I really like the names Lillian and Lilith, but I am a Sarah through and through. That’s what my parents named me and I will always be Sarah. But should I ever have the need to totally divorce myself from the identity I have carefully accumulated over the years, I suppose I’d choose Lillian. Or if I was feeling really crazy, Andromeda or even Lillian Andromeda.
Whoa. It’d be like being a Victorian and a hippy all at once.
I would probably keep it simple, one name only. [SIZE=6*]“No”[/*SIZE] would be my name, cause then I could park pretty much anywhere… 
I love my given name, which is Alexander. It’s too common, though; in my English class, there are four Alex’s (3 M, 1 F). I wish more people would call me by the full verison of my name though; only my dad and a couple random adults do. If I were to change it, I would pick “Aleksandyr” just because I like the way it looks–but I bet it’d be a pain in the butt. And anyway I’m part Greek, and not at all Russian :rolleyes: .
“Caine, Jim Caine. Pleased to meet you”
I’ve always liked the sound of that one.
Living in SE Ohio with the name Julie is a tragedy.
People rhyme my name with goalie. If I had a puck…
So, if I could, I’d just make people pronounce my name right rather than changing my name to something else they’d slaughter.
Julie
A guy round here changed his name by deed poll to Canturbury Draught in a promotion for a brewery. (IIRC he won the name in a competition.) He plans to keep it at least until he has finished his degree. He figures it looks quite good on official documentation.
Me? I like my own name. No intention of changing it. Even if it is impossible to find “Smith” in the phone book.
That wasn’t my experience at all. My experience was that most people went out of their way to respect my choice and took pains to correct themselves when they slipped, which I naturally understood. Generally an apology of some sort was offered, to which I responded, “Oh, it’s okay. You’ve known me as Joanna for years, so it can’t be easy to change. I don’t mind.”
There was the occassional person who insisted on calling me Joanna for a while longer, on purpose, because they held the narrow-minded view that what I did made me “fake,” but those people generally had pre-existing issues with me (like being a dumped ex-boyfriend), and none of them do it now.
And that is so wierd rinni! It makes me wonder, with 6+ billion people on the planet, how many are reading it right now.
And btw, OP author (whose name I ironically forget), I just want to thank you for getting “If you could read my mind” By Gordon Lightfoot in my head. Your title could perfectly parody that song, and in that spirit, I’ve written a partial (and possibly lame) partial parody of the song…
If you could change your name, love,
What kind of name would you pick?
An old fashioned sort like Jane,
Or a ghosts name, like Edith?.
In a book of names, or a book of songs,
with names like Mohammed,
or any name from Psalms.
It could always set you free
As long as you can pay the fee.
If I could change my name, love,
What a name I’d pick for myself.
Not a stuffy name like Chadwick (apologies to any Chadwicks)
but more like a Yusef.
What can I say? I shoulda changed my name to “Dork.” 
presidebt, some may have it easier than others. I can see some of my family refusing to use my new name, others just forgetting altogether (my Mom for one) So for me it’d be easier overall.
OMG! Are you me? I was named after my grandfather Patrick, I have an uncle and a cousin named Patrick, I’m Patricia. It was a common name when I was growing up, and I didn’t even go to a Catholic school. I feel like I got a recycled name.
My real name is Doris
Hello Doris. I am Joan. I feel your pain.
I hate my first and last name, and have told my husband that should he ever slip from this mortal coil, I am changing all our names.
I have no idea what it would be, but something humorous, like: Fartknockle.
*Ohh, look, it’s the Fartknockle’s Christmas Card. *
I think I’ve answered this one before (in a thread about what you wish your parents had named you), but my answer is just so damn entertaining I just have to share it again.
My maiden name was Scherbart (pronounced like the ice cream). Now my last name is Quist.
I want to be Rainbow Scherbart or Ventrilo Quist