Curious if/why you disliked your name growing up

[villette]

I hated my middle name growing up because it is an "old lady" name. I now appreciate it, because it is a family name and I love the connection. I never minded my first name growing up. I liked being the only one in my school with my name. Now I'm a bit iffy on it. I mean, I wouldn't change it or anything and it's a pretty name, but I just don't understand why I was named it. It is a name from a different culture (which I find odd...people expect me to be able to speak a different language.) I asked my mom why they gave me this name and she just said because my dad liked the name. I guess I wish more though/reasoning went behind it. But I am eternally grateful that it is well-known, easy to spell and pronounce.

In short, I think Florence will appreciate the thought behind her name, and that there is a family connection there. And aren't place names all the rage? Maybe she will be ahead of her time. =)

[beanie]

My name is Melissa, which was pretty popular when I was a child. I don't recall being concerned about how many other Melissas I met. I think we worry too much about the popularity of names. Little kids tend to like fitting in with their friends, finding their name on personalized products, etc. I don't think the burning desire to be different happens until they're older. Having a unique name is really a reflection of the parents, anyway, not a testatment to the uniqueness of the child. Growing up, I had an unusual surname that was difficult to pronounce, and I didn't like it at all. When I got older, I would see people hesitate before reading it, and I would joke, "All the letters are silent. It's pronounced "Jones". I would laugh it off, but I really did wish for simplicity.
As for my first name, I did kind of envy girls with names like Amy or Lisa because their names were short and didn't have nicknames. I never wanted a nickname that had to be explained, but alas I became Missy anyway. I wanted to be able to write my name quickly on endless school papers. I know that may sound silly, but that's how I felt about my name as a child. As an adult, I've never thought about changing it, but I do cringe if anyone tries to give me a nickname of any sort. I like the femininity of Melissa, and I'm really glad my parents didn't go with their alternate choice: Martha. Thanks Mom and Dad!
Anyway, as for Florence, I think adults are far more likely to appreciate it than children. I love the idea of honoring a relative. I've done the same with four of my five children: Mollie, Charles, Susanna, and William (no nicknames!). If I were making the choice, however, I might would opt for Florence as a middle name.

[frustratedauthor]

I'm an Angela, so I had an extremely common name growing up, and it frustrated me to the point that I wanted to change my name to something less common and more exotic. I outgrew the phase eventually and love my name now, but the sheer volume of people with my name made me one of a sea of girls called Angela. In fact, I know of I think four other people with my same first and last name combination. Talk about frustrating.

[uniquenamelover]

Love my first name. My first name is really exotic, and few people name their babies it each year. It is very obscure and not even on BTN. My middle name is made up and I don't really care for it...but I will be giving myself a new middle name. Some day.

[aunt_ning]

My name is Jeannie Marie...and I hated it growing up, my sisters are Amanda and Kristina called Mandy and Krissy. I always thought their names were prettier and for feminine and mine is ALWAYS misspelled or misprounced. As I have gotten older I like it now especially since I am named after my great aunts Jeanne and Rose Marie. I am the only one named after Aunt Jeanne out of some 100 people besides one with Jean as a middle name. Although my mother spelled it the Scottish way with an IE instead of just an E, so growing up no one in my own family ever spelled my name right...but now Aunt Jeanne laughs because everyone in my generation and younger (im 26) spell her name with the IE like mine because they are so used to my spelling now lol

I did have a big problem and still do with finding my name on things...i hate that i have to special order things or go with a generic princess or something like that. I have always sworn that my child will have a name they can find on Things...it hurts to be left out.

[tinabina]

I like Florence! I didn't like my name when I was a kid because I didn't think it was cool enough. It's short and there are no nicknames, but I eventually grew into it and there is nothing wrong with my name haha.

[soshelly]

I always found my name to be too old-fashioned and too girly. It's super popular right now, so I guess it's not old-fashioned anymore, but it is still too girly for me.

[mariab]

I think Florence is a great choice and I'm sure she will love her name

My name is actually Mariella (mn Nektaria) and I HATED it growing up. I made sure everyone called me Maria (middle was Nicole as far as I was concerned and everyone else for that matter) and wouldn't even answer to Mariella. It was too "different" and I just so badly wanted to have a "normal" name like Jennifer or Nicole lol (child of the 80's). So, no one refers to me as Mariella now except my very immediate family. To the outside world I'm Maria and now as an adult I wish I would have used Mariella because its such a beautiful name. Unfortunately as a child/teen I saw no beauty in it what so ever.

I dont know that I've done anything differently with naming my children. I do play it a little safe for fear that they will dislike their "different" name like I did as a child. But, now as an adult I regret hating my name so I guess its a no win lol.

[zaelia]

I definitely disliked my name (Celeste) growing up. It seemed too fancy and there were no easy nicknames to help it blend it. In second grade I tried to get everyone to call me by my middle name (Emelia after my great grandmother) which I thought was much prettier and had the family connection which I really liked (and greater nickname potential). That didn't catch on so I gave up until I did study abroad in high school where I tried again. I made it though the orientation week but once I met my host family they already thought of me as a Celeste and my resolve failed again. Now although I still don't love my name I've come to terms with it and it is fine. That said, my experience definitely influenced how I thought about naming my kids. Both of them have family ties in their names and although neither has a name with real nickname potential it was definitely a factor I considered when choosing their names.

[lara_jane]

I worry that Joaquin and Avalin are so "off the beaten path" that Florence would feel like Plain Jane next to them. May I suggest Flora or even Fleur as an alternative to honor your beloved relative?

Why I liked my name: My dad chose it and he passed away when I was a baby, so I feel like it's a little legacy from him. I also liked that I wasn't named Jennifer (my mother's choice) because there were several other Jennifers/Jennys in my class, and one even had the same last initial.

Why I didn't like it: Everyone mispronounces it, even today, even people who've known me my whole life. I made up the saying, "Lara doesn't rhyme with Sarah or Dora!" to try to sweetly correct them. It was important to my dad that people got it right, so it's important to me, too.