Are you happy with your given

[keepersdaughter]

name? I've never really liked mine, but at this late stage wouldn't consider changing it. But given a choice, I have no idea what I would like to be called.
It's not pretty, my mother decided she wanted a name for me that couldn't be shortended for whatever reason I'm not sure. My middle name isn't English, in fact it probably suits me because many people think I look Italian.
Must have some recessed roman genes or something because as far back as we can go, it's English blood all the way - maybe a drop of the Irish rumour has it. Funnily enough several Americans have said I look typically English - not sure what they imagine that is. But here I go off subject again :o So if you could, would you change your name and if so to what?

[sunflower]

All through my childhood I disliked my first name. Firstly, at all the schools I attended, there were several girls with the same name, and when the Teacher took the register she called us by numbers instead of our name!! Secondly, my name always seemed to be said with a distinctive lack of love or very conditional love, and I was never given an affectionate nick name. About 18 years ago, after some beautifully amazing things happening to me I decided to be called by my middle name which means 'Joy'. I am really happy using my middle name now and wish I had done it years ago!!!

[jazzactivist]

I never liked my name either as a child as, like yours sunflower, it was fashionable for the 60s and there were quite a lot of other girls with the same name. My name is a compromise, as neither of my parents liked the name that the other chose. I should be happy with what I have since my mother wanted her favourite flower "Agapanthus" and my father "Edith Ruby" after his mother! As a small child I often invented names form myself which I thought were more exciting and told other people that was what I was called eg "Pinkbelle" and "Aventura" - which led to quite a bit of confusion! Since the age of 12 I have insisted on being called by my full name, rather than a nickname, but I think that it is still a bit unimaginative. Like you Keepers, I also have 1/8th Italian blood, so would prefer something with a bit more Latin oomph like Carmen or Agustina.

[Healing Hands]

I have had no problem with my name, but my friends at school would call me "Caroline" and my father would go mad and say " I have named you Carolyn, not Caroline", but it was easier not to correct my friends, because they still called me Caroline. Sometimes even today people still say "Caroline" and I must admit I do now say my name is "CAROLYN"...

[eleanor2]

i always liked my name.i rarely get called my full name.my real name is a long name.i actually like the fact that so many people call me by a different pronunciation of it.i have so many affectionate terms of it from people right from childhood.i will never forget how the first lad i fell in love with at 13 said my name.so long names can be fun for life.my best friend now has even thought of a way of saying it that is thoroughly new.

[Catriona]

I hate my first name and I don't like my second one much either.
Apparently I was originally going to be called a different much nicer name, don't know why I wasn't. Once I was talking to a woman who was a medium and although I told her my actual name, she kept calling me by the other name, she said that she thought that was more me, although I hadn't mentioned the other name to her at all!

[gothfairy]

My given name is rather posh sounding, and there aren't that many of us around; it sounds rather aloof and snobbish to me, but then, that is a part of my character anyway! My late husband shortened it to something which suited me better, at the time. Now as I am getting older I am not so sure the shortened version is appropriate, it seems to belong to someone younger.

[Katelb]

I am not over struck on my given names but was called by my middle name at school on the basis that it couldn't be shortened(anne) so they lengthened it!!! then after I left school,Some very good friends started calling me a completely different name and so since the early 1960's,I have always been kate which I much prefer.I don't think anyone can remember my real name now!!

[Serenity]

I have no problems with my name although everyone calls me by the shortened version, like Gothfairy I too think that the full version (which I actually prefer) is more appropriate as I get older.

[dinger]

Yes think I am happy with my name I was given .My mum wanted to call me one name but my dad wanted me named after his mum so they met half way and my name came half of one choice and half the other. Mind you I rarely get called by it .

[Oola]

I actually really like my name Lucy now, I think it suits my character well, although that's probably because it IS my name, in which case my point is...pointless :) Most friends call me Luce, but I like either. Rich calls me Lula and my Dad still occasionally calls me Lulabelle, which is far too feminine in my opinion lol. Of course I always liked the fact that John Lennon wrote Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds - although the psychadelia was inspired by LSD, the song was in fact written because John's son came to him with a drawing one day and said "look Dad, it's Lucy (his friend from nursery) in the sky with diamonds". I really like that connection.

I always wanted to be something a bit more exotic when I was a child, and I still love Italian and Irish names. My sister's OH is half-Italian and hopefully she's set to inherit his beautiful surname, and she wants to call any daughter she has Georgiana (which goes with the surname SO well) after Mr Darcy's sister in P&P...OTT? You decide!

[Oola]

Dinger that sounds a bit like what Ma and Pop Larkin did with Mariette! :)

Yes think I am happy with my name I was given .My mum wanted to call me one name but my dad wanted me named after his mum so they met half way and my name came half of one choice and half the other. Mind you I rarely get called by it .

[Redstart]

I was named Marilyn Susan but couldn't say Marilyn when I was small so got various versions of it and eventually one of them stuck in my early teens. Most people don't know that what my real name is and I don't answer to it unless I'm prepared (like when I visit my elderly godmother).

Because of this our three children all have short names (which sometimes get lengthened!) but at least they could say their names when small.

[franbee]

I wasn't keen on my name as a child, my parents never shortened anybody's name so I always got the full version, and I had no other. Nor could anyone spell it right. It wasn't until I was in my thirties that I went to a club with a lady with the short version of the same name, and I was called the short version too. As I thought it sounded a bit younger and sharper, I used that name when I met new people, but the family, old friends and work use the full name. Fran