Your name, would you change it?
@warmweatherwoman (2233)
Atlantic City, New Jersey
April 15, 2013 5:07pm CST
What would you call yourself if you could choose your own name?
I am one of those unlucky children that never found her name on a keychain. Meaning I don't have a common name. My mother was very into Greek Mythology and named me accordingly. My whole life I wished I could change my name.
When you are very young kids can be quite cruel with the name rhyming game. And fortunetelling my name happens to rhyme with the male anatomy. For those of you wondering..my name is Venus- named for the Goddess of Love in Greek Mythology.
Since I grew up in the same town all my young life..the name Venus P*nis that was sang to me on the school yard...followed me through middle AND high schools. Mostly from good friends that thought it to be funny. Probably because I never really showed them how much it truly bothered me.
Now that I am older I have come to appreciate my name more and actually enjoy it.
So that got me to thinking...if you could change your name, what would you change it to? Mind would be something normal like Veronica (hence keeping the V from my original name)
2 people like this
13 responses
@scorpiobabes (7225)
• United States
16 Apr 13
Venus is a beautiful name! I can see how that nickname would bother you. My sister's name is Melinda-I have no idea how my mother came up with that! We are only 17 months apart, so when our parents brought her home, they said This is your sister Melinda-and I started calling her Minda. That became Mindy. And then it happened: Mork and Mindy came out. Mindy was a very shy little girl (she was in the first grade) and she hated having people ask her Where's Mork? all the time. Once she graduated, she referred to herself exclusively as Melinda.
My name is Sandra, though I was referred to as Sandy growing up. But in the seventh grade, I changed the spelling to Sandi. I can go back and forth from Sandra to Sandi; it doesn't bother me much.
My sister and I both had a hard time finding our names on key gains too. My name was more popular in the 50s. But I don't think I ever wanted to change my name. I know my sister wanted to go by her middle name for a while.
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@GardenGerty (160879)
• United States
16 Apr 13
You can get Heather on a key chain or pencils now, but I could not find them then. When my kids were little there were not any souvenirs for them but by the time they were teens you could find Samantha and Vincent. I wanted to change my middle name, but now I find it was the nickname of a royal person, cannot remember who. Still do not find it on a key chain. I like my given name and the story mom told about it.
1 person likes this
@scorpiobabes (7225)
• United States
16 Apr 13
GG-I grew up in the 80s, and Heather was a popular name later in the decade; around 82, not so much. My name Sandra was hit or miss, Sandy-hit or miss. And if we found Melinda or Mindy? We'd clear the rack because it was so rare!
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@warmweatherwoman (2233)
• Atlantic City, New Jersey
16 Apr 13
Thank you Scorpiobabes! I too think its a beautiful name...NOW. I didn't so much then. I have a cousin who was nicknamed Sandi- but her full name was Cassandra. Keychains where impossible to me. I used to love going to the jersey shore as a kid because they custom made keychains down there and I always came back with one!
@ShyBear88 (59347)
• Sterling, Virginia
15 Apr 13
I have never felt like change my name. No I never found it on anything. Celeste isn't that common of a name so its hard to find and still nothing in a store will ever have my name. But I've always loved my name and the act that not many people have it as a name it made me different one of a kind kind of,
1 person likes this
@warmweatherwoman (2233)
• Atlantic City, New Jersey
15 Apr 13
Thats awesome...I think the only reason I ever wanted to change mine in the first place is because I was made fun of for it.
@ShyBear88 (59347)
• Sterling, Virginia
17 Apr 13
I was made fun of all of the time as the child. Iwas called stupid or special Ed because I was born with a learning disability. I never let it show that it bothered me because showing them that it hurt means they won. But it never wanted to make me change my name or who I am. I'm me this was the way I was meant to be the good the bad, and my disability.
1 person likes this
@warmweatherwoman (2233)
• Atlantic City, New Jersey
17 Apr 13
Wow ShyBear that must of been hard. I'm sorry for that. I'm glad you got past it and was strong enough not to let it bother you. Children can be so cruel without even realizing it :(
@GardenGerty (160879)
• United States
16 Apr 13
Then you could have been Veronica Harmonica. . . lol. I was Heather Weather Leather, etc. My maiden name was even worse and although it was not obscene the usual comments were mean and taunting. I do not know of very many people who were not teased as kids. I think that it is a rite of childhood. I married into another unusual name that as an adult still brought me teasing. It was the same thing, I worked driving a bus and sometimes in the schools and the kids had a nickname for me as it was the name of a comic strip character. The bad thing is, ignorant as I am of contemporary music I gave my daughter a given name of Samantha, and called her Sammie, until I learned of the Red Rocker. Her best friend's older brothers especially like to call her Sammie Hagar. She also got a lot of Sam I Am as well.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160879)
• United States
16 Apr 13
They could have been nicer and called you Venus Genius, but no one would think of that.
