Did you grow up with a popular name?

[karen]

@unicorngal

My name is [name]Sandra[/name]. The year I was born, it was #10 on the SSA name lists and over 22,000 baby girls were given that name. I always knew a few other [name]Sandra[/name]'s in school but it never really bothered me having a more popular name. I guess it was because I really like the name. My family called me [name]Sandy[/name] when I was younger but as I got older I insisted on [name]Sandra[/name] in school. I think the main thing to consider when giving your child a popular name is “is it a great name?” If so, then your child probably won’t mind too badly.

I was going to comment on this earlier. I like my name also, so it didn’t bother me. I think I wouldn’t have liked to be a [name]Jennifer[/name], but Jennifers always seemed to be more popular. [name]Lisa[/name] is an ok name, but it seems to go with a certain personality - at least the ones I knew. I definitely don’t like [name]Kathy[/name]. So I could have minded having a popular name, I do feel that I lucked out getting a pretty nice one (I think). I think there is a nice way to feel about [name]Catherine[/name] and a way to feel like just another boring [name]Cathy[/name] like all the others, as I do like the name [name]Catherine[/name], but I definitely think I would have felt “blah” about being [name]Cathy[/name], both because I don’t like it and because there are so many, similar to how [name]Susan[/name] feels about [name]Debbie[/name] - she doesn’t like [name]Debbie[/name], but she didn’t pick something completely unusual when she changed it to [name]Susan[/name]. I don’t like the name [name]Jennifer[/name] and never really have. I don’t like the name [name]Nancy[/name], either, and those were rare by the time I was born, so it would have been more about having a sort of name I didn’t feel like was me.

However, one never knows if one would feel more like their name if they were given a different one and grew into it. Some people don’t like their names, but I think most people do feel like it’s their name and quite a lot of other pretty good names just don’t fit right. Given for example, the people who changed their name and then changed it back, instead of to a 3rd option. I’ve thought about changing my name most of my life, despite liking my name - if I thought of a better one, I would still miss my own name, but thinking what if my mother named me something else, [name]Linda[/name] was on the list. Would I feel so much a [name]Linda[/name] than a [name]Karen[/name]? Would my life feel a lot different? Impossible to know. I’d rather be a [name]Linda[/name] than a [name]Jennifer[/name], even though [name]Jennifer[/name] was the hot name of the time and [name]Linda[/name] had declined to just above #40 after being the prior hot name of the 50s and 60s.

[lilacarose]

@susan

I didn’t like the name I was born with. It was [name]Deborah[/name]. [name]Deborah[/name] is beautiful, but I was called [name]Debbie[/name]. Reminds me of mounds of blubbery pudding. Also it was very popular. By the way, I do love pudding but not blubbery pudding which in my imagination is gigantic and cloying.
[name]Sue[/name] was my middle name which is how I came up with [name]Susan[/name]. [name]Susan[/name] was popular for a much longer time period than [name]Deborah[/name] was, but I love [name]Susan[/name]. I think I love it because it was [name]Laura[/name] Ingalls [name]Wilder[/name]'s cat - [name]Black[/name] [name]Susan[/name]. [name]Black[/name] [name]Susan[/name] was in [name]Little[/name] House in the Big Woods. I also loved [name]Susan[/name] because my sister loved the name [name]Susie[/name]. She called me [name]Susie[/name] a lot.

[name]Deborah[/name] is actually very nice, and [name]Susan[/name] is lovely. I’m so glad there’s another name lover out there who changed their name. I actually wish we can all change our names every single day, I would love to be called [name]Wilhelmina[/name] for a day, it would be so much fun.

[cora]

@tiffyl321

Yes, hated it.

