Details removed for privacy.
I donāt have any stories like that, but I do know several people, adults or not, who go by a different name than their middle. Like [name_m]Daniel[/name_m], who went by [name_u]Maddox[/name_u], I think it was his middle. And [name_u]James[/name_u], who goes by [name_m]David[/name_m], his middle. [name_u]Paddy[/name_u] ([name_m]Patrick[/name_m]), and [name_f]Rosie[/name_f] ([name_f]Rosemary[/name_f]).
I actually would be fine with my kids going by a middle or nickname, thatās why I am trying to have at least one ānormalā name in each combo I have, or a cute nickname. Like [name_u]Peregrine[/name_u] [name_f]Elodie[/name_f] [name_f]Clover[/name_f], who could go by [name_u]Penny[/name_u].
I actually love my nickname EJ, which not many people call me (one of my friends calls me [name_m]Al[/name_m]!! 
), and in the future I definitely hope to be called that as a nickname, but not all the time.
1 Like
Hey EJ! 
Thanks for sharing.
I remember one time in high school I tried to (unsuccessfully) reinvent myself with a different nickname 
I hope it works for you!!
Now I just go by my full name, which I confess I donāt really like, but it has grown on me as Iāve got older.
I have a double barreled first name as well ([name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_u]Louise[/name_u]). I went by [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_u]Louise[/name_u] until I was in first grade when my parents let me decide whether I wanted my teachers and classmates to call me [name_f]Emma[/name_f] or [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_u]Louise[/name_u] and I chose [name_f]Emma[/name_f]. I mainly chose just [name_f]Emma[/name_f] because no one else in my class had two first names and I wanted to fit in. Up until recently I was totally fine with just being [name_f]Emma[/name_f] (now I kinda wish more people would call me [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_u]Louise[/name_u]). But having to constantly explain to teachers, doctors, etc that my legal first name is [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_u]Louise[/name_u] (plus my middle name is actually my momās maiden name so people are always thinking I have two last names as well 
) is extremely irritating. Now no one except my mom and dad call me [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_u]Louise[/name_u] or [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_u]Lou[/name_u] and my brother calls me EL. The rest of the world knows me by [name_f]Emma[/name_f].
I actually used to hate my name because itās so popular. But I was named after two great grandmothers who were both strong, amazing women so now I respect and love my name.
I went to a small private school for elementary, middle, and high school with basically the same group of kids so reinventing myself and changing my name back to [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_u]Louise[/name_u] wasnāt really going to happen.
I know how much my mom loves my name and it means so much to my family that I was named after certain people so because of that I would never change my name. And I hope by picking names that honor and mean a lot to me (and my future husband) that my child will feel the same way and come to love their name like I have.
All the names I have picked out for potential children have nicknames bc nicknames are a big deal in my fam. I make sure I love all the nicknames as much as I love the actual names. So in case they do come to me saying they want to be called a new nickname I will be okay with it. For example (hypothetically), if my sonās name is [name_m]Evander[/name_m] ā[name_m]Vander[/name_m]ā and he came to me saying he wanted to be called [name_u]Evan[/name_u] for short instead, I would be totally okay with it since I love the name [name_u]Evan[/name_u] too!
If my kid came to me and said they didnāt like their name and they were going to change it, I would honestly be pretty upset because I know I would have spent hours upon hours picking the perfect name for them. But I would respect their decision and call them whatever they wanted. I wouldnāt want to destroy our relationship just because they wanted to change their name.
I hope my take on this whole thing helps 
1 Like
As a kid I didnāt like my name. Iād be on name sites and such when I was about 12 and started finding less than favourable comments about my name, and I wasnāt the stereotypical āpopular girlā I felt my name suited.
I tried to change my name when I was 18 and just go by my middle name ([name_f]Alannah[/name_f]) instead of [name_u]Haley[/name_u]. I felt it suited me better and liked the nickname options for it better, but it just didnāt stick.
I sort of gave up on trying to change it until I went to post-secondary for Journalism a couple years later. I planned on using a pen name for my writing once I graduated and was going to rename myself professionally. By that point, I think Iād read too many internet comments regarding my name and how it perpetuated a lot of negative stereotypes and felt that it was too unprofessional for me to use at the time.
I ended up unable to decide on a name, and then didnāt pursue a career in Journalism at all when I graduated lol.
I stopped trying to change my name actually, and ended up finding that it nothing else quire suits me, even though I didnāt like [name_u]Haley[/name_u] for years.
@dogs_books Oh no! Iām so sorry to hear that you donāt like your name! 
I donāt really like my name or my sisterās name either, and I found out when I was a teenager that my mum actually had some stunning traditional Irish names picked out for us but my dad vetoed them all 
I know my grandma didnāt like her first name (though there are multiple stories as to why floating around) which was [name_f]Laura[/name_f] [name_u]Jeanne[/name_u]. On forms and legally related stuff, she went by L. [name_u]Jeanne[/name_u]. She went by [name_u]Jeanne[/name_u] otherwise. She disliked her name so much that when she died, the pastor of 40 or so years found out what her full name was and just about went into shock ā he thought [name_u]Jeanne[/name_u] was her first name. We waited 3 months to have the memorial, and he was still incredulous about not knowing her full name all those years of knowing her.
[name_m]Will[/name_m] I be a little sad if my future little human doesnāt want to use the name I picked for them when they grow up? A little, yeah, but at the end of the day their happiness is more important!
[name_f]My[/name_f] story is a little incomplete. Iāve never liked my name, I remember wanting to change it when I was only seven years old. I actually think itās a really nice name, but it just doesnāt suit me at all. Iām moving abroad for college this [name_f]September[/name_f] so Iām planning on taking the opportunity to go by something else! Though family and friends I already have can keep using the name I go by now, of course.
I used to hate my name when I was younger. All my girl friends had normal, girly names while I was stuck with this awful name. The worst part is I only have a first name, with really no nickname options. The only nickname is even worse and the pet names my family gave me were to cutesy to introduce myself by them to other people. You know, my name is one of those old lady names that no one give anymore to a child but my parents. But itās also my motherās name, my cousinās name, my grandmotherās sisterās name and my great-great-grandmotherās name. And I think it goes on back in my family tree.
So, the thing is, I become to love my name no so long ago, and now Iām glad I have this name. It suits me. It was a little harsh for a toddler or a young girl, but now that Iām an adult (almost?) Iām glad not to have a cutesy, popular name. In Spanish lots of girl names end in -a (MarĆa, [name_f]Laura[/name_f], [name_f]Marta[/name_f], [name_f]Sara[/name_f], [name_f]Ana[/name_f], [name_f]Alicia[/name_f], [name_f]Elena[/name_f], SofĆa, [name_f]Valeria[/name_f], [name_f]Marina[/name_f]ā¦) but not my name and thatās something I really like about it.
And to be honest, Iām also considering naming a future daughter this name if my partner agrees. Not because is my name, but because itās my motherās name and also an important name to my grandmother which Iād love to honor in some way and her name is definitely not usable anymore in Spain. I guess my future daughter would dislike her name at the beginning. [name_m]Little[/name_m] girls tend to wish they have princess names like [name_f]Aurora[/name_f], [name_f]Yasmina[/name_f], [name_u]Ariel[/name_u], [name_f]Bella[/name_f]ā¦ But maybe she would like the connection to the women in her family when she were old enough to think about it. At least it what happened to me!
1 Like