What were you ALMOST named?

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My parents almost called me Susan, but my grandmother intervened and another name was chosen. What were YOU almost called?

― Orbit (Orbit), Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:05 (7 years ago) Permalink

i was always going to be called gemma, my mum had it picked out for years. my little brother on the other hand was intended to be a girl called marnie. when he popped out with a penis mum was a bit thrown but did a quick turnaround and settled on benjamin. but there were multiple other bens born in the maternity ward that day and the sister advised her to give it more thought as we lived in a small country town. so she went with 'drew'. which i think is a completely awesome name.

― gem (trisk), Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:10 (7 years ago) Permalink

I can't remember my almost-name, but my brother was going to be Tybalt until my parents compromised on a trio of family names.

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:10 (7 years ago) Permalink

Juniper or Sarah Jane. Or Aubrey.

― Melissa W (Melissa W), Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:12 (7 years ago) Permalink

I was almost called Richard, but then my parents realized I'd be subject to "Hey R|cky N3lson, sing me a song" teasing (this was 1957, possibly near his peak of popularity).

― nickn (nickn), Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:19 (7 years ago) Permalink

almost michael.

― latebloomer: Pain Don't Hurt (latebloomer), Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:20 (7 years ago) Permalink

Courtney.

― haitch (haitch), Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:22 (7 years ago) Permalink

Rosemary. I think that's a great name, I'm a little disappointed they changed their minds.

― Maria (Maria), Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:29 (7 years ago) Permalink

I was almost: Sarah, Sandra, Renee, Barbara, or Veronica. Finally my parents had it narrowed down to Diane or Diana until they compromised and named me Deanna, i.e. a cross between the two names.

― The Kind and Benevolent Oracle of Dee (Dee the Lurker), Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:31 (7 years ago) Permalink

simon. its my middle name.

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:31 (7 years ago) Permalink

(They also liked the actress Deanna Durbin, so....)

(xpost)

― The Kind and Benevolent Oracle of Dee (Dee the Lurker), Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:32 (7 years ago) Permalink

Bunyip. No shit.

It has to do with a small town of the same name and frequent commuting through there on the way to Melbourne, the city in which I reside.

― Michael Stuchbery (Mikey Bidness), Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:37 (7 years ago) Permalink

We threatened to name our sprout Shasta Peroxide if female or Shasta Thirtyweight if male.

Sanity won out at the eleventh hour and she ended up Sarah. :D

― Hey Jude, Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:44 (7 years ago) Permalink

I was almost Jason. Family legend has it that my dad balked, on account of some vomitorious playground rhyme he remembered from childhood: "Jason, Jason, get the basin. Oops -- SLOP -- get the mop!"

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:47 (7 years ago) Permalink

Father wanted Kasimir. Mother wanted Dominic, (But she soured on it when she realised I would probably get "Nicky", which she hated), and then Joel.

Edward was a compromise. I'm vaguely thankful.

― edward o (edwardo), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:04 (7 years ago) Permalink

Elisabeth Bradley Dumay Hunter. To which my Dad's instant retort was always "that's a funny name for a boy." Badabing badaboom. There's some family story of the name I've never sorted out. My mom brought the name up when we were discussing my kid's potential name. My instant retort was "Er, we'll see."

[M]y brother was going to be Tybalt...
So badass, this name!

― Hunter (Hunter), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:09 (7 years ago) Permalink

xpost if you'd been called joel would you still have ended up with jan as your middle name? that would be hard to say, 'joel jan'.

― gem (trisk), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:10 (7 years ago) Permalink

caleb

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:10 (7 years ago) Permalink

if i'd been a boy i would have been michael. same with my older sister.
by the time my younger sister came around they gave up on michael and were going with paul hosea. good thing she was a girl and just got a stupid catholic name like me!

― tehresa (tehresa), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:12 (7 years ago) Permalink

My mom inexplicably left a typed list in my baby book... I assume the starred named were her favorites:

**Aimee
Amy
Amanda
Belinda
Danielle
Diane
Jane
Lisa
Rachael
**Sarah
Sally

Blake
Craig
(Daniel)
Douglas
Jason?
Justin
Luke
**Matthew
Nicholas
Patrick
Paul
Vaughn
**Warren

― luna (luna.c), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:17 (7 years ago) Permalink

My mom wanted me to be Ambrosius (she claimed my nickname could have been Brosy...whatever mom) if boy and Sierra Rose if a girl. Jesus that woman did a lot of drugs...thanks again dad!

hi luna! long time no see!