My Dutch born parents decided we should all have American names w/ Dutch middle names, blending in was important to them… so I got [name]Tiffany[/name]. Awful. I don’t know a single [name]Tiffany[/name] that likes her name. To them, it was a surname, an artist… while they did not associate it with diamond, jewelery and strippers…porn stars…everyone else most certainly did

I still dislike my name and growing older with it is even harder. My name is the reason I urge parents against giving their daughters names like [name]Tiffany[/name]… names that are hard to take seriously…

Awe, [name]Tiffany[/name], I can relate, because my middle name is of the same style. For what it’s worth, I know two Tiffanys, both of whom are very kind and elegant. But, yeah, I can relate to the whole not liking my name issue.

If you could have changed your name to anything, what would it have been?

Thanks for posting!

[cora]

@rachelmarie

I grew up with a semi-popular name. (At least according to the SSA list, that is. For the two years of the people closest to my age, [name]Rachel[/name] was ranked 14 and 13, meaning over 30,000 [name]Rachel[/name]'s were born those two years.)
The strange thing is, I only know one [name]Rachael[/name] my age. I think there are about 3 other [name]Rachel[/name]'s that go to my school, but I’m not positive. The only [name]Rachel[/name] I know was a little girl I used to babysit for, who was born about 8-9 years ago.
Since it isn’t really too popular were I live, it hasn’t been a problem for me. This year is the first year I’ve had another [name]Rachael[/name] in one of my classes.

Now, if you ask me about other popular names, I could go on. I know countless [name]Tyler[/name]'s, [name]Ryan[/name]'s, and [name]Katie[/name]'s/[name]Kaitlyn[/name]'s (among other variations).

Thanks, [name]Rachel[/name]! This just shows that popularity totally depends on geography. I think it’s great that you don’t have to share you name with a lot of other people at school.

Have a great night!

[cora]

@jlyn2723

I am a [name]Jennifer[/name] and I voted “it didn’t bother me”. Yes, I was surrounded by many other Jennifers in school but, I don’t know, it never bothered me. I was a nerdy little kid and I think if I had had a stand-out name that would’ve made me feel even more self-conscious- I guess I liked blending in with the others. And then in high school, when I became fairly popular, it didn’t bother me because… I’m thinking about it right now and I think it’s because I was the only popular [name]Jennifer[/name]. I never talk like this by the way- I don’t run around and tell everyone how popular I was 11 years ago, I’m just trying to thoughtfully answer the question.

I’m glad it didn’t bother you! I grew up with a lot of Jennifers, and I don’t recall any of them complaining about their name. They went by different nicknames and spellings, so I guess that helped.

I know what you meant by mentioning popularity, especially in reference to when you were in high school. It makes sense that because there weren’t other Jennifers in your group of friends, that it felt like name belonged to you. Totally understandable…

Thanks for posting!

[cora]

@susan

I didn’t like the name I was born with. It was [name]Deborah[/name]. [name]Deborah[/name] is beautiful, but I was called [name]Debbie[/name]. Reminds me of mounds of blubbery pudding. Also it was very popular. By the way, I do love pudding but not blubbery pudding which in my imagination is gigantic and cloying.
[name]Sue[/name] was my middle name which is how I came up with [name]Susan[/name]. [name]Susan[/name] was popular for a much longer time period than [name]Deborah[/name] was, but I love [name]Susan[/name]. I think I love it because it was [name]Laura[/name] Ingalls [name]Wilder[/name]'s cat - [name]Black[/name] [name]Susan[/name]. [name]Black[/name] [name]Susan[/name] was in [name]Little[/name] House in the Big Woods. I also loved [name]Susan[/name] because my sister loved the name [name]Susie[/name]. She called me [name]Susie[/name] a lot.

[name]Hi[/name] [name]Susan[/name]! I totally forgot that you were once [name]Deborah[/name]! Blubbery pudding…LOL! You crack me up.

Thanks for reminding me about [name]Black[/name] [name]Susan[/name]! I love [name]Little[/name] House in the Big Woods!

I know I’ve told you this before, but I love [name]Susannah[/name] because of you!

I forgot to check the other thread (about your mom), but I’ll go there in a minute. I hope you’re doing okay!

