How do you feel about your own name?

[barbarhow]

Curious how you feel about your first name.
Did you like it growing up?
Do you like it now?
Did you feel like you had to grow into it?
Or did you feel like you grew out of it?
Other random thoughts on the topic....
I never really liked my name-at least as a kid. When I got older and into high school it was nice to be the only Barbara in school or in my dorm in college. I still am not crazy about it. This sounds kind of nuts but I always thought that it was a fat name and I was always a chubby kid. The letters are all round. My sister's name is Jennifer and she was/is tall and thin-more like her name. Sounds kind of crazy when I write it but am curious if others had similar associations with their names.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03, a Red Sox fan
expecting #2, a Yankee fan, around 5/9/05!

[jbowman]

I've always liked my name, Jill (my middle name is Elizabeth). It's easy to pronounce and simple. And although I've known several Jills, the name has never been overly popular (and few girls are named Jill anymore--Gillian is popular though!).

That said, it is not *exotic* (come to think of it, neither am I!) nor does it have poetic or historical connotations (oh, and it's very 70s, LOL!).

[jd11365]

I absolutely LOVE my name...good job mom! I like how it sounds, I like that it's fairly uncommon, I like how it looks. Now, growing up, I sometimes didn't like being teased that it was a "boys'' name, but now that I'm older I have absolutely no issue with that. I'm sometimes asked if it's a nickname, but no, it's my real name.

On a side note, I was born in June '75 and The Bionic Woman (with Jamie Summers) debuted January '76. When I was growing up, the Bionic Woman was popular and the name started to gain a little popularity...but I was named first...not after Jamie Summers!

Fun thread!

Jamie
Mommy to Kayla
May '03

[rrosen]

I have always liked my name. Though I hated the fact that everyone would automatically assume I went by Becky. I never felt Becky suited me. In my mind Becky was a really cute, perky, blond with a high squeaky voice. (Disclaimer: I have know several Beckys since who did not fit this image and whom I liked very much. no flames please) So, I fought the nickname Becky my whole life. I much prefer to be called Becca, Bec, or Becs (Becs is mainly reserved for my Dad and Rashmi :))

The funny thing is that I have done the same thing to my daughter. Her name is Gabrielle. And everyone assumes (and I presume will for her entire life) that her nickname is Gaby. However, my DH and I prefer to call her Elle. Ironic, no?

[jamsmu]

I never liked my name. When I was in first grade, I transferred to a new school and told my teacher that she should call me "JulieAnn" in stead of "Julie." She told me that if that was the case, my mom would have told her that. (Crazy that I still remember the conversation... we were standing right by the puzzles against the window.) There were always at least 5 of us in school, in overnight camp at least 2 in my 8 girl cabin, cheerleading at least 2 on the squad and a whole bunch in my sorority. When I got married and got to change my name, I figured, why not change it all? So I became "JulieAnn" officially. Friends and family still call me Julie and I introduce myself that way, though I usually cringe after thinking, "this would have been a perfect opportunity for a change."

i worry so much that C won't like his name. But, as my mom said, this was my chance to use the name I like. (She said she ALWAYS wanted a Julie.)

[alkagift]

I did not like my name as a child because I wanted to have a name you could shorten well and at the time, Allison wasn't "cute". I was tall, skinny and very serious so I desperately wanted to be shorter and "cute." I was called "Allison Cooper" for Alice Cooper or "Allison Wonderland." Sigh...the '70's weren't kind. However, Allison was fairly unusual at the time and I like my name well enough now. I think I had to grow into it.

Having said that, my husband now calls me Alli all the time...and he's the only one that does. I guess someone finally thinks I'm cute! Why couldn't the little boys who teased me in the third grade have thought of that?

Allison
Mommy to Matthew Clayton, 5/19/03

[aliceinwonderland]

I hate my name. It is unpronouncable in English ("eri" is a short form, but everyone in the US knows me by that, and when I become a citizen next year, my name will officially change to Eri Maiden Married. I also have no middle name.

[C99]

I didn't really like my name growing up. It wasn't a popular name when I was growing up (although it is now) and most people mispronounced or misspelled it and I wasn't bold enough to correct them. The only time I ever liked it as a kid was when I went to Europe and it was popular and pronounced correctly and I could find stickers and personalized items with my proper name on it. I also didn't like that there was no good way to shorten it; my parents didn't like "Carrie," which is the most popular shortening of Caroline. And I didn't learn about Carly until I was in high school. When I went to France, Caroline was a very popular name and had a good nickname that worked in French but didn't translate well into English, although I tried. I still have some people who will use the shortened version, but not many.

I like it now at some times, but not at others. It still annoys me that it is constantly mispronounced (I still correct my *BIL* and I've been married for over 5 years), but I have no qualms about correcting people. It annoys me that people think I was named after Caroline Kennedy or Princess Caroline. But it is a good name for an adult and I'm glad now that I don't have a cutesy name. To a certain extent, I feel like I grew into it.

[houseof3boys]

I liked my name growing up since there weren't that many of them (believe it or not). I also thought I was "cool" when I changed the spelling of it and changed Debby to Debbi. :)

I absolutely hated my middle name growing up and would threaten to change it legally when I was an adult. How funny that it is now becoming a popular name.....Grace.

[jd11365]

Caroline,
Now that I think of it, I used to hate that I could never find personalized items with my name on them. I really hated that...I always wanted the fun stickers and pencils like Joyce, a girl in my class who always had cool personalized stuff. A few years ago my best friend found personalized pencils with my name on them and gave them to me for my birthday...I was thrilled!!!


