Should I give myself a middle name?

September 13, 2012 6:20 AM

I have an uncommon, but very well known fictional first name. I've never met anyone else with it, but everyone knows it. I like my name and it's who I am, but I get tired of having to talk about it with everyone I meet.

I don't have a middle name, but I'm thinking of giving myself one. Has anyone here done something like this? I'm not worried about the technicalities, but I don't know how to actually decide on a name. I guess this is kind of like picking a stage name. Any tips or anything else I should consider? Is this a bad idea? Thanks and sorry for the strange question.

posted by anonymous to Society & Culture (40 answers total)

I don't think giving yourself a middle name is going to do anything. I don't think it's a bad idea, I just don't know what it's going to accomplish.

For ID purposes, your first name is still going to be Phileas or Ahab or Calpurnia or whatever. Even if you're Bartleby Matthew Jones, the over-educated bartender is still going to tell you he "would prefer not to" serve you a beer.

For meeting people purposes, you can use any name you want. You can go by initials, or maybe come up with a nickname you like. I'd pick something a little bit close to your name, so that you're not asking people to call you T-Bone or something (which would be weird). Definitely something unobtrusive that doesn't sound too much like a term of endearment or a testament to your masculinity. Or, hell, go by you last name.

In a casual everyday sense, people are going to call you whatever you introduce yourself as. The only place I can see it being even a little complicated is in a classroom situation, or maybe at work with HR. But then, best practices are probably to just say, "Actually I go by Jen" and move on.

With HR, they're going to have to see your ID eventually, and whether you're Guinevere "Jen" Murphy or what, you're still going to be King Arthur's wife to some wiseasses.
posted by Sara C. at 6:34 AM on September 13, 2012 [7 favorites]

Is it Thomasine? I have a friend with that name who took a second, easy name for use with people she's just met and explains "this is my name" when they meet again.
posted by parmanparman at 6:34 AM on September 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

Consider that this may happen more often than you think . Catholics take a saint's name at the sacrament of Confirmation, and I know at least one person who used it full time as his first name. Knew another guy who went by his middle name exclusively (a la J. Jonah Jameson). And a third decided that he didn't want to go by the diminutive version of his name any more; he wanted the full formal treatment. It was a little weird at first because of habit, but we all adapted pretty quick and Charles he was evermore.

Pick something you like and go for it! If you want it to be a legal name change, there'll be some stuff you'll likely have to fill out at the local court house but I think it's fairly routine.
posted by jquinby at 6:34 AM on September 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

I have a similar situation. I've just endured it. And tried to shut down the conversation when I'm annoyed. My cousin had a name she (justifiably) hated and she modified it unofficially and now we all call her the new name but we snickered about it. The new name is "fancy" but I think it just makes many people uncomfortable to have to start calling you a new name when they know you by another name. Which is silly when you think about how many people change their names at marriage. It may be awkward with people you already know, but worthwhile vis-a-vis people new to you.
posted by semacd at 6:34 AM on September 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

My Grandpa's first name is Olaf. He didn't like that (I like to joke that he's a self-hating Norwegian American) so he uses a middle name in informal situation and uses "O. [middle name] [last name]" on many documents.

So, you could pick a middle name, and do something similar in work situations and encounters with strangers and acquaintances. The government, HR, and some other entities will know your full legal name, but there's nothing you can do about that short of completely dropping your first name. Once you get close to people, you could let them in and invite them to use your first name.

As for picking a name, I would suggest browsing through baby name books. When you have a couple of candidates, practice saying them. See if they "feel" like you and try them out on some close friends.
posted by Area Man at 6:49 AM on September 13, 2012

I have a weird first name that, while not fictional, throws most people for a complete loop and usually involves lots of conversation. I also have a middle name which is not entirely standard either, but is somewhat easier to deal with. Having a middle name doesn't really help with this. I could decide to go by my middle name instead, but that would be the same thing as going by a nickname, really, and for you legally adding the middle name would just be an extra layer of hassle. I think it would be easier to start going by a nickname or initial, the way many people from places where super-long names are common do when they move to English-speaking countries. You'd still have your real name on forms and official documents, but when you meet new people you'll just be C.M. instead of Cymbeline, or whatever.
posted by DestinationUnknown at 6:51 AM on September 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

I have a relative with a hard to spell and hard to pronounce first name. Whenever anyone asks how to pronounce it, he always says, "Steve". Steve is as far from his name as Alpha is to Zeta.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 6:52 AM on September 13, 2012 [5 favorites]

I have an unusual first name. Going by my middle name solved some issues but not others and introduced additional ones. I am more comfortable with my middle name these days but in terms of amount of time spent discussing my name, it seems to be a wash. I spend about the same amount of time, I just spend it discussing different things.

