Deleted, thank you all for the advice.
Maybe look to names from your home country wherever that may be. I have no experience with changing names, but I do wish you all the best. Too often I see what I consider to be horrible and unusual names posted, and while I can’t pretend to understand your reasoning for wanting to change your name, I do think that it looks like you’ve done some soul-searching on the matter and feel strongly about it.
I actually think you’ve selected some very beautiful names to choose from and I don’t think that you could go wrong with any of the ones you listed above. Best of luck in your choice and I truly hope you find the name that is more “you”.
This is just a little bit of advice, maybe not what you want to hear, but I hope you’ll listen anyway.
You are very young, and you’re going through so much change and growth right now, and it might not be the best time to rename yourself. Your taste and even your self changes so much over your late teens and twenties that you might regret your choice even more than your given names.
I know you don’t like your name, and I totally understand that. I have a very popular name that I’m not in love with either, but you know what? It’s my name, and it is connected to me, and the same goes for you. You can be who ever you want to be with the name you already have.
That was just my maybe/probably unpopular opinion. You can, of course, do whatever you wish to do. I just thought I would give you something to think about.
Thank you for replying, fatherknowsbest and meogan. I appreciate you taking time to share your opinions!
fatherknowsbest - I have looked at names from my country, though, I haven’t found any that would have been to my liking so far. Thank you for the advice and opinion the names I picked out, I appreciate it.
meogan- I know I’m very young, too young for some to be concerning myself over matters such as this. It’s just that a name is something very precious to me, part of my identity, and I feel that the names now I have don’t reflect that at all. It’s not that I would hate my names, but that I want to give myself something that is entirely me. I do, however, understand what you are going after. Thanks a lot 
Before you legally change your name try going by your chosen name in your personal life for awhile. Get used to being called it before you commit to it. I like [name]Elodie[/name], personally and it works well with [name]Amanda[/name].
So do you want to keep [name]Emma[/name] [name]Amanda[/name] as a middle combo? If so, then I’d nix anything ending or starting with A, and A/UH sounds.
I love [name]Aria[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name], [name]Elodie[/name], [name]Lily[/name].
Would you like [name]Lilian[/name]? I think something with more consonants than vowel sounds is best. [name]Lilian[/name] [name]Emma[/name] [name]Amanda[/name].
[name]Jolene[/name]
[name]Katrina[/name]
[name]Karine[/name]
[name]Odette[/name]
[name]Melanie[/name]
[name]Elaine[/name]
[name]Claire[/name]
[name]Gabrielle[/name]
[name]Vivian[/name]/[name]Vivienne[/name]
[name]Caroline[/name]
I can sort of relate. I’ve come such a long way with my name story, it’s just a bit tiring to share it all, but once I felt very much like you–I grew up hating my name and I didn’t feel like an [name]Ashley[/name] at all, and for years I promised my parents I would change my name. Then one day, I woke up, and it was different. I saw [name]Ashley[/name] in a different light, and I realized it totally suits me, despite me not fitting the typical [name]Ashley[/name] stuck-up cheerleader who won’t let anyone near the star quarterback type.
I still have some issues with [name]Ashley[/name] I’m not very happy about–it’s unisex, and I feel that it holds back my femininity, and I wish I had something that was a bit more timeless or maybe even vintage. I’ve tried on other options, but I’m just [name]Ashley[/name]. I’ve even tried coming up with nicknames from [name]Ashley[/name] (other than the uninventive [name]Ash[/name] or [name]Lee[/name]/[name]Leigh[/name]) that I could use, but I’m just [name]Ashley[/name]/[name]Ash[/name]. There’s really no changing that, and I do love [name]Ashley[/name], so I’m keeping it. I feel like I become someone I don’t want to be when I try to see myself as a name I theoretically could see myself as ([name]Lillian[/name] nn [name]Lily[/name], [name]Annabel[/name], [name]Hannah[/name], [name]Lydia[/name], [name]Adeline[/name], [name]Lela[/name] (lee-lah), [name]Eleanor[/name], etc. were my options).
