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Help[Opinions] Why Do You Love/Regret Your Name?
Poll question that left me wondering about the reason behind responses: https://www.behindthename.com/polls/437344
I regret my name because of the person I was named after, not because of the name itself. I am honouring relatives and ancestors through my children's names, though I set strict criteria for my choices: 1) must have a good meaning, 2) the person/people it honours must be deceased without having caused malicious harm to anyone, 3) no "copy-paste" names.
What are people's thoughts on family names?
If you love your name, would you pass it on to your child?
What are the reasons people regret their names?
Would you change it, and if yes, what would you like to be called?
I regret my name because of the person I was named after, not because of the name itself. I am honouring relatives and ancestors through my children's names, though I set strict criteria for my choices: 1) must have a good meaning, 2) the person/people it honours must be deceased without having caused malicious harm to anyone, 3) no "copy-paste" names.
What are people's thoughts on family names?
If you love your name, would you pass it on to your child?
What are the reasons people regret their names?
Would you change it, and if yes, what would you like to be called?
Replies
I like and use family names, but only if I like the name and the family member.
I adored my mother and her mother: respectively Beatrice and Florence Beatrice. I always knew I'd want a Beatrice daughter.
My father was Cecil. Not my choice; given enough daughters, I'd have used Cecily.
Both my grandfathers were Thomas, known as Tom. Given enough sons, I'd have used Thomas.
My father loved his mother, Sarah Anne, very much. He was the youngest of five, and very close to her. He wanted to name me Sarah Anne. My mother got on with her MIL but didn't like or respect her; which my dad never knew. But she refused to use Sarah, found a name she did like, claimed that it was a delivery-room inspiration, which I doubt, and gave me Anne as my mn, which I like and my dad appreciated.
My son was named Peter after a friend, David after my birth surname, Davies, and Alastair after two friends and to include the initial A.
My first daughter was named Caroline because it suited her, Beatrice after my mother and Mary after DH's late mother, Bertha Maria.
My second daughter was named Beatrice after her late sister, Elizabeth after my step-mother-in-law, and Anne.
My mother liked her name, but disliked being called Beattie and, worse, Beat! She was OK with Bea, which is my daughter's nn of choice. In my experience, people sometimes dislike having a very popular name, and sometimes dislike the shortened nn form of their name.
I adored my mother and her mother: respectively Beatrice and Florence Beatrice. I always knew I'd want a Beatrice daughter.
My father was Cecil. Not my choice; given enough daughters, I'd have used Cecily.
Both my grandfathers were Thomas, known as Tom. Given enough sons, I'd have used Thomas.
My father loved his mother, Sarah Anne, very much. He was the youngest of five, and very close to her. He wanted to name me Sarah Anne. My mother got on with her MIL but didn't like or respect her; which my dad never knew. But she refused to use Sarah, found a name she did like, claimed that it was a delivery-room inspiration, which I doubt, and gave me Anne as my mn, which I like and my dad appreciated.
My son was named Peter after a friend, David after my birth surname, Davies, and Alastair after two friends and to include the initial A.
My first daughter was named Caroline because it suited her, Beatrice after my mother and Mary after DH's late mother, Bertha Maria.
My second daughter was named Beatrice after her late sister, Elizabeth after my step-mother-in-law, and Anne.
My mother liked her name, but disliked being called Beattie and, worse, Beat! She was OK with Bea, which is my daughter's nn of choice. In my experience, people sometimes dislike having a very popular name, and sometimes dislike the shortened nn form of their name.
I think I have a good name in a void, I don’t like the fact it’s extremely popular for my age range in my country. Think “ignore someone calling you down the street because they might be calling anyone “ level of popularity.
It’s better now I live abroad.
So no I wouldn’t pass it on to a child, naming kids out after yourself isn’t done in my culture anyway.
It’s better now I live abroad.
So no I wouldn’t pass it on to a child, naming kids out after yourself isn’t done in my culture anyway.
