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Baby names

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Original poster

So hands up - who likes their own given name?

130 replies

Polkadotfanatic · 01/05/2012 17:43

...If not, is there more of an emphasis on chosing the right one for DC so that they dont have to go through the same dislike?

If not, why not?

I'll start - I'm a Kirsty. Yes I like my name. Was not popular when I was growing up (one other in a school of 300) No bad nicknames or teasing and suits me well as an adult. Plus there are some great Kirsty/ Kirstie's around. My parents did a good job I think :)

What do you like / dislike about your own name?

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workshy · 01/05/2012 20:10

hate my name

very common 70's name resulted in 4 of us in the same class

one was known by her surname and the rest of us went by 'big....' 'little...' and 'fat...'
guess which I was Hmm

parents picked it because it couldn't be shortened except it can with a Z on the end and I hate it when people call me that!!!

foxeeroxee · 01/05/2012 20:14

percy i am more forgiving of it these days haha but was not impressed when a few year ago some drunken buffoon came and asked me my name and responded with 'does that make you a prozzie then?' Hmm Grin

simperingsally · 01/05/2012 20:16

i liked my name too. its michelle. my dad picked it, (had i been a boy i would have been michael.)
there were only a few michelle's when i was in school and i was always shortened to shell
while ive heard the others mich, or michy which i hated so was glad my friends picked me as shell.

ScooseLooseAbootThisHoose · 01/05/2012 20:16

Don't like mine -Josephine, I got off lighter than my sister tho who's middle name is honora!!! Confused

Sunnywithachanceofshowers · 01/05/2012 20:17

I love my name. I've only ever met one person with the same name as me.

I hated it when I was a kid though.

rocketupbum · 01/05/2012 20:17

I don't hate my name but I don't love it. I have a shortened version of a classic, I hate and never ever use the long version and there are about a million of the shortened version. I always have to use my surname to identify myself. My sis has a fab name, unusual but not weird I have always been a bit jealous. I think how I feel about my name has influenced my DC names, I hoped to find names that were a bit less common but not too crazy.

MakeHayAndSneeze · 01/05/2012 20:18

I like mine, it's an unusual spelling of a reasonably common name (so everyone spells it wrong! Grin), but was both my parents' favourite name so i like it for that. My middle name is unusual. All the dc's have fairly uncommon but classic names with a variety of shortenings and spellings- so they will be forever spelling theirs, too! Dh hates his......

Bunbaker · 01/05/2012 20:22

I don't like my name. It is harsh sounding and very unusual. I have only ever met one other person with the same name. I hated it that some people struggled to spell it when I was younger - not that it is difficult to spell.

As a result I gave DD a name that people had at least heard of and could spell easily.

Psammead · 01/05/2012 20:27

I like mine - Victoria. Went through the obligatory Vicky stage in my teens. But now I love the full version.

DaenerysTargaryen · 01/05/2012 20:27

Grin at the other Hannahs, see I also hated the fact that people, to this day, inform me that my names a palindrome as if no one ever told me before...

In my defence have an incredibly rare surname that is actually a word, I think we're the only family in england with this surname and having to explain that every time and also laugh and smile when people want to talk about both names for half an hour whenever I meet them has ground me down over the years. Oh, and doneven get me started on Hannah banana Angry
Maybe I'm just a miserable so and so Wink

ButterPecanMuffin · 01/05/2012 20:27

I love my name, which is Mary-Elisabeth.

My parents liked the sound of Marybeth, but the name (inc. the Maribeth spelling) had reached its peak (back home in the States) in the 60s and both spellings had long fallen out the Top 1000 when I was born in 1984, so they realized it was incredibly dated.

Their solution was to name me Mary-Elisabeth but call me Marybeth.

In the end, my mom and dad ended up preferring Mary-Elisabeth, so they mainly call me that. Other people do call me Marybeth though. My husband calls me Marybet. I never answer to just Mary though, my name is Mary-Elisabeth!

My name wouldn't have won my parents any points for originality, heck I've got two of the most common names for women ever as part of my first name, but it's shielded me from the perils of having "trendy" and "fashionable" names. For that I thank them.

mybootsaremuddy · 01/05/2012 21:07

Im known by my middle name but thats because people have trouble pronouncing my first name and there is no nice shortening for it.
My first name isnt actualy a 'people' name, its a native tree of NZ (where im from)! So im quite possibly the only one with this 'name'(ive googled and get nothing but the tree!).

My middle name is also uncommon but quite easy to pronounce so i go by this name in the UK. It was chosen by my grandparents as it means 'sacred' and as i was the first girl born into my fathers side of the family in many years (over 20 births) they saw me as sacred and a gift when bornHmm and so i needed a name to reflect this! Think i may have dissapointed GPs as im not a 'girly-girl' but who can blame me when i grew up with 7 brothersShock

I Love both my names as they were chosen for a special reason. They reflect my herritage and culture (im 1/2 Maori) and this is important to me.

We chose 'English' first names for DC but they all have Maori middle name then a family middle name. Would have loved to give them Maori first names but live in area mostly consisting of 'yokels' who would have terrible trouble pronouncing anything remotly 'foreign' (they have enough trouble with DS1s name so he is known as 'Vee').

cookielove · 01/05/2012 21:16

Just googled native NZ trees Grin

AlpinePony · 01/05/2012 21:21

Yes, I'm an Alexandra and I'm very happy with it.

Did go through a crisis some years back and considered adopting a new identity and was in the process of changing to Francesca.

AlpinePony · 01/05/2012 21:22

Oh and I've used Gillian as an alias when necessary.

SLVC · 01/05/2012 21:26

I don't hate my name, as it's fairly pretty sounding and inoffensive. However it's incredibly popular for my generation, which I always hated. Even now I feel it's popularity makes it beige.

Still, there are worse names..

KenDoddsDadsDog · 01/05/2012 21:27

I can't say or I'd totally out myself. My name is ok but is frequently called chavvy on MN as it begins with a K. I also have a scandi spelling of it that's a right old bugger for people to get right.

DaenerysTargaryen · 01/05/2012 21:28
MrsJohnDeere · 01/05/2012 21:30

Love mine.

serena2012 · 01/05/2012 21:43

[have namechanged]

I love my name- Serena
Perfectly 'normal' whatever that means yet not common enough to bump into another one too often.

DeadRisingPies · 01/05/2012 21:48

Never had a problem with my name, even though (as schoolmates noticed) it rhymes with 'barrel'.

Papyrus · 01/05/2012 21:51

I'm a Holly and I quite like it. Was always the only one in my class at school too - and yes I was a Christmas baby Grin

othersideofchannel · 01/05/2012 21:58

Have always loved my name - never had to 'share' my name with anyone at school, although have met a couple of others with the same name over the years (and moving abroad).

chocolatecheesecake · 01/05/2012 21:59

I've never minded my name - pretty neutral about it - traditional one - but what did annoy me was that because it could be spelt multiple ways and my surname is very unusual I was constantly having to spell out both names.

livealoha · 01/05/2012 22:03

Lucy Alexandra - I like my name Grin