A little backstory: So recently someone remembered my name wrong. It’s not a big deal, of course, but what got my attention was the name she called me instead, [name_f]Callista[/name_f]. It happens to be in my own top 10-15, but I never, ever considered that for myself. However, after she called me [name_f]Callista[/name_f], it got me thinking that “well, it does feel like it suits me”. And after more pondering session, “if I have to rename myself from my own list (not that I plan to change my name at all, but the name nerd in me loves to think about name alternatives), I do probably pick [name_f]Callista[/name_f].”
As much as I love my current top choice for a girl now, [name_f]Seraphina[/name_f], I don’t really feel like it suits me (at least less than my names or [name_f]Callista[/name_f] do), so I hope it’ll suit my future daughter instead. Same goes to [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], [name_f]Valentina[/name_f] and many other names from my list. In my head, they’ll be my daughters.
So, let’s discuss, Berries! If you get to rename yourself from your current list, which one would you pick and why? Or would you rather pick something different? Are the naming style you like for yourself and for your kids even the same?
Hmm, this is an interesting topic for me because i’ve struggled my whole life to like my irish name, and the spelling that my mom went with. But, finally, when i hit about 25 years old, which was almost two years ago, i finally started to really appreciate my name, and dare i say, love it. the spelling of my name is unheard of, and that to me, was the biggest struggle of my life growing up. no one knew how to pronounce it, and sometimes, they asked me, and i’m just like do what you want, because honestly, i never cared. i’m way different to my own name, to my future kids names, because if someone even says them wrong, i’m going to correct it. but my own? i don’t even care. that to me speaks volumes of how i never liked my own name, till now. Now? i correct people, and make sure they know how to spell it and say it.
would i pick another name on my list for myself? I don’t think I can see myself in any of them. I know, I would pick something with Irish roots, and familiar as well here. Which really only leaves, cleona, but i can’t see that fitting me. I can see [name_f]Calla[/name_f], but I think that’s too girly for me. I’m not very girly. I can’t say any name on my list for my future kids would fit me.
Interesting question! I always find thinking of names that suit me kind of difficult, and I tend to automatically discount names I like for kids from being anything else (like names for me or pet names). It’s almost like my favourites are too good for me, if that makes sense. But if I had to choose, I’d probably go shorter and/or more nicknamey, maybe [name_u]Jodie[/name_u], [name_f]Tasha[/name_f], or [name_f]Ziva[/name_f]/[name_u]Zia[/name_u]. Also on another site I got [name_f]Zara[/name_f] suggested a few times based on how I look.
I could easily see myself as a [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] (if it wasn’t already my daughter’s name!) or an [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] from my list, since both are very similar in style to my actual name ([name_f]Margaret[/name_f]) in that they are classic, timeless, and have a ton of nicknames. My other daughter’s name, [name_f]Veronica[/name_f], is actually my confirmation name, but I can’t really see it working as my legal name. The rest of my Top 10 wouldn’t suit me either. They’re either too fanciful ([name_f]Isabella[/name_f], [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f], [name_f]Seraphina[/name_f], [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]) or too…quirky ([name_f]Zoe[/name_f], [name_f]Penelope[/name_f], [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]). Well, maybe [name_f]Felicity[/name_f]?
Hmm, I think I definitely could be an [name_f]Eliza[/name_f].
Although I think a lot of my top names are a little more muted than I’d pick for myself because I’m imagining a child that is a mix between myself and my, much more reserved, partner. [name_f]Eliza[/name_f] is a name that has carried over from me loving it pre-partner that he likes enough to roll with. It’s the only one I could really see myself as.
I could also be [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f], a lot of people assume it’s my name from my nickname (Caz, often misheard as [name_u]Cass[/name_u]) so I think I could probably pull off [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f].
I’d totally name myself Marvolo, lol. Not a poor innocent babe, though.
Most of the girls’ names that I like are too pretty for me. Maybe [name_f]Saga[/name_f] or [name_f]Coraline[/name_f] would be a good fit, if I had to choose from my list.
A lot of the names I love are actually fairly similar in style to my own names and the names of my siblings (on my mom’s side, not my dads) and I could see some of them suiting me quite well. The ones I don’t see suiting me so much from my favorites are [name_u]Eloise[/name_u] (my daughters name), [name_f]Hazel[/name_f], [name_f]Violet[/name_f], and [name_f]Margot[/name_f]. They just feel a little more …extroverted??..jaunty??.. than I am. However, I think [name_f]Lydia[/name_f], [name_f]Nora[/name_f], or [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] would suit me very well, [name_f]Lydia[/name_f] in particular. I actually did want to tack it onto my name when I was little! I think either of my sisters from my moms side names would suit me quite well too, actually (both are also favorite names of mine, but are obviously out of the question).
I often hear “do not name your kid what you can’t imagine yourself with” it’s hard to translate, it’s mostly from my home country
Basically
I can’t imagine using any names from my own list because m.illness made me detached from my own identity.
I do like my own name, and I have no middles, & other than being fairly popular name among generations little older than me, I have rarely met anyone with the same name and I think it never happened.
It’s spelled normally, with no misspelling.
I can imagine using my own name as middle name for my kid, but that’s so out of ordinary here, I would rather use something superb unusual.
