How do you feel about your own name?

MrsMaryK2016

I know a lot of you have already picked your baby's name but for those of us still on the fence it may be helpful to hear why you do or do not like your own name. It may also prompt an idea for a name we haven't already considered! 

MrsMaryK2016

My first name is Mary and I have always LOVED my name. I'm named after one of my great grandmothers so it has sentimental value, it's easy to spell, and literally everyone in the world knows it (thank you Christianity). I've never once been in a class with another Mary and the only other Mary's I meet are about 65+, although I did recently meet the cutest little Mary at Disney who was 5.

leighry

I'm a Rebecca. I actually like my name a lot. I grew up as Becky, was Bex in high school and college and now at work I'm Becka.. lends itself to plenty of nicknames and I don't hear it much. I was the only one through my school and college. Once I got out into the workforce I have run into a few other Rebeccas but not many.

My middle name is Leigh which I like too. A lot of my friends changed their middle names to their maiden names once they got married.. but I gave my maiden name to my 2nd born and kept my given name for myself.

lajoliedreamer

My name is Jennifer and I have never liked it. It was the most popular name the year I was born so there are a lot of Jennifers out there, making me long for a more unique name. My mom told me she named me Jennifer because she liked the idea of calling me Jenny, but she never did! I always wonder why she didn't just name me Jenny if that's the name she really liked - it would have at least been a little different.

My middle name is Rose which I've always liked better, and I tried to switch to it when I went to college, but I had gotten so used to Jennifer I never responded to Rose.

AmandaR417

My graduating class had about 50 students. There were 5 Amandas (FIVE!!!)  in fifth grade all five of us ended up in the same class. Parents were sure the administration did it on purpose,  but supposedly it was just the luck if the draw. Anyways,  I went through elementary,  middle, and high school by my last name because there were too many Amandas to keep track of otherwise. 

lrg14

I'm Elizabeth but go by Lizzie. I've always liked my name. My first job out of college I asked to be called Elizabeth because I worried Lizzie wasnt professional, but honestly no one wants to call someone Elizabeth. They always just shorten it to Liz on their own.

TinyAlligator

I can't really put my name down here because it's definitely unique. The name itself was very popular but was one of the less popular spellings. I have yet to meet someone in real life who spells it my way. Anyways I do love my name as the spelling isn't one of those crazy made up ways, BUT it was and is annoying as heck that no one can spell it right, even when I spell it out. Also for some reason people like to shorten my two syllable name... which is also annoying. So just be careful about spellings and if you're going the more unique routes at least pick a legit spelling. That's the one thing going for me is that I can say it originates from a particular country 

CecilTheBear

My name is Candice. It's my name, so at this point I don't really mind it and can't imagine being named anything else. It's kind of an unfortunate name, though, that seemed like a good choice at the time I was born, but later ended up being not so great. If there's a character with my name in a movie, she's always a stripper, or a slutty gymnast, or an airhead. I prefer to think I was named after Candace Bergen instead. Although I don't think she was famous when I was born.

I guess no matter how much you want the perfect name, they can all go awry. I'm sure my parents weren't thinking "let's name our youngest daughter something that will forever be associated with strippers!"

HotSauceSwagBag

My name's Bonnie. I went through a phase as a kid when I hated it, but now I really like it. It's uncommon but not so out there that no one's ever heard the name or has no clue how to spell it. It's an older classic name without sounding too grandma-ish. Cute for a kid but mature for an adult as well, and I've never met anyone my own age with my name. I got "hey Bonnie where's Clyde" a lot but other than that, nothing to really tease about. 

It's funny how often people ask if it's short for something, though. What the hell would it be short for? 

MrsMaryK2016

@HotSauceSwagBag I LOVE Bonnie and have suggested it multiple times to DH but a close family friend has the same name so he's nixed it  

leighry

My sisters are Sarah and Erin. Their only complaints with their names was that there were no nicknames. Had never really thought about that.

jenesiso

lajoliedreamer said:

My name is Jennifer and I have never liked it. It was the most popular name the year I was born so there are a lot of Jennifers out there, making me long for a more unique name. My mom told me she named me Jennifer because she liked the idea of calling me Jenny, but she never did! I always wonder why she didn't just name me Jenny if that's the name she really liked - it would have at least been a little different.