[cora]

@phia

I was born in the mid 80’s, and until I was about 15 never met another [name]Sophia[/name], so I was very surprised when it started booming in popularity! When I was little I loved my name, but hated how often it was misspelled, mispronounced, or even misunderstood (if I had a penny for the number of times I’ve been called [name]Susan[/name], let alone [name]Cecilia[/name], or [name]Cynthia[/name]…) I had a teacher when I was 6 who insisted on calling me “So-fie-ya” if those phonetics made sense. (Fie to rhyme with lie?) My parents got called into school because I refused to answer when she spoke to me, which is very brattish I know. But my mother took my side (guess where I get my name-snobbishness from?) so the teacher, who was my equal in stubborness, took to calling me “Miss H.”

The very first [name]Sophia[/name] I met was a newborn, and she was named after me. I still don’t know anyone else with my name, but I see it everywhere in birth announcements and popularity charts.

However, [name]Sophie[/name] has always been popular in my city. And I hate, hate, HATE being called [name]Sophie[/name]. I will not answer to it! I know that sounds stupid, but it’s not my name! Actually, I remember my mother used to get quite cross with people who called me [name]Sophie[/name] in preschool, so that’s probably where I get it from. My close friends and family call me Phi or Phia, and my friends call me [name]Sophie[/name] when they want to get squirted with the nearest available condiment. I think part of what I dislike about it is how popular it is, while my own name has always felt to me to be a bit more refined and special (I am aware this is rapidly becoming an illusion.) I often had [name]Sophie[/name]'s in my class, but never a [name]Sophia[/name]. I can only imagine what a horror I would have been had I been given a name that I shared with many other children! I’m fairly determined to give my own children names that are pretty but not too common.

[name]Hi[/name]! I was actually hoping a [name]Sophia[/name] would respond! Growing up, I always planned on naming a baby after my Great Aunt [name]Sophia[/name] (I think it’s a beautiful name), who died at a young age in an accident. I still love the name, but like you said, Sophies are everywhere.

I’m glad that you didn’t really have to share you name when you were little, and I can only imagine how annoying it must be to hear variations of your name all the time these days.

I love how you wouldn’t answer to the wrong name! Very spunky, Miss H.! (But seriously, how in the world does someone, let alone a teacher, mispronounce [name]Sophia[/name]?) I do love [name]Sophie[/name], but because it’s the French verison of [name]Sophia[/name], I think of it as its own name, not as a nickname for [name]Sophia[/name]. (I promise not to call you [name]Sophie[/name].)

Thanks for sharing!

[cora]

@gracie

My name is [name]Grace[/name] but since I was little I’ve been known as [name]Gracie[/name] and it sort of stuck. I only knew one other [name]Grace[/name] growing up who was a lot older than me but these days the name is EVERYWHERE! I think the popularity it has now might have bothered me when I was younger but of my generation (I’m in my 30s), I didn’t know so many so never felt it was popular.
Funnily enough, my eldest daughter [name]Madeleine[/name] (middle name [name]Kate[/name]) is known as [name]Maddie[/name] and at 5, she has complained to me before that there are “too many” Maddies and she wishes daddy and I named her [name]Buttercup[/name] (!) as she doesn’t know any Buttercups (funnily enough!).
My daughter [name]Isabella[/name] (middle name [name]Rose[/name]) is known as [name]Bella[/name] has two popular names to contend with but at her age she isn’t really aware of naming trends and seems happy enough with her name.
Again, [name]Olivia[/name] (middle name [name]Grace[/name]) will also have to contend with her name being so popular.
They are names I’ve always loved though so wouldn’t change them, despite their popularity. Their middle names are after family members so I wouldn’t change them either
My triplets have less common names which wasn’t a conscious decision, again, just names we liked. [name]Clementine[/name] [name]Jane[/name], [name]Florence[/name] [name]Ivy[/name] and [name]Imogen[/name] [name]Olive[/name].
However, despite their names my girls will all (hopefully!) grow up feeling like they’re unique and special in their own ways.

[name]Gracie[/name]

[name]Hi[/name] [name]Gracie[/name]! Like you said, I know very few Graces over the age of 20 or so. I think it’s a beautiful name.

