# Do You Like Your Name?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 14, 2000, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017 "2000-04-14T04:28:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![mega\_the\_roo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mega\_the\_roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mega_the_roo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/81 "2000-04-15T04:19:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Kyla: > Despite this, I’d much rather have my unique name than be another Jennifer or Megan. jennifer i can understand. i mean, in my brother’s kindergarten class there were seven of them. last year, i worked with at least six of them at the same time. bah. but really, are there many of me in your neck of the woods? because besides all the fake megan’s on tv nowadays, i haven’t run into that many. in elementary school there had only ever been one other megan. in highschool there were two, one older and a whore who spelt it all stupid with a million extra letters, so we won’t count her. then there was one that i babysat and my cousin’s fiance’s niece is named megan. but that’s all i’ve ever run into. * * * “Organs gross me out. That’s _organs_, not orgasms.” -the wallster ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/82 "2000-04-15T08:10:00Z")
> [@](#): > > but really, are there many of me in your neck of the woods? because besides all the fake megan’s on tv nowadays, i haven’t run into that many. Yup. There really are that many. There were at least four Megans I can think of off the top of my head that were in my HS graduating class. (And that was almost five years ago, so there were probably more I can’t think of immediately.) My best friend from high school is Meghan, and when I’d see her in the hallways, I wouldn’t even bother to call out her name, because she wouldn’t even turn around. She’d started ignoring it after she kept looking when people yelled her name and it was never meant for her. I’d have to say “Meghan ROSE!” or she’d just keep walking. Speaking of which, what’s with all the weird spellings of Megan? I’ve seen Megan, Meghan, Meigan, Megann, and Mehagen (seriously, she pronounced in Megan). Do you get it misspelled a lot? My sister’s name is Rachel, and is commonly misspelled Rachael, which bugs her a LOT, since Rachel is the traditional spelling. Why would someone assume it’s some bizarre new spelling? ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/83 "2000-04-15T12:26:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Zion: > \*\*)BTW, Shirly Ujest: I really like your name, and I always have. I mean, Joan. Your old AOL handle was one of my favorites. 🙂 > \*\* Egads, you actually \*liked \* Just Joan ? Well, to each their own. Just Joan is about the only nickname I have IRL. Not Joanie or Joanne or Jo, Just Joan. Real catchy, huh? When I was a newbie to this internet world and on Compuserve, I picked a name of “Lady X” thinking it sounded regal and exotic. Something out of a bodice ripping trashy novel. Well, was I naive. All the pervs and one handed typers thought I was into S&M or cybering and I was under a constant barrage of "_Do you want to have sex_ So I picked something the total opposite of that name, and did my name. The name Joan discourages all perverts, with the exception of my husband. As is his motto in life: I will die trying to get a “Yes” out of you. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/84 "2000-04-15T12:39:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Ukulele Ike: > \*\*I’m a Bill. Ho hum. > > Back in the '70s, someone published a book on names that applied a personality to given names. The joke was that you could predetermine your kid’s life by assigning him/her the proper name. So I looked up “Bill.” > > \*\* Big bad Billy’s Sweet William now… Ike, you think Bill is ho hum in description ( Which I don’t. Bill is a stand up kinda guy name.) Try Joan. You be Joan for a week. I’ll be Bill. You’ll switch back to Bill in a heart beat, the pressure of the total dullness of being Joan is too much for mere mortals. There is a Baby Name Book ( of the 10,000 out there.) that has the general opinion of what people think when they hear a name. What do you think of when you hear the name, say, Alfred, and it would have the pro’s and con’s of the name.AS well as the general consensus of what kind of personality people think of when the think of an Alfred. ( IE: Alfred: Great posture, looks good in black. Likes accountancy. Is a name for a 70 year old man. Pro’s - professional no nonsense kind of name that hasn’t been popular since 1066. Con’s - Batman’s butler.) You get the idea. The name Joan is along the lines of: Joan: Feminine form of John. Means God is Gracious. _Personality_: (nearly verbatim) Joan’s are either very serious and dour or sarcastic. Con’s: Always on the fringe of popularity. Not a trendyish name like Jane or Emma. Probably will never come back in style. (this is nearly verbatim) The name Joan is hard on a little girl if she doesn’t go by Joni or Joanne, but she usually grows into at about 35. (well, no friggin’ duh.) I might wander to Borders today and see if I can find that book. Quite illuminating. ---
