Have you ever wanted to change your first name?

My name is Michael.

I was originally supposed to be named Rafael.

If I ever changed my name, I’d change it to that, but I’m quite happy with Michael, even though Rafael sounds really badass.

I have always wished I had a unique first name. Beth is SO plain. It’s not even Elizabeth, it’s just Beth. I would choose Anastasia or Francesca. Those are beautiful names and not plain. I also love Bronwyn. That name is just fun to say. But, I suppose I would never change my name. I’m Beth, and I think it fits me.

On a side note, if I was a boy my dad really wanted to name me Spain Dale Wayne. That is quite unique. I’m sure glad I wasn’t a boy.

Nope. I’m pretty happy with “Pete.” ;)

I always wanted to be named Anastasia, a much prettier version of my name, Stacey. Or Catherine because of Catherine the Great and my love of Russian history/culture

I wouldn’t mind having a name that doesn’t contradict itself. ‘Blake’ apparently means light or dark skinned. I wouldn’t mind being called Gatlin; it sounds powerful, while Blake sounds like a pronounciation of lake by someone with an accent.

Yes, to my brothers. I always wanted it because it was my grandfathers name and he was and idol to me. Also, we are twins. As his name was very unique and mine common, everyone always guessed his.

I like mine just fine as it is.

My name sucks (it’s Kristin).

3 years ago I wanted to change my name to Acorn for whatever reason. I’m thankful I changed my mind.
I’ve also wanted to change my name to Melvin, but that was when half the people I knew actually called me that. Hah. Now it wouldn’t seem so fitting…

I would probably change it to Margo. Or something Swedish.
(@knitfroggy if I was a boy I would have been named Kenneth Noble. Noble being the middle name. Thank the heavens I’m a girl).

When I was a child I was embarrassed by my first name. I had never heard of anyone else with my name.

My name is very common. It would have been nice not to share a name with at least three other girls in every class in high school.

My first name is atrocious. I despise it, except when certain select people tell me they like it, then I do to. Oh, good gracious….

@holden when I was born Stephanie was the very fashionable name. In my class there were 4 girls named Stephanie. We went from Kindergarten thru high school together. Of course when we reached middle school there were even more Stephanies. My mother really wanted to name me Stephanie Dawn. My dad didn’t like it and swore he’d never be able to spell it. He kept coming up with names like Betty Sue and Sally Jean. When he threw Beth out there my mom said OK! I’m sure glad dad can’t spell, because I am NOT a Stephanie! And besides, there was already a Stephanie H.! How confusing would that had been?

I love my name. However, I absolutely would like to change it because I have a past I have left behind, and a very abusive ex in particular. The harder I am to find, the better.

However, I never did it. I am not sure of the implications. My degrees, credentials, voter registration, certificates and other licenses, are in my name. I can imagine sitting in a job interview explaining these were my real college transcripts and credentials before I changed my name. I can imagine how that would fly. How does one handle these things? I guess women get married and change their names all the time, but I am not sure how they handle all that. I think the court process of changing the name is easy. Changing my name on everything else is what would be hard. Can I get a new diploma assigned under my new name? What about certificates and licenses? Seems like a mess. Then having to explain all that would just make me look all shady or something, or people would want to know the story behind it.

I guess I will just keep being me.

Nope. My name is Jackson. Its a unique name that I believe suits me well :)

Nah, I really like my name. I did come close to being named “Avery”, though, and I always wondered what it would be like to have that name. If I did change my name, that’s probably what I would change it to. As it is, I really do like the name Dominic and I don’t want to change it.

I used to want my name to be “Rory” because I absolutely love that name (it’s the cutest guy name there is in my opinion), but now that that’s my boyfriend’s name, I wouldn’t exactly want it to be mine as well. :P

I like my name. I haven’t met anybody with it. But when I was in elementary school, I was called Sassy, instead of Saffy. I hated it so much that I wanted my name to be Shannon, instead of Saffron.

Yes, so often! It’s just Faye. I sat in school one day saying over and over until it became a nonsense syllable!

I’m not old enough to change my name but I have never really liked it. I was going to be named Stephanie but that never happened, that’s my sister’s name though.

