So I have always been interested in what myself and other people would be called, had their parents not decided on their current name, and I think it’d be really interesting to hear some of your guys’ “almost names”
(I’m aware there’s probably already a thread like this somewhere, but I wasn’t too sure where to look for one!)
I had a lot of almost names before my parents decided on [name_u]Chelsea[/name_u] [name_f]Rose[/name_f].
[name_f]Isobel[/name_f] (grandfather’s mother - my mum’s grandma), [name_f]Estelle[/name_f], [name_f]Georgia[/name_f], [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Grace[/name_f] and [name_f]Amy[/name_f] for girls, but the only name my mum had in mind for boys was [name_u]Jordan[/name_u].
If my brother had been a girl, he definitely would have been [name_f]Georgia[/name_f] [name_f]Lily[/name_f], but he’s a PJ ([name_m]Peter[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m] [name_u]Murray[/name_u], not that anyone calls him that)
Out of my “almost names”, I really really love [name_f]Isobel[/name_f], and if I had to pick a name out of them, it would be that.
I’d have been either [name_f]Dagmar[/name_f], Hanneloa/[name_f]Hannelore[/name_f], [name_f]Hannah[/name_f] or Vibe.
I like them all, just not Vibe, as it’s not international and when in Denmark it’s a bird, it’s not in English.
I’m not sure about my name, but I was eleven when my sister was born- her name is [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f]- runners up were: [name_f]Lydia[/name_f], [name_f]Jemima[/name_f], [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] or Jonte if she were a boy!
I’m an [name_f]Isabel[/name_f] [name_f]Seraphina[/name_f], and although I like my name, I’d honestly prefer it spelt [name_f]Isobel[/name_f]. I love [name_f]Seraphina[/name_f], and I know that was one of my possible names along with [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], [name_f]Iris[/name_f], [name_u]June[/name_u] and [name_f]Georgina[/name_f].
Personally I think [name_f]Isabel[/name_f] was the best choice, although there’s always that little feeling when I wish I was [name_f]Seraphina[/name_f] [name_f]Lucy[/name_f] (my second name choice).
I was going to be a [name_f]Heidi[/name_f], but they went with [name_f]Erica[/name_f]. I like them both, but feel [name_f]Erica[/name_f] suits me more. Brother was going to be a [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] and turned into a [name_m]Christopher[/name_m].
My name was supposed to be [name_f]Jana[/name_f] until the day I was born. Then, when my mother saw me (thus goes the legend) she exclaimed “That’s no [name_f]Jana[/name_f], that’s a [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]!”. Not sure how true this story is, but I’m glad the decision went as it did.
[name_f]Ariadne[/name_f] - I was gutted when I found out as I was given a ugly ‘unisex’ name that is not feminine or remotely interesting and have spent my whole life correcting people who try to make the spelling more girly or call me Mr.
My mum considered [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] and [name_f]Grace[/name_f] before deciding on [name_f]Jessica[/name_f]. She was convinced I was a going to be a girl (she never found out on ultrasound, she just knew, same with my brother before me) and she didn’t think of a boys name. Once she thought of [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] though, she never considered anything else.
IIRC, my mum started out loving [name_f]Agathe[/name_f] - pronounced in [name_m]French[/name_m] (ah-GAHT), but loathed the Danish pronunciation of it. Then it was between [name_u]Robin[/name_u] and [name_f]Selma[/name_f]. [name_u]Robin[/name_u] was the top contender because she knew that my middle name was going to be [name_f]Elvira[/name_f], which was my great-grandmother’s middle name, and [name_f]Selma[/name_f] was that very great-grandmother’s mother. The European [name_u]Robin[/name_u] is my mum’s favourite bird and therefore the love for the name. Then somehow she found [name_f]Zelia[/name_f] and that became it. My second middle was going to be [name_f]Marcelle[/name_f], but I ended up with a family surname instead.
