What would you have been called?

[Stu]

My wife and I were chatting over dinner and the topic came up about what she would have been called had she been a boy. It was David. She said if she had, then she would have liked it, but insisted it never be shortened to Dave. I would have been a Suzie, which I guess I could have lived with. Most people I know have been told by their parents what they would have been named had they had the opposite configuration and they rarely seem to dislike the name their parents would have given them.

Do you know what your parents had in mind for you?

[crfriend]

Do you know what your parents had in mind for you?

For me, the outcome was pretty well ordained. I was named "Carl" as my first name, my father's name as my middle. and my family name, "Friend" (really!) as my surname.

My dad's name was a bit more fluid for a while, and based on the "history book" (I have his "baby book" in addition to mine) narrowly missed being named "Robin" (which was still a man's name at the time, but getting rare).

[denimini]

I was born before the days of ultra sound and my parents were not into dangling things on the end of a piece of string so they opted to wait until I was born before thinking of names. My younger brother's situation was different where they thought of all sorts of names and he was very lucky to escape with a simple "Paul". Interestingly he was wearing a dress in old photos until he was about 2 where I featured bib overalls. Now he wears pants and I wear skirts.

[Myopic Bookworm]

Do you know what your parents had in mind for you?

My dad's name was a bit more fluid for a while, and based on the "history book" (I have his "baby book" in addition to mine) narrowly missed being named "Robin" (which was still a man's name at the time, but getting rare).

Robin is still a man's name in the UK (unless it's spelt "Robyn"). It's my dad's name, and two of my friends (now in their 50s). Dad was named after his father's middle name Robert, but as he was born near Christmas time, with robins appearing on all the Christmas cards, that may have inspired the use of the diminutive form.

[crfriend]

Robin is still a man's name in the UK (unless it's spelt "Robyn"). It's my dad's name, and two of my friends (now in their 50s).

The fact that my dad was born in the UK to American parents) may explain some of that. However, if "Robin" had stuck, that'd be my middle name in a country where it's distinctly a woman's name.

(Somebody cue up Johnny Cash's A Boy Named Sue!)

[Kirbstone]

I have a 1st cousin a few years younger than myself who was christened Robin, but he decided early on to change that to Robert, which stuck.

This being twelfth night when the Three Wise Men were reputed to have reached the crib in Bethlehem to present the Infant with gold, francinsense and myrrh. The two wise men carrying the former two presents were stocky in build and had no difficulty entering the little stable where the infant lay. The third fellow however, carrying the myrrh was tall & gangly and he banged his head off the low beam at the entrance, whereupon he clasped his forehead and shouted out 'Jesus Christ!!'. Joseph immediately remarked 'Now THAT's a good name....We were going to call him Derek !'

Tom

[Sinned]

I have no idea whether my mother had any alternative name for me. Apparently my name was registered by my ( birth ) father without consulting my mother. In Primary school I disliked my first name, Dennis, but as the Beano was my favourite comic the name became more noted. Dennis the Menace became a tag for me. I did get to change my name when my mother divorced, remarried and my "new" parents adopted me. I have actually grown to love my name - it is me and my identity. As for a name if I was a girl, that's easy - Denise!