Go by a middle name?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents have always called me by a nickname that comes from my middle name. It’s annoying

+1

[Anonymous]

Yes. My first name was Beryl. I am not kidding. You'd think my mother must have been high on drugs or lost a bet when she named me. But no. Just Beryl. My dad called me Berry sometimes, which I hated even more than Beryl. Oddly, they gave me the middle name Natasha. In sixth grade I'd had enough and started telling everyone to call me Natasha. When I turned 18 I legally changed my name to Natasha Last Name. My mother was shocked I hated Beryl enough to spend $ to change it, and I was shocked she hadn't heard me since I was three mumbling "I hate my name!" Do not name your baby Beryl. It's NOT cute.

[Anonymous]

I know this is common, especially if someone is a Jr, III, etc. I have a friend who as a kid went by nickname of her middle name (example- Nicky for Nicole). When she went to college went by “Nicole.” Then after college at her summer internship, she started going by first name (“Marie”) and continued to do so in her professional life. So her family calls her Nicky and anyone post college calls her Marie. Recently she introduced herself as her college name - Nicole. Everyone is confused!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents have always called me by a nickname that comes from my middle name. It’s annoying

My DS goes by a nickname of his middle name - by parental choice. I don't think he finds it annoying, but it's definitely confusing. Not sure I would do it again, but I LOVE his name - first and middle together and nickname of middle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know this is common, especially if someone is a Jr, III, etc. I have a friend who as a kid went by nickname of her middle name (example- Nicky for Nicole). When she went to college went by “Nicole.” Then after college at her summer internship, she started going by first name (“Marie”) and continued to do so in her professional life. So her family calls her Nicky and anyone post college calls her Marie. Recently she introduced herself as her college name - Nicole. Everyone is confused!

This is me too. Sorry everybody. I'll buy the beers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I go by my middle name but my parents actually made that choice (a change of heart apparently). Interestingly, my mother also goes by her middle name.

Interesting, PP, especially about your mom doing it too.

I too have always gone by my middle name, or rather, my second middle name, because I have four names -- think along the lines of "Sarah Leslie Elizabeth Smith" where I've been called Elizabeth since birth. Sarah and Leslie are names of mom's beloved friend who died young, and a grandmother who lived with us, so I got my "own" name that isn't anyone else's in the family but was just for me, as my mom put it.

My mother had a real interest in giving me a name that was "all my own." She also went by her middle name her entire life. When she was small I think the family found her middle name easier to pronounce than her very 19th-century family first name, and when my mom was older, she hated hated hated that difficult first name, so she kept using her middle name. And she actually disliked that middle "the one I'm called by" name as well, but in her generation, you didn't go change your name legally if you disliked it -- you went by a nickname your whole life or you kind of put up with it. She put up with it and used the name she disliked a little less.

My father went by a nickname from the time he was very young. He was given the name of the doctor who delivered him, both the first and last names. Think: Dr. John Smith delivered baby boy Jones, who then was given the name John Smith Jones. But everyone, and I do mean everyone, in the small town knows Dr. John Smith is the town's "baby doctor," so it's not fun to hear "Ohhhh! Dr. Smith must have delivered you!" a million times during your life. Hence, nickname. The nickname, along with the full legal name, is even on his tombstone!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents have always called me by a nickname that comes from my middle name. It’s annoying

Have you ever told them that you'd prefer they stop using the nickname? Or is it just so very ingrained for them that if they try they can't avoid using it? Or would they be upset if you told them you prefer something else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. My first name was Beryl. I am not kidding. You'd think my mother must have been high on drugs or lost a bet when she named me. But no. Just Beryl. My dad called me Berry sometimes, which I hated even more than Beryl. Oddly, they gave me the middle name Natasha. In sixth grade I'd had enough and started telling everyone to call me Natasha. When I turned 18 I legally changed my name to Natasha Last Name. My mother was shocked I hated Beryl enough to spend $ to change it, and I was shocked she hadn't heard me since I was three mumbling "I hate my name!" Do not name your baby Beryl. It's NOT cute.

I know a couple of Beryls. There not in DC, so don't worry. But they are both approx age 50. Are you about that age? Maybe it was oddly popular around 1970?

[Anonymous]

My parents have always called me by my middle name. It's normal to me.

[Anonymous]

I have gone by my middle name since I was very young - I think I chose it when I was 4 or 5.

It has caused some headaches over the years - I have multiple accounts at the pharmacy, since some scripts go to my first name and some to my middle. I can't use my credit card to print out a copy of my boarding pass when traveling, since the ticket is booked in my first name and the credit card is in my middle name.

I've considered changing my name to reverse my first and middle names, but my mother has asked me not to do so while she is still alive. And...at this point I'm not sure the headache of legally changing my name is less hassle than the headache of two different names.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. My first name was Beryl. I am not kidding. You'd think my mother must have been high on drugs or lost a bet when she named me. But no. Just Beryl. My dad called me Berry sometimes, which I hated even more than Beryl. Oddly, they gave me the middle name Natasha. In sixth grade I'd had enough and started telling everyone to call me Natasha. When I turned 18 I legally changed my name to Natasha Last Name. My mother was shocked I hated Beryl enough to spend $ to change it, and I was shocked she hadn't heard me since I was three mumbling "I hate my name!" Do not name your baby Beryl. It's NOT cute.

I know a couple of Beryls. There not in DC, so don't worry. But they are both approx age 50. Are you about that age? Maybe it was oddly popular around 1970?

No, I am not even within ten years of turning 50 yet.

[Anonymous]

It's a southern thing.

[Anonymous]

It's my name. I go by whatever I want to be called.