For wanting to change my name?

[FrankensteinsValentine]

At first it was just a general "wouldnt it be nice to change my name ... " idea but now I'm actually seriously considering it.

My family will never conform and will all be up in arms about it but I HATE my name. I actually cringe when I hear it.

Should I???

(I know it will be asked so - answer is Tracy).

YANBU but if family & friends won't get on board and will continue to call you Tracy then there isn't much point.

It's your decision, isn't it? But can you just go by your middle name, or is that awful?

I cringe when I hear my name, and DH calls me something else (my flimsy excuse to my parents is that my name is hard for speakers of DH's language to say). I think the fig-leaf of an excuse makes the blow softer for my parents, who think it's a lovely name.

YANBU if you really dislike it enough to justify the hassle of changing it. I don't think it's an awful name though...

YANBU, afraid to say that I wouldn't like Tracy either... I think that it is worth a try - I HATE my name with a passion (Rachael) and also cringe whenever anyone says it - the thought has crossed my mind to change it too.
The trouble is that others might be a bit slow on the uptake - but I am sure that they would get there eventually if you made it clear howmuch you dislike the name.
Just out of interest what would you change it to? Something similar to ease the process or completely different.
You could do a Phoebe (Friends) and go for "Princess Consuela Banana Hammock"!!!

If you don't like it, why not!

But if you see your family a lot and they are obstinate about it being a good name they will probably just ignore you and keep calling you Tracy so you're a bit stuffed TBH.

Or Crapbag.

Sorry, that was a reference to that episode of Friends, not a random suggestion.

What's your middle name? My grandmother hates her first name and uses her middle name, she has done this since she was a little girl though so people have been on board as they have mainly known her as X rather than Y IFSWIM? It's a shame though as I love her first name but I think if I ever used it it would cause an upset.

I have a friend who uses a different version of her name, it's Katie which she has always hated so when she went to secondary school she switched to Kate instead. Teachers called her Kate as well, so do her brother and parents. I suppose it was easier for her as she's effectively choosing to be called a shorter version of her name so it was less likely to upset her parents.

Perhaps you could add another name and ask to be called that but still keep Tracy as a middle name if you think that would cushion the blow for your parents?

I think its a brilliant idea - obviously parents have to name their children something, but now you're an adult why shouldn't you choose what you want? It's YOUR name after all....go for it.

I swapped at 18 to use my middle name, when I moved away as a student. I introduced myself by that name and eventually my family came round and started to call me by my 'new' name. It took several years though and my dad and brother were the last to accept that this was not a teenage whim! (By that time I was late 20s!)

Definitely change it if you're young enough. I left it too late and I@m stuck with mine now. My middle name is not brilliant either but not as bad as my first name but I never got it together.

Just remember to have your wits about you when you decide on a new name and meet new people. I had a go at changing my name and when asked my name, like I twit I'd give my 'old' name. Then think, that was my chance and I blew it. I just couldn't keep up.

Just remember that the coolest people have very un-cool first names. Kevin McCloud is called Kevin in RL

A lot of 'just remembering' to get your head round OP