# I feel like I have a childish name. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 12, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403 "2011-08-12T01:11:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/41 "2011-08-12T17:19:33Z")
Poopsie… Y’all are crackin’ me up. After this thread, it doesn’t seem so bad to me now. It’s Dede. :: shame :: You guys aren’t going to take me seriously anymore, are you? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/42 "2011-08-12T17:21:27Z")
> [@kath94](#): > > Yeah, name popularity is cyclical. I’m in my late 40’s and as I age, Kathy will **become** an “old lady” name. \ > … Become? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/43 "2011-08-12T17:31:03Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > You guys aren’t going to take me seriously anymore, are you? Before or after you linked to the photos of you pole-dancing as Wonder Woman in other threads? ::ducks & runs:: In all seriousness - I don’t think of Dede as a Bambi-type name. It is more of a Kelly or Annie type of name; ending in “ie” sound but quite reasonable. (ETA: “reasonable” meaning - not sounding kiddie-like at all…I actually like the name; unfortunate association wih Didi Conn, but she was only really big in Beauty School Dropout in Grease, right?) ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/44 "2011-08-12T17:33:40Z")
I hate it when people call me “Kathy”… I hate it a lot. It’s not my name. It was my name until I was about 10 years old, but since then it’s “Katherine” please. I even answer to “Opal” in real life. But when people call me “Kathy” I get all stabby. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/45 "2011-08-12T17:35:37Z")
Hey, what a coincidence. I hate it when people call me Kathy too. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/46 "2011-08-12T17:44:02Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Before or after you linked to the photos of you pole-dancing as Wonder Woman in other threads? > > ::ducks & runs:: ☹ Before. Of _course_ nobody takes me seriously after. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/47 "2011-08-12T18:19:26Z")
I agree with everyone that says Cody is a fine name. I think when you grow up with a name, especially one that doesn’t have a good nickname, all the memories stick to it and you don’t realize that it’s not the name but the fact that you’ve been answering to it for a lifetime that makes it childish. On the other hand, my grandfather is named Billie. Not Bill. Not William. Billie. I’ve legally changed my all of my name (well, I kept my original last name as a second middle name). My old name can be a diminutive of my new name, just spelled differently. It’s expensive (in California at least) and there are a million things to change, plus your family will probably give you grief. But if it really bothers you, change it. Alternately, there’s nothing saying you can’t go by something other than your ‘real’ name. **OpalCat** : Kathy’s just kind of an ugly name anyway. I made Katherine my new middle name (my old one was Marie. Ugh. I swear 90% of women in Christian nations have Marie or a variant as part of their name). Katherine has a _ring_ to it. It’s noble. It skips across the tongue. And, y’know, then I can legitimately go by Kitty if I ever want to. ---
**Author:** ![Generally\_Giap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Generally\_Giap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Generally_Giap)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/48 "2011-08-12T18:55:22Z")
[“Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe”](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045382/) ([1953](http://www.imdb.com/year/1953/)). A movie serial in 12 episodes. Fine name. When Mystery Science Fiction Theater 3000 showed a condensed version, whenever Commando Cody was about to take off, Crow would say: “Tweak your nipples and fly.” But no one will remember that. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/49 "2011-08-12T18:58:33Z")
I expect a Cody to be a professional bull rider. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/50 "2011-08-12T19:30:29Z")
I agree with the difficulty in giving a boy-child a cutesy name. I know of a family who named their youngest boy Kiki. These are white mid-west folks. Dad is a body builder and runs a gym. Kiki might be a real cute name for a baby-toddler, but honestly - KIKI? {{{{{{{shudder}}}}}} ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/51 "2011-08-12T20:21:35Z")
When my husband and I were trying to decide on a name for our daughter, I kept thinking, if I were having to have brain surgery, or if I were being sued for an enormous amount of money, what names for my doctor/lawyer would inspire me with confidence? Fifi? No. Tiffany? No. Names like Katherine or Elizabeth give the option of nicknames if you want, but a solid, dependable name if your occupation requires it. Cody is a cute name. You have to decide how long you want to be cute. And you may just be going through a period now where you don’t know if you want to keep it, and find that ultimately you do. Or you may decide to change. Or change and go back! My cousin Beth thought it was childish and went by Liz for 10 years or so. Now she is Beth again. Since I stumbled over Liz, I’m happy she went back! ---