You know, I totally forgot that you had older girls! I their names are very pretty, and I love that [name]Madeleine[/name] wants to be [name]Buttercup[/name]!

Is your sister-in-law still going with [name]Clementine[/name]? (I’m hoping she had a change of heart…)

I hope the babies are doing well! (I love their names…)

Have a good night!

[cora]

@unicorngal

My name is [name]Sandra[/name]. The year I was born, it was #10 on the SSA name lists and over 22,000 baby girls were given that name. I always knew a few other [name]Sandra[/name]'s in school but it never really bothered me having a more popular name. I guess it was because I really like the name. My family called me [name]Sandy[/name] when I was younger but as I got older I insisted on [name]Sandra[/name] in school. I think the main thing to consider when giving your child a popular name is “is it a great name?” If so, then your child probably won’t mind too badly.

[name]Hi[/name], [name]Sandra[/name]! (You’re the only [name]Sandra[/name], not [name]Sandy[/name], I know, and I think it’s very pretty…) I agree with your “Is it a great name?” litmus test when it comes to popular names. ([name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Caroline[/name], and [name]Charlotte[/name] come to mind…)

Thanks for sharing!

[cora]

@liz

[quote=jill][quote=liz]My name is [name]Elizabeth[/name]. I voted for “other” on your poll. There was always another [name]Elizabeth[/name]/[name]Liz[/name] wherever I was, and I had to go by [name]Elizabeth[/name] M, and get confused whenever someone called “[name]Elizabeth[/name]!”. But I like my name enough so that it didn’t really bother me. And it’s not like I was [name]Mary[/name] or [name]Jennifer[/name] or anything like that, so I never felt like I didn’t have my own identity, as some people with popular names might have.
I also like that my name is a classic, and not a trend that comes in big for a few years and then fades away. It’s special, and a name with big expectations to grow into.
OK, I just reread this post and I’m rambling on–I’m talking more about my name than how I feel about its popularity!
My last names then and now were and are also pretty unique, so that helped as well.

[name]Hi[/name]! I’m a huge [name]Elizabeth[/name]/[name]Eliza[/name] fan, and I’m glad you like your name. Would you have felt differently if you had a trendy name that was shared with your classmates? And one more question: Would you have preferred [name]Eliza[/name] to [name]Elizabeth[/name]?

Thanks so much for posting!

Take care![/quote]

[name]Hi[/name] [name]Jill[/name]! I’m sorry I’m only just getting back here now. In fact, I was just about to post again, to say that I’m sure I would have felt differently had my name been trendy. I love that [name]Elizabeth[/name] is classical, and popular for a good reason. I feel that since it’s one of those names that has stood the test of time instead of popping in and out for a few years, that I can bear its popularity. In fact, I’m proud of it!
On [name]Eliza[/name], I do like it a lot (it’s a beautiful name), and I even thought about using it for one of my kids. But as a question of which name I like better, I guess I am biased towards [name]Elizabeth[/name].

I hope this helped! (Great idea for a forum topic, by the way!)[/quote]

[name]Hi[/name]! I’m so glad you rechecked the thread (thanks). Aha…So, you would have felt differently with a trendy name. If I were named [name]Elizabeth[/name] (or any classic name), I’d have felt the same way as you; I would have been proud! Along the lines of what [name]Sandra[/name] said above, if it’s a great name, it seems like popularity becomes a less important issue.

Thanks so much!

[cora]

@karen

[quote=unicorngal]My name is [name]Sandra[/name]. The year I was born, it was #10 on the SSA name lists and over 22,000 baby girls were given that name. I always knew a few other [name]Sandra[/name]'s in school but it never really bothered me having a more popular name. I guess it was because I really like the name. My family called me [name]Sandy[/name] when I was younger but as I got older I insisted on [name]Sandra[/name] in school. I think the main thing to consider when giving your child a popular name is “is it a great name?” If so, then your child probably won’t mind too badly.