My middle name is Rose which I've always liked better, and I tried to switch to it when I went to college, but I had gotten so used to Jennifer I never responded to Rose.

My name is Jennifer as well, and I've always gone by Jenny. Sometimes Jen. Yeah it was a popular name in 79, but when you're named something, you kinda get used to it. Hell, my nieces name is Azalea and I couldn't imagine it any other way.

I've known a lot of other Jennifer's and they just kinda pick a derivative and go with it.

My husband and I are naming our daughter Lenora. It's an old name, it peaked in like 1885 lol...but I'll get to call her Nora, which was my original choice.

Maybe if you find a derivative of a name you like, perhaps it'll lead you to a name you didn't think of before.

Seattleite86

My name is Mallory and i hated it when i was a kid. It never sounded like a girl name to me. My mom would always say, no its so pretty (named after Mallory Keaton on Family Ties.) Piff. So 80's. Only knew one Mallory until i went to college. Now i dont mind. Nickname is Mal, but the way my inlaws say it sounds like Ma' (not to mention mal means evil in their language.) I think eventually everyone learns to like their name. My favorite nickname is Malaria. Never gets old. Lol.

Des321

I also have a pretty unique name but even more unique spelling and it drives me more insane the older I get. I always hated the nickname people used for me as a kid and some family members still use it. I've had to correct the spelling on my insurance a million times and they still haven't fixed it, therefore it's spelled incorrectly at the doctor's office so my claims don't get denied. Stupid stuff like that I always have to deal with.

Katemr1146

My name is Kate but I went by Katie growing up. I was always one of multiple Katie's in school classes, which I didn't really mind, I just never cared for the actual name Katie. As an adult, I now love Kate and I don't dislike Katie either. 

kay.hoff

My name is Kay. I thought it didn't sound girly at all growing up so I hated it and imagined myself changing it to "Kacie" when I turned 18 but it's grown on me. It's a family name and I do like that it's unique but a real name. I've only met a few older ladies that aren't named Kay but go by Kay (either middle name or short for something else). However, I always get "what's that short for??" Nothing lol, that's it! 

banfrog

I love my name. It's uncommon but not weird and it's easy to spell. I also love that I was named for my great grandma (my dad's favorite person).

SandNStarsNJ

I'm Carly - as a kid I hated it because I was the only one and it rhymed with Harley, which kids found appropriate for my size at times... as an adult, I'm good. It's who I am and can't say I would pick anything else. 

Our daughter's name is Emilia, which gets a lot of really sweet responses. Though when we first had her, my in-laws butchered the spelling and a friend kept pronouncing it "Emily-ya".

PS dying to know what some of your unique names are!

bhenry89

My name is Brittney and my middle name is Anne (my mom's middle name). I love my name! I've only personally known a few others with my name, but they usually all spelled it as Brittany. Same with my middle name. I've met a ton of people with my middle name but it's usually spelled as Ann. I love that my name is easy to pronounce however spelled a little different. If I have a daughter, I plan on giving her my middle name too.

seven6five

@leighry my middle name is Leigh too! I think it's beautiful.

My first name is Megan. It's alright, nothing really rhymes with it that's offensive. But I've literally always wanted to be a Nicole. My mom wanted to name me Margaret and I'm so glad she didn't! There were 6+ Megan's in my 500 person graduating class so it was pretty common. As an adult, it's still common. I'm always meeting other Megan's. Boo.

hjmommaplus1

My name is very unique. I really don't remember how I felt about it as a kid but now I'm okay with it. The only problem I have is, from a professional standpoint, my name is  hard for people to pronounce at first (I usually have to say it slow and repeat it a couple of times). For that reason, I made it a point to give my kids names that are much easier.

