What do your children wish they were called?

[Choosinganame]

And I don't mean 'Peppa' or 'flobadobadee'

I mean children old enough to understand names, do they love their names or wish you had called them something different?
I am interested in this because we often want to choose unusual names for our DC but do they like them? My DC is still too young to know.
I have quite a serious but common name in the 80's and I really wanted to be a Sophie or an Isabella, something more girly and soft.
I find it hard choosing a name because I want to choose something I like but also know how important it is when you are school age to feel like you 'fit in'.
For example, I think Greta is a great name, but would a Greta like her name in a sea of Isla's, Evie's etc.

Dd (8) has a Gaelic name which is fairly unusual. She wants to be called Abbie:

Ds (12) also has a Gaelic unusual name and loves it.

Dh and I have both have very 80s baby names. Dh couldn’t care less but I’ve always hated mine as there were so many of them! I’d have loved a name like Ellie or Hannah or Katie. Something traditional but not millions of them in my area in the 80s/90s when I was at school.

Looking at the ONS graph: it definitely peaked sharply in popularity about 10 years ago and is on its way out.

DS really likes his first name (the shortened form that he prefers to be known as) but isn't very keen on his middle name.

I have a very common late 70s name and always wanted to be Louise, Caroline or Pandora

I have an uncommon name, not weird but never really used now, I've only met one other person irl with it. I LOVE MY NAME. As a child however I wished I'd been called Sally ...

My DD dislikes her name... she would have preferred to be called Olivia or tessa (her choices)

I always imagined myself as a Rachel... I very much dislike my name and effort was spent to make sure DD was named something lovely... imagine my disappointment

Dd is 7 and wants to be called Melissa. No idea why.

@bluejag Sterling is on our baby list. Does it get shortened much and to what? (it’s the one sticking point we have with it as a name)

I know a Sterling. Great name. It really doesn't need to be shortened, it's so easy to say!

I always wanted to be called something with an S in it. I remember thinking Susannah would be a fabulous name.

DD likes her name and hates all of the other options as well as the name she would have had had she been a boy.

I asked my dc this a few weeks ago. My dad likes Harriett and my ds Zachary. They both like their names though. I like Alice for me!

@GemmeFatale hi no it doesn't because he introduces himself as Sterling. Means little star.
He really likes it. I think as long as you don't shorten the name others won't either.

Bridget - I noticed that too. I'm kind of hoping it never got popular enough to truly date in the same way as Tracy, Nicola etc did, but it does put me off a bit.
Some interesting posts here! I'm surprised some DC like what I would consider quite old fashioned names (for their generation) like Jennifer, Sarah and Susan

Alicia or Anya

@bluejag thanks for coming back to answer!

My side of the family are incapable of using a name without changing it in some way. But I love it as a name and the meaning is part of that for us. So maybe we’ll use it anyway and just cope with the occasional family member trying to shorten it.

I figure our surname is pretty flexible on nicknames if he wants his peer group to use something short and snappy.

@GemmeFatale it's a lovely name and not common at all. So hard to find a good name.

My six year old DD wants to be called Zach . I explained it’s a boys name and she doesn’t really care... I just let her get on with it .

My 6yo has an unusual name, but we've pretty much always called him by its almost-as-unusual diminutive. He loves the diminutive, but doesn't like his actual name. He's reconciled to it a bit since I explained that we weren't going to call him the diminutive so if he wants to go by that, he has to lump the name we gave him

My youngest has decided he's going to change his name to "Dennis"

DC1 (17) has no problem with his name (top 1000, not top 100). He doesn't give it much thought. DD had a phase of hating her "posh" name (again, top 1000, not to 100) and insisted on being known as a derivative or as Lettuce (no joke) - but has suddenly, aged 15, decided to be called by her full (gorgeous, albeit uncommon) full name.

My 5yo announced yesterday that when she was older she wanted to change her name to Bella. Makes sense, it’s the name she gives nearly all her dolls! I had Isobel as my top girls name for years but called her something else, funnily enough.

DD likes her name but has an imaginary alter ego she writes about called Martha. Who is better at sport than DD and very adventurous!

DS is 13. He’d like to be called Geoffrey

One of my sons, who has an unusual and interesting name, currently wants to be called Geoff. 😂

DS is 13. He’d like to be called Geoffrey

OMG, snap. Just saw this!