Jamie
Mommy to Kayla
May '03

[Rachels]

I always loved my name. I only ran into another Rachel on very rare occasion, and I grew up knowing that it was a name my mom had always loved. That meant a lot to me. I also like having a Biblical name, just always have. I gave my daughter the middle name Rose to honor several beloved family members, and I feel really connected to that, too. Something about having a name that means something to somebody is appealing to me.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02


"When you know better, you do better."
Maya Angelou

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif Two years and counting!

[jec2]

My given name is Juliet but for many years as a child I went by Julie So up until 1st grade I was "Julie", from 1st-5th grade or so I was "Juliet" and then from about 6-12th grade I was "Julie" again. At first I did not like "Juliet" esp. because people thought they were being funny "do you have a Romeo? etc" As if I NEVER heard that before. But, ultimately I did not like going by "Julie" and when I started college I started to go by Juliet. To me "Julie" was forgettable and boring whereas Juliet was unique and memorable. And, I do think people remember me more easily with the name Juliet. I love it now. I love that I have NEVER met another Juliet. I love the way it looks written. I love having a name that starts with "J" too. For some reason, I have always really liked "J" names and think that people with "J" names are fun and a little quirky. sounds weird, I know.

Oh, and iritates to no end when DH hears people call me Julie.

[crayonblue]

I do not like my name!

1) It is often mispronounced. It is not Lane-uh or Lawn-uh.
2) It is often misspelled. It is not Lanna.
3) It is not fun to be in 8th grade and have the kids calling each other by their names spelled backwards!!!!!!!

[jec2]

When I emailed you the other day, I almost addressed you as Becs. You are totally a Becs and I think of you as such when i see you on the boards!!!! e.g. "Oh, lets see what Becs has to say!"

I also LOVE the name Gabrielle! The boys' version Gabriel was on our short list :)

[steph2003]

I don't mind my name now - don't love it, don't hate it. I prefer my friends call me Steph (hate Stephie though which my father's family deemed it was their right to call me that!) my middle name is real original - Lynn - uh, like every other kid I know from the 70s has the middle name of Lynn, Marie or Ann :) Growing up I was the only Stephanie I know but now in my adult life there are 3 Stephanies alone in my neighborhood, I played on two different tennis teams w/2 Stephanies & then there are a few of "us" on the boards as well! funny now I see the name everywhere!

Pet Peeve - should have posted this on the pet peeve thread. People who take the liberty of shortening my name before they know me. The boards it is different, I mean my signature is Steph cause I feel like we're all friends here & it is casual. I'm talking IRL when someone meets me for the 1st time & just starts calling me Steph.

[hez]

Hated it growing up. Still not attached to it. I'm a "Heather Marie". How much more mid-seventies can you get? Other than my sister, who is "Michelle Lynne"!

My biggest problem with it was that there was always at least one other Heather in every single one of my classes all the way from K-12. So, I was never just "Heather" - I was "Heather K." Yuck.

My dad wanted to name me Alisande (Mark Twain - "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court") but my mom won that battle. I've always wanted to name a daughter Alisande, and I still might. DH is OK with it.

The other reason I hated my name is the connotation that goes with it-- think the movie "The Heathers". Double Yuck. So not me. I was painfully shy in HS, fairly mature in college, and definitely not a total ditz (just occasional). ;) No offense meant to any other Heathers-- I'm sure they've dealt with the same stuff.

[hez]

"every other kid I know from the 70s has the middle name of Lynn, Marie or Ann"

We posted at the same time about the same thing. Too funny!

[Saartje]

I hated my name growing up, because it seemed like in any group of eight girls, three were named Sara(h). These days, I'm ok with it, though I still don't like it being so common. I still toy with the idea of switching to my middle name (Marie), but it seems to be becoming more popular, so I'm not sure.

[KrisM]

I've always liked my name, despite some problems. When I was young, I didn't like not being able to find anything with my name on it - stickers, licence plates, pencils, etc. They had Kristin, Krista, and other variations, but never Kris or Kristine.

When I was working, there were something like 10 people names Kris/Chris in our division of 120 people. I was the only girl, so that helped, but the general name is way too common. Now, Kristine isn't even in the top 1000 of social security names.

[lisaE]

Heather! I love that name! It was on my list had DS been DD!

I never liked my name growing up. There were always so many Lisas around. And my middle name is Kay, I have always hated that. I dropped it when I got married, and like the PP, I am Lisa Maiden Married.

I think Lisa is fine now. I don't mind it like I used to, I still wouldn't say I like the name especially, I guess it's fine either way. It's not a name that you hear much anymore. I do like being called by the shortened version, which one of my friends spells "Leese". I like that.

When we picked out Connor's name we decided that most people don't like their names growing up. I guess that's true.

Interesting topic!

[missym]

I'm not crazy about my name, but I think I'm stuck with it. I was always called Missy as a child. In college, I switched to Melissa and I still use that at work, but it doesn't feel like "me" the way Missy does. My friends and family mostly call me Missy.

However, I think Missy sounds kind of juvenile, so I'm not sure what to do as I get older. Grandma Missy???

Interesting thread!

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif
20 months and counting!

[C99]

I still hate my middle name, but I didn't drop it when I got married. But I do get irritated when people use it instead of my maiden name as a middle initial. I have all these funny things about how my name appears when written.

[ellies mom]

My first name is Veronica Lee, with no middle name. Yes, two words and no Lee is not my middle name. I go by Veronica. Amazing how someone whose only known me a short time will argue about it. Like it hasn't been my name for 35 years.