My oldest son has an uncommon name and it is also the name of a fictional character. He isn't badgered incessantly but he is good at just shutting people down if he wants to. Learning to do that might serve your purposes better. I briefly had a life situation that inspired people to crack the same lame joke about my last name, like it was original. Giving off that sarcastic "Yeah, like I never heard that one before" vibe tended to change the subject quickly.

Best of luck.
posted by Michele in California at 6:52 AM on September 13, 2012

Commenting on someone's name is small-talk akin to talking about the weather. I know someone named Jane - one of the most plain, boring names out there (she is lovely woman btw) - and her name is constantly remarked on. Comments about your name are usually from someone showing a positive interest in you - it isn't like they are calling you fatty (or shorty or whatever physical attribute you are uncomfortable with). I think you have the perception that this is exceptional attention being paid to your name when most of us get benign enquiries on our names all the time. People are just looking for something inoffensive to connect over. it's Heathcliff, isn't it? I just know it is...
posted by saucysault at 7:12 AM on September 13, 2012 [16 favorites]

Tis better to live with your unique name than be a John, Chris, or Steve.

I've lived with a unique name all my 40+ years. It does get tedious explaining and plenty of people get it wrong because they can't relate but I would rather keep it. To your second question, a middle name is useful and is worth getting but I wouldn't use it as a substitute. Your friends and family won't use it and it will be even more confusing.
posted by JJ86 at 7:15 AM on September 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

People like to comment on my name, too, and sometimes it can be annoying. But usually a monosyllabic response ("Kyle? That's an unusual name for a woman." -"Yep." - "Were your parents expecting a boy?" - "Nope.") nips it in the bud if I don't want to have that conversation (sometimes I do - it can be a good source of small talk). So I say, if you like your name, stick with it! Just don't discuss it when you don't feel like it. (And feel free to give a fake name at Starbucks or whatever - after a series of takeout orders addressed to Jael, Carol, and I don't know what else, I dubbed myself "Nina" for a period of time.)

I feel like choosing a name for oneself as an adult often ends up being kind of goofy (maybe because the rest of us can look at the new name and say, "Ah, so *that's* who he/she thinks he/she is!), but if you really want to, do you belong to any kind of religious tradition? I feel like those are the safest and most meaningful names to take on as an adult.

(I *do* have a middle name, and it's Ryan. So needless to say using my middle name would not solve any of my problems with my first name. Yep. Nope.)
posted by mskyle at 7:28 AM on September 13, 2012 [10 favorites]

One of my best friends from childhood is named Madonna, which is not an usual name where we live but growing up in the 80s, she endured a ton of "Like a Virgin" jokes in school. Her response was usually something like "Wow, never heard that one before! You're some smart buddy!" which usually shut people up.

Nip it in the bud. Use humour if need be but be curt about it. "Oh my god, your name is Beyonce?!" "Yep, I think I'm the only one though. So anyway, did you hear about [unrelated thing]?"
posted by futureisunwritten at 7:33 AM on September 13, 2012

You should really refer to MetaFilter's Own Juliet Cupcake Banana, who did this very thing.

I have an unusual first name known for its ONE song. Just assume my name is Sharona, and that I am always greeted musically as such. It is, as you might imagine, a delight. (Do we have the same name?)

I guess I like it well enough, though I have the added complication of people not being able to spell it. But my mom was always a hardass about it, so I never got to have a nickname or do anything that might give me some agency in how I was referred to. Now that I'm an adult, I mostly don't care, but I still have a tendency to give people dirty looks when they break out the song, and respond with a tight-lipped, "That's your one opportunity!" I try to have a sense of humor about it, but... no, you AREN'T original, or cute, or funny.

I had a Pakistani friend in high school who has a somewhat long last name. To avoid complications, she used what she refers to as her "pizza delivery name" -- a shortened and much simpler version. I guess it helped that she used the same one every time.

