I am considering changing my name, my primary reasons being
My parents didn’t put any thought into my name. My mom didn’t know she was pregnant until I was born, and the hospital wouldn’t let her wait until later to name me, so I just got a feminized version of her dad’s name.
My name is so uncommon I have basically had to respond to anything that starts and ends with the right letters, and even then some people put Mc/Mac in front of it for no reason.
I want to start over. Throughout my life, I was taken advantage of by many narcissistic people and I feel like starting over with a new name in a new place would help me to heal and develop a better sense of self.
Unfortunately, I don’t really have anyone in my personal life that I can bounce name ideas off of. After browsing here for a while I feel comfortable sharing some of my ideas and seeking your advice.
Some things about me, to give you an idea if a name would fit:
I love ballet, piano, singing, and sewing and have been working on these skills for a while now.
I am unapologetically girly. My apartment and wardrobe are full of pink stuff and I have all of the Barbie movies.
I love flowers. Magnolias are my favorite because my grandma had a magnolia tree in her front yard, but I also have a soft spot for peonies, tulips, dogwood, and gladiolus.
I love medieval fantasy stuff. I attend every ren faire I can and have all of the LOTR and Hobbit movies. I also play medieval fantasy games such as Dragon Age, Skyrim, and The Witcher.
I am a Virgo sun, Pisces moon, Virgo ascendant. ENFJ in the myer brigg system.
As far as restrictions go, I want to honor my Grandma, who I have always been close to, with my middle name, but there are a few ways to do this.
User her first name, Carlene, as a middle name
Use Dawn or a name that means dawn as a middle name because that was the name she suggested when my mom found out she was pregnant.
Use both? I don’t know if having two middle names would seem tacky or not.
Some names that I like, but I am always open to new ideas:
Ophelia
Liliana
Amalia
Delilah
Anneliese
Odette
Juliet
Annika
Yasmine
Rosalie
Anastasia
Carmilla
Giselle
Oriana
Thank you for any advice you can give. I am hoping to come up with a good first/middle/last name combination.
The names you picked are lovely.
[name_f]My[/name_f] favorites are [name_f]Rosalie[/name_f] and [name_f]Delilah[/name_f].
Maybe you would also consider [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f] since they are your favorite flowers and it would honor your grandma in a way? It makes a beautiful name too.
[name_f]Dawn[/name_f] is a great middle that works with just about anything.
The names on your list are lovely. With your description, [name_f]Allegra[/name_f] also came to mind I’ve changed my name as well, as an adult, first and middle, and am happy to answer any questions if you’d like to talk to someone who’s “been there.” All the best on your journey!
Hello! How exciting! I absolutely love your list and I think you would suit any of them. Here are some suggestions about MNs and FNs
No I don’t think two middle names sounds tacky. Really it’s up to you in the end. if you want to use both of them because they’re both meaningful, then go ahead! [name_f]Dawn[/name_f] [name_f]Carlene[/name_f] or [name_f]Carlene[/name_f] [name_f]Dawn[/name_f] sound lovely as middle names.
Other names that mean [name_f]Dawn[/name_f]:
[name_f]Aurora[/name_f]
[name_f]Roxanna[/name_f], [name_f]Roxanne[/name_f] etc.
[name_f]Rosana[/name_f]
[name_f]Zora[/name_f]
There are a few others but these are the ones that I think might fit.
Based on your description, the first name that comes to mind is [name_f]Lydia[/name_f]. It’s feminine and classy, but strong. It also happens to be one of my favorite names at the moment. Other names I thought of are [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], [name_f]Elowen[/name_f], [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] and [name_f]Aria[/name_f]
Have you considered picking a name that links to your current name? Maybe a similar nickname that will make the transition easier for people that already know you as your current name. [name_m]Just[/name_m] an idea
I love [name_f]Carlene[/name_f] as a middle, I think it’s really pretty, unique & more of a direct honor to your grandma.
I think [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f] [name_f]Carlene[/name_f] from your list would be stunning !
I would also suggest [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f], [name_f]Amoura[/name_f], [name_f]Adela[/name_f] and [name_f]Primrose[/name_f]
Good luck. I understand your reasonings for wanting a name change. Breaking away from narcissistic family/friend ties can be a difficult process, but a beautiful choice to make in the name of self love (hence my suggestion of Amoura)
[name_f]Welcome[/name_f] to Nameberry! I hope this thread leads you to finding your perfect name. Here are some of my ideas:
[name_u]Carmen[/name_u] [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] (Carmen means garden and I think this would be a nice way to honor your grandma)
[name_f]Ada[/name_f] [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] (gives me that girly, vintagey feel)
[name_f]Regina[/name_f] [name_f]Dawn[/name_f] (medieval feel with your grandma’s suggestion)
[name_u]Arden[/name_u] [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f] (reminds me of LOTR (Arwen) and [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f] honors your grandma)
[name_f]Yasmine[/name_f] [name_f]Peridot[/name_f] (flower name + [name_u]August[/name_u] birthday (Virgo?))