― django (django), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:26 (7 years ago) Permalink

wow, it has been! how've you been?

― luna (luna.c), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:32 (7 years ago) Permalink

JEFFREY. They should have stuck with it, even though I turned out to be a GIRL!

― gunther heartymeal (keckles), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:32 (7 years ago) Permalink

xpost if you'd been called joel would you still have ended up with jan as your middle name? that would be hard to say, 'joel jan'.

God, that would have been awful, wouldn't it? The good news is that I've started using newly-adopted middle name James on various things, and it's fantatsic!

― edward o (edwardo), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:32 (7 years ago) Permalink

=) that's tops!

― gem (trisk), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:34 (7 years ago) Permalink

I've been good. trying to get back into the ILX groove. the water seems warm enough to finally jump in. nice to see you and ned are still here!

― django (django), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:42 (7 years ago) Permalink

Casey Amanda.

― The Pinup Girls of YANK (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:46 (7 years ago) Permalink

i don't see what's so bad about joel. : (

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:48 (7 years ago) Permalink

awww is that your name hstencil? i think it was 'jan' that edward objected to as his middle name, not joel as his first name.

― gem (trisk), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:49 (7 years ago) Permalink

right.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:51 (7 years ago) Permalink

David.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 2 June 2005 03:52 (7 years ago) Permalink

Hmmm, I think it was always going to be John. If I were a girl, however, I would've been named Elizabeth.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 2 June 2005 04:14 (7 years ago) Permalink

They would have named me Bari had I been a girl (I think we've done a "what would your parents have named you if you'd been a girl/boy" thread and I mentioned it there). I don't think any other boys or girls names were even considered.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 2 June 2005 04:18 (7 years ago) Permalink

My mother had wanted to call me either Deirdre-Anne (my father talked her out of that, saying the kids at school would call me Dreary-Anne), or Melanie, or Dawn. In the end, it was my father who chose my name and it wasn't until many years later that my mother discovered that he'd named me after an ex-girlfriend of his. Oh, how we laughed.

I do like my name, but when I was about six I went through a phase of wanting to change it and for a while I insisted that everyone call me Sophie.

― C J (C J), Thursday, 2 June 2005 04:23 (7 years ago) Permalink

once a co-worker misheard my name and called me sophie for two weeks until i finally corrected him. i didn't mind!

― The Pinup Girls of YANK (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 2 June 2005 04:31 (7 years ago) Permalink

Seth.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 2 June 2005 04:43 (7 years ago) Permalink

Famous British Seth =

― C J (C J), Thursday, 2 June 2005 04:49 (7 years ago) Permalink

I think I'm glad they went with Ned.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 2 June 2005 04:54 (7 years ago) Permalink

Joshua. My mom wanted that name so bad she even entertained thoughts of having my name changed well into my toddlerhood.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Thursday, 2 June 2005 05:52 (7 years ago) Permalink

I think I was supposed Valtteri or Petteri, can't remember which one. I'm kinda glad my parents settled for Tuomas. It's a common enough name not to have raised any mockery, but unusual enough so that there aren't any other Tuomases in my circle of friends -> no funny nicknames for me.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 2 June 2005 06:06 (7 years ago) Permalink

caleb is a great name!

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Thursday, 2 June 2005 06:08 (7 years ago) Permalink

Josephine

― Nellie (nellskies), Thursday, 2 June 2005 06:15 (7 years ago) Permalink

There's a four-name list written at the back of a book of names - the options not taken were Julia, Eleanor, and um Geraldine I think?

(underneath that list there is another of names I would have called myself had I had any say in the matter. like Jacqueline. and Robyn, and other horrible horrible names I thought were cool-sounding when I was nine or so.)

― spontine (cis), Thursday, 2 June 2005 07:11 (7 years ago) Permalink

If I was a girl I would have been Anna.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Thursday, 2 June 2005 07:31 (7 years ago) Permalink

I was almost named 'Benjamin', to the point of one Aunt actually giving a baby present with 'Benjy' already sewn in as my name. I think Benjy was a popular dog on TV at the time or something...