I really do like my name though. It isn't common, and it's got "history" so to speak. My maiden name is difficult. No one pronouces it or spells it right but at least it isn't that common. My married name is way too common for my liking.

The other thing with Veronica is that I get called by just about every other "V" name: Victoria, Virgina, Valerie and Vicky. Luckily I'm not too hung up about that because sometimes it is just easier to answer than correct. I had a teacher in college that called me Valerie for years.

[Vajrastorm]

I have always liked my name. People inevitably mispelled it or mispronounced it, but I enjpyed having a name no one else had. My father made it up, and it has a meaning attatched to it. I've always liked that aspect too. My middle name is just as funky.
I'm Andrie Deja Last Name. :) (Andrie is pronounced "an-dree," Deja is pronounced like deja vu)

ETA - Because I enjoyed my own experience with a unique name, I made sure to give my dd a name that wasn't on the top 100 list.

[trentsmom]

I've always liked my first name. It's unusual, and it was very unusual in the 70s and 80s! I remember dreading the first day of school with the teachers trying to pronounce my first name and my unusual last name. As I got older, I just waited for a pronounced pause during roll call and said, "Here."

My married last name is also usually mispronounced and misspelled. I am officially Chantel Maiden Married; I got rid of the only "normal" portion of my name: Debra!

[hez]

"Because I enjoyed my own experience with a unique name, I made sure to give my dd a name that wasn't on the top 100 list."

Change the start of your sentence to "Because I did not enjoy my experience with a very common name...", and now you know why Payton is Payton and not Jacob or Joshua, both names that I absolutely adore!

[Roleysmom]

I don't dislike my name, but I've never thought it suited me. I'm surprised that's it my name. It's not a family name, it's not a name either of my parents had any attachment to before I was born, so it didn't have a history, and I guess my response to it reflects that. I do like the fact that it's slightly uncommon so I don't hear it all the time but it's familiar enough where it doesn't get mispronounced (although I get the occasional Pamela) and I don't get strange looks from people.

Paula -- mom to Roley Julia, January '02

[mysweetboy]

No kidding...Lori Ann here. And my sister's middle name is Lynn. My parents were so creative. ;)

Lori
mommy to Charlie, almost 7 months old!

[August Mom]

I like my name, Chanda, and have my whole life. But, it did make us think about whether we wanted to choose an unusual name for our child. It is a nice name because there aren't a lot of Chandas running around. I actually have heard of a few (one in my hometown was named after me). However, it also has been an annoyance because almost no one pronounces or spells it correctly. Even people that I'm around for extended periods of time and distant relatives screw it up. It is pronounced Ch (as in cheese) + anda (as in Panda). However, I have heard every conceivable pronunciation. The most common mistake is Shanda or Shandra. But, I also get Shaundra, Shaunda and various other versions. As far as misspellings, 9 times out of 10, people will spell it Chandra. I don't know why that "R" sneaks in there all the time. It's not as though Chandra is a super common name. (Although the Chandra Levy story did me no favors). I also had an uncommon maiden name. So, my whole life I have just spelled my entire name when providing information. I now have a more common last name, but I still spell it. I also have had the same experience as a PP that the pause usually means a person is trying to figure out how to say my name.

On the plus side, most people tell me they think it's a really pretty name.

[Rachels]

LOL, Steph! :) I once had an interview with people who called each other Pattie and Richie and the like, and within five minutes they were calling me Rachie. I felt like I needed to remind them we were in a professional situation and that they should at least try to hold themselves together for a few mintues. They offered me the job but I turned it down. Reeked of potential boundary problems, I thought.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02


"When you know better, you do better."
Maya Angelou

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif Two years and counting!

[alleyoop]

OMG, I could have written your exact post (except for the Alisande part)!
I'm a "Heather Ann" and have never liked my name for the reasons you posted. I am absolutely positive I should have been a Jill.

[mysweetboy]

I hear ya. There was another Lori in all my classes. I was always Lori S. and I hated it. When I was 13, I was finally able to choose another name when I took French. I was Christianne the 1st year and then Joelle. Maybe it's a good thing that I wasn't able to name myself. ;)

Also, I always thought that it was a boring name (on me). It even sounded boring....Lori...boring. I guess I had (have?) a complex about being boring!

Lori
mommy to Charlie, almost 7 months old!

[Jenmv]

My sister's name is Jennifer and she was/is tall and
>thin-more like her name.

LOL, Oh how I wish the above statement was always true. I used to be tall and thin, now I'm just tall and average.

I actually like the name Jennifer, I just hated how popular it was. My dad named me so I always felt special knowing that it was a name he had chosen. My mom wanted to call me Lisa Marie. Believe it or not I grew up in an area where I was the ONLY Jennifer in my school. Quite unusual for a child of the 70's. So I had no reason to not like my name until I moved to the midwest and then had about 4-5 Jennifer's in every class. Even then I never minded Jennifer, but I hated when people would shorten it to Jenny. It got to the point where I would just ignore any one who called me that. I'm sorry but it's not my name! I often go by Jen with my friends but I really resented it when people would automaticly shorten my name to Jenny. I hate that name(no offense to any Jenny's out there). I grew to hate the name because so many people who didn't know me would call me by it. For some reason I always associated the name Jenny with someone who was more perky and popular. Not me.

My name experience certainly influenced my naming decision for DD. I don't mind something on the top 100 list but I don't one her to be one of 5 in every class either.

[papal]

True story about my name:
Rashmi means The Rays of the Sun.

