Have you ever thought of changing your first name?

I had friends who have changed their surname after divorce or a separation, I have heard of a person who was adopted changing her name back to her birth family’s name.

Have you ever changed your name? Have you used different names or versions of your name in different contexts? As we age we sometimes want to be Robert not Bobbie, Elizabeth not Lizzie,  Prudence no Prue, William not Bill and Margaret not Maggie. We are all different and some prefer the abbreviated name to the full name all their life.

A name change is a chance in understanding of a person and their relationships.

However, names are connected to character. Labels for things may vary by language. Our name, on the other hand, can remain in whatever language we speak. Our name despite the constant transitions we experience throughout our lives can be a constant. What does it mean when someone modifies their name or uses different names? How does it affect the person who changes their name and those who watch the change?

I thought about what power a name has but as newborns and young children we have little say or no say.

Most adults I know who have changed their names do not do it legally but rather tell their close friends and family what they wished to be called. The legal process I have been told is long and expensive.

I knew a woman called Lorraine who wanted me to call her Jessie. I did not know she did not like her name and was going to change  to Jessie.

I wonder if any Moodscopers felt their name did not suit them. What did you do?

I know people who waited till their parents had died as they didn’t want to hurt their feelings. Names reflect a person’s social as well as personal  identity.

… So, can you envisage you or any one in your family thinking about changing or altering your/their name.?

Moodscopers can you share your journey or a friend or family journey to change their first name.

Do you feel if you changed your first name it would affect your personality?

Leah 

A Moodscope member