What is your name and do you like it?

[Dyoulikeyourname]

Inspired by the thread asking if people don't like their names. As someone trying to choose a name for our upcoming baby, it would be so useful to know what type of names people tend to like throughout life and which they hate and why etc. I was surprised on the other thread that so many people disliked having a popular name!

I realise this is very outing if your name is very unusual so you may not want to say it. I've obviously name changed. I'll go first!

Nicola (nickname Nicky) I'm a mid 80s baby so Nicola was still popular amongst my peers but not overly so. It was even more popular in the 70s. There was a couple of others in my year at school. I didn't hate my name but I would have preferred a more girly name when I was younger. I didn't like that Nicola is a boys name in other parts of Europe.
The vast majority of Nicolas are my age or older which is slightly ageing, so I'm wary of that when choosing my own kids names. I MUCH prefer Nicky and I'm glad I have a nickname option.
Overall I'm fine with it and can't imagine changing it but I'd probably choose something different for myself.

Clare here too. I love my name, but hate when people spell it wrong, usually always Claire

Absolutely hate my name. Its a rare/older variant of a more popular male name. I've had a lifetime of having to correct people's pronunciation and have even been accused of not knowing how to say and spell my own name!

My advice is don't go for anything too usual and don't follow the trend of bedazzling a common name with a weird spelling variation. Its difficult to live with.

I'm Linda, born mid 70s. Supposedly very common name but I was the only child with that name at high school the whole time I was there. I used to dream about being called Vicky

Hey Tracey ! My name is Sharon and I feel your pain , someone once told me I don’t sound like a Sharon 🙄 I quite like my name .

My name is Lynne. I hate it. Bog standard, common, one-syllable British name shared by a whole load of women my age and up to 10 years my senior.

I spent my early life being called Linda by all and sundry, and nobody ever spells it right. It is really frustrating at work when my name appears on 2 places in an email yet I get "Hi Lynn". (Then people get stroppy when you point out that ISN'T the right name).

It's got worse now there are so many EAL speakers around because a lot of Europeans and Asians can't say Lynne so I either get Leeen or Leanne or similar. Particularly frustrating in hospital when you aren't sure if they've got the right person.

I don't have a middle name either so I'm just stuck with it.

Snap ! ❤️

Mine is Emily, born late 1970s. I hated it when I was younger and it really doesn't suit me, but can't really imagine being called anything else now. There are lots of us around but most are at least 10 years younger than me!

I m Kimberley mostly known as Kim born in 1968.
There was only one other Kim in my whole school right through from primary to secondary. No others at college uni or work.
I like it. It suits me but I don't like that it has different spellings so I have to spell it out

It's hard to know which names will one day be affected by something in popular culture. Was it Birds of a Feather that affected Sharon and Tracy or was it before that?
I hate the Karen thing. I think it's so sexist and ageist and just generally misogynistic.
Even a lovely name like Alexa has been ruined by Amazon, can't predict these things.

I’m exactly the same!

I think Linda and Lynne will one day come back massively. Give it 30 years and all our kids will be naming their daughters Linda.

I won't say what it is, but I'm glad it's relatively unusual and never in fashion. Hopefully, it won't suddenly get discovered. I'm sometimes a bit irritated people don't pronounce it properly but not very.

Emma?

I'm Katharine. I love the name (any spelling) on other people, it's a beautiful name, but am ambivalent about it on me. It's the association with me that stops me liking it! My parents named me after Katharine Street in Croydon, where my mother was working at the time, but they always called me Kathy. I hated it and called myself Katharine as soon as I left home. I kinda wish I'd changed to Kate instead, but I'd probably dislike that too if it was MY name! I do think I have the best spelling, though.

Names I answer to that aren't mine? Caroline, all the time, and sometimes Karen or Christine. I'm told by the Carolines I know that they're always misnamed Catherine, so I don't take it personally. Apparently Caroline/Catherine are the same name in the same way as Rachel/Rebecca.