I was going to comment on this earlier. I like my name also, so it didn’t bother me. I think I wouldn’t have liked to be a [name]Jennifer[/name], but Jennifers always seemed to be more popular. [name]Lisa[/name] is an ok name, but it seems to go with a certain personality - at least the ones I knew. I definitely don’t like [name]Kathy[/name]. So I could have minded having a popular name, I do feel that I lucked out getting a pretty nice one (I think). I think there is a nice way to feel about [name]Catherine[/name] and a way to feel like just another boring [name]Cathy[/name] like all the others, as I do like the name [name]Catherine[/name], but I definitely think I would have felt “blah” about being [name]Cathy[/name], both because I don’t like it and because there are so many, similar to how [name]Susan[/name] feels about [name]Debbie[/name] - she doesn’t like [name]Debbie[/name], but she didn’t pick something completely unusual when she changed it to [name]Susan[/name]. I don’t like the name [name]Jennifer[/name] and never really have. I don’t like the name [name]Nancy[/name], either, and those were rare by the time I was born, so it would have been more about having a sort of name I didn’t feel like was me.

However, one never knows if one would feel more like their name if they were given a different one and grew into it. Some people don’t like their names, but I think most people do feel like it’s their name and quite a lot of other pretty good names just don’t fit right. Given for example, the people who changed their name and then changed it back, instead of to a 3rd option. I’ve thought about changing my name most of my life, despite liking my name - if I thought of a better one, I would still miss my own name, but thinking what if my mother named me something else, [name]Linda[/name] was on the list. Would I feel so much a [name]Linda[/name] than a [name]Karen[/name]? Would my life feel a lot different? Impossible to know. I’d rather be a [name]Linda[/name] than a [name]Jennifer[/name], even though [name]Jennifer[/name] was the hot name of the time and [name]Linda[/name] had declined to just above #40 after being the prior hot name of the 50s and 60s.[/quote]

[name]Karen[/name], I’ve also thought about how my life would have been different if I had a different name, and if the person makes the name or if it’s the other way around (or a combo…).

Interesting!

[cora]

@lilacarose

[quote=susan]I didn’t like the name I was born with. It was [name]Deborah[/name]. [name]Deborah[/name] is beautiful, but I was called [name]Debbie[/name]. Reminds me of mounds of blubbery pudding. Also it was very popular. By the way, I do love pudding but not blubbery pudding which in my imagination is gigantic and cloying.
[name]Sue[/name] was my middle name which is how I came up with [name]Susan[/name]. [name]Susan[/name] was popular for a much longer time period than [name]Deborah[/name] was, but I love [name]Susan[/name]. I think I love it because it was [name]Laura[/name] Ingalls [name]Wilder[/name]'s cat - [name]Black[/name] [name]Susan[/name]. [name]Black[/name] [name]Susan[/name] was in [name]Little[/name] House in the Big Woods. I also loved [name]Susan[/name] because my sister loved the name [name]Susie[/name]. She called me [name]Susie[/name] a lot.

[name]Deborah[/name] is actually very nice, and [name]Susan[/name] is lovely. I’m so glad there’s another name lover out there who changed their name. I actually wish we can all change our names every single day, I would love to be called [name]Wilhelmina[/name] for a day, it would be so much fun.[/quote]

I’m calling you [name]Wilhelmina[/name] for the week!

[susan]

@jill

[quote=lilacarose][quote=susan]I didn’t like the name I was born with. It was [name]Deborah[/name]. [name]Deborah[/name] is beautiful, but I was called [name]Debbie[/name]. Reminds me of mounds of blubbery pudding. Also it was very popular. By the way, I do love pudding but not blubbery pudding which in my imagination is gigantic and cloying.
[name]Sue[/name] was my middle name which is how I came up with [name]Susan[/name]. [name]Susan[/name] was popular for a much longer time period than [name]Deborah[/name] was, but I love [name]Susan[/name]. I think I love it because it was [name]Laura[/name] Ingalls [name]Wilder[/name]'s cat - [name]Black[/name] [name]Susan[/name]. [name]Black[/name] [name]Susan[/name] was in [name]Little[/name] House in the Big Woods. I also loved [name]Susan[/name] because my sister loved the name [name]Susie[/name]. She called me [name]Susie[/name] a lot.