**Author:** ![Michi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@Michi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michi)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/85 "2000-04-15T13:18:00Z")
I don’t really care for my first name, which is why I use my middle one as much as I can. My last name is simply horrendous (no puns, please). I used to think, “Well, at least I can change it when I get married…” ::sigh:: What a rotten world we live in… * * * You know you are a vet nurse when: it’s 4 AM and you are out of creamer for your coffee, so you use kitten milk replacer instead. ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/86 "2000-04-15T13:25:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by mega the roo: > \*\* > but really, are there many of me in your neck of the woods > \*\* I went to grade school with two Megans. Actually, one was a Meghan. My sister is a Megan. And I think she went to school with a couple of them as well. I used to hate that name, but now I like it. It’s cute, but not flashy. I like it as a middle name. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/87 "2000-04-15T13:38:00Z")
I’m comfy with my name, Crosby, but I _do_ remember being a bit insecure about it during the first years of elementary school (1950s) when I was surrounded by Mikes and Steves and Johns. A couple of years, 5th and 6th grade, at an international school in Japan cured me of that, and now I like it because there aren’t too many of us around (I’ve never run across another) so people, once they get it right, remember me. I do get called Chris or Carl often enough. The only booger is that it’s a name that, while rare enough, everybody’s heard - I hate to say it, but I was relieved when Bing passed away, now we’re down to just Stills and Nash wisecracks - and people insist on trying to make it my last name because that’s the context in which they’ve heard it before. Anytime I must recite my info to a person filling in a form, they will try to make my last name (a rare-in-the-U.S.-outside-of-South-Dakota Scandanavian name) a first name because they’re sure, once they’ve heard ‘Crosby’, that must be my last name. I share with the previous posters the frustrations associated with dealing with people who think you don’t know your own name. I do remember being a little confused in the 1980s when I would be addressed as Travis. Carl and Chris I could understand, and Travis is a cool enough name, but how the heck…? I finally discovered that there was another guy in the industry named Travis Crosby. One of my co-workers had a next door neighbor named Gonzales. This poor guy pronounced his name with a long a in the, by his pronunciation (Gawn-zayls), last syllable. He also lived in Corpus Christi, Texas and spent every day of his life correcting people’s three syllable interpretation (Gawn-zawl-ess). P.S. Stacy’s a cool name, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/88 "2000-04-15T14:08:00Z")
Can’t complain about my name: Elizabeth Anne. Billdo’s given name is obviously William. Maybe our folks are boring but they understood one thing: Stick with those British royalty names, and you can’t go too far afield. What I can (and do) complain about is the fact that people sometimes automatically call me Liz. Lizzzzz. Liiiizzzzzzz. Lizzzzzzz. :mad: The only people who are allowed to call me Liz are those who have known me for at least twenty years. Unfortunately, I have known a lot of people that long. Lizzz Lizzz Lizzzzzz. :mad: I go by “Elizabeth.” I also answer to “Sweetie” and “Hey, You!” ## My brother has been known to call me a variety of things, including, for reasons known only to him, “E-Bert.” Lately, he has been calling me “Bean” in real life. That is fine, but he got kind of annoyed when I called him “Billdo” in front of Ma and Pop. Well, they thought it was just hilarious, but my mother asked the same question that I did–why on earth would somebody choose to present himself to the world as “Billdo?” Back off, man. My brother’s a lawyer. (Thanks, Wally!) ---
**Author:** ![mega\_the\_roo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mega\_the\_roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mega_the_roo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/89 "2000-04-15T18:07:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Kyla: > Speaking of which, what’s with all the weird spellings of Megan? I’ve seen Megan, Meghan, Meigan, Megann, and Mehagen (seriously, she pronounced in Megan). Do you get it misspelled a lot? the megan i graduated with spelt it meaghan. that alone, annoyed me… but with my luck she was also in french immersion, which means in most of my classes. and on top of that, both of our last names started with ‘k’. we’d have a substitute teacher and: sub. - megan? megan and meaghan - here! sub. - megan k.? megan and meaghan - here! and i can’t even guess how many times i was marked absent cause she and her extra letters were off galavanting. as for having my name misspelled, besides having an ‘h’ sporadically inserted, not really. but i do get called meeeegan every now and then. in grade ten my psych. teacher ALWAYS called me meeeegan. eventually i just gave up on correcting him and watched as my class became equally annoyed with his persistance to get it wrong. then, the day after i wrote my final exam for the class he passed me in the hall, grinned and said, “hi megan!” GRRR!! * * * “Organs gross me out. That’s _organs_, not orgasms.” -the wallster ---
**Author:** ![Squee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Squee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squee)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/90 "2000-04-15T18:15:00Z")
I’ve never given my name too much thought. **Alex** wasn’t a common name in my school. I was the only one. But now that I think about it, I have decided that I don’t really like it. ☹ * * * “Penises don’t belong in the mouth, girls and boys. You’ve got the wrong hole there. Just like you wouldn’t shove pizza up your nose.” -From the **Brother Jed** flyer- ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/91 "2000-04-15T18:29:00Z")