I’ve actually thought about this before! I can’t really imagine myself with any of the names on my list. They seem too special, in a way – like they’re meant for my children, not for me. I’ve always been able to picture myself as my mum’s other front runners though: [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] and [name_f]Matilda[/name_f]. I’d prefer to be a [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] but I think [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] actually suits me more. If I had to choose one from my own list, then I’d probably go with [name_f]Jemima[/name_f]. I know it’s a name my parents like so it seems more like something I could wear.
This is interesting to think about. My naming preferences are definitely uncommon and I chose uncommon names for my children but I can’t see myself with any of them. My name is [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] and I always have felt it’s too fancy for me, even though it is a fairly common name (although not really in my age group).
My children are just much more interesting than I am so deserve more interesting and complex names. At least, that’s how I feel. I don’t feel like I would do my favourite names any justice but my children wear them perfectly well. If I had to choose from my list I’d probably chose something a little simpler. Something like [name_f]Marin[/name_f] or [name_f]Astrid[/name_f]. They used to be high on my list, but now they’re fairly low. My taste has changed a lot as I’ve had more children.
I’m a [name_f]Brynn[/name_f], and I like that my name is spunky and unique, although I wouldn’t name my kid that, it’s a little too trendy for me.
I could see myself as a [name_f]Marlo[/name_f], or a [name_f]Liv[/name_f], maybe an [name_f]Ilsa[/name_f], but not a [name_f]Kaya[/name_f]. I’m not cool enough to be a [name_f]Kaya[/name_f] in my mind lol. And I’m too blonde. My kids would probably be half asian and I feel like that would work much better with the name [name_f]Kaya[/name_f].
I’ll pretty much echo what certain posters have said before me, I can’t really picture myself with the vast majority of names on my list. Especially because my name is an 80s name given to a 90s kid, I am so used to having a bit of a stuffy longer name that I wonder whether I could truly be myself without it. So if I ever were to rename myself (which I don’t think is going to happen) I would rely on strangers’ opinions of what ‘name’ they think I am, rather than my own favourites. I have gotten [name_f]Eva[/name_f] and [name_f]Anouk[/name_f] so far, and I can actually see that.
I don’t know what I’d name myself. I’ve come to really like my name and appreciate it. Although as a child I’ve coveted the names [name_f]Kitty[/name_f] and [name_f]Katherine[/name_f].
But I suppose I’d go with similar names that have more than two syllables, like [name_f]Katherine[/name_f], [name_f]Seraphina[/name_f], [name_f]Winifred[/name_f], [name_f]Fernanda[/name_f], and [name_f]Valentina[/name_f]. Maybe [name_f]Justine[/name_f].
It’s maybe not too different from what I’d name my kids. I love classic names that sound a little long winded with a modern or trendy vibe. Uncommon in some respects.
I’d love to be called [name_u]Wren[/name_u], I’d also name a little girl [name_u]Wren[/name_u]. I’d love to be called [name_f]Luna[/name_f], [name_u]Aspen[/name_u] or [name_f]Poppy[/name_f].
But I like more lost vintage names for girls and a mix of modern and vintage boy names
Girls: [name_f]Olive[/name_f], [name_f]Florence[/name_f], [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_f]Edie[/name_f], [name_f]Hattie[/name_f].
Boys: [name_u]Arlo[/name_u], [name_m]George[/name_m], [name_m]Axel[/name_m], [name_m]Felix[/name_m], [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] nn [name_u]Teddy[/name_u].
When I’ve thought about changing my name before, I’ve always considered [name_f]Jane[/name_f], [name_f]Nora[/name_f], or [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] for myself, names that have never really been on my actual name list. Of I was to pick a name off of my list, I would probably go with [name_f]Guinevere[/name_f]. It has the same type of history and mythology of my own name. I also feel like it would suit me better than anything like [name_f]Persephone[/name_f], [name_f]Rosamund[/name_f], or [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f] would.
My name’s really Italian, I look really Italian, so it’d have to be something something Italian or related. Something like [name_f]Marina[/name_f], [name_f]Camilla[/name_f] or [name_f]Catarina[/name_f] (I would’ve had a ball with [name_f]Catarina[/name_f] as a kid).
I would love to be able to pull off my name list, but I can’t see myself as any of the names. I like names I can see on chill people, and I’m wayyy too all over the place to be a cool kind of chill.
Hmm, the top of my list is [name_f]Gwendolyn[/name_f] but it’s not a name I think would suit myself. Same with [name_f]Isadora[/name_f] and [name_f]Isolde[/name_f], but I might suit [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] or [name_f]Jane[/name_f].
I could do a number on my list for myself in particular - [name_u]Connie[/name_u] , [name_f]Libby[/name_f] , [name_u]Sage[/name_u] , [name_u]Shelby[/name_u] , [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] and [name_u]Meredith[/name_u]
It’s so interesting to read all the replies. Seems like most of us do like similar style, but have names we can only picture on our kids, instead of ourselves.
The nice thing about naming yourself with your name list is that you can really think about if you want to use it. You’ve also grown out of the stage where children/teens can’t bully you anymore, instead, you’ve entered a stage where most people are mature about your name, assuming you’re an adult reading this. So, yes, I would be open using any name on my list. A name that I would probably name myself is [name_f]Aurora[/name_f]. I just love it!
If you get to rename yourself from your current list, which one would you pick and why? Or would you rather pick something different? Are the naming style you like for yourself and for your kids even the same?