So consistency is key. If you want a middle name, go ahead and give yourself one. If you wish to be referred to in a different way, either by your new middle name or by something completely separate from your full legal name, you go on with your bad self. It's YOUR NAME.
posted by Madamina at 8:18 AM on September 13, 2012 [3 favorites]

I like my name and it's who I am

If that is so, getting a middle name isn't going to help. That would just make you Gandalf John, Humbert Keith, or Scooby Don.

If you like your name, your problem is other people's reactions, which you frankly cannot do very much about. You say that people "talk about it" but I have no idea what that means. I presume that no one is saying anything mean-spirited based upon your question, but instead it is comments like, "Ebenezer? Oh how I love that story." If so, it is hard for me to see the problem with this sort of comment. While it is surely tedious for you, it is a one-time thing for the speaker and it is a bit of positive attention for you. Since you cannot change others' reactions to it, try to change your reactions to them.

Or, stop using your unusual name, even though you like it, and just introduce yourself as Bob. It is too bad that your question is anonymous, for I am now quite curious as to your name.
posted by Tanizaki at 8:30 AM on September 13, 2012

Were I in your shoes¹, I'd keep "No relation" with a smile in my back pocket to shortcut the stupid oh-i-wonder-if-he-knows-his-name-is-famous nonsense, and if I was meeting someone who behaved annoyingly upon hearing my name, I'd simply consider it as a minor social faux pas on their part.

¹my twins have boy/girl names that turn out to be the names of two characters -- love interests -- in a fairly well-known movie, and even though they're fairly boring and reasonably common names I still get a lot of "oh, you mean like from the movie [movie]" comments, which I simply ignore as I would ignore them farting during their introduction.
posted by davejay at 8:48 AM on September 13, 2012 [3 favorites]

Oh, one more thing: if you do decide to go by a nickname or a new middle name, fill in your friends that you're going to do it with new friends, but don't sweat it if your existing friends keep using your old name. With them, you've already gotten past the awkward part, and they know you by that name, so it would be pointless to insist they change it (although they may change it out of simple respect, and if they ask "should I call you that, too?" I'd say "up to you, you're already my friend, call me what you like.") Also, habits are hard to change -- my sister changed her first name when I was in high school, and I'm in my 40s now but still occasionally use her original name by accident.
posted by davejay at 8:52 AM on September 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

Getting a middle name isn't worth it - there is an "angle" on almost every name, and you will hear about it over and over no matter what the name itself is. My first name is only moderately uncommon, but I share it with a relatively obscure scientist from over a century ago. I hear about that guy all the time. People hear the name and think of that guy, even if he was only mentioned once in a high school chemistry class and they can't really remember what he did.

I know people who have recognisable names from Tolkien and people named Jennifer - yes, the Tolkien people hate Peter Jackson, but that's still better than the Jennifers. They hear about every Jennifer everyone else knows. Aunt Jenny, cousin Jenny," this girl Jennifer I knew in elementary school who you would really like", etc., etc.
posted by Wylla at 8:54 AM on September 13, 2012

I have had a very unique first name my whole life. I've also felt the need to work around that sometimes, and having arguably the most common middle name in the US has helped that immensely.

Also having two initials that are very common as well as the diminutive of my first name being relatively common, especially in the South has made work environments much easier now that I'm getting older and have less patience for the 13,000th conversation about it.

That being said, change your name to whatever you want. Depending on your location, this can be as easy as a nominal fee. $15 in my case, when I checked like fifteen years ago, YMMV.
posted by Sphinx at 9:42 AM on September 13, 2012

I would recommend not doing what you're thinking about doing. The thing is: you're very familiar with the hassles involved with your name. You think this is unique because your name is distinctively fictional. But you're not in a unique situation. (See: availability bias.)

My first name is John. Think I don't get people misunderstanding my first name and stopping to comment on it? Wrong.

People misspell it (often as "Jhon," even though this doesn't resemble any other common English word). They think it's a different name -- "Sean," or even "Kahn." (The person who thought it was "Kahn" continued to think so even after I corrected the person and spelled it out! "J-O-H-N." Oh, "K" as in "kite"?) People ask how I can have a Jewish last name when "John" is Christian -- surely I must be "Jon" or "Jonathan." People assume that "John" isn't my real name and that the correct legal version must be "Jonathan" because that has more syllables. So people will try to get my attention by saying "Jonathan!" in my direction, and when I don't respond it seems like I'm rudely ignoring them, when actually it's just that I instinctively listen for my own name and not someone else's.