About 60 years ago, my grandma (dad's mom) went to the Ganges River as was her daily ritual to offer prayers. Well, while she was praying she saw this little boy floating in the river. He couldn't swim very well and was drowning. Everyone was shouting saying 'Boy in the river.. somebody rescue him!'. My grandmom was shouting too. Then she counted her own brood and realized it was HER son. My uncle (daddy's older brother who has passed away a couple of years ago). So, my grandmom being my grandmom, she got down on her knees and prayed to the Sun God. She begged him to save her son and if He did then she would name 5 people after him. Meanwhile someone jumped into the river and saved him. He had a scar (fish bite i think) on his forehead to prove this happened though he was too little to remember it.
A couple of years later, my Dad was born. He was named after the Sun. Luckily, in India there are a gazillion different Sun names so not everyone would be called SUN, iykwim.
3 of my older cousins have Sun names. My mom refused to let my sister have a Sun name.. she had other names in mind. I was the last grandchild to arrive (am the youngest on my Dad's side). My grandmom had to keep her promise. So my Mom gave in and they named me Rashmi - Sun's Rays.
The story behind my name makes me love it. :)
Funny thing.. my sister (the brains) got ALL the awards in high-school.. Science, English, Math... everything. The following year, what do I win? The one lame-o away that was there... 'Sunniest Disposition'. haha. Very apropos to my name anyway.

This is long.. i have drunk too much wine tonight... if you are still reading then GO TO SLEEP! Now I am really off to bed.

[kthomp]

I have had a love/hate relationship with my name over the years.

When I was younger, I always hated that there were never any personalized things with my name on them. My name was so "unusual" and "different" and as a kid, most of the time you want to be just like everyone else. It was always misspelled or mispronounced. No, it's not Kerry or Keri, and it's not pronounced "Carrie".

Now I feel like I have grown into it. I love that it is different. I don't know many other Kerri's. And I also love that it is Irish- a special reminder of my heritage. My grandfather came over from Ireland, so it's nice to have that tie especially since I don't have an Irish last name (he's my mom's dad).

I really love being Kerri now. I didn't always, but I think the name really suits me. And now that I'm grown up, I'm proud to be different.

[pritchettzoo]

Oh wow! What does Leela mean?

Anna
Mama to Gracie (Sept '03)

[starrynight]

I am ok with it and after my mom told me the runner ups in the name game I'm actually thrilled with it LOL.

I was the only Jackie in my class growing up and I liked that it isn't too common in my age group. I am actually a Jacquline but it's spelled differently (since it's rare to run into someone with it spelled the way I spell it I won't spell it here for privacy reasons sorry!) the only pita about it is I always had to spell out my name growing up. Everyone would misspell it or assume it was Jacquline.

[psophia17]

I LOVE my name. Petra Sophia, I just think it's beautiful. If I could get away with it and had a daughter, I would name her after me, just because I think it's so beautiful. It's also a very strong name, which I like, because I have a strong personality. It's also sentimental. My grandfather's name was Petrus, so they changed the masculine ending to the feminine ending, and I got Sophia because I was born on my grandmother's birthday, and her middle name was Sophia. I feel very connected to roots because of it. I was supposed to be Petra Maria before I decided to turn up on my Oma's b-day, which isn't bad, but before that I was supposed to be Daisy Maria, so I consider myself very lucky...

However, I detest when my name is mispronounced - it is Pay-tra, not Pee-tra or Pet-tra.

I've never met another Petra who also pronounces it like I do...

[RwnMayfair]

I dunno, I guess I don't necessarily dislike it, but it's not as if I think it's the best thing out there either. I didn't dislike it when I was growing up either, though it was somewhat of a pain in elementary school since there was another Melissa Ann and she almost always was in the same class as me. Of course, she went by Missy (which I cannot stand as a nickname - thank goodness no one ever called me that). And I don't feel like I had to grow into it, or that I've grown out of it.

I dunno, there are other names out there that I wish that were mine, but I can't say I dislike my name either. Ever since reading Anne of Green Gables though, I have always wished my middle name was Anne-spelled-with-an-E rather than just plain old Ann. ::grin::

-Melissa

Taran, November 20, 2003

http://lilypie.com/baby2/031120/0/5/0/-5/.png
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif - Twelve months and counting!

[jamsmu]

What a beautiful story--you could write a children's book about that. And why doesn't your award surpise me? You know, it really is an honor, yours has to do with your personality, the others are just brains :) Can you tell I got a similar award?

[kathsmom]

Well, I hated my name growing up. I just accept it now.

I was supposed to be Jill, but my father didn't want to name me Jill, so mom decided to name me Toni. My grandparents were all in an uproar, because who had ever heard of a "Toni"? They suggested names like Mary or Jane which were easier to pronounce. My mom said no.

Growing up, I was teased a lot and the kids would come up with stupid rhymes like "Toni, baloney, peanut butter, macaroni". People constantly misspelled my name Tony, Toney, Tonie, Tone, etc. I was called Terry, Tommy, Tammy, Tonya. I was always asked if Toni was short for Antoinette or Antonia. At that time, I was desperately mad at my parents for naming me Toni.

As I have gotten older, it has grown on me, and I am OK with it. The one kicker was when I was pregnant with Katherine, I signed up at the OB's office to receive all those packets of information. One of the formula companies constantly sent information to Mr. Toni Married Name. LOL!

[RwnMayfair]

My father has actually gotten mail addressed to "Mrs. Clarence LastName". He always thinks it's funny, as do my husband and I. I dunno, Clarence just never struck me as a girly name. ;)

Of course, I've gotten mail addressed to "Mrs. Patricia LastName" which I cannot figure out. How are they getting Patricia out of my name?

