Your name

[Bobje]

Do you like it?
Or do you curse your parent’s choices and think what the hell were they thinking?
Do you think your name dates you - perhaps you’re a Patricia from the 50s, or a 60s Susan, 70s Sharon or an 80s Louise?
Did your name influence your choice/s for your own child/ren?

I think my name is pretty neutral, probably considered a classic. I don’t mind it, and I know a lot of the shortened version amongst the school mums in my locality.
If I could choose a name for myself now, I like to think I could pull off something like Genevieve 🤣
What would you choose?

I really dislike my name and always have done. It wasn't a popular name in the early 70s when I was born (it was most popular in the 50s) and the only other people I've met with my name are much older than me. There are multiple spellings of it too so people rarely get it right. I wish I'd had the courage to go by something else years ago but it would have upset my parents. My husband uses a shortened version of my middle name and I much prefer that

my name is fine it's a name that you have to continually spell out ! it can be shortened but I'm not keen. my siblings name is also fine nothing outstanding.

I like the names on your list. My parents gave me a name that was popular in 1955 when I was born in the 70s so although it wasn't maura or hilda, it does sound older than I am. I've seen it on the baby name board. I saw my name on a tea towel at Winchester cathedral when I was little, but the lunch boxes and pencils had names like Julie, Louise, Sarah Claire 😀 poor me!

I've got a timeless classic name (same ilk as Charlotte or Katherine) and I'm more than happy with it and it's various diminutives.

My sister got a much more "of the moment" name (like Joanne or Nicola) and she's always said she got a bad deal and doesn't particularly like it.

When I was little I longed for a beautiful fairy princess name. My dolls were all called names like Dorabella and Candy. But I'm actually pretty happy with my name now. (My daughter does have a flouncy princess name though!)

My DP is one of 6 boys. They all got classic names and he got stuck with a Keith / Wayne / Malcolm kind of name.

My name is of its era but not the most common, I don't mind it.

I actually named my youngest sibling. Parents were undecided between 2 names so I picked and started telling everyone when people started calling. I obviously picked one of the two names in contention and didn't go off piste.

I was named after a family member and have the female version of his name. It's really uncommon, old fashioned and has never been popular. I was born in the 80's and my name hit its (very limited) heyday in the 20's.
I've only ever met a few other people with my name and they've all been much older than me.
My name is very obviously a 'named after someone' name. I don't think you'd find anyone with it because their parents 'liked' it on its own merit.
I like my name because it represents who I was named after and I loved him.
As a teenager, when I went out I used to tell people my name was Laura as it was so much more common and not as memorable as my own name lol!

@Crunchymum does your DP feel like he drew the short straw in the names stake?

How does your sibling feel about your choice? Would they have preferred the other offering?!

I got to name one of my nieces and luckily, she loves her name.

My name was pretty popular in the 30s and 40s but I was born in the 70s so it was definitely old fashioned when I was a kid. I've still only ever met one other of around my age.
I go by a shortening (since I was about 8) which I don't love either but dislike less.
My sister got something similarly dated, albeit hers has a much trendier shortening

I like my name on other girls of all ages but don't think it suits me. I think my siblings names are all on par, nice names, not overly common, not weirdly unique.

My name is a classic name but long-9 letters
It's pretty run of the mill in the list of classic names

My brothers all have long,classic names but can be shortened to 3 letters

Buying anything personalised costs me a fortune

When I was born,my father wanted to call me xy but my mother 'accidently' called me yx instead

My middle name is 5 letters and unusual-would have saved me a fortune!

I guess I like my name. I’ve never liked the obvious shortening of it, which people always default to. I chose a different shortening as a child and that’s stuck, but I actually don’t like it any more!

If I could choose to change my name I’d go for Lucinda.

My name is fairly unusual, but not outlandish, My mother wanted something a bit different, and my father was reading a book about Napoleon so suggested I be called ..after his wife.

NC for this. I’m Rachel. I like it. There are a lot of us, especially around my age but it doesn’t feel dated.
I’ve met Rachels of all ages. It suits me and I’m happy with it but if MN was around in the 70s it would have probably been called ‘ubiquitous’.