I prefer classic, timeless names and would choose something like Charlotte or Alice if I could pick anything.

@Notellinganyone Eva is such a gorgeous name. If I had a daughter, I’d call her that. I met an Eva a few years ago and she told me she hated her name because so many people would call her Ava instead, but oddly, never Eve.

I’m Hannah, and was the only one in my year group. I think it’s a rather boring name, but I do like how it’s the same spelt backwards too. 😁

Melanie here! Born in late 80’s and named after the Gone With The Wind character.

I love it. There’s not too many of us about I think, I was the only one at school in a year of Beckys, Sarahs, Lauras and Janes. I was Melanie all the time when really young, hated Mel but I’m mostly Mel now.

A few years ago when I worked in a shop I was only known as Mel, even though it said Melanie on my name badge. About two years in, a colleague learned I wasn’t Melissa and good lord she did not let it drop. She’d assumed thats what Mel was short for all that time! So now I never, ever introduce myself as Mel. Nothing wrong with Melissa obviously, but I’m not one! Now I live in a word of work emails I always sign off as Melanie and I get quietly annoyed when people call me Mel before I get chance to say “Melanie, call me Mel”.

People do spell it weird too. Melarnie. Melonie. Meloney.

I was nearly Jessica. I’d have liked that too, but there were a few of those at school.

Mine is Rain, I like it. I think Raine is a nicer spelling though.

Sharon is a beautiful name. So annoying when people attach stereotypes to names.

My name is Ashleigh and I was born in the very late 80s. In the UK the name Ashley was a boys name but in America I think it was a very popular girls name. My mum chose my name and specifically chose the feminine version and I was the only girl Ashleigh/Ashley in my year at primary school and the only girl in secondary (one boy Ashley) I like having a feminine spelled name and it not being very common but I don’t particularly “like” my name as have always felt awkward when introducing myself and always wanted a more “common”’girls name but now I’m in my late 30s I’m happy with my name. However - I don’t like “Ash” and my family have never called me Ash and my mum absolutely hates it when people do! But…..I don’t mind my very close friends calling me Ash as we are friends and of course my DH but if anyone I don’t know very well calls me Ash i do not like it as it’s too familiar, only a very small group have that privilege (yes I know it’s petty) but my name is Ashleigh and please don’t shorten my name unless you know me! Sorry rant over 🙈

Another Elizabeth, born early 1960s. Family and friends call me Liz. I've also been called Lizzie, Betty, Lizbeth and Lilibet. No middle name. I really love Elizabeth, and am fine with all the variants. In naming my daughter, I wanted a name with the same qualities - dignified, established not faddish, will age well, obviously a female name but not frilly, recognisable beyond the UK. It's rather unusual in the UK so I'm not naming it.

Two Elizabeth's preceded me: my dad's sister, known as Betty, who died at 18, and my mother's daughter from her first marriage, who died when she was five days oold.These two ghostly Elizabeth's might haunt me and cause me to love my name less, but they don't.

My name is Julie, I’m quite happy with my name. An old boss of mine always called me Jules which has stuck with some others that know me. Most family and friends call me Ju but when they are angry with me it’s always Julie. Such a shame some of your pretty names on here get shortened too.

Kerensa which is often spelt wrong and Cornish, why my parents chose it im
not sure. Never lived there! I longed to be a Lisa when I was younger, but it’s grown on me. Have met a couple of Kerens but never another Kerensa.

Hi from Vicky!!

I'm a Susan and I've always disliked it. The funny thing is, I don't think my parents really liked it either as from birth they've always used my middle name, and that's what I've always gone by. Fortunately I do like my middle name.

I sometimes still get called Susan by people who don't know me but see my passport, medical records etc. Hence my current username.

Louise, born in 68. I like my name, there were 3 in my class in junior school at one point.

It became a really popular middle name in the decades after I was born.