-Melissa

Taran, November 20, 2003

http://lilypie.com/baby2/031120/0/5/0/-5/.png
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif - Twelve months and counting!

[trumansmom]

I can't stand my name. It seems much perkier than I feel. Also, my middle name is Janel. The two names are so similar I always thought it sounded like I was named "Jeanne Jeanne". And I HATE having to spell my name for everyone. No there's no "i", and it IS pronounced jee-nee, NOT Jean. I've worked for two different people who have introduced me to others as Jean because they thought it sounded more professional.

Oddly enough, I mentioned to my stepmother how much I hate my name, and she said my father (he passed away several years ago) always wondered. He thought it was a dumb name as well!

I should have been a Margaret. :)

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and Eleanor 4/14/04

[jubilee]

My name is Julie Diane- but my parents nicknamed me Jade (pronounced J.D.) at birth. So, until I was around 7-8 years old, I went by Jade.... and then the Dukes of Hazzard came out. And you might remember the bad guy was J.D. Hogg- so I got teased horribly. I refused to go by Jade anymore, and only would respond to Julie. So, that said, I am okay about my name being Julie- at least it is better than being associated with the Dukes of Hazzard! As a preteen I loved that Julie has an "i" in it so I could do a little heart on top of the "i". And until these boards, I never realized how many Julies there are! In my school, there was only one other Julie. And I've never met a Julie that I didn't like- so that gives me good thoughts about it too :)

[jk3]

My name has always suited me though obviously it has suited millions of others. As a child, people called me Jenny + I never really liked that. Now only my cousind and a few childhood friends call me that + though I don't see myself that way it has a nice ring when they say it due to our relationship. Although Jennifer was the #1 name the year I was born, I was actually named after both of my great-grandmothers who were named Jenny - names they were given at Ellis Island so not their real names. I didn't mind having tons of Jennifers in my classes while growing up. Like other posters who changed the spelling, I changed Jen to Jenn since there were so many Jes + that has made a difference!

Although having a common name was fine with me, I will choose different though not totally odd names for my children. My DH, Michael, also was given the #1 name the year he was born so we always joke about how creative our parents were. He likes his name, by the way, but dislikes when people call him Mike. That's usually a true test of how close he is to people since most just shorten his name.

Jenn
DS 6/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[jk3]

That is a beautiful story. Definitely book worthy material! It's interesting that your name suits you perfectly.

Jenn
DS 6/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[bluej]

Too funny! My sister's name is Stephanie Lynn! She's a 60's baby, maybe my parent's were ahead of their time? Not likely!

[papal]

Leela means a Play or Entertainment (which, once again, is VERY appropriate for her!).

Warning: Long story ahead.
My absolutely fantastic grandfather (mom's dad), who passed away in 1997, I used to call him 'Leela' just for the heck of it. It is totally a girls name but it was just one of those playful things and he was so adorable that he didn't mind one bit.
My grandmother (mom's mom) passed away when I was pregnant with Leela. I had to go back to India because she was so ill. I can't tell you just how much I loved this woman.. she was the glue that brought us all together... people like that are not made anymore.. they are from a different time. Anyway, I went to India.. at that time we were not sure if she would make it or not. I knew I was pregnant but really did not want to tell anyone because they were so worried with my grandmom in hospital and all. Sadly, she passed away after 2 weeks in hospital. On the 10th day after she died, we have this ceremony in India where everyone says a prayer and releases the soul to ascend to heaven. I was almost 12 weeks preggo at the time and feeling pretty sick.. but I was the only grandchild there.. my cousins and sisters all had to go back to work or wherever... so I really didn't want to make a big deal because my mom and aunts and everyone needed me to be strong. Anyway, I did tell them on that 10th day. Well actually it was my parents anniversary and James called to say 'happy anniversary' and told them that their present would be arriving in 7 months. I guess everything happens for a reason.. but it was such perfect timing.. they had 10 days to really really grieve and now something to look forward to. In my family, many believe that Leela is a reincarnation of my grandmom.. lol.. they have such different personalities that I am not sure of that. But I do know that Leela has a very special angel watching over her.
My grandmom's name begins with a K. It is too complicated so I didn't want to name Leela her name. So we gave Leela the middle name of Kaye.
So you can say that she is named after my granddad and grandmom. Leela Kaye. :)
Leela is such an old-fashioned name in India that most people were pretty horrified that we chose Leela... but she is SO a Leela.. I can't imagine her with any other name anymore! :)

[Corie]

My name is Corie and I have always liked my name.

My mom said she got my name from the movie, Barefoot in the Park with Jane Fonda and Robert Redford.
Apparently, Jane Fonda's character was named Corie.

I have always liked unisex names for girls. My daughter's name is Carson. I have only run into a few girls with the name of Corie or Carson. I like that !

My sister's name is Regan. (The 'e' is pronounced with a long vowel sound.) I have always loved her name too.

I think my mom did a great job with our names! Hopefully, my kids will like their names as much!

(By the way, my son's name is Knox. We got it from the movie, Dead Poet's Society.)

Sincerely,
Corie
Mom of daughter, Carson 11-21-2001
Mom of son, Knox 10-21-2004

[papal]

Jeanne, I really like you name.. it is such an all-American sounding name to me. I just love it. And your kiddos names... i have said it before but I love them too!! Question, if there is a #3, what pres will the baby be named after?