I do like mine.

Classic, strong name. One of those names that seem too serious for a baby or a small child, but perfectly good when they grow up.

Not very common when I was a child, much more popular now.

My sibling's name is also pretty good, just a bit less 'solemn'. Our parents had good taste if you ask me 😉

@Rachel1234567
I was just thinking if MN had a ‘Use your real name day’ and all our usernames had to be our actual names, how many of them we would come across. It would be carnage 🤣

I absolutely despise it with a passion. Ive never truly orgiven my Parents for name. The thing I hate most is the fact that it can't be shortened giving it no friendlier alternative.
When I was born though a neighbour thought my name was Gertrude😂 so I suppose I did get off very lightly with Clare.
The funny thing is if it wasn't my name I'd probably quite like it.

My name was never particularly popular, but was more common about 20 years before I was born. It's not one that has ever become fashionable since either, so people who know my name before they meet me in person tend to expect someone much older. It's considered a bit of a dowdy name. To add to the fun, my parents chose a spelling of the name that is less common, so I often have to correct the spelling at work etc. My middle name is an equally (if not more) old-fashioned but not timeless family name. My siblings were given equally dated names. The only one with a name that was even vaguely popular in our era has a shortened version that's also a bit rude. So not sure he got it any better.

My parents apparently wanted us to have 'solid' names that they considered timeless but wanted to avoid us having the same name as several children in our class at school. When I was at school I wished I had been named Sarah (like half my class). I intentionally gave my DC relatively popular names. They seem to like their names but I do wonder if they'll go for the opposite and use more unusual names for their own DC (if they choose to have any)

Mine is an old lady name too. I cringed growing up. It's bizarre to hear people calling their children my name now.

Interestingly, my old fashioned but not timeless name that I hated growing up has been suggested on a few threads here about unusual but not 'out there' baby names. I am always tempted to say NO, JUST NO, DON'T DO IT . But secretly slightly hope that it does become popular so I finally have a cool name😁

I was going to say "Bill Sykes" but that's not the answer you want.

My name is unusual in my era, but about 5-10 years previously was popular. I disliked it when young, but quite like it now. I quite like meeting others with the same name, and there's lots of abbreviations so is rarely a problem.
Dsis has at the time an even more unusual name than me. I think I only came across 2 other people growing up with her name. However it's now medium popular and I know a few. She really hates others having the same name.
Dbro has a (for his era) top 10 most popular name. There were 4 in our village of his age with same first name and initial alone, which caused some issues.

I'm very glad though that dp didn't persist with the boy name they chose for me and dsis. I'd have been Cedric. Really. Cedric. Dsis' alternate name was worse. Thankfully they'd realised that by the time dbro came along, and even his alternative girl's name was okay.

@AgMaggy interested to know if it was me you meant to quote?

I used to like my name. Was very uncommon when I was born and has been for 30 years. Now, it's come back in fashion and lots of kids with my name. Lots of comments about nobody having met an adult with my name.

My names Lauren and I really like it. I was born in the 80s and it was reasonably popular then but i was the only one I knew of in my primary
and secondary school. I did have a friend called Lauren who lived nearby. I haven't met any others as an adult either. I feel like it's a modern classic, I like that it's not too girly or frilly. My eldest son is Reuben which is probably similar in popularity and my youngest is Eben and I've only heard of one other, which is where we'd heard the name from as I hadnt heard of it before.

Don't really like my first name although it is considered a classic. I prefer my middle name which is quite 70s/80s I suppose. Unfortunately, middle name sounds quite 'clunky' with my married surname!

I hate my name. It screams “born in the 60s” and there were always several in my class. I was named after my mother’s best friend (must have been an exciting exotic name when she had it) but there was a famous one who inspired a spike of the name in the early 60s (I’m sure you can figure it out!). The long version sounds nicer than the shortenings, which I and pretty much everyone use, but it would take too much effort to change everyone’s habit (inc mine) of shortening it at my age and I’m fundamentally lazy! 😂

My father wanted to call me Laura which I think is lovely and classic and would have vastly preferred.