Your parents have a neat taste in names I love [name_f]Dagmar[/name_f] and Vibe (I would have loved to be a [name_f]Dagmar[/name_f] myself, but sigh my mum isn’t particularly fond of that name - Vibe is more her style, but her former stepmother is named [name_f]Vibeke[/name_f] and her current stepmother is called [name_f]Vita[/name_f], so I guess that was out of the picture from the get go).
My almost name was [name_f]Victoria[/name_f], and apologies to anyone called [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] or who has a daughter named [name_f]Victoria[/name_f], but I really dislike the name. I’m completely relieved I ended up as [name_f]Margaret[/name_f].
If I’d been a boy, I’d have either been [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m] or [name_m]Thomas[/name_m].
As far as I know, when my mum & dad were expecting me, they considered;
[name_f]Samantha[/name_f]
[name_f]Olivia[/name_f] (after [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] De Haviland, one of my dad’s favourite actresses, he & my mum love older films)
[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]
[name_f]Lillian[/name_f]
[name_u]Haley[/name_u]*
[name_f]Sophia[/name_f] (after [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] [name_u]Loren[/name_u], another of my dad’s favourite actresses)
[name_f]Madeleine[/name_f]
[name_f]Mikayla[/name_f]*
[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]
[name_f]Lillian[/name_f]/[name_f]Lily[/name_f]
[name_f]Nicole[/name_f] (ended up being my sister’s middle name)
and for boys:
[name_m]Charles[/name_m] nn [name_u]Charlie[/name_u]
My mum always says how she and my dad liked the same names for girls, but never could agree on/love the same boys’ names, and she actually said that they couldn’t find out the gender for either my sister or I (sister was being shy, and I was a massive baby), but they assumed I’d be a boy (LOL surprise ), however, NEITHER of them loved [name_u]Mackenzie[/name_u] [name_m]Daniel[/name_m], but it was all they could agree on, because [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] had been vetoed by my grandmother (Dad’s mum) because our last name begins with S, so in case I (or anyone else) had a lisp, she said it’d be cruel. Wonder what I would’ve ended up being had I been a boy!
My parents decided before they were married that their first daughter would be named after their mothers and their first son would be named after their fathers, so I was always destined to be [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] [name_f]Cynthia[/name_f]. (Or [name_f]Cynthia[/name_f] [name_f]Margaret[/name_f], I suppose.) Had I been a boy, though, I’m not positive what my name would have been, because by the time I was born, I already had two cousins named [name_m]Charles[/name_m], which was my paternal grandfather’s name. The middle name was definitely going to be [name_m]Dominic[/name_m] (my maternal grandfather’s middle name), but Mom liked [name_u]James[/name_u] for a first name after my father, while Dad didn’t want a junior and preferred his father’s middle name of [name_m]Thomas[/name_m]. I imagine they probably would have gone with [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] [name_m]Dominic[/name_m], but my mother refers to the baby she miscarried as J.D. ([name_u]James[/name_u] [name_m]Dominic[/name_m]).
I was supposed to be a [name_f]Samantha[/name_f] but my grandmother put her foot down or ruined it for my mom somehow – moral of the story my mother now insists you should NEVER tell people your baby name til it’s born haha. My dad wanted to name my brother [name_m]Buzz[/name_m] after [name_m]Buzz[/name_m] Aldrin and my sister would have been a [name_m]Peter[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] if she had been a boy.
My name is [name_f]Kaitlin[/name_f], and I’m very happy with that. I don’t go by any nn and I can’t stand being called [name_f]Katie[/name_f] (contrary to my user name). It is the only name my father would agree to. My mom wanted to name me [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] (sorry to [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] lovers but I really don’t like the name and I only think of the book “[name_f]Sarah[/name_f] Plain and Tall” when I hear it, I am neither). Mind you, I was named [name_f]Kaitlin[/name_f] about a year before it skyrocketed up the US charts, I don’t think it would have been my name if it was at the height of popularity it reached in the years following. If I was a boy my name would have been [name_m]Timothy[/name_m].
