Are you happy with your own name - do you think it dates you?

[LJS666]

I really like my name, Jane, and have always really appreciated having an easy to spell and pronounce name.

But I if had had girls I am sure I would have gone the other way with a frilly, fancy, complicated name.

My sons are (Joseph) Joe and Max and I really like short, simple names for boys.

I like the name Juno for a girl but it is so easily traced to that film.

I think it's very rare to have a name which doesn't date you in some way, but it isn't neccessarily a bad thing. Even names like Katherine and Elizabeth were much more popular in my generation than they are now. I have loads of friends called Katherine and Elizabeth but have never taught a single one of either. I have never taught a girl with my name either although most people would consider it 'classic'.

My name Rebecca but i've always preferred to be called Bex. I hate the name Rebecca it got o the point that i refused to talk to anyone if they called me Rebecca, i'm not quite as stubborn now but then again not even my parents call me Rebecca anymore. Me and my DP both love unusual names already having planned the names of all our kids, Sky, Valo, Pixie, Gabriel. (Mind you im not happy about having 4)

Cheerful Yank, I doubt you fit my imaginary prototype: she wouldn't use MN - too much profanity! I'm thinking hockey mom, but drabber - the other hockey moms talk about her behind her back. She DEFINITELY wears jeans from JC Penney.

Lisa (middle name Marie) - does that date me? I think so -right back to the 1970's

I don't mind it now but hated it when younger

I love my name and I think it is ageless and classless

I like my name now, but wasn't so keen when I was younger

My name was really popular when I was born in the 70's. It has endless spellings though and I rarely meet someone with my spelling.

I don't really like it and it is hard to shorten.

Gladioli -- it's like parade but with a soft D at the end.

I hated my name (Marianne) when I was young as it was unusual and everyone got it wrong. I was called Marion, Mary-Anne and even Marion-Ann. I love my name now but still find I have to correct people who hear it for the first time. Op, by coincidence my sister is Jane which is a family name going back several generations.

I'm a Samantha, and I hated it growing up. At school there were 3 or 4 of us, and I think it dates me to an 80s child, though I've heard of quite a few baby Samanthas recently.

I've gone by Sam for ages now, and hate it, think it's really butch, but still don't like Samantha, so I'm stuck with it.

Middle name is Claire, which I think really dates me too, every Claire I know is the same age as me, have never met an older or younger one!

I like my name! But I was highly amused when I searched it on here in a moment of boredom - and found it got very mixed review. A fair few of you think it sounds made up apparently, you bastards

Oh my god - I got so much grief for my name as a kid, and like Bex, wouldn't respond if anyone used the full version.

The main issue is that's it's androgynous, although the spellings differ for male and female. When I was at primary school I used to get so much abuse for having a "boy's name", because none of the kids had heard of Vivien Leigh - but they did watch The Young Ones.

For the record, I have the full French spelling - Vivienne. Didn't make any difference to the horrible boys in my brother's year though. I had a boy's name, therefore, I must have been a boy. Didn't help that my mum made me have a pageboy hair cut either!!

Worst of all, my brother got grief from the kids in his year because of me, and that totally wrecked our relationship as kids, 'cause he took his frustration at being bullied about his sister on me after school before mum and dad got home from work.

On the bright side, my name means "lively" which is quite appropriate!!!

My names Maureen and the only others I've met are at least 20-30yrs older than me. I was the only one in primary & secondary school. Also since working I've yet to come across another.

Don't particularly hate my name but when I was younger I always wanted a name that was. more 'normal'.

Used to hate being called Mo but it's grown on me now

I am quite fond of my name. It was, however, once described on here as "belonging on Trisha's sofa"

Sorry, should have added that yes it probably does suggest I was born in the seventies.

Well, as I am Layla, named after the song 'Layla' that dates me squarely in the 70s. But luckily only people older than me/interested in Eric Clapton know this.

My name was very unusual and "forrin" 30 years ago.
Now it seems to have been adopted by, um, chavs. (sorry)

It annoys me more than it should.

I'm sure an Irish person has already said this, but my association is Juno and The Paycock a famous Irish play by Sean O'Casey, so I think it has more longevity than a teenage flick! That will be forgotten, and theatre lovies and drama students and English students would all have heard of the play, and make that association first... probably.

I really don't like my full first name (Bethany) as I think it sounds much too girly and I'm not really girly... I think my middle name (Jean) sounds like a proper old lady (possibly as a very good friend of my grandparents was called Jean.. just realised that, interesting!) but I understand why I was given it (my mothers middle name, older sister has mums first name as middle name).

I just thank my lucky stars I wasn't a boy!!!! As I have no doubt in my mind I would have been Fergus Woodward deep shudders

I've always liked my nicknames Pippa/Pip/Pips (people always respond v. positively to it - I think it's quite an upbeat name). I'm offically Philippa but very rarely use it except when I want to sound more serious. I didn't like it for years as I thought it sounded horsey but I'm growing to really like it now and I don't think it dates me particularly.

My name peaked about 15 years before I was born. My parents were so embarrassingly unoriginal... In fact I suspect my Dad wanted this name because he fancied some young girl in his office called this name.

I really want to know this poster's name!! "My name makes me sound like a fat, 40-something, bottle-blond Christian from Minnesota." ummm? I have no idea!!!

Juno - Like it a lot!

Ah - I'd forgotten about "Juno and the Paycock". Mairead is like Mar-aid (I think). Maybe Mar-aithe.

eekymouse I love Philippa, nn Pippa! Totally great in my opinion.

I really want to know too, Valium! Especially since, as I explained before, I am a bottle-blonde-technically-Christian-who-lives-in-Minnesota.

And for what it's worth, missmiss, as of this winter I will be a hockey mom. But I'd rather be in a shroud than a pair of Penney's jeans, so I got that goin' for me.