Much as I hate to admit it (because I hated when people would tell me “Shut up. You’re [name]Ashley[/name]. Embrace being [name]Ashley[/name] and don’t break your parents’ hearts.”), my advice is similar to @meogan’s. Not that I think you SHOULDN’T change your name, I don’t think that at all. But my mind changed completely, when I started to consider it more seriously. Having a popular name isn’t all that bad–at least, it hasn’t been for me. Give yourself a little time. Sure, look at options, see if you find anything that just clicks. But if this is not a life-or-death, this-is-the-mountain-I’m-going-to-die-on situation, I wouldn’t do it. Which is why I didn’t do it. While people on sites like Nameberry can be very supportive of name changes, the reality is, in the real world, people are generally the opposite. People think it’s ridiculous and dumb and will state their mind and they will cut you with their words and something you thought was so marvelous and exciting will start to seem selfish and pathetic and needy and ridiculous, and at some point you’ll probably feel like you’re the only one that can see the light, and among your acquaintances, you probably are. It seems easy in theory, but not so easy in reality. [name]Just[/name] give yourself time to be sure, especially before you bring it up to others. And if it’s right, you’ll find the name that just clicks and you’ll want to use it even if nobody else respects your decision, and if you were meant to remain [name]Emma[/name], then you’ll see that, too. [name]Emma[/name]'s gorgeous, I think, and it’s so versatile it can really suit anyone. Before you give up being [name]Emma[/name], I would also seriously research it. Find the connotations. See if you can identify with any of them. Personally? My name means “ash tree meadow”, and I love the image of a quaint meadow in [name]England[/name], surrounded by stately ash trees, and I love the image of [name]George[/name] Mueller’s [name]Ashley[/name] Downs, an orphanage built on prayer and faith. I connect with that. My faith and my love for the underdog and my love for [name]Britain[/name] (which is where my family’s from, originally–about 75% of me is either English, Welsh, or Irish…). Maybe you’ll connect to [name]Emma[/name], too. I just wouldn’t give up on it. I was ready to give up on [name]Ashley[/name], but I’m glad I didn’t. I’m an [name]Ashley[/name], and I don’t want to be anybody else. Sometimes I am madly in love with the idea of having a name like [name]Hannah[/name], but in the end, I’m [name]Ashley[/name], and I’m a dreamer, and that’s all I’ll ever be. I’m so happy with myself, and I wouldn’t want to change how I see myself, so [name]Ashley[/name] I stay.
Good luck!
I’m probably not any help since I am someone who loves their name. I love it because it is me. I grew into the name and if I changed it, I think I would end up feeling like I lost my identity. I just changed my last name since I got married and it already is taking awhile to get used to. It’s like losing a part of yourself. I can’t imagine how it would feel changing my first name. There are plenty of names I love more than [name]Diana[/name], but when someone says [name]Diana[/name], I automatically turn, as if they were talking to me. If I was all of a sudden a [name]Luna[/name], then I wouldn’t have that reaction. It would take awhile to work into it. It’s like forming a new identity almost.
Also, when you change your name, it’ll likely only work for those you have not met. All your old friends and family will probably still call you [name]Emma[/name] because that’s how they know you. To them your [name]Emma[/name] and it’ll be hard for them to accept the new name. So even though you might legally change your name, It won’t stop people seeing you as “[name]Emma[/name]” know what I mean? Like if I went up to my husband now and told him that from now on I’m [name]Luna[/name], he would probably still say “[name]Diana[/name]” because that’s how he knows me, he doesn’t know “[name]Luna[/name]”
However, like I said, I’m probably biased since I love my name, but those are some things to think on.
Though I wouldn’t be able to change my name completely, I go by a nickname that has nothing to do with my real name. It’s a variant of a family name and I would like to add it as second name to the one I already have. But here changing your name is very difficult so I won’t even try.
I’m not sure choosing something you’ve never been called with is a good idea. I started using my nickname in my teens and I grew into it. I agree with misselizabeth, you should try to use the name you pick for a while before you make a legal change.
That’s how it worked for me. My family and older friends still use my legal name. Actually some newer friends prefer using that one too. Currently I have four flatmates and two of them use my legal name.
It’s not confusing for me because I’m used to both names and I identify with both.