KilgraveMadeMeDoIt

My legal name is an uncommon variant spelling of Kimberly and I *hate* it and always have. I absolutely loathe being called 'Kim' and if anyone assumes I use that and calls me by it, I get really cranky (I consider using a diminutive without invitation to be very rude, honestly.) I don't like my legal name either but at the doctor's office and stuff, people use my full name and I just don't fight it. 

I've gone by Kay since I was six. Later this year I'm finally legally changing my name because it's a pain in the ass to constantly correct people. 

Kay.Hoff (I can't tag you!) While it's not my birth name, you're not alone.

forevertired

bhenry89 said:

My name is Brittney and my middle name is Anne (my mom's middle name). I love my name! I've only personally known a few others with my name, but they usually all spelled it as Brittany. Same with my middle name. I've met a ton of people with my middle name but it's usually spelled as Ann. I love that my name is easy to pronounce however spelled a little different. If I have a daughter, I plan on giving her my middle name too.

I actually have a good friend with the same name and same spelling (first and middle). 

My name is Elizabeth because my parents wanted me to have a nickname. They liked Betsy but then they moved and my moms best friend was Betsy, so I went through: Lizzy, Beth, Lizzy again, and Liz. I never minded having multiple people in my class with the same name. I do like my name, but as an adult I hate answering professional phone calls. "This is Liz" just kind of sounds like a jumble. It probably doesn't help that I talk fast.

leighry

@seven6five yes I love it too! We almost named our first daughter MacKenna Leigh and ended up with Natalie Sarah instead.. (Sarah being after my sister). Our middle daughter is Ryan Erin (my maiden name and my other sister) and then our youngest is Maxine Alda.. Alda is my great aunt. I love Ryan for a girl so I'm glad we used it! I feel like our girls names are all common enough that people won't have trouble with them but not super common where they will have a bunch of them in their class.

arcticseal-2

@HotSauceSwagBag That's my name too!!!!   Shockingly enough!!!!   Because I meet very few my age.   I agree with pretty much what you said.  

seven6five

@leighry we won't be using Leigh this time around if it's a girl but maybe next time. Our current girl name is Audra Josephine (Josephine after DS's late great grandmother). I LOVE MacKenna Leigh. It has a really nice ring to it.

bhenry89

@lizap77 too funny! My sister's name is Elizabeth, but we all call her Liz. I never hear her full name.

HotSauceSwagBag

ArcticSeal said:

@HotSauceSwagBag That's my name too!!!!   Shockingly enough!!!!   Because I meet very few my age.   I agree with pretty much what you said.  

Now I can say I "know" someone roughly my age! If I meet someone with the name it's either an old librarian or a dog. lol. 

Kittens22

I loooove my first name, Michelle. But my middle name is Denise and I have been embarrassed by it since before I can remember. I have never met a Denise that was not an elderly lady. Even now thinking about it... Ugh, no. just no.

Muscatmommyof4

My name is Alexondra which no one ever writes or pronounces right! It's pronounced Alexzondra... I hated it as a kid because it was so long to write and my maiden name is super long as well plus everyone called me Alex and kids would say it's a boys name and did have a boy in my class with the same name. But as I got older like teenage years I learned to love it! So my kids of course have unique but not hard to pronounce names. 

mrsmoose5

My name is Madeleine and I go by "Maddie." I was the only one in my class and in my entire high school of 800+ kids with my name because it wasn't as popular then as it is now. I like that it's classic, elegant and has a good nickname ... I used to like the fact that it was pretty unique too, but I guess that's not the case anymore. It actually really irks me that it's become so popular and that people are going crazy with spellings like Madelynn, Madilin, etc. No one ever knows how to spell it either. Even Maddie could be Maddy or Maddi or Madi.

rooftop

Name is melanie. It's alright but sucks for others to spell. Also I wish my parents had picked a better nick name. I go by mel but only because thats what I grew up being called and its hard to move away from that. I would have preferred  elle, ella, lanie, lenny, nelly, em, emma, mimi, anything a little more feminine.