[name]Deborah[/name] is actually very nice, and [name]Susan[/name] is lovely. I’m so glad there’s another name lover out there who changed their name. I actually wish we can all change our names every single day, I would love to be called [name]Wilhelmina[/name] for a day, it would be so much fun.[/quote]

I’m calling you [name]Wilhelmina[/name] for the week! :-)[/quote]

I’d love to be [name]Daphne[/name] for a day and a half!

[cora]

@susan

I’d love to be [name]Daphne[/name] for a day and a half!

Done!

[name]Daphne[/name], I can’t find the thread on which I was talking to you!
Hmm…

[susan]

[quote=“jill”]

@susan

I’d love to be [name]Daphne[/name] for a day and a half!

Done!

[name]Daphne[/name], I can’t find the thread on which I was talking to you!
Hmm…[/quote]

My full name is [name]Daphne[/name] [name]Rowena[/name] [name]Chesney[/name].
What name do you want to have temporarily?

[gracie]

[name]Hi[/name] [name]Jill[/name]

The babies are doing wonderfully, thanks I am not doing quite so well- I knew triplets would be tiring but I’m closer to complete exhaustion, didn’t think one person could be so exhausted! We’re going to [name]Florida[/name] over the [name]Christmas[/name] holiday (yes, a 8 hour plane journey with 6 month olds!) and both sets of parents and aunts and uncles are coming so hopefully we’ll get something of a break when there as we won’t be so vastly outnumbered!
The girls adore being little mummies and [name]Maddie[/name] especially is a great help
My [name]SIL[/name] is still going with [name]Clementine[/name] [name]Joy[/name], yes and has yet to mention it to me.
[name]Hope[/name] you’re well!
[name]Gracie[/name]

[cora]

@gracie

[name]Hi[/name] [name]Jill[/name]

The babies are doing wonderfully, thanks I am not doing quite so well- I knew triplets would be tiring but I’m closer to complete exhaustion, didn’t think one person could be so exhausted! We’re going to [name]Florida[/name] over the [name]Christmas[/name] holiday (yes, a 8 hour plane journey with 6 month olds!) and both sets of parents and aunts and uncles are coming so hopefully we’ll get something of a break when there as we won’t be so vastly outnumbered!
The girls adore being little mummies and [name]Maddie[/name] especially is a great help
My [name]SIL[/name] is still going with [name]Clementine[/name] [name]Joy[/name], yes and has yet to mention it to me.
[name]Hope[/name] you’re well!
[name]Gracie[/name]

[name]Hi[/name] [name]Gracie[/name]! I’m sorry you’re so tired. I hope you have a great time in [name]Florida[/name], and was so happy to read that you’ll have so much help!

She still hasn’t told you she’s using [name]Clementine[/name]? Oh well…

Take care of yourself!

[jenmb]

I grew up with not just ‘a’ popular name, but ‘the’ popular name lol. To be honest, it was kind of irritating in grade school. There was always guaranteed to be at least one other [name]Jennifer[/name] in my classes. But once I got to college, I stopped meeting so many other [name]Jennifer[/name]'s - and this was at a major state university. And in my 8 years of working since graduation, I’ve only worked with one other [name]Jennifer[/name] and that was for a short timeframe. I actually work with 3 [name]Linda[/name]'s, so maybe my office is just heavy on baby-boomers.

I guess I should’ve chosen “other” - it sucked to have a popular name growing up as you try to form your own identity, but I don’t mind being a ‘[name]Jennifer[/name]’ whatsoever as an adult.

ETA, I’ve never come across a man who complained about having a popular name - I’d guess your results would differ if more men were on these boards. I’d be interested in finding out why they don’t mind having popular names.

