Is Michael a suitable and respectable name choice for me?

[Hawer]

Hi everyone, I am a 44-year-old Kurdish man who has lived in the UK for 8 years. I am starting college soon and I want to choose a name that fits well here. I've always liked the name Michael. Is it a good, respectable choice for my age? I'd love to hear your thoughts or any other suggestions!ه

Why not just use your actual name?

Michael, James, Mark, Andrew, David- all good choices for your age. But it would be OK to use your actual name.

It's quite old fashioned to change your name to fit in (there was a famous sketch called Jonathan on the comedy show Goodness Gracious Me back in the 90's taking the piss out of people who refused to attempt 'foreign' names). Most people will make an effort to pronounce your own name correctly (and if they don't that's a good way to identify the ones you want to avoid generally). If you genuinely believe British people won't be able to pronounce your name then check what the equivalent name in English is or use a nickname, you must have native English speaker friends who could advise.

Having said all that Michael is a nice, normal name that is generationally appropriate for a 44 year old.

To be honest, I've just never liked my original name. I want a name that I personally feel happy with, and Michael is a name I’ve always been fond of. I’m looking for a fresh start with a name I actually enjoy.

I strongly suggest that you use your own name. Most people will realise that Michael isn’t your real name and I’m sure the vast majority will be very interested about your background and will want to use your real name.

If you want to change your name, you are perfectly entitled to do so. And if Michael is a name that you have considered for a long time, absolutely use it. Michael is a strong, basic name that is recognisable in many countries, not just English-speaking ones, so I think it would be very suitable for you.

It is a nice name. The only thing against it is that people often misspell it as Micheal. A relative of mine even had his teacher get it wrong on a school report once!

And people might call you Mick or Mike.

Michael was a top 20 name in the1980s and 1990s so would be a reasonable choice but it usually gets shortened to Mike or Mick.

I would agree with pp that it would be better to keep your own name, but since you actively dislike it, fair enough!

Michael is a solid, respectable name, well used across the whole UK. Hebrew origin, like many of our popular names. It is "appropriate" for your age group.
It is likely to get shortened to Mike or Mikey, so hope you like those too!

Are you aware that you posted in ‘bay names’? There might be other parts of the site that are better suited to your question.

That’s nonsense.
I know various people that don’t use their given name, indeed there was a thread about nicknames the other day). If OP wants to be Michael then that’s his choice and shouldn’t need to be defended. If someone questions that, then that’s over stepping in my mind.
I’m married to a Michael - not a Mick or a Mike or anything similar. He’s a good man, and I’m sure OP is too.

There is an equivalent of Michael I think in Arabic but not so much in Kurdish, please correct me if I'm wrong. It's a perfectly sound name and if you are going to use it because you like it more than your given name, then you should.

I love Michael and think it’s a fantastic name! Go for it OP - great options for nicknames as well if you go down that road - Mickey, Mike, Mick.

Every single Michael I’ve known is a top bloke 👍🏽

What's your original name? Maybe you could choose an English name that sounds similar.

Otherwise it's fine, any biblical names will suit.

I would have said no need to change your name but as you want to then I think Michael is an excellent choice - you like it (most importantly) and it’s a well known and ‘neutral’ name (doesn’t have negative cultural associations I’m aware of).

Yes sometimes it gets shortened to Mike or Mick but if you introduced yourself to me as Michael that’s what I’d call you.

Mikhaïl.

If you are a Muslim a name that is Christian/Jewish will seem a bit strange.

But if Michael is just the English equivalent / spelling of Mikael or Mikhail then surely if they would be suitable for a Muslim then wouldn’t Michael be suitable too?

If you told me your name was Michael I wouldn’t think about whether it fits your religion or not. But I might accidentally call you Mike sometimes

Michael is a good name choice.

Not really. It would be strange.
Would you think it strange to meet a British Christian or Jew called Dawud or Yusuf?

It's a good choice - and it's connected to older names of the 3 Abrahamic religions - you'll find the name in its different language versions in the Torah, the Bible, and the Koran.

This.

Michael is absolutely a strong name.
Plenty of Michaels in your age group, but not too many.

People will shorten it to Mike without asking you though.

Why do you want to change your name? Legally or socially? It seems unnecessary really and if I met someone who was clearly from a different country where they don't use names like 'Michael' it wouldn't be impressive or admirable seeming. It would just make me wonder why they didn't use their real name.

Stick with your real name. Or a short/nickname version of it. Don't just suddenly say you want to be called 'Michael'.

If anything it's giving dead paedo pop star vibes.

But that's not really the point. You shouldn't change your name in order to try and blend in. There's no need to.

Michael is a great name. You are clearly drawn to it so there is no harm. As long as you are doing it for the right reasons (you like the name better) and not because people are being lazy with your real name.

There is a long tradition of people changing their name to suit a new phase in their lives. Starting college is as good as any and Michael is good name.