I also almost had one of my Grandfather's middle names as my middle name - either 'Percival' or 'Octavius'. I would have preferred the latter. Particularly because an acronym of my name would then be R.O.B., which would have been kinda cool.

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Thursday, 2 June 2005 07:46 (7 years ago) Permalink

OK, the dog was 'Benji', but close enough. He was cute, though.

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Thursday, 2 June 2005 08:06 (7 years ago) Permalink

Bethany
Delphine
Felicity
Wesley
Enzio
Ryszard (after Ryszard Horovitz, I assume)

― tokyo nursery school: afternoon session (rosemary), Thursday, 2 June 2005 08:08 (7 years ago) Permalink

Dolores! I thought that was such a beautiful name, more *schpecial* than Nathalie which seems so... not really ordinary but not really original.

― nathalie's baby (stevie nixed), Thursday, 2 June 2005 08:13 (7 years ago) Permalink

Oooh! I've got to remember Delphine! I really like that name!

― nathalie's baby (stevie nixed), Thursday, 2 June 2005 08:14 (7 years ago) Permalink

Dennis!

― Community Cornerstone (deangulberry), Thursday, 2 June 2005 08:15 (7 years ago) Permalink

Skipping 65 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Ruth if I'd been a girl.

My Dad vetoed all my Mum's suggestions for boys' names as he said they were dogs' names. If my Mum had got her way I may have been called Rex or Bruce.

― MarkH (MarkH), Saturday, 4 June 2005 10:26 (7 years ago) Permalink

Francesco

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 4 June 2005 10:38 (7 years ago) Permalink

I was always going to be Tracy as far as I know :/ and I'm not terribly fond of my name. On top of that, mum spelt it without the e thinking thatd be easier, so I've had to put up with absolutely everyone misspelling my name all my life.

At least I'm not a stacey.

― Trayce (trayce), Saturday, 4 June 2005 11:41 (7 years ago) Permalink

6 years pass...

my real father's family had a thing about first-born sons having the initials wc. (no idea, presumably nothing to do with water closet i hope.) my mom quashed that by instead giving me the most bog standard white anglo-saxon names ever, which is at least helpful in the internet era.

supposedly i might have been 'kim' had i been a girl. hmm

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:06 (11 months ago) Permalink

i would have been claire

― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:16 (11 months ago) Permalink

A fat girl's name.

I was almost Elizabeth.

― wolf kabob (ENBB), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:24 (11 months ago) Permalink

I was almost Christopher.

― sarahell, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:25 (11 months ago) Permalink

claire is a good name imo

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:28 (11 months ago) Permalink

I was almost Christopher.

I was too, but for some reason the parents thought having a one syllable first name to go along with a one syllable last name was preferable. Jerks.

― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:30 (11 months ago) Permalink

(fat girl thing is from breakfast club, not necessarily my opinion)

― wolf kabob (ENBB), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:30 (11 months ago) Permalink

I've known a few slender Claires, so John Bender can eff off.

― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:31 (11 months ago) Permalink

it is impressive how knowing a gross tom or wendy in kindergarten forever colors your impression of those names

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:33 (11 months ago) Permalink

i would have been 'samantha'

i have a granola cruncher-type aunt who legitimately suggested 'zippy' and called me that as a kid instead of my name all the time

― johnny crunch, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:34 (11 months ago) Permalink

Yeah, whenever I hear of a Robert who goes by "Robbie" I always think of the two Robbies I knew as a kid and how terrible they were.

― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:35 (11 months ago) Permalink

Many years ago I found the list of names my mother was considering. I think I got lucky with what she did choose.

― tokyo rosemary, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:36 (11 months ago) Permalink

don't be coy

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:38 (11 months ago) Permalink

I was apparently almost D'Eric. I can only assume that my parents ultimately decided that my getting beat up every day probably wouldn't be much of a character builder.

― Quiet Desperation, LLC (Deric W. Haircare), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:42 (11 months ago) Permalink

Omg close call!

― wolf kabob (ENBB), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:44 (11 months ago) Permalink

whoa

having a surname like 'haircare' was no doubt still rough tho

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:46 (11 months ago) Permalink

I got by.

― Quiet Desperation, LLC (Deric W. Haircare), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:50 (11 months ago) Permalink

My for a while my dad kept telling me he had wanted to name me Moon Pickle.