[papal]

>>You are totally a Becs and I think of you as such when i see you on the boards!!!! e.g. "Oh, lets see what Becs has to say!"

YESSS! This is exactly what I thought too! Not all Rebeccas are Becs.. but Becs sure is a Becs. I knew it the minute I 'saw' you Becs! :)
And Juliet, I think we were twins in a previous life.

[papal]

I love the name Chanda! It is my mom's name! :)

[Corie]

There was a girl named Chanda in my hometown in Ohio.
I always liked her name! I thought it was unique and different.
Plus, she was just so pretty!

Corie

[C99]

>want to be just like everyone else. It was always misspelled
>or mispronounced. No, it's not Kerry or Keri, and it's not
>pronounced "Carrie".

ok. now i gotta ask: how is kerri pronounced?

[lmintzer]

I'm pretty neutral about my name. I never minded it growing up, and it's certainly a fine adult name. My grad. school class of 8 had 2 Lisa's, and 2 more in classes above me. I have 2 good friends named Lisa. But no big deal.

I also LOVE the name Gabrielle, Rebecca. It was definitely on our short list for a girl. Not sure about nicknames, though. "Gabby" is the most likely, but I'm not sure if I like that. But knowing our kid, it would probably be appropriate, lol (for those of you who have met Jack, you know what I mean).

[babymama]

I'm glad you cleared this up bc from your signature line I always thought you pronounce your name as Lawn-uh. I know a few Annas who go by "awn-uh" and don't like being called "An - uh". Good to know!

Lydia
Mama to Santiago, born 11/16/03

[murpheyblue]

I'm ok with my name. Growing up 'Al(l)ison' was super popular. I don't think I was ever the only Alison in any class, girl scout troop, camp, etc. My name was also constantly misspelled because my parents used only one l. Overall though, I like it. As I've grown older it doesn;t seem quite as common as it did when I was a kid and I think it's been professional enough to serve me well in business.

[jec2]

"And Juliet, I think we were twins in a previous life."

That has GOT to be the explanation :)

[babymama]

How do you pronounce it? I've been calling you (in my head whenever I read your name) Pet-tra or Pe-thra (the way we pronounce Petra in Spanish).

Lydia
Mama to Santiago, born 11/16/03

[MartiesMom2B]

I absolutely HATED my name while I was growing up. I hated that I could never go and get one of those cheeze license plates with my name or a cup. I wanted a cool name like Lisa or Jennifer. My mom always told me that she wanted to name me something where if I got lost she could call my name out and I would be the only one to respond. I also hated the way I looked. I always wanted blonde hair and blue eyes.

Now I love my name. It's so cool and unique. I think it fits me. You can pronounce it two ways. For those who are wondering - it's a question I get all the time. I pronounce my name with a long O (SO-nia). However my parents and DH prnounce it with a short o (like lawn -Sawn -ia). It was pronounced with a short o until I decided to change it in high school b/c Sonia with a long O sounds more sophisticated. Ha ha.

-Sonia

[marinkitty]

Caroline - I am picky about how my name is written out too. I did drop my middle name when I got married and made my maiden name my middle, but it bothers me to no end to see it as an initial. I always want it spelled out - which means forms and such always annoy the heck out of me. I never minded my original middle name as an initial. Funny.

Holly
Mom to Mia (3.17.03)
Another March baby EDD (3.22.05)

http://lilypie.com/days/050322/0/0/1/-6/.png

[MartiesMom2B]

Chanda:

I've told you before, but I love your name!

-Sonia

[marinkitty]

Growing up I was not a fan of my name. The Christmas connotation (yes, I was born a week before Christmas), the Holly Hobbie comments, the fact there was never any personalized name stuff (just Heather and Helen). We lived in southern Texas for 6 years and I think I begged my mother every day for months to change my name to Bobbie Jo!

Now that I'm older I don't mind my name at all. I don't love it, but it is who I am, you know? As a 70's baby my middle name was Lyn, which I dropped in favor of my maiden name when I married. The only thing that took some getting used to was going by Holly Married because it is also a short "H" name and I felt like I was going around introducting myself as "Betty Boop." It just sounds too perky and ditzy together - but again, I'm used to it now.

Holly
Mom to Mia (3.17.03)
Another March baby EDD (3.22.05)

http://lilypie.com/days/050322/0/0/1/-6/.png

[jbowman]

>My mom said she got my name from the movie, Barefoot in the
>Park with Jane Fonda and Robert Redford.
>Apparently, Jane Fonda's character was named Corie.


That movie is WONDERFUL! It is one of my all-time favs and Jane Fonda's character is lovely! She's so full of life!

[babymama]

I like my name. I think Lydia (pronounced Lid-dee-uh) is pretty and it's not common. My middle name is very common, "Marie", but still not as common as the spanish version "Maria". Growing up, my family's name for me was and still is "Lili" (pronounced Lee-lee) and to my nieces and nephews I am Aunt Lilly (said with a thick TX accent).

When people mispronounce it they typically say Lynda bc it looks like Lynda. When that happens, I usually think "what an idiot who can't read." Misspelling are understandable bc the spanish version of Lydia is usually spelled Lidia, but still annoying.

Like others here I fretted about not seeing my name on pencils, stickers, etc, growing up, but overall I'm happy with my name.

I changed the pronounciation of my maiden name when I went to college (to say it with the spanish accent), but for whatever reason I never extended that to my first name. So I am Lid-dee-uh, not Lee-dee-aah (though I don't mind it when people call me Lee-dee-aah, it's the way my mom says my name).

I like unusual names, and was very focused on choosing something off the beaten track for my kiddo.

