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

I want to clarify: I am not a teenager making a sudden decision. If I only wanted to copy British names, I could have chosen names like William, Richard, Henry, Charles, James, David, John, Edward, or Harry—names that might even sound "stronger" or more "royal" than Michael. But for me, it has to be Michael. I’ve grown up with this name. I first fell in love with it in 1991 through my older brother's cassette tapes of Michael Jackson and George Michael. By 1998, my connection to the name became even deeper and it has been my dream ever since. To me, the phonetics of "Michael" is like a symphony. It’s the only name I’ve felt truly connected to for the past 28 years.

Don't be silly. There are Pakistani Christians and mixed heritage Pakistanis.

Archangel Michael is excellent.
Michael Jackson imho is a pædophile.
Why is this a Mumsnet question? Try Reddit? It is not a family life or women's question or an issue needing a feminist perspective.
Ignore the mumsnetters trying to match name and ethnicity or language. Names travel. People mix.

Michael Is a good name, just use it!

Michael is a good name but why don't you want to use your own name

I'm not being silly. There aren't many Christians in Pakistan.

I love it. It's DH's name but he uses a diminutive. I much prefer Michael though!

Just over 3 million Christians in Pakistan.

Michael is a good name but why don't you want to use your own name

Because he doesn't like it. He said so in his second post.

Bollocks. My dh changed his name when he moved to the UK because he didn’t want to be in a situation where he had to correct people or explain how to pronounce it. This very baby name topic is full of threads telling people not to have names people won’t be able the say.

I lived in dh’s country for a decade and I didn’t want people to be interested in my background. In fact, the thing I disliked about being an immigrant was constantly having to explain myself.

Thank you all so much for your incredible support and for sharing your thoughtful perspectives. I truly value each of your comments and insights; they have given me even more energy and confidence in choosing this great name. I appreciate your kindness more than I can say. Thank you all!

Michael is a great name.

I’m kind of wondering why you want to change your name now after all these years.

my ex boyfriend is Cypriot and from a young child has been known by Steve not his Cypriot name as apparently that was hard for teachers to pronounce.

Because he loves the name Michael.
And because he does not like his old name.

Is this the new "where are you really from"?

Foreign names for foreign people...

No I am honestly wondering why now? Why not change it when he was younger? It is a strange age 44 to change your first name, well to me anyway.

He said why.
Midlife is often when people make changes.
ETA I am middle-aged, and it feels like the teens -- like a time for new or second or last chances.

If you are drawn to the name then go for it, no one will bat an eyelid! I admit though I do absolutely LOVE the name Mikhail, when it’s pronounced properly (English people generally say Mik-ile or Mik-hail which I’m less keen on). But yes, go for it! Enjoy your new start!

I’m your exact age and there were two Michaels in my school class, so I’d say definitely age appropriate

if you want to know how people might react to the name though, this thread tells you the answer, do with that information what you will

Why? I was asking why they wanted to change their name? There's nothing wrong with their ordinary name.

I think that is the Irish spelling. Some children( of Irish ancestry) in Salford spelt it like that.

Only if he is going to abide in the halls of Mumsnet forever.

In the real world the reaction will be "Hi, Mike."