My parents were considering [name_f]Julia[/name_f], [name_f]Caylee[/name_f], [name_f]Jessica[/name_f], and [name_f]Lola[/name_f]. The ended up with [name_f]Emily[/name_f] [name_f]Marie[/name_f]. I feel as if I am more of a [name_f]Caylee[/name_f] than an [name_f]Emily[/name_f].
I think it’s neat to see what other berries were almost named.
My parents ended up naming me [name_f]Julia[/name_f]. Other contenders were:
[name_f]Penelope[/name_f] - my Dad said no
[name_f]Sabrina[/name_f] - my Dad loved it, but my Mom had a horse she had used to barrel race on and her name was [name_f]Sabrina[/name_f], so Mom said no to that
[name_f]Brianna[/name_f] - They both liked it.
[name_u]Julie[/name_u] - After [name_u]Julie[/name_u] Andrews the actress, however, they chose [name_f]Julia[/name_f] as it is the name of my Mom’s grandmother.
If I was a boy, I was going to be [name_m]Nicholas[/name_m].
My name is [name_f]Athena[/name_f] [name_f]Christine[/name_f], and thankfully they did not pick ‘[name_f]Elektra[/name_f]’, which my mom briefly liked. That would have been a bit too special… She also liked [name_f]Hera[/name_f], which I’m not too fond of either, don’t really like the sound. Another big candidate was [name_f]Joni[/name_f] (after [name_f]Joni[/name_f] [name_m]Mitchell[/name_m]), which I don’t mind at all, but eventually she went for [name_f]Athena[/name_f], and I’m perfectly happy with it!
I am [name_u]Jessie[/name_u], but other feminine contenders were [name_f]Georgette[/name_f] (prefer [name_f]Georgia[/name_f] or [name_f]Georgina[/name_f]), [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] (too popular), [name_f]Melanie[/name_f] (I like this one), [name_u]Jamie[/name_u] (all right), or [name_u]Laurie[/name_u]/[name_u]Lorrie[/name_u] (prefer [name_f]Laura[/name_f] with Laurey as nickname spelling). If I was a boy, I would have been [name_u]Jesse[/name_u].
and if I were a boy, I was to have been called [name_m]Jeffrey[/name_m], which seems to me a vulnerable sounding name somehow.
My parents decided to name me [name_u]Laurie[/name_u] [name_f]Ann[/name_f] (gack), but after my 19 year old mother suffered 36 hours of labor and I finally appeared, she said weakly, “I don’t think she looks like a [name_u]Laurie[/name_u] [name_f]Ann[/name_f]…” to which my freaked-out 20 year old father said eagerly, “Name her anything you want!”
[name_m]Hence[/name_m] I became [name_u]Leslie[/name_u], which I love, and not [name_u]Laurie[/name_u] [name_f]Ann[/name_f], which makes me itch. Though my father did get to pick my middle name - the cool [name_f]Diane[/name_f] - which beats the cake mix-sounding [name_f]Ann[/name_f] any day!
I love [name_f]Dagmar[/name_f] and Vibe (I would have loved to be a [name_f]Dagmar[/name_f] myself, but sigh my mum isn’t particularly fond of that name - Vibe is more her style, but her former stepmother is named [name_f]Vibeke[/name_f] and her current stepmother is called [name_f]Vita[/name_f], so I guess that was out of the picture from the get go).
), however, NEITHER of them loved [name_u]Mackenzie[/name_u] [name_m]Daniel[/name_m], but it was all they could agree on, because [name_m]Sebastian[/name_m] had been vetoed by my grandmother (Dad’s mum) because our last name begins with S, so in case I (or anyone else) had a lisp, she said it’d be cruel. Wonder what I would’ve ended up being had I been a boy!