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…

My DN had a really bad name, my DSs and myself begged her not to use it, we argued with her not to use it, gave her historical examples of why she should not use it but she did.

My DN changed her name by deed pole when she reached 21.

Why do parents do it?

I have only known 2 Elizabeths in real life.

1 my age and if the other 1 was still alive she would be 100, its really not that common I know more Miriams, Ediths and Jamimas than Elizabeths.

I have known 2 Libbys and a Bethany, Elsie, Eliza, Lisa etc... but they aren't Elizabeth.

Just looked on our company intranet (40k + people) and there's only me with my name and spelling. I love it.

I deliberately chose “Prime minister” names for mine. Maybe they won’t want to be Prime Minister, but they could.

Like Boris, Gordon, Margaret & Theresa?

The fact that one of the front runners for PM is named ‘Rishi’ and we’ve got a Cabinet with people named ‘Sajid’ and ‘Kemi’ on it rather bludgeons that point to death.

Exactly! It's so small minded, I find it bizarre.

Sorry, begged our DS not to give her baby, my DN, the name.

Privileged white male names then?

How retrograde.

@generalh

Same! I'm about 6 miles around the corner and say "bline-gwyn-vee"

@AustinsPowers *I hate oddly spelled names.

The one I struggle with a Sian.*

FS there is a world outside England. “Oddly spelled” 🙄

🙂

YANBU, I had a weird surname. Changed it by deedpoll, was stupidly inexpensive. Sorted and haven't looked back.

I’d consider most of those diminutives for Elizabeth.

And the UK, figures compiled by the Office for National Statistics show that Elizabeth is consistently in the top 50 girls names.
Throughout the 20th century it was in in the top 25. So, yes, despite your personal experience, it really is that common.

I hated my unusual name as a child- so adopted a common nickname which at least starts with the same sounds . Now I am known as nickname even at work ( although my DBS is in passport name) Even my family use it - siblings etc. I only use my proper name when I want to be noticed ( or seen posh). Then it doesn’t bother me as much if I have to correct peoples pronunciations.

can you adopt a shortened form OP

I have often wondered how people feel about being named Roxanne, after the Police song - Roxanne in the song was a suicidal prostitute...

Same!

I was the only person with my (traditional W.African language) first name on FB for over a decade and I loved it. 😂There’s a few dozen of us now, but another person with the combination of my first and last name will never happen.

I have always REALLY loved my name. It’s pretty, it’s unusual and it’s three syllables and completely phonetic, so quite difficult to get wrong unless you’re particularly stupid. My parents did well.

I really wanted to call DD Buddug, it's such a pretty name pronounced correctly but we decided it wasn't English proof and she'd have been Bud dug to anyone outside Wales.

We went for another obscure Welsh name which we thought would be English proof and it's only a few letters and the pronunciation of them is pretty much the same in English. Sadly she still gets "anglicised" to a completely different name which luckily amuses her.

I feel your pain.

Having said that my middle name is even worse than my first one.

I asked my mother why she called me my first name and she said it sounded French.

Which I can understand but my mother doesn’t have a French accent.

Screaming my name down the street in a thick Northern accent to get in for my tea.
It lost any sort of continental feeling.

I wouldn’t have said it was a common name. But I have met on occasion other women with this name and all without exception hate it.
Seen both my fire and second name pop up on here under names not to name your child.
OTOH my mother named my half sister a beautiful name. Never heard anyone say anything negative about it.

I totally feel your pain. My parents gave me a name which meant I am continually teased and dread telling people it. I use a shortened version but I hate it and wish I had used my middle name. To make it worse after my dad died my mum showed me a list of names they were considering. They were all really lovely names and I too feel cross with them (still!) that they didn’t choose one of those. My grandfather told them that naming me that name would lead to a lifetime of teasing and they sadly didn’t listen to him.
So a long winded story to say that I am in total sympathy with you and whilst I am sorry you are going through similar it was nice to know I am not the only one who feels this way.

Same!

Mine is an Arabic name.

I hope you nabbed the hotmail and gmail accounts for your names? Sadly, I didn't.

My child has a slightly more unusual Irish name that's easy to say but people get the Heebies when they see the spelling. Which is funny as they've literally just said it right. Did have people who would see themselves as right on go but why would you do that? I asked if they would say the same to a polish, Ghanaian or sri Lankan family and they went quiet. No idea why it's ok to make an enormous fuss about Irish names

Or maybe they are secretly thinking the same about the polish, Ghanaian and sri Lankan names.

FWIW I changed my name completely.

Did it through a form from a solicitors and I think it cost me £20 at the time and it was witnessed and stamped and done in a few minutes.

Probably ambivalent if they think of it at all. The name existed before the song, and unless a name is both distinct and attached to something truly awful (like Adolf) then it will continue to be used after a historical figure or cultural reference. The memory of Oliver Cromwell hasn’t stopped that being the most popular boys name for the last decade.

My friends named their son Inigo. I asked if it was in reference to the architect and she said her husband greatly admired him but I was the first person to make the connection. Mostly people replied to the name choice by quoting Inigo Montoya "you killed my father, prepare to die" line from the Princess Bride.

She and her husband were completely unaware of the film and the often quoted line. Selfish parents trying to impress people with their name choice. Poor little Inigo grew up hating his name and now calls himself a very bland generic male name.

It’s interesting, isn’t it? Lots of English people seem unable to get their heads around even Welsh and Irish names, much less anything properly ‘forrin

I saw something on LinkedIn a while ago saying that people were capable of pronouncing (European) foreign footballers' names properly but not eg Sri Lankan or some African surnames, which are long but phonetic so easy to say. The point was you can pronounce things properly if you make the effort.

Mind you, my son and I got onto the subject of where the M4 ends today (long story how we got there) and I said "oh it ends at Pont something" (thinking of Pont Abraham) but it actually ends at Pontarddulais. I've got to say that did stump me from a pronounciation perspective. My guess would be Pont-a-thi-lice but I am guessing that is completely wrong!

The name existed before the song, and unless a name is both distinct and attached to something truly awful (like Adolf) then it will continue to be used after a historical figure or cultural reference

I was very surprised to meet an Adolf in his mid 20s in 1992! Not only does it have awful connotations, but it's a horrible name as well. But maybe it sounds horrible because of who you associate it with.