What do you think of YOUR name?

[sophia]

As name fans, we probably all have a pretty strong opinion about our own name, and I thought it would be interesting to hear each other's stories. Do you love it or hate it? Do you know why it was chosen for you? Would you wish it were something else? Do you think it suits you?

I'll start. My name is Sophia Noemie. I was named after my mom's grandmother Sophie, and my middle name is a family name on my father's side (my ancestors were French). I grew up really loving my name. I'm in my mid-twenties so when I was little there wasn't nearly as many Sophia's as there are today. In fact, I did not know any. I loved it as a kid because I thought it was original and girly, and I still love it today because I think it's a good balance between sweet and feminine, but also adult-like and serious. I've been told my whole life that it suits me perfectly. As for my middle name, I like it because it's unique (although it's an established name in France) and it honors my family's cultural heritage. I also really enjoy the fact that both my names have a family meaning.

The only thing I don't like about my name is how popular it's become. Its level of popularity today is nowhere near what it was when my parents chose it. My mom says she's always been really happy with her choice, but she wishes it never made it to the top of the charts. Oh well, I guess I have the benefit of being far from the trendy generation.

What about everyone else?

[lyndsayjenness]

my name is Lyndsay Jenness, I have mixed feelings. I was born in 1985, so there was almost always a L i/y nds a/e y in my class. I don't know why exactly, but I always completely hated my name. I hated that it was spelled different than everyone else and so I could NEVER find anything personalized. I didn't so much mind that it was popular. But no one ever spelled it right. My aunt still can't spell it right. I've had to spell my name out to people more times in my life than you would even believe. Also, even though it's common, so many people thought I was either Nancy or Wendy. And I'm white and from a Mexican community so substitutes and people would always pronounce it "Leen-say" which was terribly annoying.

On the other hand, I absolutely love my middle name. It's a family name and the number of compliments I've gotten on it help balance out my first name.

I've seen my mom's name list, I don't remember all of the names, but Elizabeth was one of her favorites, and Grace. Either of those would have suited me better... but what I really should have been named was Lulette, after my mother's grandmother who she absolutely adored. It would have suited me perfectly and been so much more beautiful and original. Oh well, it will be my first daughter's name, no question about that!

Anyway, I don't hate my name anymore. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, that's for sure, but I don't hate it like i once did. I actually like my spelling now, it's the only one I like, actually. I don't mind so much with an "i", but Lindsey with an "e" drives me nuts... unless it's on a guy, that is, then that's pretty hot.

[smitty]

I'm Megan Ruth - which I didn't like as a child but really like now. I used to want a more "unique" name. But I work in healthcare and Megan is a easy name for patients to remember/pronounce. My parents really love my name and that makes it special too I guess. But mostly I like it because I am named Ruth after my grandma who I am very close to.

[miracle]

I'm Melissa Laurie. Melissa was just a name that both of my parents liked and Laurie is my mom's name.

When I was younger, I didn't like Melissa. I always was into names and wanted to be named something else. I decided to go by "Missy", even though my parents discouraged it, and was called Missy until I graduated high school and switched back to Melissa.

Now I love my name and think it's very feminine and pretty and fits me well. I cannot believe I used to go by Missy because it's so childish to me now. Of course I love names and there are plenty of names that I would rather have then Melissa, but I like it.

[mcope24]

I'm Melissa too, which is part of the problem, yes? It's a pretty name, but just too common. I tried Missy for about 30 seconds but couldn't handle it; my close friends call me Mel, but I wouldn't want to use it on a daily basis. I always wanted a name that was just a little more interesting, which is probably why I'm so adamant about choosing unusual-but-not-weird names for my kids.

I'm Melissa Laurie. Melissa was just a name that both of my parents liked and Laurie is my mom's name.

When I was younger, I didn't like Melissa. I always was into names and wanted to be named something else. I decided to go by "Missy", even though my parents discouraged it, and was called Missy until I graduated high school and switched back to Melissa.

Now I love my name and think it's very feminine and pretty and fits me well. I cannot believe I used to go by Missy because it's so childish to me now. Of course I love names and there are plenty of names that I would rather have then Melissa, but I like it.

[emmy jo]

I'm Emily Joy. I love my name. Though I'm not pleased about how popular my first name has become, it wasn't quite so popular when I was born (though it was on its way up). In my area, Emily's popularity seems to have skyrocketed about two years after I was born -- I remember in middle school, I was the only Emily in the eighth grade but there were eight sixth-graders named Emily. Because I didn't grow up sharing my name with a ton of friends, its popularity doesn't bother me, though I don't think I'd want to be a little girl named Emily now.

The name suits me perfectly, with its old-fashioned vibe and numerous ties to Victorian/Edwardian literature. I also like that it has a light, sunny feel. I'm not quite serious enough to be a Helen or a Margaret.

Joy is a family name -- my mother is Joyce and my paternal grandmother was Anita Joy -- so I like that it connects me to both sides of the family. I think virtue names are well-suited for the middle. After all, a middle name isn't used much, so it's good to impart something that could be meaningful for the child, whether that be through the name's literal meaning or the name's family connection.

[bizzyizzy28]

I'm Elizabeth Tracy and I used to hate my name when I was little. None of my friends could spell Elizabeth until 3rd grade which really bothered me. Elizabeth doesn't have any family connection , but my parents chose it because it sounded good with my sisters name Laura. Laura and Elizabeth just roll of the tongue. Once my friends could spell it though, I began to really like Elizabeth.
Tracy took a little longer, mostly because I was named after my great-grandfather who was Robert Tracy. The fact that I was named after a boy bothered me a lot, until I leaned to just apreciate it as a name and a family connection.
Now I really like my name because both names are known but aren't overly popular (Elizabeth has been in the top twenty for the past hundred years so it just seems classic).

[rachelmarie]

My name is Rachel Marie. I feel that the name is really pretty, Rachel is a gorgeous name (not to sound conceited, and what not), and Marie has meaning to my mom, but the name is just so plain. Both very popular names.
For me, I don't feel like Rachel fits me... I'm just not so sure. I was almost named Alexandra, and I could give rave reviews for that. Also, the possibilites for nicknames are limited with the name Rachel. Rachie is very kiddish and Ray, well, not calls me that. Some people have started calling me Rach lately, no idea why...
Ha ha sorry, went off on a tangent. But, while I think my name is very pretty, I don't think it suits me.

[realpraise]

I am Melody Joy. The 'Joy' makes it a little too sweet for me, but I like Melody pretty well. I don't like the nicknames a lot (Mel, Melo, Dee, Lolo), but most of the time I'm just called Melody. I enjoyed being the only Melody (though everyone heard it as Melanie, and some confused me with girls named Melissa, Megan, etc.), and my family is musical (though I am not), so my name is okay with me. But not the best...

[jne]

My name is Jade Nicole. I love my name and always have. It's just a name that my parents really liked; there is no family connection or anything like that. Jade is a unique name, but it is easy to spell and everyone knows how to say it. The only thing that I occasionally run into is that sometimes when I say my name to introduce myself, people hear "Jane" rather than "Jade" so I have a tendency to really emphasize te "d" sound. Also, with all the Jaydens, Jadas, and permutations have made my name seem less unique, but I still love it. I wanted my daughter to have the same experience of having a name that is "hers" and so we gave her a unique name, too. As for the middle name Nicole, it's fine and goes with Jade well. I don't use it much, so I don't have a strong opinion of it on its own. If you're considering "Jade" for your daughter, I'd say go for it - I've always received compliments and I've always loved it - hopefully your child would, too.