[name]Hi[/name] I’m 19 and I decided I wanted to change my name about a year and 3 months ago. I’ve been visiting name sites but this is the first time I’ve ever posted about this. My name’s [name]Jessica[/name] and I hate it. I don’t like the way it sounds or feels and it’s too popular and boring. I’ve had to go by [name]Jessica[/name] C. or “the other [name]Jessica[/name]” multiple times. My middle name’s even worse([name]Marie[/name]) so that’s not an option. I know that my family and current friends will still call me [name]Jessica[/name] or “Sica” but I don’t mind. I’m changing colleges next year(out of state) so I think it would be the perfect time to change my name. I’m slighty scared to do it because I’m worried about how other people might react(my family mostly), but I do really want to do it! I don’t want to change it to something weird or anything, I just want a name that I actually like. Am I crazy for wanting to do this?
I don’t think you’re crazy at all. There are a few other posters here who want to re-name themselves. [name]One[/name] piece of advice though – if you change it legally, I’d keep both [name]Jessica[/name] and [name]Marie[/name] as middle names out of respect for your parents. [name]Just[/name] put whatever you want in the first name slot. [name]Do[/name] you have a list of names you like?
That’s a good idea! I hadn’t thought of doing that, thx.
I change my mind every so often but this is my small list right now,
[name]Everly[/name]
[name]Winter[/name] - my favorite
[name]Nova[/name]
[name]Emmeline[/name] - I love E names and I like the “em eh” sound but I don’t love [name]Emmeline[/name]
[name]Belle[/name] - I think it might be too close to the other common and trendy [name]Bella[/name]/[name]Belle[/name] names
[name]How[/name] about [name]Emma[/name] instead of [name]Emmeline[/name]? [name]Emma[/name] [name]Jessica[/name] [name]Marie[/name] is a very pretty combination.
Or you could go with [name]Elise[/name], [name]Eliza[/name] or [name]Elizabeth[/name].
I don’t like [name]Emma[/name] by itself and [name]Emma[/name] is way too common and boring. I don’t want to go from one extremely common/boring name to another extremely common/boring name. Thx for your input though. 
What about [name]Emmeline[/name] is bugging you? If it’s the “line” or “leen” part, you can pronounce/spell it Emmelin or [name]Emmelyn[/name]. I think it’s a beautiful name. Another variation I’ve heard is [name]Emelina[/name] which is pronounced [name]Em[/name]-uh-lee-na. [name]Emelina[/name] is slowly becoming my favorite “[name]Em[/name]” name.
Other names to get that “[name]Em[/name]” sound that aren’t as common as [name]Emma[/name]:
[name]Emilia[/name]
[name]Emerson[/name] or [name]Emmerson[/name] or Emersen
[name]Emery[/name]
Other “E” names (I love E names too):
[name]Elena[/name]
[name]Eleanor[/name]
[name]Ellis[/name] (a bit masculine to me, but you may like it)
[name]Ebba[/name] (yes, it’s a real name! I kind of like the sound of it)
I think with [name]Emmeline[/name] you risk it getting shortened to [name]Emma[/name] though. I think [name]Nova[/name] and [name]Belle[/name] would be the best options. And it’s not crazy to want to change your name, but it’s a lot of work, and it can make things strange around family and friends who have always known you as [name]Jessica[/name]. I don’t think changing your name will automatically stop them from calling you [name]Jessica[/name] because that’s how they know you. Your parents picked the name, so I doubt they will stop calling you [name]Jessica[/name]. [name]Just[/name] a fair warning. It’ll take time for your current friends to adjust and even so, a [name]Jessica[/name] might slip out…
The problem I see with [name]Belle[/name] is that it’s becoming so popular. I personally don’t mind popularity, but if your reason for changing [name]Jessica[/name] is popularity, I don’t think you’ll be happy with [name]Belle[/name] for very long. [name]Isabella[/name] is ranked number 2 in the U.S. and a lot of those little Isabellas are nicknamed [name]Belle[/name].
Would you consider changing to something like [name]Jessamine[/name]/[name]Jessamyn[/name]?
I like [name]Winter[/name] and [name]Emmeline[/name] (although I pronnounce it em-uh-lin) I don’t think your crazy because I want to change my name too.
I love E names but I don’t love the name [name]Emma[/name], or [name]Em[/name] names either. I just liked [name]Emmeline[/name]. When it comes to [name]Emmeline[/name] I’ve come to not like the “line” part so I don’t think I’d ever use it.
I love just [name]Belle[/name] but the other [name]Bella[/name]/[name]Belle[/name] names are too common and trendy so idk.
@sunshine.10 I don’t want to change my name to anything similar to [name]Jessica[/name]. I’ve never liked it.
@Whirligig [name]Glad[/name] to know I’m not the only one! 
This isn’t a final list or anything but the only names on this list that I can seriously see myself using are [name]Winter[/name] and [name]Nova[/name].
No, you aren’t crazy at all. I changed my name when I was 18, didn’t keep any part of my original name. Part of the reason I did it was because the name was always getting misspelled, mispronounced, and mistaken as being a different name it was driving me up the wall. The other main reason was I didn’t think the name fit me at all, I didn’t feel comfortable in it, I didn’t care for the meaning, and I hated the way people would say it. I am happy with my name change and have been ever since, but one mistake I did make was changing it to a name that has become very popular these days [and I didn’t realize it at the time]. But I was lucky in that I opted for a more unusual middle name which I can go by.