[phia]

@jill

[quote=phia]I was born in the mid 80’s, and until I was about 15 never met another [name]Sophia[/name], so I was very surprised when it started booming in popularity! When I was little I loved my name, but hated how often it was misspelled, mispronounced, or even misunderstood (if I had a penny for the number of times I’ve been called [name]Susan[/name], let alone [name]Cecilia[/name], or [name]Cynthia[/name]…) I had a teacher when I was 6 who insisted on calling me “So-fie-ya” if those phonetics made sense. (Fie to rhyme with lie?) My parents got called into school because I refused to answer when she spoke to me, which is very brattish I know. But my mother took my side (guess where I get my name-snobbishness from?) so the teacher, who was my equal in stubborness, took to calling me “Miss H.”

The very first [name]Sophia[/name] I met was a newborn, and she was named after me. I still don’t know anyone else with my name, but I see it everywhere in birth announcements and popularity charts.

However, [name]Sophie[/name] has always been popular in my city. And I hate, hate, HATE being called [name]Sophie[/name]. I will not answer to it! I know that sounds stupid, but it’s not my name! Actually, I remember my mother used to get quite cross with people who called me [name]Sophie[/name] in preschool, so that’s probably where I get it from. My close friends and family call me Phi or Phia, and my friends call me [name]Sophie[/name] when they want to get squirted with the nearest available condiment. I think part of what I dislike about it is how popular it is, while my own name has always felt to me to be a bit more refined and special (I am aware this is rapidly becoming an illusion.) I often had [name]Sophie[/name]'s in my class, but never a [name]Sophia[/name]. I can only imagine what a horror I would have been had I been given a name that I shared with many other children! I’m fairly determined to give my own children names that are pretty but not too common.

[name]Hi[/name]! I was actually hoping a [name]Sophia[/name] would respond! Growing up, I always planned on naming a baby after my Great Aunt [name]Sophia[/name] (I think it’s a beautiful name), who died at a young age in an accident. I still love the name, but like you said, Sophies are everywhere.

I’m glad that you didn’t really have to share you name when you were little, and I can only imagine how annoying it must be to hear variations of your name all the time these days.

I love how you wouldn’t answer to the wrong name! Very spunky, Miss H.! (But seriously, how in the world does someone, let alone a teacher, mispronounce [name]Sophia[/name]?) I do love [name]Sophie[/name], but because it’s the French verison of [name]Sophia[/name], I think of it as its own name, not as a nickname for [name]Sophia[/name]. (I promise not to call you [name]Sophie[/name].)

Thanks for sharing! :-)[/quote]

You know, I went and asked my father about the incident with the teacher, and he said I somewhat undermined my argument by demanding to change my name to ‘[name]Belinda[/name]’ less than a month after the parent-teacher conference. I don’t remember this at all, but choose to believe I did it because that woman pronounced ‘h’ “haitch”. Haitch! Gah!

I think it’s a tough decision to make, trying to give your child an individual identity (because, when it comes down to it, our names are our primary identifiers, at least on a surface level) that allows them to stand out and be their own person, not just one of a sea of [name]Jennifer[/name]'s or [name]Olivia[/name]'s, (and whatever associations other people have with those names) but not stand so far out that the child spends their entire life with unnecessary struggles because “Spoon” (for example) is just not an easy moniker to live with!

As for your great-aunt [name]Sophia[/name], I think it would be so lovely to honour her in some way in the name of your future daughter! In the end, the personal meaning and thought behind a name is what counts, and I still am often told what a lovely name I have! It’s popular, but it’s not [name]Madison[/name]!

[mummyto3]

My name is [name]Lucy[/name] which was fairly popular when I was growing up and is still fairly popular now. There were definitely times when I would have preferred to have a less popular name as I didn’t like to be one of two in the class and be [name]Lucy[/name] X/ [name]Lucy[/name] Y. Now, I like my name and appreciate the fact that it isn’t dated in the way some other names of my generation are.
Having said that, if I had been given a more unusual but classic name, I may have liked that even more, difficult to say.