Lydia
Mama to Santiago, born 11/16/03

[zuzu]

Were we twins, separated at birth? I was born a Melissa Ann too, but added the "e" to Ann later, just to make it more interesting. I also hated Missy, and cringe every time our neighbor calls me that. He met me six years ago, so it's not even as if he ever knew me as a little kid.

Melissa, mom to Sarah (5/03)

[Corie]

I thought the movie was great too!! It made me like my name even more. Plus, Robert Redford was totally cute. Whenever he says my name in the movie, I can just imagine that he talking to me!! Yeah baby!

Corie

[August Mom]

What is your hometown in Ohio, if you are willing to share? (Or at least what other town is it near?) I'm from Ohio too. Do you know me or the other Chanda I know? I wonder...

[wilelm]

I've always liked my name. For the most part, when I meet other women with my name, they're older. I've met some my age, but not many, and that's fine with me. I was named after my aunt.


Sheila
Mother of Miriam, 03/10/03 and
Had a name, but husband informed me last night he didn't like it anymore, due via c-s 12/30/04

[wagner36]

Me too! Except I did something even weirder as a last minute marriage compromise. I made DH's last name my middle name, and dropped my middle name. Totally strange, but since my grandmother did it, I figured I could make it a family tradition. But, now my middle initial is a W, so it looks so weird when the whole name isn't writte out. I've pretty much dropped use of it altogether.

How are you Holly?!?

[crayonblue]

Hmmm...I guess I will have to change my signature line! What is a name that rhymes with Lana that has no other way of being pronounced?

[Corie]

I'm from Bryan, Ohio. I'm thinking that I know you!!
When you said that your last name was also unusual, I was thinking hmmmmm! Because there aren't too many Chandas out there. :)

Corie

[trentsmom]

Do you watch Playhouse Disney? How about the Shanna Show - "My name is Shanna, it rhymes with banana."

[barbarhow]

You must be ready to kill him.......
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03, a Red Sox fan
expecting #2, a Yankee fan, around 5/9/05!

[barbarhow]

I am so glad that I asked this-I have been thinking about it for awhile. I am surprised at how many gave up middle names for maiden. I did the same. Barbara Jane was just a tad too much IYKWIM. I am named for my mother's sister and my middle name is also my mother's first name which is her sister's daughters name. (My first cousin and best friend) Got all of that? So at holidays there were always 2 Janes and 2 Barbaras, one of whom was a Barbara Jane. Whew. It got to be a tad much.
I would like to name a daughter after my sister, Jennifer, but DH is not going for it.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03, a Red Sox fan
expecting #2, a Yankee fan, around 5/9/05!

[ktdid74]

I was waiting to see how the other Katies replied :) I'll go first then by saying I like Katie though we'll see how it sounds when I'm in my 60's. I'm actually Catherine Elizabeth but have always gone by Katie (except to my mom who occasionally calls me Catherine). I can always tell if someone doesn't know me when they call or see my name on my work badge cause they'll say Catherine. What's funny is someone mentioned to me a few years back about why I'm Katie with a "K" but Catherine with a "C". I'd never thought about it but people bring it up all the time now. I was never really fond of my full name cause it sounds so snooty.

[crayonblue]

Ha! Ha! That will work. I hated being called "Lana Banana" growing up!

Lana (rhymes with Banana)

[Sarah1]

I'm another Sarah who didn't like the name growing up. It was so common, and to top it off, I had a pretty common last name, so I thought my name was pretty bland over all.

As an adult, though, I like it, and I have grown to like more classic (and biblical) names. I don't meet an abundance of little girls named Sarah these days--I think it's becoming less common.

[mharling]

I HATED my name growing up. Mary Had a Little Lamb, Mary Mary Quite Contrary..... UGH!!! I thought it was too old-fashioned and hated that it couldn't be shortened to something fun. Like Holly, I loved the name Bobbi Jo when I was younger. Now? No way.

I think Mary was definitely a name to grow into. I like it a lot now, but wouldn't say I love it. Although I honestly can't think of a name I would like better.

My first and middle name are both family names. When I used to complain about my name to my parents, their arguments were that it's classic vs. trendy and I *could* have been Florence Fredericka (also both family names).

In some ways I feel like I'll also grow out of it. When I'm old, it's going to seem like a stereotypical old lady name.

Mary
Lane - April 2003
Little sister on the way!!! March 2!

[tarahsolazy]

I think my name is OK, not extremely common, but still a 70s name, at least to me. My parents chose the less common spelling, which I like, because the H kind of balances the T, KWIM? And, I'm not called Tar-a too often, its usually pronouced correctly Tear-a. My middle name is Trinity, which is a family joke. When my mom was pregnant with my sis and I, my dad used to call her Trinity, because she was "three in one". Rather sacreligous, but cute. I wish that had been my first name, and I'd think about naming my daughter that, DH vetoed it when I was pregnant, because of the whole Matrix thing. I didn't change my last name, so I'm Tarah Trinity, Maiden, which rhymes with "so lazy".

My DH's name is Jason, like every other boy born in 1971!

[DDowning]

I wasn't particularly fond of my name growing up. Who could be happy with a name that was based on some Irish folklore tale that translated to mournful wanderer? No one could spell it - let alone say it -correctly. Some people would get confused when they would read my name out and and call me Deborah. To this day, my biggest pet peeve is that people spell it with the e and the i in different order. I remind people its DEE-dra, not DIE-dra. They also like to put an e on the end, instead of an a. In my first "career job", the CEO was chinese. He for the life of me would call me "Detra" - he even spelled it this way. Since I was just a peon secretary then, I wasn't about to correct him. He's about the only one I gave up on. Over the years, I have grown into it but I will shorten it when it suits my purposes. For example, whenever I place an order at a fast food chain, where in my area, 9 of 10 workers do not have English as their first learned language, I shorten my name to just "Dee". Its less confusing to the workers that way and there's no mistake that I won't miss my name being called.

