Aw, thank you! I often use Artemis as a screen name, but it was taken when I joined here.
It will shock you to learn that my name is Sandra. I don’t love it, but I certainly don’t dislike it.
My given name is my middle name, which is a royal pain in the ass. I’ve bitched about it many, many times. So yeah, I’d change it.
I wouldn’t change mine at this point, because my life is too established under my name, but I would if there was an automatic reset.
My first name is extremely Italian which would be fine if I spoke Italian or if my parents did. Instead, I am fourth generation via South America. I remember being in a small class, and the TA mentioning that he expected that with my name, I was fresh off the airplane from Italy. My name is consistently mispronounced and misspelled. I usually go by the Anglicization of my first name. The one good thing is that aside from one time in Venezuela, if I hear my first name, I know that they are referring to me.
I’m a Jamie, and I’m okay with it. I used to like the fact that it’s androgynous, but not so much in recent years. I run across the occasional romance novel (most notably the *Outlander *series) where the hero is named Jamie and it’s disconcerting.
I don’t like that it’s a nickname and therefore doesn’t *have *a nickname. I carefully gave my kids names that had lots of available nicknames to choose from.
My name is Alexa and I like it. Not so uncommon that people are confused when confronted with it, nor so common that everyone I know has the same name. The only problem is that my surname starts with an S, so everyone thinks I’m Alexis when I introduce myself with both names.
Haha, I know a Thomas who goes by Frank as well. There is a reason though. He was given the nickname “Frank” in a club we were in together in high school, assigned because (as he was one of three Toms) the girl who nicknamed him had confidence that he would be the only Frank present.
Mine’s Kody and I rather dislike it for three reasons. First Cody is too common and it’s annoying having the same name as someone else in the room. Second spelling it with a K is just a pain in the ass to tell people, I say “It’s Kody, that’s K-o-d-y” and by the time I get to the K they’ve already written C. And third Cody just sounds like it belongs to a 6 year old to me. It just doesn’t work for an adult.
I don’t know if I’d change it. I’d consider it but that would be quite a bit of work. Getting new cards and convincing friends and family to use the new name… I don’t know it might be worth it it might not.
I’d probably like my name if it weren’t my own, but most people don’t like their own name due to familiarity or something. My kids have great names, uncommon but not weird, and are complimented on them often, but they both hate them.
First name: Not common, with a definitely uncommon pronunciation
Last name: Definitely uncommon, and rarely pronounced correctly on the 1st try
I always appreciated the non-Jane-Smithness of my name, but when I was a kid I didn’t like the actual sound of it, maybe because it’s not a pretty type of name. Then at some point when I was a teenager I was telling a friend this and she said, “Oh, how can you say that? It sounds so much like a famous-writer name!” And I realized it does, right down to the “how do you pronounce this author’s name” part.
(Note: I am not famous.)
I hate my first name, both the long form and the short. I just think it’s an ugly-sounding name. I used to wince when my name was called during roll call. I wouldn’t bother changing it though 'cause everyone is used to it by now.
I worked with a guy called Keith. His real name is Frank. The story: his grandmother wanted them to name the baby Keith. The parents refused and named him Frank. The grandmother called him Keith anyway. So did everybody else. So, he goes by Keith.
How is Wjyzzc pronounced? I’ve never had the pleasure of hearing all these cool Polish names.
I like my name perfectly fine (David), but I really prefer to be called Dave by people who know me. I had one boss who was really great, but never would call me Dave. David just seems… too formal, I don’t know. I definitely wouldn’t change my name, though.
My last name is very very common (top 80 in the US), but my middle name is a very uncommon last name (fewer than 2500 in the US). So I’m reasonably certain I am the only person with my exact name. Which is nice, because it means I can pretty much always get my real name as a username anyplace I want. 
“Smith”
“Jorge”.
I’m from Canada (well, I’m an immigrant) and I went by George. Been living in the states and I thought to try the actual pronunciation and it turns out you Yanks know how to say it. I’m not too hot about it and if I could I would go by my great-great grampa’s name:
Santana Santamaria.
or maybe just Bill
My first name is Rachel. I really kind of hate it. It was pretty common the year I was born, and more common amongst my demographic. Everyone also comments about how it’s a Biblical name, and it’s like. . .well, no, I was named after my great-grandma Rhea and my uncle Raymond, so. . .you know, not so much.
If it wouldn’t be a pain in the ass, I’d change it. I’m still considering. Also would change my last name. My maiden name is usually mispronounced, and is my dad’s, which is meh. My current name is from my ex-husband, who I’d rather forget. I just don’t know how I’d handle a full first/last change at work.
My name was #19 the year I was born, but college is the only time I’ve ever known any other Shannons in more than passing. I like it. Some people don’t know how to spell it - and I blame celebs like Shannen Doherty for that - despite my spelling being the most common one. Oh well, people ask how to spell my last name too, and it’s a common noun that I’ve never seen spelled in any other way.
One of my Great-great-grandfathers did that to two of my grandmother’s siblings, kids 7 and 8. I’m not even sure what great-aunt Nancy and great-uncle John’s real names are, because their grandfather “renamed” as babies - the funny thing is that there were no arguments about the names, and their mother complained that he ought to have suggested the names if he liked them because they were running out of ideas by that point!
My name is Lynn. I used to hate it. One thing I don’t like about it is that for some reason, no one seems to hear me correctly when I say it. I think that it’s just so short and quiet when I say it that by the time people really start to listen, I’ve already finished saying it. I’m just used to having to repeat my name when I introduce myself. It’s funny, I’ll be with friends and meeting someone for the first time, and when we go through the introductions, the person will always hear my friends’ names and when I get to mine, “Sorry, what was that?” “Lynn.” “Hmm, what was that, did you say Lynn?”
I swear I do speak clearly but for some reason no one can hear me when I say my name!
I am also one of those people who always has varying nicknames from different people (for example, rinni), and a lot of the time if one of those particular people calls me by my real name, I’ll always feel like “Wha, you used my real name, am I in trouble?!”
Despite all that I’m kind of used to it now and wouldn’t change it.
The title of this thread reminds me of the old joke with this punchline:
“But tell me, why do you ask, Two Dogs Fucking?”
There’s no option for “I’ve already changed it”.
I haven’t gone by my birthname (first name) for 15 years. I was never a big fan of it, and about that time I was going through some heavy duty inner growth and changes stuff. I changed my name to emphasize the new path I was on.
I didn’t change it legally, though, so I guess the last option applies - but I always think of a nickname as something that other people choose for you, not a name you choose yourself.
When I got married, I kept my maiden name. I like being me, and having a different last name would be a sign that I’m a different person. I’m still myself, I’m just married now.
I don’t know; sometimes i like it and sometimes i hate it… and changing one’s name is a pain.
I’m a Shannon, too and while i think it’s a good name, i get a lot of crap from stupid people because i have a Hispanic last name, and i look like my mother, for all i have my father’s personality.
If I had a dollar for every time i had to hear stupid shit from retards, on how i MUST be adopted but am in denial or how i don’t look like whatever stereotype they have, basically i would have enough for a nice house, car, and savings account.
I love my name.
My parents did a great job.