I am getting a real Carmen Aurelia vibe. Carmen as it strikes me as someone who would have all your interests listed above and it’s so feminine and has a musicality about it😍 Aurelia means golden so could honour a dawn.
If not, perhaps something fantastical sounding like Elowen, or Endellion which feel like LOTR to me.
Honouring Dawn again you could have a Endellion Rae.
[name_f]Welcome[/name_f] to nameberry, I’m glad you feel comfortable here to ask for suggestiosn and feeback! I hope choosing a new name really can be a new beggining for you
I think [name_f]Carlene[/name_f] is a great name, but I think [name_f]Dawn[/name_f] or a name meaning [name_f]Dawn[/name_f] would be so perfect since you’re wanting a fresh start
Middle name options
[name_f]Dawn[/name_f]
[name_f]Fioralba[/name_f] (flower of the dawn, my fave for you!)
[name_f]Ostara[/name_f] (dawn, godess)
[name_f]Oriana[/name_f] (latin, dawn)
[name_f]Rosana[/name_f] (bright, dawn)
[name_f]Roxane[/name_f] (dawn, has lots of other variants)
[name_f]Marigold[/name_f] (since it’s a flower that reminds you of your grandmother)
First Names
I think [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f] is my top pick for you, it’s pretty and girly and princessy, but also strong and independent
[name_f]Liliana[/name_f] is also great for you and ties in your love of flowers
[name_f]Rosalie[/name_f] again is beautiful and ties in flowers
[name_f]Oriana[/name_f] would be a great name with it’s meaning of dawn, another strong contender
[name_f]Juliet[/name_f] is a strong an beautiful classic that isn’t too comon but you won’t have any problems with spelling or pronunciation which may be important to you!
[name_f]Amalia[/name_f] [name_f]Dawn[/name_f], [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f] [name_f]Dawn[/name_f], [name_f]Odette[/name_f] [name_f]Carlene[/name_f], [name_f]Rosalie[/name_f] [name_f]Dawn[/name_f] and [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] [name_f]Carlene[/name_f] would be lovely
[name_f]Aurora[/name_f] means [name_f]Dawn[/name_f] and has a similar vibe to your other names
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f], [name_f]Tallulah[/name_f], [name_f]Eliana[/name_f], [name_f]Eliora[/name_f] and [name_u]Romilly[/name_u] came to mind too
Thank you <3
I never really considered [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f] as a first name. Maybe I could use Magnol, as in botanist [name_m]Pierre[/name_m] Magnol, as a surname.
I loved the name [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] until a companion in Dragon Age Inquisition ruined it for me
[name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] would be an interesting choice considering it means blind and I am legally blind on one side. I could use it as an icebreaker, lol.
Well, that settles it. If I don’t go with a first name that already means dawn, I will go with a double middle name.
[name_f]Hazel[/name_f] is an interesting option considering, in the celtic zodiac, my birth tree is the [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] tree. (My mom is pagan so I was always raised to be aware of things like zodiacs, astrology, and numerology.)
[name_f]Juliet[/name_f] or [name_f]Giselle[/name_f] sound perfect for you!
I also think something that doesn’t require spelling/pronunciation corrections would be nice for you - like [name_f]Stella[/name_f], [name_f]Ella[/name_f], [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], or [name_f]Georgia[/name_f]. [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f] would be lovely too.
You have a lovely list of names! The one that really stood out to me was [name_f]Annika[/name_f] for reason. I think [name_f]Annika[/name_f] [name_f]Dawn[/name_f] or [name_f]Annika[/name_f] [name_f]Carlene[/name_f] [name_f]Dawn[/name_f] sounds wonderful. I also love the idea of the surname Magnol in reference to [name_f]Magnolia[/name_f]. [name_f]Annika[/name_f] and Magnol also work really well together, which is worth considering if you’re changing first, middle and surname.
I went through the name change process myself about 5 years ago (first and surname), so I understand! [name_u]Happy[/name_u] to chat about it if you want.
I’ve changed my name as well, as an adult, first and middle, and am happy to answer any questions if you’d like to talk to someone who’s “been there.” All the best on your journey!