I wouldn’t change my name… because I love my name its unique, but I would just switch it around. My first name is terribly long (14 letters long to be exact,) and my middle name’s what I’ve been called since…the dawn of time. So…I’d just switch the two. I’ll probably end up legally switching them eventually….whenever that is. :]

Yes, I have but I would never do it. I’ve never really like my name but it is my name and it is the name by which people do and have always identified me, for better or worse. Even though I don’t like my name, I’ve never thought I would be comfortable changing it to something else. I did try to go by my given first name, rather than it’s diminutive, a long time ago, when I was in a situation where I was meeting a lot of new people, but that didn’t last very long. It seemed stilted and odd to me. Though, when I write my name down, and on official papers I always go by my given first name, long form.

Nope. Its what everyone knows me by. Its not real cute or fancy but just a normal name. So at least its nothing I have to try to fit into. Its just fine.

No, I like my name.
But I have often wanted to change my last name.
I do go by a different last name now, but before I was really embarrassed by it when I went to school. Got teased a lot. Dang kids.

Ahab. Ahab the Mad is my hero, and if I don’t meet more than three other Johns in one day, I didn’t even go outside.

Yes!

When I was younger, I hated my first name (which I love now). It’s Lucinda, which isn’t bad, by itself. The main reason for hating it was because of my first and last names together. My last name is Albano.

Let’s put two and two together – I was a fat kid with the name Lucinda Albano. Back in the day. there was a professional wrestler named Captain Lou Albano. What do you think my nick-name was, throughout school? >sigh<

I still get asked if I’m related to him (I’m not) but, now that I’m older, I realize that Lucinda is a nice name.

My first name is okay, but a long time ago we blended 3 families: McKinnon, Christian, and Martell. We couldn’t pick one, but we chopped up the syllables and came up with “McMartian”.
Too chicken to make it official. How I grieve.

Yes.

My parents gave me a weird hippie name that requires explanation/clarification every single time I meet someone. It really sucks.

Example:

“Hi, I’m Free”.

“I’m sorry, was that Lee?”.

“No, Free as in Freedom”.

“ohh..I see..”

Imagine having to explain your damn name over and over and over…it’s really fucked.

My real name isn’t “Free”, that was just an example. I never give my real name over the internet, it’s just too unique for me to feel comfortable doing so.

I don’t have a choice. I have to change if officially.

I won’t give my real name but just use common ones so you get the idea. My dear departed ~ Mother named me Jane Doe at birth and that’s what was put on the birth certificate.

However, very shortly after she changed her mind and decided that Mary was better. Thus, I was called Mary since before I was old enough to talk.

She then registered me in school as Mary Jane Doe. No one could get away with that kind of crap nowadays without changing the birth certificate.

Back then, I guess little was required. So I was now officially Mary Jane Doe. Kids don’t use their middle names so I was Mary.

I knew nothing of this until much later in life. But, since all of my school records. SS card and drivers license had me as Mary Jane Doe or Mary J. Doe that was how it was.

Whenever I needed ID for bank accounts and other stuff I just used my drivers license.

Then some dumbasses decided to fly planes into our buildings and everything turns upside down. They’re clamping down on all the identity requirements particularly drivers licenses. Now one needs at least six separate ID proofs, one of which MUST BE a birth certificate. Plus the info on all of them must be the same. The only name on my bc is Jane Doe. Mary is nowhere to be found.

Of course this isn’t that big a problem for nefarious or illegal people who just buy forged stuff. It’s not deterring them. Maybe slowing them down a little but not much.

Having been a law abiding citizen of our fair land, I haven’t the foggiest notion where to buy stuff like that.

So, I either need to get a court-ordered name change (minimum $300.00) or an amended birth certificate or keep getting traffic tickets for expired plates and drivers license.

It is absolutely Draconian. Thanks Mom ~

My name is Sarina, which I like- though I did dump my middle name as soon as I turned 18, it was so common and just didn’t sit right with my first.

Were I to ever change my name it would be to Rusty Shackleford.

Yes, because the one my parents gave me is the wrong gender. I will (if everything goes to plan) be changing my legal name sometime later this year, and the rest of the transition will follow.

@holden I went to school with such a person.