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 :)

[JoanJettPack]

Victoria but everyone calls me Vic.

I don't mind it, but definitely wouldn't recommend it. I have 2 best friends and they are Victorias too. It gets very confusing if we're all together.

[BellMcEnd]

My name's Alice. It's ok but I don't love it. I like that I'm usually the only one in my age group (late 30s) but I think it's rather hard. I'd much rather be called something like Sasha or Tabitha

[TheFillyjonk]

Flora. I HATED it when I was growing up due to all the butter jokes. I love it now though!

[harasas]

Xanthe. At least once a week, how do you spell/pronounce that!

Thanks Mum!

[BatmanLovesBakedBeans]

Emma.
Used to hate it when I was one of a zillion in school, then there seemed to be very few at university and beyond, so I grew to like it. Now I love it. My dad wanted me to be called Rebecca - I'm so glad I'm not, it wouldn't suit me

[SageYourResoluteOracle]

I'm a Philippa but get called Pippa. I love it!

[scottishegg]

Cerys hated it as a kid ......love it now!

[thegreylady]

Valerie I can't see it making a comeback :)

[thegreylady]

My dd born in 70s is Joanna mn Sarah which is also one of my names and was my grandma's name. I like Sally better.

[SmashleyHop]

Ashley

Which after moving to the UK I find myself having to explain I apparently have a boys name. "What's your name?" "Ashley- spelt the boys way." Something I never had to do back home. I like my name. I hated it as a child. There were 6 Ashley's in my class so we all had to come up with nicknames just to avoid confusion. Very common name in the States apparently. So to avoid that I went and named my daughter Lorelai. Doubt she will have the same problems I did. Just a whole new set.

[MumOfTheMoos]

Johanna - I love it because in theUk, at least, it's so unusual. However the downside is that most people I meet don't know that's my name as I go by the name of Jo most of the time now.

I made the move definitively after university when I started work and had to pick up the phone - my surname is long and double barrelled and it seemed to take too long to say - I regret it now.

[Archer26]

Carli. Yes spelt like that deliberately.

This is fine as a child when its cute but annoying when people ask 'oh you've changed the spelling yourself to be cool?'. No. My dad just didn't know how to spell.

Also again fine as a child but now it always makes me think of an 80's pop star. A failed one.

[ashesandfire]

Imogen
It was really unusual when I was growing up (I'm in my early 30s) and used to drive me mad because no one could spell it (I have an unusual surname too which made it worse) but I've always liked it and I liked the fact that I never met anyone with the same name as me. As I child I always resented not being able to find souvenirs/tat with my name on though!
Now it's more popular so causes fewer problems re spelling but I still have the odd blank look when I tell people my name. Most people tell me it's lovely though which is nice.
When I was growing up I got so many nicknames, Immy, Imo, Im, Mog(!), they were endless. I didn't mind them at the time but now I hate them, I always introduce myself as Imogen so that's mainly what I get now.

[Serenity05]

My name is Emily and I don't like it. I find it far too cute and sweet. Plus I was born in the early 80s before Emily really exploded in popularity - I have quite a baby face so that plus a name generally associated with people ten years younger than me means people often assume I'm far younger than I am. That might sound great but it's really not when I'm trying to get taken seriously as an adult! I do wonder if the younger Emilys will feel the same or if the name will age with them.

Ironically I was nearly called Melanie which screams 80s!

[TheHappinessTrap]

Annie. It's ok. I'm definitely not an Ann though.

[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!)

[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!

[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.

[YouGrateMyCheese]

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

[ExitStageLeft]

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

[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

[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

[Chipotle]

Name change test.

[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.