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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Would it be wierd to have a work name? If not help me find one.

141 replies

Freakishlycommon · 21/07/2017 19:24

I have the most common name that ever existed. I'm sure you can guess. I've spent my whole life at school, university, work, school playground etc having to add a surname on as there are thousands of us.
Anyway I'm starting a new job next week in a small company. There are about 10 women. Currently 3 share my name. However there is another lady starting in the same day and my heart sank when I found out that yes she also has the name. So that's 5 out of 11. Potentially very confusing and I don't want to spent years being known as short x or old x or just a surname.
Anyway so I wondered whether to just say call me y to make things easier.
So I need suggestions assuming you don't think it's ridiculous. I want a nice normal name for a lady aged 46. But nothing too popular of course.

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auntym · 22/07/2017 15:15

Perhaps not what you would choose but Morag is the Scottish version of Sarah in case that might be an option Smile

badtime · 22/07/2017 14:36

I would really only consider Sally or Sadie, as they are known nicknames/diminutives derived from Sarah.

sashh · 22/07/2017 09:13

That's the other problem with Sarah. No nicknames.

Isn't Sally a nickname for Sarah?

Do you pronounce it sahr -a or sare-a? Could you change one to the other, or what abut Zara?

Sarah goes well with a hyphen second name, you could pick one, Sarah-Jane comes to mind, but I'm a Dr Who fan.

What about Sadie?

Original poster
Freakishlycommon · 22/07/2017 08:05

I've done that for years rainbow. I don't like it but it's necessary. But then there might be 3 people called Sarah J for example.

One previous job had 5 Sarah's
4 Claire's
3 Sharon's
4 Debbie's
2 Lynns
A Nicola and a Lisa
That puts us firmly in a certain age bracket and was very confusing!
I thought the names I suggested above weren't that common Pikachu. Maybe depends where you live?

OP posts:
rainbowstardrops · 22/07/2017 07:21

I know it's a bit dull and unadventurous but why can't you all be Sarah but with the initial of your surnames too?
Eg Sarah P, Sarah J etc.
I've just had two Jacobs in my class and everyone naturally calls them Jacob N and Jacob L. Easy

Ceebs85 · 22/07/2017 07:08

Sally? Sadie? I think they're known nicknames for Sarah.

JemimaMuddledUp · 22/07/2017 05:31

I like Sadie. It is a commonly used nn for Sarah so would be perfectly natural.

Having a common name is really annoying. In my office there are currently 3 x Elin, 3 x Lowri, 2 x Bethan, 2 x Rhiannon, 3 x Gwenno, 2 x Delyth, 2 x Manon, 3 x Gareth, 2 x Dewi and 2 x Rhys. Drives me insane!

ineededausername · 22/07/2017 05:02

you mentioned you are 46 (hence maybe something from the baby lists of 2017 might be a little out of place?) so perhaps you could look for one of the less common names for your birth year?
e.g.:
www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names-1971.htm
www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/datasets/babynamesenglandandwalestop100babynameshistoricaldata

failing that i would go with others' suggestions of maybe a middle name or nickname/variation of your current name

SamoyedSam · 22/07/2017 05:02

My aunt was named Sarah on her birth cert but nicknamed Sadie all her life (she's in her 70s). Quite common up here (Scotland).

Pikachuwithyourmouthclosed · 22/07/2017 04:32

I have a terribly common name (funnily enough, one of the ones on your alternate list).

A name is supposed to be a unique identifier, and mine just isn't. I can't even phone my best friend or my MiL and say "hi, it's xxxx" because they'll have to try and work out which of 16 xxxx's I am. I have always gone by a nickname with family and very close friends, but it's not something that would work as a work name. I have always been xxxx T or short xxxx or Welsh xxxx etc etc etc

Anyway. I decided to change it when I moved to a new country. I changed my facebook, my email, told all my friends etc etc.

...aaaaaannnnndd... every time I met someone new I accidentally introduced myself as my old name. 40 years of conditioning. Am still dull old name and always will be.

kreme · 22/07/2017 04:29

Or Reyah, Leah

kreme · 22/07/2017 04:27

How about Sossie, Sadie or Suri. Even Suzie...

Out2pasture · 22/07/2017 04:12

How about the town your from? At least there's a true connection.

TheDropBear · 22/07/2017 04:03

Instead of a new name what about doing something to force which adjective they add to your name? So instead of being short Sarah or pale Sarah you could be purple (hair) Sarah, or face tat Sarah? Grin

Seriously though, I think a completely new name will just get frustrating if you forget to respond to it. Middle name or Sarah-something (Jane, Rae, May?) Is probably easier.

Mclaren37 · 22/07/2017 03:38

What's the middle name? I would go with a derivative of that, since you don't want to actually be called your mothers name. It will make sense to colleagues if you chose go by your middle name, given the number of other Sarahs. Introducing yourself as something totally different might seem a bit odd.

C0untDucku1a · 22/07/2017 00:29

My sister and her two sister in laws are all sarah Grin

lazycrazyhazy · 21/07/2017 23:49

I think you should go for it if you want to. I have a friend who reinvented herself after divorce. She was Karen and became Kari when she started a new job and later hyphenated her maiden surname with her new partners.

It's funny I'm 'only' 14 years older than you but only know a few Sarahs of my age. It obviously grew rapidly in popularity. Maybe it took over from Susan (6 in my class of 30).

teaandakitkat · 21/07/2017 23:00

I know a Sarah in her 80s and she gets called Rae (pronounced Ray). How does that sound? I like it. I'd like to be a Rae.

MikeUniformMike · 21/07/2017 22:45

Guccibelt, What were the other Nickys called?

Original poster
Freakishlycommon · 21/07/2017 22:42

I like the idea of that. I would go fir something very unusual in that situation.

OP posts:
Guccibelt · 21/07/2017 22:07

I used to work somewhere where you could not use your real name and everybody had to have a different name. It was surprising how quickly you got used to being called your new name.

Hairdressers often have to change their name. I know one where there were three Nickys so two of them picked something exotic.

CremeFresh · 21/07/2017 22:03

Stick not stink

Stinky it is then Grin

SuperBeagle · 21/07/2017 22:02

Yep, Sadie's a nickname for Sarah traditionally. I love the name Sadie and I also love the name Sarah

yomellamoHelly · 21/07/2017 21:56

Could you tack another name onto yours? So if you like Jane, then why not Sarah-Jane.

C0untDucku1a · 21/07/2017 21:53

'Hi im sarah but, please, call me sal / sally / saskia / sasha / serenity' why not just do that?