[SASM]

Then ~ HATED it growing up!! Never could find any of those cool personalized items :( Plus, it is an older name that was/is not as common and I wanted to be a "Jennifer" :)

Now ~ LOVE IT!!! It is different :) I appreciate the reasoning behind it, as well. I was named after my dad's sister who passed away in infancy (my mom's idea). Her spelling was the traditional way, so Mom tweaked it a little to give me my "own" name. I think that was a VERY strong thing to do considering I was born at 28 weeks, 32 years ago!! :) I like to think that I got my stregnth through my name/aunt :)

I guess you can say that I grew into it :)

[kijip]

Once you consider that Kathleen, Katherine and Kathryn EACH all top the popular names list for my generation and that they can all be shortened to Katie or Kate, you get an idea of how hard it was to love my name in high school. I went to school with dozens of Katies and always had to use my first and last name. That is why I made sure not to use the current popular names for Toby...Aidan, Joshua, Jacob, Jack and Ethan are all great names but I feel better seeing that Tobias is not on the top names list. If I had not had this problem, I would have used Aidan or Joshua for sure!

[tippy]

I like my name NOW but hated it when I was a little kid. I got teased all the time by this one boy who would chant Teva Fetha (feather), Teva Fetha....you get the idea. Now, the only thing that bothers me is when people pronounce my name with a long e. It is Teva with a short e. Also, it's mildly annoying when people say ohhh....Teva...(long e), like the shoe. Um....no :(

A quick side note. I have three older sisters named; Thea, Siva (pronounced See-Vuh), and Jana (pronounced like Anna). They are Roman, Indian, Greek names. My name means nature in Hebrew. Everyone always asks "what are your parent’s names"? uh...Ann and Harry! Go figure.

Teva
Mom to AJ born 1-8-03

PS. Siva and Teva are also the name of two very large Pharmacuetical companies. Siva in India and Teva in Isreal.

[rrosen]

LOL! Juliet, you can call me Becs anytime you would like!

I have always loved that Rashmi calls me that because it is what my Dad has called me forever.

It is a warm fuzzy to me!

[KBecks]

My first name is Karen and it has always been OK with me. I like that it is short and simple.

My middle name is Ethel, which is for my grandmother, and it's not a pretty name, but I've gotten used to it. Middle names are so rarely used that it's no big deal.

[McQ]

Totally! Well almost. I go by my middle name (which is a PITA but that's what my parents decided to call me) and I hate my first name. But when I got married it felt so odd to start off my signature with Allison so I kept my first name and dropped my madien name.

And as far as personalized stuff - they always had Alison with one L and rarely two so I got shaft on that. I'm sure that's going to be a pain for Meghan with the H and well Declan, forget about it!

Allison
~ mama to Declan 3.24.03 and Meghan 8.26.04

[McQ]

Allison - I was always Addie growing up. My brother couldn't say Allison but said Addison instead so that's what got shortened. To this day people I grew up with still call me that. Plus some people I went to college with who went home with me a bunch. DH though refuses. I guess I'm not cute :)

Allison
~ mama to Declan 3.24.03 and Meghan 8.26.04

[C99]

That annoys me too. I didn't drop any names when I got married, but just made my maiden name part of my middle name. I am very particular about the way my name is written. Before, I was Caroline J. Maiden, always in print. I even signed my name that way. Now, I'm either Caroline Maiden Married or just Caroline Married. It annoys me to see either middle name shortened to an initial -- or worse, Caroline Middle Married.

I'm glad to know that I am not the only with this particularity!

[trumansmom]

LOL - I guess Kerry - because #3 will never happen! (Said as a true Democrat trying to make light of the matter. Please know that was a joke!)

Actually, if DD had been a boy, she would have been named Carter. I tried to push it as a girl's name, but DH said no way.

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and Eleanor 4/14/04

[psophia17]

For Americans, I tell them to pronounce it pay-tra. But it's actually Dutch, and it's meant to be pronounced with a somewhat softer long "a" sound than that. More like pey-terrra with the rolling "r." I think in Spanish it is right - when I was in NYC, my Spanish-speaking friends all pronounced it correctly, and very close to the Dutch way of doing it.

[vdrake71]

I also like my name and there are not too many Veronica's out there, but I did not like it growing up and it took awhile growing into my name. I also get called every "V" name and nicknames (V, Vero, Vern)were very hard to come by. The negative thing about my name was before I was married my initials were VD. Luckly, I was able to change that when I married my husband.

[August Mom]

:( I don't think so. I'm not from Bryan. I'm from the rural western side of the state. The nearest "big" city is Dayton, but I'm actually from a couple counties over. Too bad. That would have been one of those "small world" moments.

Nonetheless, I'm glad you have such a nice impression of the Chandas of the world. :)

[8isenough]

It's ok...however kids used to add silver after it. I guess there could have been far worse things to be called, but nontheless it was annoying.

Sterling

[wilelm]

Yep. I told my family that they'd have to bring the kids to visit me in prison.

Sheila
Mother of Miriam, 03/10/03 and
Had a name, but husband informed me suddenly he didn't like it anymore, due via c-s 12/30/04