Has anyone ever changed their given name?

[catwalk82]

I have not. However, my great grandmother did! She was born prematurely so her parents named her "early." She hated it so she had it changed to "Earla" so it would still sound similar. I imagine that was a pretty crazy thing to do in the early part of the 20th century.

 

[somethingshiny]

I don't mean to offend, but I do think it's strange to change the name that was chosen by your parents. As a mom, I put a lot of thought into what names I gave my children. The names are meaningful to me for very specific reasons and if they changed it, I would be devastated.

But... your children are the ones who have to live with the names you chose for them, for the rest of their lives. I suspect that if one of your children decided to change their name for a valid reason -- i.e., because it was important to her, and not because she was trying to hurt you -- that as a mom, you'd put aside your hurt and support her decision.

The fact is, whether my child was CHOOSING to hurt me wouldn't matter. It would hurt. Period. Yes, as a mom, I'd get over it but I don't know if I could ever address my child by a different name. I believe it is a privilege to choose a name for another human being and I hope that I've done a good enough job that my children won't feel the desire to want to change it.

 

[LGK]

I haven't, but I know a few people who have- mostly informally and mostly to their middle names.

I knew a girl in college who legally changed her name from something like Jennifer Smith to Jennifer! (yes, that is Jennifer Exclaimation Point.) A good friend and I had all sorts of fun teasing her about it, signing stuff things like "LittleGreyKitten" (quotes instead of a last name) and LittleGreyKitten* (asterisk instead of last name). That was the silliest name change I ran into.

I do know a girl who, in her mid twenties, has randomly decided to change her name to Ivy from a fairly normal mid '80s name. It wasn't a nickname or a middle name, she just decided she hated her name and wanted a different one, and hasn't yet done it legally but is planning to this month. And yes she gets teased a bit about it but hey, if you really hate your name, good lord, no reason not to do it if you really feel strongly. Eventually people will settle in about it.

For various reasons, if I hadn't gotten married, I definitely would have changed my surname, and I would have had to make one up out of thin air because all the family surnames were terrible. Yes, it is something you'll probably have to endure a bit of eye-rolling over, but truly- it is your name and you are the one that has to live with it. And if you really feel strongly about it, who cares what the peanut gallery thinks? It's another question about whether or not your friends and family will settle in with the new name though, I guess.

FWIW, I don't fit my first name at all, either. But I do think you can "own" a name that is an odd fit. My name screams redheaded bubbly cheerleader and, well, I am soooo not! (Trust me I have had zillions of people say, wow, you're the only dark haired girl I've ever heard with that name... all the other ones I've ever met have been either redheads or the occasional blonde.)

 

[radiantquest]

I didnt know that people changed their names. I mean I have heard of it, but I have never known someone who did. I dont really like my name. None of it. My last name is ok because it is my married name and I like having his name, but my first and middle I dont care for. I should get it changed! You know that your name doesnt fit you when you get "Really? you dont look like a Radiantquest." My husband even thought my name was something else when we first started dating.

I cant imagine that changing everything, all your official documents is easy though. Does anyone know how much it costs to change your name?

 

[MustangGal]

I think using a middle name, changing based on culture or moving and of course transgender based changes are all perfectly fine.

To the OP, I completely understand wanting an adult name. This was one area of thought we considered greatly while choosing names. The names had to sound good for all walks of life and at all ages.

That's my issue. 'Brittany' feels very young to me. My mom had never heard the name when she chose it. It's nice, but it doesn't suit me now.

I'm strongly considering changing my middle name and then going by the new name. Easier to explain. My husband was known by his shortened middle name growing up and still is by family. He doesn't like it, though. He prefers his first name.

I'm leaning strongly towards Aurora. I love the meaning behind it and it's sort of whimsical, yet old fashioned.

My cousin has the opposite problem. Her first name is Phyllis, which she thinks makes her sound old (she's about 40 now). When she was around your age she decided to start using her middle name instead. The family still calles her Phyllis, but her friends and co-workers only know her by the new name.

I say go for it, Brittany has gotten a bit tarnished as a name in the last decade!