for. DD didn't like hers as she reckoned she was the only person under 50 with that name in Scotland. She likes it a bit more now.

I always resented 'having' to lose my own surname when getting married in 1980. The registrar advised that it would be complex and expensive to keep my own name, and at 19 I believed her. So when asked what I would like for our 20th wedding anniversary, I said I would like my own name back.

In the end DH and our 2 DDs all agreed we would all change our surname to hyphonate, with my 'real' surname coming first.

Surprisingly, on her own marriage, DD1's husband changed his surname legally to our hyphonated surname, so our gorgeous GGD shares my surname - isnt that wonderful

Ooh, just remembered I wanted to be Diana when I was a child!

I dislike my Christian name intensely, but funnily enough other people like it. I always found it difficult to say as I had a stammer as a child.
My DM nearly called me April as that is my birth month; that would have been better.
I would have liked to be called Miranda, but that would have been equally difficult to say!

As a child I wished I was called Rosemary.
Now I'd like Kay as it sounds more definite than my real name (which my DD liked to pronounce as a mumble, to be annoying).

I also rather wish I'd kept my own surname when I married.
I like my DHs surname but haven't always felt as if it is my name.

Thank you nightowl it means a lot.

My name is Kathleen (surname is obvious). A couple of times recently when giving my name in shops, the young assistants have said what an unusual name I have, commenting that they have never heard of Kathleen! Oh my! What is the world coming to...
Ps I still get my name spelt incorrectly, usually by family, who insist on calling me Kate, Katie, Kath, & the different spellings always amuse me. By the way I am a Kathy.

I have always disliked my Christian name (can’t imagine where my parents came up with that one!) and mercifully it is shortened to something bland and innocuous. Only the doctor uses the full version now! I would have liked to be a Pauline, or a Beryl (but both are associated with peril, so maybe not!), so I would I would happily plump for Alexandra. Or maybe Caroline........

I like the name I have because my name is quite current in its shortened form and is my GDs middle name and it sounds good.

If I had to change it I would call myself Florence. I have a close friend who I met through work. When I started at the company she could not remember my name and called me Flo and it has stuck and all these years later that is what she calls me. I love it.

I am a ‘Penelope’ who wants to be a ‘Julia’. My parents named me Penelope Jane and in the 1960’s as a child I was ‘Penny Jane’ which then (within the family) became Penny Lane with the Beatles song. Five years after my husband died in 2006 I changed my surname by deed poll to my lovely grandmother’s maiden name as I wanted to be a ‘Ms’ not a Mrs and at the same time I changed Jane to Julia! I am still PJ but not Penny Lane anymore. I often dream of fully changing to Julia in my seventies.