What is your name and do you recommend it?

[corgiology]

My name is Anneka (Ah nicka). It is unique and I like it but my brother quite quickly caught on calling me all sorts of knicker related jokes.

My surname is unusual too :)

[squtternutbaush]

Stacy.

I don't mind it but despite never meeting another until I was 11 I know atleast 6 now so it must've been a popular 80's name.

I'm forever spelling it too because its without an E, regardless of knowing me since birth my maternal Gran still sends me cards/parcels/texts containing the name "Stacey" :o

[inallbutname]

Laura. I quite like it - it travels well, people know how to spell it, it looks good on the page and sounds all right, too.

[Blueundies]

Where are all the Claire's Janes, Julie's and Catherine's ? Different spelling obviously too ... There were tons in my childhood

[whatkatiedidnext31]

Katie...and if anyone dares spell it Katy!!!

[BitchTradeMark]

Erica.

Not a fan if I'm honest!

[flowerygirl]

Nicola. I quite indifferent about it it but prefer what I was nearly called, Nicole. More exotic sounding. Wouldn't name my child Nicola though, I'm always surprised my parents picked it!

[Raahh]

My name is Joanne. I HATE it. I am 43- and 1971/72 was the heyday for this name. There were 5 of us in my 'A' Level French group- which only had 15 in it. I have been 'Jo' for years. (apart from with my mother). i cannot see it ever making a comeback

[sianihedgehog]

Siân (Siâni at home and to my friends)
I know it's relatively common here in the UK, but it was completely unheard of where I grew up in Northern Ontario. Every single school trip it got "corrected" to Sean and I got put into the boys dorm. I got constant abuse about it being a boys name.
I grew into it, though, I am cool with it now, and I wouldn't want a totally boring name. The only REALLY annoying thing with it is that I can't figure out how the hell to type the accent into web forms (I had to copy it from word, and I hope it works!) and if you use the accent in computer systems it breaks them SPECTACULARLY because all different software and parts of software parses that character differently - sometimes just as an A, sometimes as two characters, sometimes as one â... So basically I spell my own name wrong all the time to make life easier for myself.

[stabbybitch]

im shanie. hated it growing up, nobody can pronounce or spell it. i like it now though, feels very me. never met another though.

[Cambam2010]

I'm a Lorraine. Always felt it was an older womans name when I was growing up (37 now so have grown into it). There was another Lorraine 3 doors away from us when I was growing up. Father wanted to call me Larraine but the registrar told him it wasn't the correct spelling (kinda glad really as I'd hate having to spell it out all the time). Used to have people singing 'I can see clearly now Lorraine has gone' when I was younger which peed me off. Not many nicknames or abbreviations, although I was once called quiche by a friends sister.

[Ketchupwithchips]

Claire

I hate, it, always have. Partly because of the variant spellings (I sent you an email, it has my name in the email address, I sign it Best regards, Claire, and it's there again in my signature text, and yet you still reply 'Dear Clare' ?????!!!!!), and partly for the rhyming. My name is not Claire-Bear.

[EbonyIck]

Mum liked flowers

Wish she'd gone for any other bloody flower (well not ANY), but it's what was in the garden when she was pg.

[AllMimsyWereTheBorogoves]

Cyclamen Camellia?! Two tough names to live up to there.

[Chipotle]

Name change worked.
I'm an Emma. It's very much of it's time (70s-80s) there's a million of us. It is alright. I don't love it, I don't hate it. Emma has had a bit of a resurgence and I see why because it is a simple and classic name.

[EbonyIck]

My name is Cyclamen. I hate it (obviously got shortened to Sick or Sicky). I have been going by middle name of Camellia since I started primary school. Most people mishear it as Camilla or Amelia.

Most people call me Ame pronounced Am-me.

Would not use those names for a child.

[Chipotle]

Name change test.

[kittensarecute]

Sarah, middle name is Louise.
Pretty enough but wish I had a more imaginative name, half the girls in my class at school had the same middle name. I don't meet many fellow Sarahs these days though

[sooperdooper]

Shelly, I rarely meet anyone else with the same name, and if i do they normally spell it -ey or it's a shortened version of Michelle, I quite like it - it's not common enough to get bored of meeting too many people called the same but it's a name that people recognise

[ExitStageLeft]

Nancy. Yes it's ok, currently going through a revival so lots of compliments.

[YouGrateMyCheese]

Ha, greylady, your mum sounds like a riot! That's hysterical. You chose well in the name department, though, whatever the order.

[StrawbRhi]

Rhiannon here.
I used to hate it, it was too unusual growing up but now I love it. It's a pain in the arse to spell EVERY DAMN TIME however, and repeating myself 3 or 4 times whenever I meet someone new drives me mad.
Most people call me Rhi, even my mother and I really dislike it but still introduce myself as that just to avoid the "oh, Rihanna! Like that singer!" bollocks.

[thegreylady]

Yougrate my mum wanted my dd to be Sarah Joanna to the extent that she put a notice to that effect in the Birth Announcements column of her local paper!
My dd had the 'Joanne' confusion a lot and spent time as a child saying a firm A to people!

[YouGrateMyCheese]

Whoa, thegreylady, I have the exact same name as your daughter, but flipped. AND I've always gone by Sally! Too funny. I have to wear a name tag for work, and I often get compliments on it. Sally's a lovely, pretty name. (She said modestly!)