Choosing your name

Thank you Kitty I think your ‘real’ name is rather Jane Austenish and I like it. 👍

Glad you are enjoying the thread Greenfinch

My Christian names were Rebecca Margaret. I hated both but
was always called Rae at home. When I met my husband to be, he was called Raymond. We both lived Northern Ireland. His name had never been shortened.
When he moved to Somerset, he very quickly became Ray.

This never really bothered us but a group of his friends asked him what my full name was , as it was too confusing to call us both the same name. He, of course, had no idea my birth name was Rebecca. Someone suggested Rachel and he (cravenly )agreed. When I next came down to visit everyone was calling me Rachel.
When I asked him later why everyone was calling me Rachel, he explained that, when they had asked if my full name was Rachel, he had agreed it was.
I told him he would have to put them right and he said that would make him look stupid.
He didn’t correct them and I didn’t push it as I never wanted to be called Rebecca anyway.
Looking back , I should have wondered why it was more important to him not to lose face in front of his friends, than to land me with a different name for the rest of my life.

dalrymple23

For some bizarre reason, Junior daughter called her youngest "Agnes". She is now about 7 and so pretty. Such a shame. Becauuse of her \Scottish roots, I m afraid my trranslation into The Haggis has stuck!!!

I temember many moons ago when we were doing ‘O’ levels we had to take our birth certificates into school. Three girls in our class ( known to us as two Lindas and an Evelyn) were horrified to discover their name was really Agnes!
Another cause of weeping that day was the girl who discovered that her parents married just six months before she was born, Oh, the shame!
I have never thought of having another name, but maybe I will.
Incidentally, as I said, there were two Agneses known as Linda, and an Elizabeth known as Linda. Now, I am 74, and I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone older than me called Linda, so did it maybe become fashionable around 1952?

I always wanted to be Alexandra, or Claudia. I still like them both, I don’t think either has ever been that popular though.

I have never liked my given name but to change it would have upset my parents so I haven’t. My OH doesn’t use it for me though!

I would have liked my G’ma’s name, Clare, or in recent years my Gnet user name.

Daddima - I’m almost 86, and I had several contemporaries at school called Linda. There were older Lindas, too.

NanKate

Sparklefizz suits you a treat imo 💐

Thank you NanKate

My Pa registered me with a name my Ma hadn’t chosen. She would have like me to be Diane. There are a few derivatives of my name, and I prefer the one my sisters call me. My granddaughters are Madeline, Megan, Gabrielle and Matilda. Old family names were Alice, Harriet, Charlotte, Ada and Mary. I like Hannah, Annie, Lottie.

I have a name which is always mispronounced. It’s French so it was unusual in the 50’s when I was born . I do actually quite like it if it was pronounced the right way but as it is not I have for years gone by a shortened version which I’m happier with.

I don’t have a middle name and consequently didn’t give my two daughters one either. I don’t think I’ve been quite forgiven for that ! My youngest daughter doesn’t have children but my oldest daughter made sure my granddaughters both got a Welsh middle name, which is where we are all originally from .

I always wanted to be called Sally…..or Patsy but then I watched an episode of Absolutely Fabulous ……. Soon changed my mind on Patsy 🤣

I went to school in the 50 s and many of my school friends were Susan’s Linda’s Janet’s Barbara and it follows many of my friends are Susan’s and Janet’s etc. but my name was unusual at the time. I don’t mind it, but also like the classic names which never seem to date and don’t place you in a particular era.

I was born in the 50's and my parents were fans of a TV Western called Cheyenne Bodie. They were desperate to name me Cheyenne but Dad couldn't remember how to spell it when he went to register my birth.
He remembered the second choice name (not as exotic as Cheyenne) but it was misspelt on my birth certificate. I am forever having to correct people when they spell my name for documents etc.

If I’d had a daughter fifty-odd years ago when my sons were born, I’d probably have called her Caroline. I still like that name, but if I were having a daughter today I think she’d be Imogen or Annabel.

My name is good i’m ok with it. I used to correct the spelling for people writing it down.

As a child I was called by a shortened version of my middle name. When I went to a different primary school the very strict head mistress insisted I used my given name , which I knew , but wasn’t sure how to spell it. She humiliated me in front of the class because I couldn’t spell my name . Because of that I’ve never liked my name ,but it’s too much of a faff to change it .
My AC have names which are family names but names which are classic and aren’t dated .

Astitchintime

I always wanted to be called Sally…..or Patsy but then I watched an episode of Absolutely Fabulous ……. Soon changed my mind on Patsy 🤣

🤣🤣🤣

Patsy70

My Pa registered me with a name my Ma hadn’t chosen. She would have like me to be Diane. There are a few derivatives of my name, and I prefer the one my sisters call me. My granddaughters are Madeline, Megan, Gabrielle and Matilda. Old family names were Alice, Harriet, Charlotte, Ada and Mary. I like Hannah, Annie, Lottie.

Your post reminds me of a friend called Joan.
Her mother had sent her father to register her as 'Carol', but when he got there (possibly after stopping for a few drinks en route) he had forgotten what name had been decided and so she ended up with the first name that came into his head. 🤕

My brothers, husband and some of my children have only one name. I think it’s rather special. Why use others when nobody will ever know or care what anyone’s middle names are?
My dreadful middle name has never been spoken aloud in my whole life.

I changed my name when I was 30 to one I'd always loved and wished that I had been called. One day my best friend said 'why not stop talking about it and do something about it - change your name!' So I did. My husband of 30 years doesn't even know I used to be called something else.

My Mum had Eleanor chosen for me but as the name was not in the list of grandmother names it was a non starter. Would have preferred that to the old family traditional name I inherited.

I was called Ann but hated it as a child so decided to call myself Bunny! Luckily I went back to Ann as I got older!

When Alexa says she has a message for me she can’t say my name right. I’ve been into the app but it makes no difference. She’s into the third attempt now…..

I remember telling my dad when I was in my fifties that i really didn’t like my name. He was very disappointed as he’d chosen it and registered my birth. I never understood why my mum didn’t choose her mum’s name or one of them, Alice Emily, because she was so loved by everyone. I would love to have had one of those names or both. But not either of mine. Too masculine so maybe my dad wanted boys.

I love my name. Wouldn't change it for the world. I also ask people not to shorten it as well.

I was named after my mother. Same first and middle names. Always made me feel like I didn’t have my own distinct name and it was always confusing to other people. Now that she has passed, I’m happy that I carry on her name. But before that I would have liked to have been called Laura.