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If you could have changed your name as a child,what would you have chosen

203 replies

reesewithoutaspoon · 20/03/2025 16:48

Inspired by another unusual baby name thread.
I remember as a young child hating my boring normal name and wanting to change it.
So glad I kept my name instead of becoming 'crystal star twinkle' that my 6 year old self insisted I wanted to be called.

OP posts:
luckylavender · 20/03/2025 20:53

I went through a phase of really wanting to be called Caroline Fairfax

SummerDaysOnTheWay · 20/03/2025 20:54

Rachel, my best friend’s middle name. Or Rebecca my cousin’s name. Or Vicky, a big girl’s name 🤣🤣🤣

sandrapinchedmysandwich · 20/03/2025 20:55

I wanted to be Kelly. Now I think I would choose Amy or Emily

FrozenFeathers · 20/03/2025 20:59

Jane, until I discovered it's a character from Tarzan and then I hated it.

wastingtimeonhere · 20/03/2025 21:06

I wanted to be any of the following rather than my very typical boomer ( I was born just after boomer age) name. still got lumbered with a typical name
Roberta (Robbie/ Bobby)
Georgina ( George)
Henrietta ( Henry)
Stephanie(Steve)

See a theme? Yes, Glad I was a child of the 70s where it was a case of 'yes dear, tea will be ready soon'

Firebird83 · 20/03/2025 21:13

I wanted to be called Ashley. I thought it was so cool and American for a girl.

Everythingwillbeokay · 20/03/2025 21:14

Jackie after Jackie in Grange Hill.

Istilldontlikeolives · 20/03/2025 21:15

Jemima, Selina or Heidi when I was around 7 I think.

Sassybooklover · 20/03/2025 21:24

Georgina - I loved the Famous Five (even though the character was called George)!!

BunnyLake · 20/03/2025 21:41

I hate my name, always have and wish I had changed it when younger. There are a few names I’d be very happy with, Sarah or Sophie are favourites as they are soft sounding and I find my name too harsh.

BunnyLake · 20/03/2025 21:42

luckylavender · 20/03/2025 20:53

I went through a phase of really wanting to be called Caroline Fairfax

Sounds like a character in a Bronte novel. (Maybe it is?).

DaisyDukesAuntie · 20/03/2025 21:43

I wanted to be Fiona…..my actual name is lovely and I’m so glad I couldn’t change it to Fiona (no offence to any Fiona’s out there!!)

BunnyLake · 20/03/2025 21:47

Rockmehardplace · 20/03/2025 20:46

As a child I longed to be called Mandy, it just seemed like the epitome of cool to me.

My favourite comic as a child was called Mandy, I thought the character was very stylish and cool and longed to be like her.

EmiliaRuusuvuori · 20/03/2025 21:50

BunnyLake · 20/03/2025 21:41

I hate my name, always have and wish I had changed it when younger. There are a few names I’d be very happy with, Sarah or Sophie are favourites as they are soft sounding and I find my name too harsh.

This is how I feel about my name, it's just so blunt sounding. I really wish I had changed mine. There is a girls name I love and when I told my Mum, she said she'd always liked it, so why pick a horrible 1940's name for me then just because you named your doll that when you were little.

NormasArse · 20/03/2025 21:58

Lucinda, after one of the dolls in Two Bad Mice.

tothesea · 20/03/2025 21:59

I wanted to be Dale because of Dale Arden from Flash Gordon 😂

Ilovelurchers · 20/03/2025 22:03

Samantha. It's a great name.

Disneydatknee88 · 20/03/2025 22:11

Holly. I always wanted that name but don't think as an adult now that it would have suited me at all. Apathetic towards my name these days. I was named after my aunt (who is alive and well so it wasn't a tribute or anything, they just liked her name). Never particularly liked my name. Could have been worse. When my youngest brother was born, mum was considering melody if he was a girl.

BatchCookBabe · 20/03/2025 22:16

reesewithoutaspoon · 20/03/2025 16:48

Inspired by another unusual baby name thread.
I remember as a young child hating my boring normal name and wanting to change it.
So glad I kept my name instead of becoming 'crystal star twinkle' that my 6 year old self insisted I wanted to be called.

I wanted to be called Sabrina, after one of Charlies Angels! I loved Farrah Fawcett (Jill in Charlies Angels,) but wasn't crazy about the name Jill. Sabrina was cool! 😆

BunnyLake · 20/03/2025 22:38

EmiliaRuusuvuori · 20/03/2025 21:50

This is how I feel about my name, it's just so blunt sounding. I really wish I had changed mine. There is a girls name I love and when I told my Mum, she said she'd always liked it, so why pick a horrible 1940's name for me then just because you named your doll that when you were little.

Edited

I have no idea why my mum plucked my name out of thin air. I find it really unpleasant sounding. The annoying thing is she gave me her name as my middle name so I couldn’t even use that! My sister got two far more decent names which did cause me some resentment when I was younger. My name made me feel plain as a kid. My mum was very unsupportive of me changing it and took it very personally so I left it but it’s been a bit of a blight for me really, I’ve always felt shortchanged by it.

GrandTheftWalrus · 20/03/2025 22:51

Ladamesansmerci · 20/03/2025 19:28

I went through phases depending on what fictional obsession I had at the time.

Age 6, I wanted to be Lyra as I loved His Dark Materials.

Age 8, I wanted to be Amelia because of Princess Diaries.

Age 11, I wanted to be Arya, after an elf in a book called Eragon.

Had an Emma phases when I was really into Jane Austen when I was about 12 too 🤣

Thankfully I remained Louise. I love it as an adult. You don't meet too many people with it as a first name, and it's pretty and classic!

Edited

My dd is 8 and she has a Louise in her class.

Ruthietuthie · 20/03/2025 23:51

@reesewithoutaspoon, that was exactly what I was going for (although whether anyone would have believed that my rather Northern, rather working-class self was really posh is another matter).
Opheila Trinity was the most enduring name, but I also had a brief period of telling people my name was Tabitha, then Myfanwy (no Welsh connection whatsoever) and another of going by Hepzibah, another odd choice for my Northern Catholic self.

ThisLimeShaker · 20/03/2025 23:54

Sati. From Christopher Pike novel.

mathanxiety · 21/03/2025 00:11

I remember reading an article in National Geographic about a family living in some sort of commune in the Sierra Mountains. The photos were amazing and really caught my fancy. One of the children was called Summer. I was awestruck.

I also loved the name Carrie, from "Carrie's War", and "Kizzy" from "The Diddakoi" (BBC children's series).

FaithFables · 21/03/2025 00:12

Probably She-Ra. 😂