If you come up with some new name, no matter how simple you think it is, you'll just have new hassles to deal with, and they'll be even bigger hassles because they'll be unfamiliar. Stick with the devil you know.
posted by John Cohen at 9:44 AM on September 13, 2012 [5 favorites]

Another vote for not bothering with another name. There is no ur-name that will be perfectly unique, but not too unusual, or perfectly ordinary, but not overly common. People will always associate your name with something. Frankly, that's how I remember names, and sometimes I'll comment on it when I can't think of anything else to say.

And even if there exists a perfect name right now, you never know when some other person is going to come along -- either in your community, or some famous person -- who preemptively "ruins" your NEW name anyway.
posted by lesli212 at 10:29 AM on September 13, 2012

I might have it a little worse than you. My name is highly unusual in the wild, but there are several well known fictional characters who have it. This means, though, that there are a handfull of common jokes/questions that I have stock answers to. I also have a good story about why my name is what it is.

If you're feeling crabby about it at any given interaction, "Never head that one before!" rolls off of most people's backs and gently points out that, yes, I've heard that twice a day my whole life. Even gentler, but not always workable, is to turn it around on them. "Cmoj? Like popular character Cmoj Mahoney?"
"Yup. John, like Pope John Paul?"

Give people a break, though. This is new to them, mildly exciting and amusing, and people like to be able to make an immediate connection when they meet someone so when there's something obvious they go for it.
posted by cmoj at 10:52 AM on September 13, 2012

It's killing me trying to guess your name.

ANYWAY. My first name (and my last name actually) are both hideous and pretty unique. I mean, I friended all three of the people on Facebook with my first name, and none of them live in America (and 2 out of 3 are women; there are just two dudes with the name that I know of). It's unpronounceable when written and dreadful in general.

Sooo I considered making my life easier several times by changing it, and honestly? I just decided to suck it up. It's annoying. It's complicated. It's... mine.

That being said, I use my Starbucks Name lots of the time, whenever I don't need to be like actually identified (such as, at Starbucks). My Starbucks Name is David, and you know what I realized from using it? I'd rather have my messed-up name than the name David. Being named David is BORING.

So what if I spend up to an hour a week spelling it and explaining and listening to stupid jokes and annoying questions and making sure I understand when my name is called at the DMV (no it is not pronounced "Scchruuuuour" but I do have to be ready to answer to that sometimes)?

I have my three standard answers (1. "It's pronounced [x]" and 2. "It's Gaelic" and 3. "My parents were hippies!") and those always work. May you find yours.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 11:35 AM on September 13, 2012

I've gone by a unique abbreviation of my (hated) first name for about 12 years now. I never formally changed it, but at this point, even my family calls me this. Life is much better now.
posted by kyrademon at 12:12 PM on September 13, 2012

I don't know if this helps, but I swear it's true. I recently passed by a woman in a clothing store who had twin boys, about four years old, in tow. As she turned to walk down the aisle, she called gently to them, "Beetoven, Mozart, come on now."

My last name caused me to catch a bit of flack when I was a boy (back in the 50's.) They called me pills, and seemed to love to use the phrase "Carter's little farter starters." I don't see Carter's Little Liver Pills around anymore, but I remember hating them on account of this. I never came up with a workable riposte for this. If you don't want to use a different name, then maybe you could cultivate a level gaze, as if you just smelled something unusual, and say something like, "Yeah it means Flaming Dragon Killer in Turkish."

I know two women who actually, legally, changed their names, and one who dropped her first name in favor of her middle name. All three did this as a response to seriously unhappy circumstances.
posted by mule98J at 12:13 PM on September 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

I used to get this a lot with my last name. (Think president, first name Ronald.)

You can always come up with a nickname you like, get a few of your friends to use it and go from there (I get called Bunny by my husband and if we ever move to a different location that's going to be my name period).

PS. I bet it's Eowyn.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 12:30 PM on September 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

I feel your pain; my first name is Paula --- good grief, aren't people EVER going to forget that d*mn song "Hey Hey Paula"?!? Lord, how I hate that stupid song.....

