What was everyone almost named

[bodhicitta3]

I was almost Dawn Joy but later they decided on Denise Joy.... I'm pretty glad otherwise I would have been named after two dish soaps!

[ellenelle]

I love everyone's stories!

The only other girl's name I've heard that was on the ballot was Nancy, in honor of my mom's favorite aunt. Had I been a boy, I would have been John. My mom wanted the middle to be Pax, my father's first name, but he didn't like the idea. So, at a seeming loss for other middles, they would have called me John Parker, the name of the minuteman statue in Boston (where they lived). As it is, I'm an Ellen.

[essjay]

If I was a boy I would have been called Craig. It's rather uncommon around my area, in fact I only know of one (my sister's classmate) and it's quite ironic because the name that I ended up with as a girl is so darn popular.

[ashthedreamer]

I was nearly Jennifer Eileen or Alexandra Denee (said like Danae... I have no clue why my parents would have spelled it this way! Alexandra Danae would have been lovely, actually...). If I had been a boy, I would have been either Levi Matthew, Charles _____ nn Charlie, or Andrew Michael. I'm so glad I am a girl because I really don't like Andrew or Michael, and I doubt I would have minded Levi Matthew (I actually probably would have been a cool Levi if I had been a boy!), and I would have LOVED being Charles nn Charlie, but that was probably the least likely contender because my dad hated it. In reality, I probably would have been John Robert, III, nn Johnny, though... my mom made my dad promise she wouldn't have to have a John, III, and he agreed, but when my brother was born, she just couldn't resist the look on his face, lol.

They still couldn't decide even after I was born, so while my dad was holding me, he said something like, "Well, are you a Jennifer Eileen?" And I bawled... like a baby. haha. So they moved onto Alexandra Denee... and I still whimpered. When they said Ashley Marie and I was happy as a clam, they knew that was to be my name. As I grew up I didn't appreciate as much as I apparently did as a newborn, but I'm glad I have the name I do--it suits me completely and I can't imagine not being Ashley Marie. Some people say I would have been a pretty awesome Jenny, though, haha.

[benton's_mama]

I was supposed to be the boy of the family, but instead came out a girl. My name would have been Charles Patrick. My dad is Charles Elton. His dad is Charles Alvin and his dad was Charles Bernice. They would have called me Patrick. For a girl mom also considered Charlotte or Charlie, but ended up settling on Cathryn Elizabeth. I'm named for my aunt Kathryn and my mom's ex-best friend, Mary Elizabeth. Kathryn was changed to Cathryn so I'd have dad's initials.

[ellenelizabeth]

My name is Ellen, but the other girls name my parents liked was Sarah. If I was a boy, I would have been named Andrew or Jonah, after Jonah the little boy from Sleepless in Seattle because my parents love that movie.

[judyariel]

I'm Judith Ann (Judith for a character in my mother's favorite book, and Ann in honor of my grandmother), and if I hadn't been named Judith, my name would have been Barbara, just because my mother liked the name. If I had been a boy, I would have been either Gregory or Byron (Byron for Boris, my grandfather, and Gregory because my parents liked the name).

[greyer]

I'm Kaitlin because at the time I was born pretty much every birth was a surprise, and before I was due my dad dreamed my mom had a baby girl with lots of dark hair and named her Caitlin... but my mom decided she liked it with a K better because our last name also starts with K. And when I was born I was indeed a girl (lol) and I had lots of dark hair, so that became my name. Other girls names they tossed around were Rebekah, Hannah, Phoebe, and Lydia. The only one of those I don't like is Rebekah, not that there's anything wrong with it, I'm just not a big fan.

If I was a boy I would mostly likely have been Patrick David Dodge (the D_____ Dodge mn is a tradition for boys on my dad's side), which was their compromise name, but my mom really would have preferred Connor David Dodge or Collin David Dodge. I would much rather be named Connor than either of those.

[agxobsessed]

My parents considered the names Katherine and Adriana for me before I was born, my dad thought Adriana sounded 'too Italian' lol and my parents weren't a 100% in love with Katherine. They eventually decided on Andrea Renee, Andrea is a name my mom loved since high school. If I was a boy my name was going to be Christopher Thomas, Thomas after my dad.

[saracita00]

Apparently Mom wanted to name me Dorothy after my grandmother, and nn me DeeDee. Dad said no and I am ever so grateful. Dorothy is just NOW showing signs of life as a usable name again: I can't imagine growing up with it in the 1980's, let alone with that awful nn. It would have been like wearing Grandma's polyester pants everywhere.

They went with Sarah not knowing it was a Top 5 name. Whenever I got annoyed that my name was so common I just reminded myself that I could have been DeeDee the Dork instead.