Rename Yourself!

[fairly-contrary.livejournal.com]

Suppose that for some reason (witness protection program, you want to start over, you hate your birth name, whatever) you had to change your entire name to something completely new. We name babies in here all the time-- what would you do if you had a chance to name yourself?

My real first name is Marcella. I think I would call myself Eleanor, if I had to change my name. It's been one of my favorite names since I was tiny. I used to name all my best dolls Eleanor.

My real middle name is my grandmother's maiden name. If I had to change my name I'd probably pick another family name so I could keep some ties to my family. I have a favorite great-aunt named Amelia, which I think goes well with Eleanor.

My new last name would be Irish, just like my current last name, but other than that I'm not sure what I'd choose. I'd probably ransack the upper branches of the family tree for good last names. Sullivan? Murphy? Brady? Recognizably Irish, but also easy to say and spell-- that's what I'd look for.

Comments

[pegasus2o5.livejournal.com]

Well, right off the bat I would take the opportunity to get an easier-to-pronounce surname, and actually go by new first name instead of going by my middle like I currently do, which is a pain. So task 1, simplification.

I've always been a big Alice in Wonderland fan (see icon) and as a little child even introduced myself as Alice, so I think my new first name would be Alice. It bears a very subtle resemblance to my real name and I already feel like it "belongs" to me. For my middle name... Cordelia. She's a character in one of my favorite book series, very strong and wise, I look up to her a lot.

My new last name would be Weaver. It's a name that I've just always really loved, and since I'm a writer (weaver of stories) it feels appropriate. So from Laura "Elizabeth" Belyeu I become Alice Cordelia Weaver!