So my advice, pick a name that isn’t overly common but isn’t so out there that it doesn’t sound like it’d be your real name. If you like the names [name]Nova[/name] and [name]Winter[/name] [for example], then use them, they aren’t too outrageous and they aren’t common. It’s your name, you and you alone have to live with it so you should find one that feels comfortable and you enjoy hearing other people say.
My name is also [name]Jessica[/name], and I have always felt the same way. My husband has a cousin named [name]Jessica[/name], and when his family mentions her they always say “[name]Jessica[/name] did such and such… oh, not you, the other [name]Jessica[/name]”
And I just respond with an “Are you kidding me?” face. You mean I didn’t swim with sharks in Australia? I could have sworn you were talking about me…
I also have a very common filler mn… So my entire life I have gone by [name]Jesse[/name]. I used to hate it so much, but at 25 it’s part of my personal identity whether I want it to be or not.
I do not think you’re crazy for wanting to change your name, I just don’t know how effective it will be with people who know you. The way I see it with myself, I’ll just work hard not to repeat the same thing with my own children.
Thx for the advice! You’ve made me feel more confident about changing my name. When I consider names I also think about whether the name feels right for me. [name]Jessica[/name] never really has.
I’m still not 100% sure whether I’m keeping [name]Jessica[/name] in my name or not, but I think I might since my mom loved the idea when I mentioned it to her. Of course she doesn’t really want me to change my name in the first place. :rolleyes: I would love to pick a totally new first and middle name though.
I think your name, [name]Scarlett[/name] [name]Robin[/name], is really pretty by the way!
[name]Hi[/name] I’m [name]Sam[/name] and I’m 17; I too hope to change my name. I don’t think your’e crazy, It’s your name and you have to live with it so why not live with one that you love. I love [name]Winter[/name] as a name, just thought I’d through that out there. 
Of course I expect my family and friends I stay in contact with to still call me [name]Jessica[/name](or Sica), but I’m going to a different college next year out of state where no one will know me as [name]Jessica[/name]. I’ll get to meet new people who only know me by the new name.
[name]Hi[/name]! and thx, [name]Winter[/name]'s my favorite right now.
I think [name]Winter[/name] [name]Jessica[/name] [name]Marie[/name] would be beautiful! And I think you should go for it, regardless of your family’s thoughts. If you really want to change your name and feel like it’s the best thing for you, then do it. No one should stop you if it’s what you want. But I agree with @gabriela- leave your original name as-is out of respect and just add a new name in the first slot.
My biggest piece of advice is to stick with a name that could feasibly have been used in 1992/3, I realise you don’t want a popular name but there are certain trends in names that are stuck in a certain time, [name]Everly[/name] and [name]Nova[/name] are both great names but they definitely seem like the names for a 2012 baby, and would stick out on rostas etc. [name]Winter[/name] on the other hand - is very in fashion now, but also seems like a name that parents who are thinking out of the box in the early 90s may have used, there were certainly plenty of Autumns born then.
Guessing you were probably born in 1993 and in [name]America[/name] - [name]Jessica[/name] along with [name]Ashley[/name] were the two most popular names by far. Whereas the name in 2011 there was only a couple of thousand jessicas born compared to the 34000 in 1993.
I have listed below the popularity of the names on your list just for you to see -
[name]Everly[/name] - no listed in 1993
[name]Nova[/name] - 21 in 1993
[name]Winter[/name] - 89 in 1993
[name]Emmeline[/name] - 38 in 1993
[name]Belle[/name] - 35 in 1993
Today -
[name]Everly[/name] - 222
[name]Nova[/name] - 293
[name]Winter[/name] - 237
[name]Emmeline[/name] - 158
[name]Belle[/name] - 139
So number wise it’s not a massive difference but does show that the names you have picked are all more popular today than 19 years ago. And personally I would just want to make sure that I was giving myself a name that would fit my peers, and yes there will always be someone with a crazy unusual name - but normally they have a story behind it or hippy parents. If your new name completely sticks out in your friends and family then personally for me that would be an issue.
I think your best option is [name]Belle[/name] - You are unlikely to get lost in a sea of 19 year old Bellas, and [name]Isabel[/name] was a reasonably well used name in the early 90s and is on a similar standing sound wise to [name]Jessica[/name].
I would personally go for [name]Isabelle[/name] nn [name]Belle[/name] if it was me [name]Hope[/name] you don’t mind this essay - I just find it an interesting topic - I’m also 19 btw. Best of luck!!
Thanks.
As for whether or not to keep [name]Jessica[/name] as part of your name, I guess that’d depend on how much you dislike it [if it’s a name you truly hate or that makes you cringe when you hear it, I would nix it.] and how much you want to appease your family with your name change. If you don’t mind putting it as a middle name though and think it’d make things easier for you with your family, go for it. But I warn you, even if you had your mom on board with your name change [mine was fine with it and actually helped me pick out a new name.] you will always have someone that is going to pitch a fit about your legally changing your name whether it be other family members or people who learned you changed your name, someone somewhere out there is going to disprove. [name]Just[/name] remember, they aren’t the ones that have to live with the name, you are. At the end of the day, it’s your decision.
Also, changing your name before you go to college or move to a new place is the best thing. You get to start fresh with a new name. No one calls you by a name that you don’t like, they call you by a name you love. And that’s an awesome feeling.