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@warmweatherwoman (2233)
• Atlantic City, New Jersey
16 Apr 13
Veronica Harmonica...haha 
- hey ill take that any day over Venus P*nis ...lol
My last name is pretty normal so I lucked out there. But my middle name...whewww that is a whole other story for a whole other day...
- hey ill take that any day over Venus P*nis ...lol
My last name is pretty normal so I lucked out there. But my middle name...whewww that is a whole other story for a whole other day...1 person likes this
@warmweatherwoman (2233)
• Atlantic City, New Jersey
16 Apr 13
Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!! I would really liked that one!!! Thanks Gerty!!!
@ElicBxn (63635)
• United States
20 Apr 13
I worked with a Venus (that gal could type 90 words a minute!) and there is a physical therapist at the place where my mom used to live.
In fact, I had a cat named Serena and one morning I told Venus that I saw her sister that morning... making a kind of joke about the tennis playing sisters.
I have found my name on a few things over the years, but its not a more common name either.
If I could change it... I'd probably be Elic or Windy.
1 person likes this
@warmweatherwoman (2233)
• Atlantic City, New Jersey
20 Apr 13
HAHA! you sure we've never worked together? 
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
16 Apr 13
I think that growing up everyone wishes at some point that their name was different. My name was considered to be a snobbish name. But I have grown into my name and love it now. a psychiatrist told me once that when people are comfortable with themselves then they love their name.
1 person likes this
@warmweatherwoman (2233)
• Atlantic City, New Jersey
17 Apr 13
A snobbish name? Now you got me wondering.
You know that makes sense what the psychiatrist told you. Because when I started getting to know myself completely and loving myself- is when I started loving my name :)
@Bluedoll (16773)
• Canada
15 Apr 13
I think you have a beautiful name. The children were jealous. Not sure what name I would choose since I am not a movie star or entertainer. Maybe I would ask my agent if I was one. Children can be cruel but I don't think they understand what they are doing.
1 person likes this
@warmweatherwoman (2233)
• Atlantic City, New Jersey
15 Apr 13
Thank you Blue!
At 37 I have come to really appreciate how unique my name is. But you know when growing up everyone wants to be the same and anything different stands out and usually not in a good way.
@warmweatherwoman (2233)
• Atlantic City, New Jersey
16 Apr 13
Summer, Winter and Crystal are actually very common names where Im from ;) I just recently lost a good friend named Crystal- she passed of a sudden stroke :(
@MoonGypsy (4606)
• United States
15 Apr 13
i think that you have a beautiful name. i also don't have a common name. i wish i did. i wish i had a name like eve or joy. something short and simple.
@warmweatherwoman (2233)
• Atlantic City, New Jersey
15 Apr 13
Thanks MoonGypsy! I have always been fond of the name Eve.
@grvdubey11 (1879)
• India
16 Apr 13
I am happy with my name and i would keep it even if i had a choice now.But i dont like name of my brother, he too does not like his name.Before he was going to submit the documents for passport we discussed about changing the name but my parents were not happy about it so we didn't do it.Although i know some people changing the name due to strange reasons,there was a guy who changed his name because his name started with letter A and because of that his roll no in class was in top five and he had to go early for orals which he didnt like.Best wishes.
1 person likes this
@averygirl72 (37845)
• Philippines
16 Apr 13
I don't like the name Aubrey because it's a foreign name. I have no choice but to accept that name. I like the spelling but I don't like the sound. There are so many beautiful names out there that would be nicer.
1 person likes this
@warmweatherwoman (2233)
• Atlantic City, New Jersey
16 Apr 13
I personally think Aubrey is a very pretty name...and yes it has a different sound about it...but that is what I like about it ;)
@kenshin2143 (1880)
• Philippines
16 Apr 13
Well my name sounds pretty cool even if the first letter of my name is very feminine but still I appreciate it so much.
1 person likes this
@extremefun4fun (2908)
• India
30 Apr 13
I think that is good I did not choose my name because I am so choosy in that and sometimes I think if I would change my name then what I choose and I can not choose one... because I love many names.. so that is why I am happy that my parents choose my name and made me relax in that matter...
@sencis (25)
• Latvia
16 Apr 13
There were many times in mmy life, where I wanted to have other name then I do, because 9 out of 10 people could not get it right and at some point I really got annoyed with it, but now I am actually glad, that I do not have name that you hear everywhere and mavy people has it. Of course, time to time I still get annoyed when people confuses my name for something else,but that's life.
1 person likes this
@warmweatherwoman (2233)
• Atlantic City, New Jersey
17 Apr 13
I know the feeling of no one ever getting your name right. People will read my name off a piece of paper as Venice like the City when its spelled like the Planet (Venus). Never understood that mix up. Also when I answer the phone or make phone calls from work everyone thinks I say Dina...I've gotten tired of correcting them so I just go with it....LOL