There have been some great posts in the past by people who have changed their names legally and there experiences in the past. Poke around the NB archives/ past threads and you might come across some great advice and thoughts. 
Three of my favorites were:
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Look at the names that were reasonably popular or well used the year you were born in the area you were born. You might love the name [name]Winter[/name] but if you were born in 1984 and are now 28 being called Abcde ([name]Ab[/name]-si-dee) might just feel strange and new people you meet will find it strange. Choose something that is you but also fits in with your peers.
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Try the name out for a while. Practice writing it down, a lot. See if your close family will try calling you by it for a day/evening/dinner. See how it feels.
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It might be easiest to change your name when you are moving to a new city or into a new school or job. This way you can just introduce yourself with your new name and your new friends and co-workers will just know you as that. At almost 18 that seems like a reasonable time - you might be graduating school and start college or a new job or something of the like. (If it’s college it will probably be helpful to change it beforehand because future employers or schools might as for transcripts and then they will just match your current name). I changed my nn from [name]Alex[/name] to [name]Lexie[/name] when I went to college and it was so easy because only one person knew me as [name]Alex[/name]. My friends at home got used to it and some switched some didn’t - it never really mattered since it wasn’t a drastic change. But as said going to college made the change incredibly easy.
[name]One[/name] other thought: I’d have an open and honest conversation with your parents and family about it. They probably won’t be thrilled since they choose your name for you. You don’t have to cave to their wishes but it would probably be prudent to hear them out and ask them to do the same for you. Esp if you want them to get on board. They might need a some time to understand how important this is to you, but hopefully they will eventually support you full heartedly. If not, at least you gave them a heads up and some time to get used to the change. There is probably nothing more important to a parent than being involved in their childs life.
Thank you all for your insight, I appreciate it. [name]Will[/name] take a look at the past topics
I’ve talked this over with my parents multiple times and they had nothing against me adding a third name; they only wished I would not give up my pre-existing names, which I won’t. I’m graduating within a year and after that will move to another country to study, which is why I find now to be the best time to deal with a name change, considering all the legal stuff and official documents to be updated. But really, thank you all for your good advice! I’ve got a few considerable names I’ll discuss with the parents I’ve thought of just adding third name instead of giving up [name]Emma[/name] as the name I go by. We’ll see
There have been great points made above; I’ll reiterate some of them.
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If you’re going to do it, now’s the time. 18, moving far away to university, is perfect. (Applying to university can be hard with a name change-- your birth cert, transcripts, scores, A-levels, whatever will all be in the old name; the offer of acceptance will be in the old name, etc. I would wait until you’re admitted someplace before doing it). You don’t yet own property, you have no professional license or formal credentials, you’ve earned no degrees, you’re not married, you’re not a parent listed on someone else’s birth certificate, etc. Now is the time before you go through life and accumulate more… stuff.
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If you’re going to do it, and you want to be relatively natural and subtle about it, pick something realistic. Names that are being given to children in 2012 are not the same names that were given in 1994. There were no [name]Winters[/name], Harpers, Harlows, Aaliyahs, etc in 1994. So unless you want to have a conversation every single time you order a starbucks or introduce yourself in the caf about your name change, pick something that could have realistically been given to a girl in your place of birth in 1994.
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Your name, [name]Emma[/name] [name]Amanda[/name], is perfectly fine. It’s lovely, you’re aren’t been teased about it, it’s not setting you up for any professional disadvantage, nothing. You’re changing it because it’s not unique or special enough. While friends and family would have been sympathetic & supportive if your name were truly awful (Murgatroyd, Luscious, Mankiller, [name]Tallula[/name] Does the Hula from [name]Hawaii[/name]), you will get a backlash for changing a perfectly normal and appropriate name. People will think it’s narcissistic, precious, arrogant, spoiled, etc. You will not meet with universal love and acceptance. Make sure you can deal with that before you do it.
I am going to echo others and say that if your really set on it, do it now.
I went through a change in the past 4 years or so, I really, really changed and I wanted to go by a new nickname, but even just introducing myself to people and getting used to it was so awkward, I couldn’t get used to the new nickname. I gave up on it for the moment since I have other things in my life going on right now, but I may try it again at some point because I still believe the new nickname fit’s me more.