My first and middle names go together well. Elizabeth Leigh. I hate them both. With a passion. A burning, flaming passion. Elizabeth is way too long and formal for me. Four syllables. I’m too lazy to say it. My mother swore I would have no nicknames. And then I began to talk. Elizabeth is a VERY difficult name for a toddler to pronounce. I managed to garble out something that sounded vaguely like Libby. My aunts and uncle picked up on it. Libby I became, and Libby I have been since. And I hate that too, perhaps even more than Elizabeth. Countless canned food jingles. References to perky cheerleaders (and if you know me, you know I’m nowhere near). The only other Libby in my entire high school was in my class, and she was Homecoming Queen, if that says anything. Bleah. My mom said she was torn between naming me Sara and Elizabeth, and finally decided on Elizabeth when she picked the middle name of Leigh. Frankly, I wish she could have just come up with another middle name and given me Sara. It suits me better. And I haven’t even gotten to my last name. Four short letters. Easy enough so far. Then you realize that only one is a consonant. Then I tell you that the consonant comes first. There’s something in native speakers of English that doesn’t like three vowels in a row. My name is so often butchered that often I’ll accept something as long as it’s just close to right. Hell, my own fiance took two months to learn how to pronounce it, and I sincerely doubt that he’d get it right today if you stopped him on the street and asked him to say it off the top of his head. The name is becoming more well-known nowadays, because for some reason people are actually saddling their children with it as a FIRST name. Don’t ask me why. The only thing it’s good for is figuring out the telemarketers. If you can’t pronounce my name, don’t call my freakin’ house. I can’t wait until I get married so I can change my last name to something that people can, if not spell, at least pronounce correctly. ---
**Author:** ![the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Scarlet_Pimpernel)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/92 "2000-04-15T18:30:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by GuyShyGirl: > \*\*People either spell it wrong and pronounce it right, or they spell it right and pronounce it wrong > \*\* I have the EXACT SAME PROBLEM. I really do like my name, though. It’s unusual but not impossible, I think it’s very musical, and with slight variations means “beloved” in something like ten languages. My last name is another story. I like it a lot (it’s one I chose myself) - it’s more meaningful than the one I was born with, but it’s much longer, almost to the point of awkwardness. And because it very strongly reflects my Scandinavian heritage, it’s almost impossible for any non-Scandinavian or someone who’s never been exposed to Scandinavian culture to spell. And while I do get sick of comments like, “You have three middle names? Isnt that long?” or “What were your parents thinking?”, Im proud of them because they are all very much tied to family traditions. And I think theyre pretty anyway. In everyday business I just stick to my first and last names. FTR, none of my names have anything to do with either “Scarlet” or “Pimpernel”. * * * Hey, sweetie! You want a Danish with that coffee? – _another custom design by the mind of Wally_ Whan that Aprillè with hise shourès soote The droghte of March had percèd to the roote, I druv a motor thro’ Aprillè’s bliz Somme forty mile, and dam neere lyke to friz. – Bert Leston Taylor ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/93 "2000-04-15T19:21:00Z")
**Barry** I have always liked my name, and have no idea where it came from. It got on my nerves a little in grade school, when _The Name Game_ was popular: Barry, Barry, bo barry Banana-Fanna fo fairy… I don’t think this complies with the official rules of The Name Game, but that’s how I heard it. The only thing that irks me is the hundreds, no- thousands of people who don’t seem to know how to spell it. Four out of five times I see people write down _Berry_, which I didn’t think was anything other than a last name or a fruit. And another thing, stop calling me a fruit! Honestly I really do like it, not that I’m not in grade school any more. * * * **One percent?