possibilities include, Al, Alan, Allan, Allen, or something starting with A, L, or E. Thoughts?
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
Why?
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Why?
I had the exact same thought.
Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
I have no great love for the guy who I'm named after, he's dead now, and I was named after him for a not-so-wonderful reason.
Posted by Puppy (Member # 6721) on :
Because he likes Ale?
Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
There is now a new name up for consideration. Thanks, geoff.
Oh wait, never mind. Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
Suggestions?
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Yeah, tell us why you want to change your name.
Posted by Brinestone (Member # 5755) on :
Elliot, Leon, Aaron.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Arlo. Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
I thought about it years ago right after I found my birth parents and heard from my birthmom the story of my early life before adoption. She named me after her boyfriend who was not my father. He was a not-so-nice type, paranoid schizophrenic addict. He nearly killed me once.
Lately I find out that vedic astrology (laugh it up folks) sets certain ideal sounds for the beginning of your name. People in India often choose baby names based on this. The best sounds for my name are A, L, or E. Charles Michael is my current first two names. I'm thinking about just changing Charles.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I would suggest not changing your name.
But if it is already a given that you are changing it, I like the names Alvin and Elwin (both are the same name, actually).
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
Don't change Charles, it's French for Karl and it means "manly".
Or better yet, change it to Karl (but not Carl )
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
Charles I of England was apparently a major league scumbag. Among the signers of his death warrant when he was finally defeated were Edward Whalley and Edmund Ludlow. So Edward might be nicely symbolic.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Aaron Michael would sound nice.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
quote:But if it is already a given that you are changing it, I like the names Alvin and Elwin (both are the same name, actually).
No, they're different names that are etymologically related and mean the same thing. Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
I think you should find a name you like and live with it for a while. Refer to yourself by that name. Do that for a year.
Then, if it's still something you want to do, change it legally. A judge might let you change it with the reason you've given here, but I doubt it. If you have the added point that you've been living with your new name for quite a while, that most people refer to you by that new name now, and so forth, he/she might be more amenable to granting your request.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Uh - I don't think judges usually rule against this sort of thing, jeniwren. I mean, you pay the money, apply in court, it is stamped with approval, and that is pretty much it. I've never known a judge to say "why do you want to change your name"? (unless steven is a minor or something and needs permission).
Name changes are fairly common.
FG
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
I like "Emerson" despite not really liking the only person I ever met with that name.
Andrew, Angelo, eh, I dunno.
Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
Combining the name change with a sex change could make me "ellen". Heh. Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:Charles I of England was apparently a major league scumbag. Among the signers of his death warrant when he was finally defeated were Edward Whalley and Edmund Ludlow. So Edward might be nicely symbolic.
People who sign death warrants ro behead people aren't so much better than the people they do away with. I know you were being lighthearted but my "unfairness" warning light lit up, so I had to say something.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
About how old are you? (It makes a difference in the names I'd suggest.)
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
FG, when we went to court to have my son's name changed, the judge asked every person there why they were changing their name. Maybe our experience was unusual.
Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
kqueen, I am 30.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Okay. Then I don't recommend Aaron.
Or Leonard, but for the opposite reason.
Arthur is good.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
How about Steven?
You seem to like that one...
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
jeniwren -- I wonder if it is different in different regions/states? I helped an extended family member get their name changed -- didn't even have to appear in front of the judge -- the lawyer just draws up the paper, gets them approved by the judge, and that was all. So, as far as I know, no reason or explanation had to be given.
FG
kq -- why not Aaron? One of my best friends is named Aaron, and he is 35.
(personally, I like Steven as well -- but he wants something that matches his criteria)
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I just don't think Aaron is a name that ages well. I might consider Aaron if he was in his early 20's; at least there'd be a big clump of Aarons aging together. But I wouldn't recommend it as a brand-new name to someone who's 30. I'm not saying you can't come to terms with it if you've had it your whole life, and even come to enjoy it; just that I wouldn't change my name to it were I him.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
ah, I see.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Originally posted by KarlEd: Don't change Charles, it's French for Karl and it means "manly".
Or better yet, change it to Karl (but not Carl )
Huh. I always thought it meant king.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
I grew up with dysfunctional, abusive parents and changing my name ( both first and last) was a great healing thing for me. I had it changed in Seattle court, paid my money, appeared before the judge for maybe 5 minutes. He did the people assambly line, asked us all if we were changing our names in order to commit fraud, we swore under oath we weren't, and he stamped our papers. That was about 12 years ago, don't know if things have changed. I had been using my "new" first name for at least 5 years before the legal change, and everyone in the state I live in knew my by that.
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
Charlemagne
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: Huh. I always thought it meant king.
Nope. Another cognate is the English churl. I believe that Germanic names meaning "king" generally have ric or rich in them.
Posted by Hmm216 (Member # 8403) on :
Anthony??
I really like Steven!! Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Farmgirl: (personally, I like Steven as well -- but he wants something that matches his criteria)
So how about Estevan?
Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
Whatever you do, don't name yourself Al. Allan, Allen, etc are fine, but Al is just...not sometime a person should choose to name themselves. I don't know, I just have a negative gut-reaction to that name. Perhaps because it reminds me of "Married With Children".
I also like Steven. Or starLisa's Estevan (Esteban?) suggestion.