rooftop

Also the other kids used to call me smelly mellie... yeah hated that

comealongponds

I was one of a million Jessica's born in the 80s in North America. It's always driven me crazy how common it is (there was at least two of us in my grade even in my small elementary and high schools...and one time I played on a softball team with three other Jessica's). I've always said my kids would have unusual but not unheard of names so they don't have to be one of many in their class, and thankfully DH is on board with that too!

aharvey1982

My name is Angela. I never liked my name because it was very popular in the 80's. Then to make matters worse, my middle name is Denise. I found out in the fourth grade that was a very popular combination. I was in a class with three other girls  named Angela Denise. So the teacher gave us numbers due to the fact two of the girls had the same last name but weren't related. I was Angela number one.

mrsjlang

@comealongponds - me too! My grade 12 English class had 7 of us!!! (on top of x2 Dan's, x3 Adam's, and a few other multiples) Our teacher actually made a seating plan to spread us out into a different row in class so that we would know who she was talking to.
I honestly hated my name because of being one of many. But I was the Ginger one, so I kind of stood out I guess.
But at the same time, I love my name because Dad picked it. Mom gave him a short list, and he made the final call.

My biggest pet peeve with nicknames though - people who call me Jessie. That is NOT my name. (I would like to note that there is one person on the planet who is allowed to call me Jessie, and it is only because she started calling me that before I knew how to talk). I didn't hear my full name much as a kid, but I have found that professionally I'll hear it more than anything else. On the bright side, my department head knows for sure what I mean in my emails based on whether I sign Jess or Jessica, so that's a plus.

hollowway

I love my name... but as an early 90's baby it's just way too popular. I always had at least one other person in class with the same name. Now as an adult I rarely meet others with my name, but as a kid we were always refered to as "first name, last initial". 

ficbot

My name is Joanna and it has been fine. I think it strikes a nice balance between being rare enough that I am not one of several in work or school (we have four Michelles at work!) but not so rare that people think it's weird. 

My my husband is a David and always liked having a common name. He felt that everyone knows several Davids so nobody ever pre-judged him. It's not like you have known one guy with that name and he was a jerk so the name is ruined forever.

We are naming after people so we are not really considering popularity. But for myself, I always did like not having a super-popular name.

Ash9614

HotSauceSwagBag said:

My name's Bonnie. I went through a phase as a kid when I hated it, but now I really like it. It's uncommon but not so out there that no one's ever heard the name or has no clue how to spell it. It's an older classic name without sounding too grandma-ish. Cute for a kid but mature for an adult as well, and I've never met anyone my own age with my name. I got "hey Bonnie where's Clyde" a lot but other than that, nothing to really tease about. 

It's funny how often people ask if it's short for something, though. What the hell would it be short for? 

I know a Bonnie that's late 20s (prob 28ish) and hers is short for Bronwyn - her parents are from South Africa though...

talkthewholetime

comealongponds said:

I was one of a million Jessica's born in the 80s in North America. It's always driven me crazy how common it is (there was at least two of us in my grade even in my small elementary and high schools...and one time I played on a softball team with three other Jessica's). I've always said my kids would have unusual but not unheard of names so they don't have to be one of many in their class, and thankfully DH is on board with that too!

Exactly this, but Megan, not Jessica. I was always Megan (Last name). There were 3 of us in my class- not grade, just actual class- 3 years in a row. DD is Summer, and DD2 is Magnolia (Maggie). I'm a teacher and I'm very aware of what names are overdone! I like names that are less common, but not weird/hard to spell/WTF-worthy.

hellopartyof5

CecilTheBear said:

My name is Candice. It's my name, so at this point I don't really mind it and can't imagine being named anything else. It's kind of an unfortunate name, though, that seemed like a good choice at the time I was born, but later ended up being not so great. If there's a character with my name in a movie, she's always a stripper, or a slutty gymnast, or an airhead. I prefer to think I was named after Candace Bergen instead. Although I don't think she was famous when I was born.

I guess no matter how much you want the perfect name, they can all go awry. I'm sure my parents weren't thinking "let's name our youngest daughter something that will forever be associated with strippers!"

This is exactly me. My nickname all through high school and college was candypants.