Name regret - does it ever go away?

Growing up I always disliked my name, because it was the most popular name that year (and several years before and after) and so it seemed like every other little girl at the time had my name....however, when my mum later told me what her alternatives were I am so bloody glad I have my hideously-overpopular, slightly-dull-yet-sensible, professional-sounding, great-nickname-opportunity name!

Think something like - I am named Jessica, the alternative was Blue

I'm sure your daughter likes her name, or will at least learn to like it. If it's a popular name now it will become one of the classics when all of those children grow up! By the sound of it, it's sensible and won't hold her back in any way! (just remember, alternatives aren't always better!).

I think as long as she likes it then it's okay. I was given a common name that was already going out of fashion at the time. I hated it. It could be shortened and everyone including my mother did and I loathed it. If you ask people what my name conjures up they always say short, fat middle aged woman!

It's quite bizarre as though I've never called myself by that shortened name by mother still uses it to everyone.

Recently we talked about it and it was interesting as she had actually wanted to call me Ellen or Helen names I much prefer but the family were all dead set against and I ended up with my name as a compromise.

I changed it by deepoll the day I turned 18.

I am trying to decide on names now and it is so hard. So I really think you shouldn't feel,bad about it at all. It sounds to me like she really likes her name but it's not written in stone. She could always change it if she wanted. If I had known at 18 that my mother had really wanted to call me Ellen then I would have changed it to that as I really liked it. Sadly we didnt talk about it at the time and I went for something random.

I'm suffering now from total naming regret. But I can't find an alternative I am 100% sure of 😞

Mottled - I think that's from the survey that the panel did. It was on here a couple of months ago

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/aug/31/mothers-chose-wrong-name-child-poll

So this thread was revived & is now being quoted in the press. I am very surprised at the list of most regretted names.

Ok I realise this is a zombie thread.. Sorry!! But I feel the need to add to it a little. This is outing but ok . My parents called me Emmeline . To date I have been called Emma Emily EmaLINE EvALINE and many many others. I hate my name . Utterly hate it as no matter how many times I correct people they never listen and continue to get it wrong . We had a DD so we thought long and hard and called her Thea only for an American cousin to pronounce it Theya . I did laugh at that though as its about the only way to get her name wrong.

If it helps, I sometimes think I could have thought more about my DD name. I had PND too (god that's hard to admit) but they grow into their name and become it, honestly. hope this helps x

I know lots of Hayley's in their late 30's and 40's and I really like it v unusual for a teenager. My Yonngest has a total compromise name which suits perfectly but was pretty much chosen as a process of elimination. I'm fairly indifferent to it, neither love nor hate it but there are 3 in the school year with the same name but can't imagine that any other name would suit. My eldest 2 have names I love.

OK, not a made up name, but judging by what you can read on Wikipedia, it was originally (in the Mills' case) a surname, passed down through the family. I believe the Mills were supposed to be the first to make it a girl's given name.

I liked it because 'ley' is old English for meadow and I am very English myself and love the countryside so thought naming my daughter after a hay meadow was a beautiful idea, but all of that was missing the fact that the name had only a brief popularity which will date most of its bearers in decades to come.

But thanks for the votes of confidence, and fortunately I could definitely describe my daughter as artistic and having flair, so hopefully people who know her will have a positive impression of the name. As I said originally, the name becomes the person, not the other way around.

everard - if it's "Hayley" then it's not a made up name. Hayley Mills is named after her mother, Mary Hayley Bell

OP, if the name is Eva then I am very biased as I have one and think it is a lovely name!

That's good to know Rosie, hopefully you can reassure yourself that it is a popular classic. Like little women

Well … if this helps I'm in a similar boat ...

Announced name of DS2.

Then after 3 weeks switched names around so middle name was first.

Registered him.

Then after 9 months changed middle name to something else!

When I hear the name which he had as his first and middle name, I cringe a bit. I do like it but it didn't sound right with our surname and it bugged me, even as a middle name.

I do worry about it now - more because I wish I'd got it right in the beginning. Like you the whole thing just reminds me of a confused/anxious time that I'd rather forget.

Hugs x

I didn't make it up, no, but John Mills and his wife did in the 1950s I believe. There you go, those of you with random knowledge or the ability to google can work it out now.

Thank you for responses :) I do like classic correctly spelled names, but don't want DD to be one of several if I can avoid it. I adore the name Olivia but we have discounted it for this very reason. :( I think I'm going to make a name thread.

Rosie, glad to hear you are feeling better. Did you check out the origins of DDs name?

Everard am curious to know made up name! Did you make it up?

Well, the name I wish I had given my dd (the one I ended up giving her as a middle name) is Isabella. It (and its variants) is a lot more popular now than it was 14 years ago, but I still wish I had chosen it. I envisioned her friends calling her Izzy and her boyfriend/lover/dh calling her Bella as it means beautiful in Italian. Instead, I gave her the silly made up name that will forever date her to the 1990s/turn of the century.

Oh hang on, I am on this thread to convince the OP that the regret lessens....

Slithytove, FWIW, my opinion on your name choices:

Verity - I like a lot and have toyed with choosing for the hypothetical dd2 I will now never have, despite knowing a really obnoxious Verity about 25 years ago.

Hannah - very popular these days, there is at least one in every year of my 3 teenager's years at school. Some nice, some not. Personally, I think it is too popular and not characterful enough for me.

Georgia - could be ok, though I can't get the character from Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging out of my head (my dd has all the books)

Amy - pretty but quite a weak sounding name

Sophia - classic and elegant but maybe a bit overused these days?

Annabel - always makes me think of the horsey set, which is fine if you are part of that scene?

Claudia - I should feel about this the way I feel about Sophia but I knew a very irritating one when I was at school. Very full of herself, a right madam, so that puts me off.

These are just my opinions though, coloured by my experiences. You shouldn't let anyone put you off the name if you like it. And the one good thing about your list is that they are all proper names, spelt the usual way.

My thoughts and experience are exactly the same as everard so I won't type it out again :-).

Isabelle and Evie are both gorgeous traditional names, I would happily name dd2 either of them, except I know 2 Isabelle's (not the popularity that bothers me but my friend would be a bit ) and I like names which can be shortened. So I would choose Evelyn and nickname Evie, but I don't like Evelyn.

Can anyone tell I'm struggling to name dd2 lol

What do people think of the names: Verity, Hannah, Georgia, Amy, Sophia, Annabel, Claudia?

total thread stealer and should probably make my own

With the mention of variants I am wondering if the name is either Isabelle or Evie/Eve? If so then yes they are popular but they are definitely classic and lovely names

OP I did regret the name I gave DD2. However she is now 15 and likes her name. Unlike my name and Dd1's everyone has heard of it and can mostly spell it. It is not associated with any social class and was popular in the USA particularly, Believe me I have an unusual surname and first name, if I google my blood runs cold, I am unique and identifiable.

I really want to know your daughters names now can't you tell us and then get the thread or post removed or nc?

Have you googled the meaning and origins of the names your daughter has? I would imagine they are older than you think - names move in and out of popularity over the years but that doesn't necessarily make them new or modern.

For instance Ava is either English, German or Iranian. Currently popular but was also en vogue in the twenties. Origins in the name Eva. Means 'voice' or 'desired'. Was also the name of a 12th century saint.

Olivia has European origins and came into popular culture with Shakespeare in the 1600's, and climbed in popularity in the 20th century.

Just to show you that fashionable and classic are not always oxymorons, you can have both. Have a google and see what you think.