Don't bother with the legal name change; just pick a nickname, and insist on people using it. Sure, your family may be slow to adopt it, but if you persevere you'll win the majority over in the end.
posted by easily confused at 1:38 PM on September 13, 2012

Q: Should you give yourself a middle name?
A: Only if you intend to use it.
You said you like your name. There's no point in going from "Eowyn Jones" to "Eowyn Kathryn Jones, call me Eowyn". If you want to avoid dealing with the pain-in-the-neck factor of your current name, you'll have to also lose the coolness factor (assuming it's got one) and just plan on pretending it doesn't exist.
There's also no point in going to "Eowyn Kathryn Jones, call me Kathryn", if you're not going to stop mentioning the Eowyn part. And only a moderate point in "E. Kathryn Jones, it's with a K and a Y, here let me spell that for you"
The case in which I'd say yes, do it, is if you plan on becoming "E. Alice Jones", something very spellable and phonetic, and not mentioning Eowyn unless it's necessary.
And actually, if that's your goal, why not add a first name instead of a middle name? "Alice E. Jones, call me Alice." Is the E for Emily? "No, Eowyn, actually. Call me Alice."
posted by aimedwander at 1:54 PM on September 13, 2012

I grew up with a name like that. It has been such a load off since I started going by one of my more conventional given names in the past few years. I do not miss spending the first 5 minutes of meeting someone explaining the history behind my naming, discussing my siblings' names and otherwise assuring people that yes, it is indeed my real name. I also don't miss people remembering my name after one meeting while I struggle to place theirs.

I think the only advantage I can remember was meeting new people and having them confirm my friendship with a mutual friend because they'd heard of me. And maybe the time I got an interview simply because the manager wanted to see the girl with the cool name.

I say go for it. I've told people from my past that they can call me whatever they're comfortable with- some have switched over, but most have kept with the original.... this works for me because I live in a different city now, but it has been occasionally strange when being introduced to a new person by an old friend and I say "I'm [new name], nice to meet you.".

Some things to consider, maybe.
posted by sunshinesky at 1:57 PM on September 13, 2012

As a Phoebe ("Like from Friends?" or, the more hipster version, "Great! I feel like Holden Caulfield now"), I empathize. Hell, a few years ago there was a fictional character in a movie with my friend name and last name. And now there's a hospital with the same name as me! Frustrating, and messes with my google rank.

But I like my name, and it sounds like you like yours, too. Honestly, I'd just learn to roll with it. It might be a touch rude, but I've found a cheerful but lightly sarcastic, "I've never heard that one before!" usually moves the conversation on nicely.

(Alternatively, you can be like me and be determined to be the most famous one by your name ever, but I don't know if I want to wish that craziness on anyone else.)
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:45 PM on September 13, 2012

For what it's worth, it's a huge hassle to change your legal name, and costs a fair amount (you have to take out ads in a particular newspaper so that it becomes a matter of public record) but it is totally doable.

I say this as someone who changed it name to a fictional last name (I'm now Benjamin Apollo Dionysus) so it's somewhat the reverse of your dilemma. Personally, I enjoy it when people pick up on the larger connotations, but then again it was a deliberate choice on my part.

But to answer your question: maybe it is strange to name yourself, but I found it to be highly enjoyable. And I relish the fact that this part of my identity reflects who I am and what I stand for, instead of merely being an accident of birth (in my case) or a total absence (in yours, since you don't have a middle name at all).

(Oh, and I briefly considered changing my full name to Squid Voltaire, hence this handle.)
posted by Squid Voltaire at 3:56 PM on September 13, 2012

is there something more ordinary that your first name could be shortened to, that you can get people to start calling you? Like, if your name is juliette, ask to be called julie. I think people will take to it much easier if it's a variant of your name, because it feels like they are getting to use a more personal version of your name. So instead of "my name bugs me call me this instead" you get to say " my friends call me this" and they do it happily because that means that you are friends.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 4:13 PM on September 13, 2012

there is an "angle" on almost every name

I really want to reiterate this. As you can see below, I have an extremely common, easily pronounced, and not terrible to spell first name.