― a parker full of poseys (Stevie D(eux)), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 01:55 (11 months ago) Permalink

how is that not your login

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 02:04 (11 months ago) Permalink

Regina
Charles

― game of crones (La Lechera), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 02:22 (11 months ago) Permalink

Frank or Terrence

― One Way Ticket on the 1277 Express (Bill Magill), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 13:20 (11 months ago) Permalink

Brendan - nixed by my grandpa b/c kids would call me Brenda (?!)

so obv they gave me a name no one would ever make fun of.....

― bnw, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 13:23 (11 months ago) Permalink

lol aww

― wolf kabob (ENBB), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 13:37 (11 months ago) Permalink

so obv they gave me a name no one would ever make fun of.....

Aswipe?

― Quiet Desperation, LLC (Deric W. Haircare), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 13:40 (11 months ago) Permalink

as mentioned above, RONA. for real.

― ooooiiiioooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaoooooh un - bi - leevable! (LocalGarda), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 13:48 (11 months ago) Permalink

I was apparently almost D'Eric. I can only assume that my parents ultimately decided that my getting beat up every day probably wouldn't be much of a character builder.

I go by Tre, Italian for three, since I'm one of those III people.

Sometime in the 80s, Dad started writing my name out as Tré on birthday cards and stuff. Tre's weird enough as it is (it's pretty much akin to being called Junior Jr.), but I don't need an apostrophe to mess up my initials on videogames or having question marks appear in web directories.

If I had just been named Grady, things could have been so different.

― pplains, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 13:55 (11 months ago) Permalink

That's not an apostrophe, it's an acute accent.

― emil.y, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 13:57 (11 months ago) Permalink

accente goo, right?

― how's life, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 13:59 (11 months ago) Permalink

I heard a report that I would have been "Carolynette".

― how's life, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 14:00 (11 months ago) Permalink

apostrophe, accent. It's bird shit on my e for all I care.

― pplains, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 14:05 (11 months ago) Permalink

Iain (thank fuck they opted for Fartface Shitestain Ballbags XIVth instead...)

― banal like a null (snoball), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 14:17 (11 months ago) Permalink

Felicity

― poxen, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 15:00 (11 months ago) Permalink

haha, that's what my mother named her house.

― pplains, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 15:03 (11 months ago) Permalink

Roberto's parents almost named him Dax. lol.

― wolf kabob (ENBB), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 15:10 (11 months ago) Permalink

poxen, me too!!

― tokyo rosemary, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 15:54 (11 months ago) Permalink

Dad wanted to name me Cara

Mr Veg narrowly escaped being named Kimo

― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 16:00 (11 months ago) Permalink

My mom swears that I was almost

JEDEDIAH

― Mad God 40/40 (Z S), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 16:02 (11 months ago) Permalink

I don't think you're legally allowed to name a babby Jedediah unless you're Amish. If that isn't actually a law than it should be.

― wolf kabob (ENBB), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 16:22 (11 months ago) Permalink

Gunnar or Gunner (mom claims the former, dad claims the latter spelling)

― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 16:48 (11 months ago) Permalink

Blaise

― flopson, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 19:45 (11 months ago) Permalink

Guy

― Steve Youngblood (dan m), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 19:54 (11 months ago) Permalink

Mom apparently had "Marc Anthony" on the short list (or maybe even "Antony", not sure which)

― Race Against Rockism (Myonga Vön Bontee), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 20:49 (11 months ago) Permalink

My mom told me when I was younger that she only wanted two kids, with at least one girl. But since her first two kids were boys, she decided to try again with a third kid who would be Lisa. But alas her third kid was a boy too, so I became Lee. I heard that story several times when growing up, but she has since recanted it.

― Lee971 (Lee626), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 22:13 (11 months ago) Permalink

almost named jennifer

― yorba linda carlisle (donna rouge), Wednesday, 23 May 2012 22:18 (11 months ago) Permalink

Jessie

― owenf, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 22:30 (11 months ago) Permalink

lucky I wasn't. Moved to the UK as a teen where Jesse doesn't have quite the same cowboy badass connotations

― owenf, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 22:32 (11 months ago) Permalink

If female, I'd have been Emily

― mh, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 22:39 (11 months ago) Permalink

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