**Author:** ![Sandra\_Battye](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sandra_battye/32/552_2.png) [@Sandra\_Battye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sandra_Battye)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/52 "2011-08-12T21:14:04Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > I expect a Cody to be a professional bull rider. Or any pro rodeo cowboy. Or athlete. I think it’s a rough, tough, manly name. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/53 "2011-08-12T21:26:59Z")
> [@Sandra\_Battye](#): > > Or any pro rodeo cowboy. Or athlete. I think it’s a rough, tough, manly name. OP, can you change your last name to “McBadass”? That’s your solution right there. Well, that and a new set of chaps. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![may\_be\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c5a1d2/32.png) [@may\_be\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/may_be_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/54 "2011-08-12T22:06:50Z")
Yeah… my dad said the same thing when I asked him why he named me that. He said it was “because it sounded western.” I’m not sure how I feel about that. The name I was supposed to have been given is considerably more manly. However, I have to say it makes me more appreciative of my given one. My grandparents were Bonnie and Clyde. Not THE Bonnie and Clyde, but Bonnie and Clyde nonetheless. My sister and I are fraternal twins, and for some reason, my mother wanted to name us both after her parents (also strange to me.) Bonnie got stuck with it. My grandfather demanded I not be named Clyde, saying that I’d hate it. Good call Grandpa. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/55 "2011-08-12T22:17:02Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > If I’d had kids, I would have given them names that they could grow into. So many names are “cutesy” on a baby, but that baby is going to grow up. I like the meme of choosing a baby’s name as if it had “Supreme Court Justice” in front of it. My grandparents did this, literally. They gave my father the name of an actual Supreme Court Justice (first and last name as my father’s first and middle name). It worked out pretty well, since while he never made the Court, he has had a very successful legal career. My parents often talk about how they thought about using a different Supreme Court Justice for my brother’s name, but ultimately decided against it. As for the diminutive boys names, my mother does this to almost _every_ name, including my father’s, so “Deany…Marky…Davy…Petey,” etc. A friend of hers once referred to me as “[my name]y,” and I realized it was because he’d only ever heard her call me that (my name does not end in “ee”). I like Cody, and agree with others that it has a Western, cowboy vibe. I’d go with that, and start wearing a Stetson and boots. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/56 "2011-08-13T00:16:48Z")
Consider initials. If your middle name starts with anything other than J, you could have a unique set of initials to go by. It’s not perfect, but you won’t have to change your legal name. Of course, if your middle initial ends in the ee sound, that doesn’t help, like C.C., C.B., or C.G. C.R. C.S. C.Q. C.K. – There’s some decent possibilities. ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/57 "2011-08-13T01:09:11Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Become? > 😛 > [@OpalCat](#): > > I hate it when people call me “Kathy”… I hate it a lot. It’s not my name. It was my name until I was about 10 years old, but since then it’s “Katherine” please. I even answer to “Opal” in real life. But when people call me “Kathy” I get all stabby. > [@Leaffan](#): > > Hey, what a coincidence. I hate it when people call me Kathy too. > [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > I agree with everyone that says Cody is a fine name. > > \ **OpalCat** : Kathy’s just kind of an ugly name anyway. I made Katherine my new middle name (my old one was Marie. Ugh. I swear 90% of women in Christian nations have Marie or a variant as part of their name). Katherine has a _ring_ to it. It’s noble. It skips across the tongue. And, y’know, then I can legitimately go by Kitty if I ever want to. ☹ I only hear my full name from my mother when I’m in BIG trouble, and only use it when signing legal documents. Otherwise, I’m perfectly happy with my name. I wouldn’t be ME otherwise. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/58 "2011-08-13T01:12:56Z")
By coincidence, humorist Melvin Durai chimes in today: [http://www.nshima.com/2011/08/baby.html](http://www.nshima.com/2011/08/baby.html) ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/59 "2011-08-13T03:38:23Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > **OpalCat** : Kathy’s just kind of an ugly name anyway. I made Katherine my new middle name (my old one was Marie. Ugh. I swear 90% of women in Christian nations have Marie or a variant as part of their name). Katherine has a _ring_ to it. It’s noble. It skips across the tongue. And, y’know, then I can legitimately go by Kitty if I ever want to. Baaaahahahahaaha my middle name is Marie. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403/60 "2011-08-13T04:22:14Z")
> [@kath94](#): > > ☹ I only hear my full name from my mother when I’m in BIG trouble, and only use it when signing legal documents. Otherwise, I’m perfectly happy with my name. I wouldn’t be ME otherwise. ☹ Personal opinion only! I know a very nice women named Kathy. (… sorry) > [@OpalCat](#): > > Baaaahahahahaaha my middle name is Marie. And probably most of the women here! (I swear I started a poll about it before. Or I thought about it. Or…) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-i-have-a-childish-name/592403.md?page=4)