People still manage to come up with stuff. Usually it's singing one of the two hokey 80's songs with my name in the chorus. Sometimes it's "that's very biblical", which is dumb because, aren't most common names in the Judeo-Christian world? If the person sees the spelling, they will often make a cutesy comment on that. Sometimes it will lead people to blatantly flat-out ask me if I'm Jewish, which is fucked up.

Names are the laxatives to certain people's verbal diarrhea.
posted by Sara C. at 4:42 PM on September 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

Keep your name. Roll with it.

Every ethnic friend I have with a foreign or otherwise unusual sounding name gets this. My own ethnic name is pronounced the same as a few book and movie characters and has the added bonus of being easily pun-able. Or I get into a "how do you pronounce/why do you pronounce it that way/what is the heritage/tell me about your people" conversation right off the bat.

I have learned to deflect the long conversations, sense when someone is about to roll of a stream of puns I've already heard and pull the "never heard that one before" line that stops them in their tracks, and just ignore the rest. It's easy.

Sometimes, however, someone comes up with a new and clever pun or spin on my name and I LOVE IT. But you gotta take the good with the bad.
posted by scuza at 4:45 PM on September 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

The other thing is, if you go to all the trouble of picking a new name, think of all the 'splaining you'll have to do to all the people you already know.
posted by scuza at 4:46 PM on September 13, 2012

I think there are two types of situations where your name comes up and may create unwanted discussion. One, when you are introduced to someone new in a social setting, and two, when you meet someone in a transactional setting. Most of the guys in my group of friends have what one poster referred to as a delivery name. Whenever they make reservations or meet someone on the bus they know they will never see again, they use their made up name.

If I were you, and I am not, I would use a stage name for most times when you don't want to do some 'splaining. One friend uses something like, "Hi, Francis Green, but you can call me Frank." Nothing wrong with using a name that will be easier to use when you are feeling like not dealing with questions.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 4:56 PM on September 13, 2012

I have been enjoying reading this thread. I have now reread the actual question. One thing asked was for tips on picking a name. I don't think anyone addressed that.

I have heard that it is part of drag queen culture that they do not pick their own name. It is bestowed upon them. A friend asked me to do the honors of renaming them and I did so (not a drag queen, but someone in need of a new name). I also happen to have an unofficial "Christian" name which was gifted to me. When I was seriously considering changing my first name, I was semi planning to go with that name.

Perhaps a friend could help you with your new name?
posted by Michele in California at 5:12 PM on September 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

My first name is a modal verb. In the last ten years it has become more common, but some blockhead still always makes one of a small list of lame jokes. I just reply, "no," quietly, after a measured pause that I spend either staring into their eyes or pointedly looking at something more interesting, and then move on as if they have farted loudly in a quiet room.

This has rarely failed to prevent a second attempt.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:23 AM on September 14, 2012

Also, someone here at work decided to start going by a new name, and we all shrugged and started using it, but then we heard a few weeks later that she was going back to her shorter, simpler name. *shrug* Whatever you want, it's your name.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:23 AM on September 14, 2012

there is an "angle" on almost every name

This is very true, and my wife & I agonized over names for each of our kids. In the great movie "The Sure Thing," there is a scene where the two main characters -- while pretending to be expectant parents -- bicker over a name for the (fictitious) fetus.

Lady: So what you going to name the baby.
Alison: Well, if it's a girl, Cynthia, and if it's a boy, Elliot.
Lady: Those are lovely names.
Gib: Elliot?! You're gonna name the kid Elliot? You can't name the kid Elliot, no. Elliot is a fat kid with glasses who eats paste. You're not going to name the kid Elliot. You gotta give him a real name, give him a NAME, like Nick.
Alison: Nick?!
Gib: Yeah, Nick. Nick's a real name. Nick's your buddy. Nick's the kind of guy you can trust. The kind of guy you can drink beer with. The kind of guy that doesn't mind if you puke in the backseat of his car. Nick!

So, yeah, whatever name you pick, somebody can make you regret it. :7)

posted by wenestvedt at 6:28 AM on September 14, 2012 [1 favorite]

My maiden name is the last name of a famous fictional TV family. We had a dog named after one of the characters.

Be happy you actually like your name. Even though I (and my brothers) got hassled for our last name, it was mostly in fun. People just want something to talk about and something as obvious as your name is easy to latch on to.
posted by deborah at 9:06 PM on September 17, 2012