To resent my parents choice of name for me?

[Blaengwnfi]

This is a rant - apologies.

I’ve always hated my name.

No one can pronounce it. Not even my father or siblings. It was always read out incorrectly at school and the other kids would laugh at me. It gives me major anxiety having to introduce myself.

I use my middle name professionally but it doesn’t feel like “my” name. I feel so angry with my parents sometimes for burdening me with this name.

Parents - please think before giving your kid a weird or “unique” name! It could really mess them up…

Well I’m placing my bets on Lleucu or Elliw. Maybe Gwenhwyfar?!

I actually have a Welsh name and love it. But I live in Wales.

If you tell me what it is (or give a clue!) we could help find an English equivalent / translation?

I feel your pain. I hate my name. I'm named after my grandmother. She was a nasty old lady. I absolutely hated her. I felt no grief at all when she died. I hate being linked to her in anyway. I go by a nickname. I won't change it because it would upset my dad.

But why don't you change it if you hate it as much as you say you hate it? Do you tend to stay in the problem rather than looking for a solution?

This. It really is a big part of your identity. If you don’t think so, see all the threads about women changing their name when married and divorced.

Sympathies. My name is not especially unusual but it wasn't common for people of my age when I was young and I was the only person in either my primary or secondary school with that name. Coupled with a surname that everyone mis-pronounced and mis-spelled it was torture for a shy child. My children have top ten names.

I'm 49 and changing my name this year by deed poll.

I have gone no contact will my family all bar one sibling so I am looking forward to it, but a bit nervous all the same.

I kept my maiden name so will move over to my married name (16 years in) and take out two letters of my five letter first name. Keeping my middle name as I like it and so actually think my Mum felt forced to include it so that gets the thumbs up!

My birth name really triggers horrible memories - I hate hearing it and seeing it written down. I have been using new and old name for the last 6 months and I hope I'll get used to it.

I have told dh and old friends they can use another shortening of my old name and that is ok but I am hoping they'll all make the transition eventually.

My old name is pompous and I just can't bring myself to tolerate it any longer.

No one can pronounce it. Not even my father or siblings.

Why couldn't you just adopt your dad's and siblings pronunciation?

I changed my name at 24. I have no regrets.

Totally reasonable to hate your name, unreasonable not to change it when you were young.

I’m intrigued by your name (am welsh). Can first language welsh people pronounce it properly? Did you grow up in wales and people still couldn’t say it? I know a few people with more unusual welsh names- begw, iola, grug, buddug, lleucu, -is it more unusual than those?

Change it then or shorten it legally or whatever. You're a grown up now you can do what you want with it.

I shortened my first name and dropped my second name by statutory declaration, which is just as valid as deed poll and costs £5.

*dropped my surname

Is it Angharad? I only ask because I was almost named that but got named one of the simplest Welsh girl's names in the world and still no one can pronounce it.

Choose a new name, try it out and then make it official. I know two people who changed there babe by deed poll and seem happy with the choice

I felt like this too OP, until I gained a stepmother with the same name (who ironically had changed hers TO it). Then, family tried to differentiate by shortening mine. Suddenly, I felt possessive of the name I'd always hated! When I give my name now or people call me by it, there's still that inner flinch, but it's mine; I'll hold it at arm's length, but I'll still keep it.

options
choose a random ame you like, shange by deed poll
use your middle name for everything
chose a pronounciation ot abbreviation you like for your name, think of what it rhymes with or is adssociated with, and introduve your self as that
eg "I'm Hagon. rhymes with Welsh Dragon"
or "i'm Ceinwen - rhymes with Ken Wen"

being angry with your parents about it isn't going to help you live with it /own it now.
For many years I thought my mother had named me after a prostitute in her favourite film - several years after she died I came across a far nicer and equally probable source. Many things to dislike th woman for, but that probably wasn't one of them.

Oh in the kindest possible way; get over it.

it’s your name, deal with it or change it
why on earth are you anxious to introduce yourself
someone gets it wrong, so what?! That’s the worst thing that can happen
it shows their ignorance, not your problem.
if someone is rude about it, it’s quite handy as it tells you an awful lot about them much quicker than you may otherwise have learnt

i have an incredibly unheard of name, it’s a problem daily, but there are lots of positives too.
a name is to differentiate you from other people, yours does, find the positive, embrace your heritage, work on your confidence.

I too have a very unusual name. It can be a pain. It gets boring spelling it out, explaining the origins and helping people to pronounce it. Objectively it isn't a nice sounding name - too harsh - but it is my name and part of who I am. One plus is everyone remembers my name even people I have not seen for years.

To some extent I think parents can’t win in that whatever name they choose there is plenty of room for it to become disliked - too weird, too common, too long, too short, etc.. But to have given you a name your father can’t pronounce? That seems kind of extreme and like they were setting themselves (you) up for failure. (Though I also think - why the fuck hasn’t your father learnt how to pronounce your name for God’s sake? He must have had decades.)

DH and I are currently in wales on holiday. It’s our first time here and we’ve both commented on how different the Welsh language is. It’s fascinating but I’m completely unstuck on the pronunciation! I have a ‘classic’ name and I hate it. It’s totally overused and it sounds more like a noise than a name. When I had DD I gave her - what I thought was- a beautiful name and she’s only gone and abbreviated it down to the most awful, frumpy classic name ever!!

Interesting - is this a Hwntw thing? I would say bline-gwun-vee but I am a Gog.

Parents - please think before giving your kid a weird or “unique” name! It could really mess them up

My middle name is a “classic” name. I use it because it’s easier but my god, it’s dull and boring.

Sounds like they couldn't win either way.

One unique and unusual name, and one classic boring one sounds like these of both worlds and you can use either. But if you hate them both just change it to something you like

I met a kid called Jawduhn the other day. The “creative” spelling of generic names like Jordan leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Imagine if he grows up to be a lawyer and applying for jobs with that name?!?!

Is it Blodeuwedd?

Blodeuwedd Elizabeth.