I regretted my birth name deeply, because of the reasons it was chosen and who chose it, I hated the meaning, it was too popular, there were no nickname options I liked... I hated literally everything about it, like, violently. I despised my name. I avoided signing things because I hated writing it, that's how much I hated it. Ironically, now that it's my middle name I feel warmly about it - I can see its beauty, and enjoy it there.
I love the name I have now, because I love what it represents. I chose it, the meaning is much more positive, the associations and namesakes are positive, and there are no nicknames to deal with, generally. I did end up picking another popular name, but it's not popular for my age group, so it's not so bad. I didn't have to go through 12 years of school as "Chloe B" like I did with my birth name.
I'm not able to have children, but if I had kids I would pass the name I have now on, for sure. One of my exes really wanted to name a potential daughter after me and I was happy to consider it.
I have given serious thought to adding another name once I change my ID to show my married name (which I do want; it's just such a huge pain to change everything, I've gone through it already and I don't know if I have the strength). Like picking a second middle name. But I have no idea what I would choose. Something INTENSE and METAL but I don't know. I'm too wishy-washy, it's amazing I managed it once.
I love the name I have now, because I love what it represents. I chose it, the meaning is much more positive, the associations and namesakes are positive, and there are no nicknames to deal with, generally. I did end up picking another popular name, but it's not popular for my age group, so it's not so bad. I didn't have to go through 12 years of school as "Chloe B" like I did with my birth name.
I'm not able to have children, but if I had kids I would pass the name I have now on, for sure. One of my exes really wanted to name a potential daughter after me and I was happy to consider it.
I have given serious thought to adding another name once I change my ID to show my married name (which I do want; it's just such a huge pain to change everything, I've gone through it already and I don't know if I have the strength). Like picking a second middle name. But I have no idea what I would choose. Something INTENSE and METAL but I don't know. I'm too wishy-washy, it's amazing I managed it once.
I love my name but I wouldn’t pass it on to anyone. Though husband and I both like another biblical R name for a possible future daughter. Two of my nieces have my mum’s last name before marriage as their middle names and two of my nieces have one granny’s first name each as their middle names. However all four nieces have their own first names that were picked because their parents liked them.
I have my grand aunts’ first name as my middle name but as she died two years before I was born I don’t often think of her or the family link. My brother was named after my dad and they are both named John but my dad has been known as Ian since he was boy and my brother has always been called John so most people don’t realise. My parents didn’t realise when they named my brother John that they were carrying on a family tradition that stretches back more than 200 years with John, John, William, William, John, John, William…..
I have my grand aunts’ first name as my middle name but as she died two years before I was born I don’t often think of her or the family link. My brother was named after my dad and they are both named John but my dad has been known as Ian since he was boy and my brother has always been called John so most people don’t realise. My parents didn’t realise when they named my brother John that they were carrying on a family tradition that stretches back more than 200 years with John, John, William, William, John, John, William…..
I don't really believe in naming "after" people. To often it feels more like the parents did it out of a sense of duty or tradition rather than a genuine honor to the person they named after, and as you found out, things can go wrong ...
People dislike their names for a lot of reasons: it doesn't sound or look good to them for purely aesthetic reasons, it has a bad association either from the start or later on, it sounds silly with their last name, they are always having to spell or correct it, there's too many other people with that name and they get tired of being Emily J or Tall Ryan ...
People dislike their names for a lot of reasons: it doesn't sound or look good to them for purely aesthetic reasons, it has a bad association either from the start or later on, it sounds silly with their last name, they are always having to spell or correct it, there's too many other people with that name and they get tired of being Emily J or Tall Ryan ...
My name is Anastasiya. It's kind of long. I use the short name Anya (more often used by people called Anna but it can also be for Anastasiya). I like it, but I don't LOVE it. I like Anya more than Anastasiya and the other short forms (I like most other short forms still). I wouldn't name my children Anastasiya because there are other names I like more that are not so long to call out.