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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My experience is hopefully extreme.  My mother legit gave me a made up name based on something my four year old brother suggested they name me.  She thought it was "cute."  It was awful.  Some examples from my childhood:

A mom, upon hearing my name, say "does your mom not like you or something?"

Kids told me my name was "stupid."  I learned to hide by tears / just shrug it off / pretend I didn't hear them.

Kids didn't usually laugh at my name, but there was always mumbling in the classroom / audience when I was introduced.  I would have mini panic attacks anytime roll was taken.  Sweating, heart jumping out of my chest, etc.

I changed my name at 18.  The woman in the SS office said "I don't blame you" upon seeing my given name.

If I were an extrovert or had self-confidence / self-esteem, maybe it would have been fine.  I had a pretty terrible home life and it just didn't help to stick out like that.  All I wanted to do was fade into a wall throughout my childhood.  I didn't want attention whatsoever, and this attention was overwhelmingly negative.

I have no clue if my mother would say she regrets it or not.  Twenty years later, she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, and I sometimes wonder if she enjoyed giving me a tough childhood (along the lines of Johnny Cash's Boy Named Sue or something).  At the same time, I'm not sure if she knew how much I struggled with it.  Did parents make comments to her as well?  I'm not sure...

My father wasn't really in the picture, but I know he also didn't like my name.  Early on he tried to get my teachers to call me by a more normal nickname, but he gave up after a while.
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Now I HAVE to know what it was, PP.  You don't have it anymore so do tell![/quote]

This sounds like Peekaboo Street (except I don’t think she changed her name?)  my husband did the same thing. His mom gave him an awful first and middle name. He changed both when he turned 18. [/quote]

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