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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to change my name to an English name?

31 replies

WriteforFun1 · 02/05/2016 11:40

this isn't a taat, but currently on another thread which made this come to the front of my mind again.

I was born in England. My parents weren't. They gave me a name from their country of origin. I don't particularly like it.

I recently met a lady from Brazil who told me I could call her x or y. X was her parental given name from Brazil. Y was her chosen name - no idea where it's from but it's a common name and she said to me she likes it much better than her given name.

I have a name I'd like to use. I wonder if I start saying to new people that I would like to be called by this nickname, would that be okay? Or are people going to see it as a hiding race thing? I mean, I'm not white, so that would hardly be hiding it. I also wouldn't change my surname.

Tbh it does seem bizarre to be walking around with a name that is still foreign to me!

OP posts:
Gide · 02/05/2016 14:01

Just change it if you hate it, but live with it for a while as someone else said. I thought about changing mine, it's a random foreign one and it pissed me off all throughout childhood when people couldn't get it right, but I like it now, it's unique (well, in the UK it is) so I'm leaving it.

missnevermind · 02/05/2016 14:28

I have a friend. She introduces herself as my given name is x but I prefer to be called y.

Mummyoftwo91 · 02/05/2016 16:45

Kind of he picked a name which I guess is kind of universal, his original name is Turkish and hard to pronounce and spell!

WriteforFun1 · 02/05/2016 18:05

Mummy, thanks. My name isn't hard to pronounce or spell, that must be a nightmare.

OP posts:
Mummyoftwo91 · 02/05/2016 18:36

If you want to change it then I say go for it Smile

corythatwas · 02/05/2016 18:43

My FIL changed his very British name because he didn't like it: don't see why somebody with a foreign name shouldn't do the same if they feel like it. I did give dc foreign names (from my culture) but a British middle name each, so they can always use that.

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