I like Edward, too, but not for the executed-Charles-the-First reason. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
If you're doing this to give yourself an auspicious name in Vedic astrology, why not ask a Vedic astrologer? Maybe they could work up a name for you that is especially auspicious within their system or something.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
But if you just want name suggestions, straight out, how about Artavazdes?
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
To me, Al is just a shortened version of Allan, Alvin, Alfred, Albert, etc.. It's not a "real" name.
Posted by Brinestone (Member # 5755) on :
You could always just go by Chucky instead of Charles.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Nell Gwyn: Whatever you do, don't name yourself Al. Allan, Allen, etc are fine, but Al is just...not sometime a person should choose to name themselves. I don't know, I just have a negative gut-reaction to that name. Perhaps because it reminds me of "Married With Children".
I can call you Betty if you call me Al.
quote:Originally posted by Nell Gwyn: I also like Steven. Or starLisa's Estevan (Esteban?) suggestion.
The way I figure it, "Steven" must mean something to him, or he wouldn't be using it as his name on Hatrack, right? And Estevan/Esteban is a variant of Steven, so it's the best of both world.
Posted by mothertree (Member # 4999) on :
Wasn't Charles I the one who liked to kill a deer and then have the carcass cut open so he could wrap it around his legs and feel the heat of its recently departed life seep away? I'm not saying he deserved to be beheaded for that one thing. It was just sort of a thumbnail my history prof gave for crazy and not admirable.
Posted by genius00345 (Member # 8206) on :
How about Alexander? -- Alex?
That's my name, and I like it! Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I love the name Alex. And the first three letters are the letters he likes!
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Etienne.
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
I've always liked the name Weston.
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bob_Scopatz: I've always liked the name Weston.
So do you only recommend the name "Bob" when it's someone's child up for naming, not the person itself?
I'm just sayin'.
--Enigmatic
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Yeah...you kind of have to grow into a name like Bob. Although most of us have an "inner Bob," it's a rare person who could suddenly BE a Bob after so many years as something else.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I'm going to come right out and vote against naming yourself "Charles I".
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
I legally changed my name in British Columbia about, um, 7 years ago, perhaps 8, and the process there was filling out a form, paying some money, advertising the name change in two local newspapers, and voila! Name change complete. No judge, no appearances anywhere, no criteria for living with new name for any length of time - all done by mail.
However, I picked out my new name and sat on it for a few years. I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to regret it. I don't.
I kept my first name, ditched my middle and last, and for me, it was also a life-changing and liberating experiencing. It was for shedding the past and distancing myself from the life my parents gave me and giving myself a new life. It worked.
Now, as for the picking new names bit . . . at a small family gathering (favorite aunt and uncle and two cousins), I announced to the relatives what I was thinking. I was expecting huge shock, but instead, my aunt's response was, "Have you thought about . . ." and she started spitting out suggestions. The rest followed suit. They were far more supportive than I expected. Also very nice.
Steven, have you thought about going through any one of the hundreds of online baby name sites with the criteria you have in mind? Keep a list of your favorite ones, and strike off the ones you don't like so much. Give yourself time to go through the process.
Good luck.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: To me, Al is just a shortened version of Allan, Alvin, Alfred, Albert, etc.. It's not a "real" name.
Are you sure that he meant "Al" (Ay Ell) and not "AI" (Ay Eye)? Perhaps he likes his intelligence artificial.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Don't change your name if you want to change your circumstances. Change your self. One's name is just another designer label.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
For the record, I was serious in my suggestion about consulting a Vedic astrologer. I don't buy into Vedic astrology myself, but I know a bit about it, and if I believed in it and wanted to change my name for reasons having to do with it, that's how I'd go about it.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
Tom, sometimes you've just got to change both.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Yup.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
You know, I'm not sure I agree. Frankly, I think if you feel you have to change both, it's because you aren't done changing the self.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
It's also possible that you don't understand because you haven't been in that position.
Personally, one of the reasons I changed my name was to make it more difficult for my parents to track me down. I've never been safe when they knew where I was and how to reach me, although now, living halfway around the world, I'm safer than I've ever been. It's also one of the reasons I'll be happy to never live in Canada again - unless they're both dead.
Another reason was that, if they ever found out I changed my name, perhaps they would clue in - finally - that I was rejecting them and all they stood for. They certainly didn't figure that out when I told them I wanted no more contact in any form and I was no longer willing to put up with their abusive behavior. Reporting them to the police was no help as there was no evidence to support my allegations, and restraining orders are notoriously ineffective. Add to that the fact that, in Canada, neither of them would ever stand trial due to their health issues, and I've got a losing set of circumstances.
Changing my name was only a small part of the package in changing my life and my circumstances, but it was an important part. I would do it again.
Granted, I'm also talking about a more extreme set of circumstances than steven, but I can understand his point of view, too. Having been there, feeling liberated by the change of name, I can completely understand why someone would choose to change their name for emotional/psychological reasons.
And that's way more about me than you ever wanted to know.
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bob_Scopatz: I've always liked the name Weston.
Be nice.
--Mel
Posted by Goo Boy (Member # 7752) on :
-o-
Tom, I think you may be oversimplifying. In a lot of cases you're probably right, but I don't think it's necessarily true across the board.
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