** Did anyone check the closets? ---
**Author:** ![Rahne\_McCloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rahne\_McCloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rahne_McCloud)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2000, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/94 "2000-04-16T00:34:00Z")
I liked my first name. Hated my middle name. Wished I had my younger sisters middle name. And wished to God my mother didn’t have a passion for the name of movie or tv stars, because we were all given some form of their names. My sister Edith Mae named after my mom and Mae West, Jeannette Francis named after my grandmother and Francis Farmer, Gary Allen after Gary Cooper and Allen Ladd, Tracey Lynn named after Spencer Tracy and Lorretta Lynn, Dawn Marie named after the time she was born and Marie Dressler. Mine Renee Marion named after Renee Sonnengaard and my other grandmother. * * * I have abandoned my search for truth, and am now looking for a good fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2000, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/95 "2000-04-16T00:42:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by the Scarlet Pimpernel: > **It’s unusual but not impossible, I think it’s very musical, and with slight variations means “beloved” in something like ten languages.** Ummm…Mulva? ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2000, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/96 "2000-04-16T05:16:00Z")
> [@](#): > > how do the teeming millions feel about their names? have you ever wanted to change it to something simpler or maybe more exotic, or are you happy with what it is? Haven’t liked it as far back as I can remember. It’s not an uncommon name, and there’s only one common spelling, but even after I spell it, about 75% of the time it gets spelled wrong. Plus, the girl that I hated most in the world in elementary school had the same name (I threw a block at her in kindergarten once) and that soured it for me somewhat also. I don’t **hate** my name, but there are others I prefer. And, no, I’m not posting what it is, because then someone will start using it, and I’d have to kill them. * * * Your Official Cat Goddess since 10/20/99. _I just washed my cat. It’ll take me hours to get the hairs off my tongue._                                         --100% certified genuine **WallyM7™** sig ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2000, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/97 "2000-04-16T05:40:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I think that Matt is a fitting name for me, but I don’t know why. Do you like to sit on the front porch? I am okay with my name. Don’t love it, don’t hate it. My parents wanted to name me Randi but a little boy named Randy moved next door right before I was born. A relative really wanted to name me Valerie because I was born on Valentine’s Day. Thank God I had cool parents. * * * Pardon me while I burst into flames. ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2000, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/98 "2000-04-16T07:40:00Z")
I despise my first name. I was yelled at for years in school for not putting “Elizabeth” on those stupid standardized tests. I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to explain that my name is **not** Elizabeth. Plus, to me, “Beth” is a fluffy, light, fluffy and ethereal name–I am none of these. * * * Those who are dancing look insane to those who cannot hear the music. * * * One-of-a-kind, custom-designed Wally sig available on request. ---
**Author:** ![Kiva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/d78d45/32.png) [@Kiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiva)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2000, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/99 "2000-04-16T10:41:00Z")
Drain Bead wrote: > [@](#): > > My mom said she was torn between naming me Sara and Elizabeth, and finally decided on Elizabeth when she picked the middle name of Leigh. I did a “Find In Top Window” search for my first name, and Drain Bead’s post appears with not only my first name, but my middle name as well. Neato! Two spelling differences, though: Sarah Elisabeth I like my name. Sarah is common enough that it doesn’t really have any stigma attached. Everyone knows several Sarahs, and they’re all different. I like the solid, classic tradition it carries. And the “h” definitely belongs there. It makes it balanced. As for Elisabeth, it’s a decent middle name. Middle names aren’t often used anyway, so it never had a chance to seriously bother me. ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2000, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017/100 "2000-04-16T14:57:00Z")
My first name is Brooke, which I enjoy quite a bit. Except for the body of water jokes, and “Brooke, as in Brooke Shields?” Try getting THAT your entire life and NOT ending up with an complex. My last name is fun. My mother decided not to change her name when she married my dad, as she is a feminist. Her name is Mooney. My father’s last name is TWO letters different. $oo$ey. So I got my father’s name, as my mother decided hyphenating it would be too cruel. As it is, I still have to go through a whole explaination with people before they accept that I am NOT making the names up. * * * A little persistance goes a long way. Announcing: “I go on guilt trips a couple of time a year. Mom books them for me.” A custom made Wally .sig! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-your-name/16017.md?page=6)