I used to want to be named Alexandria or Isabella. Big names that seemed feminine and powerful.

That, or Groucho.

Ah, that's right. Tori Amos isn't as big a name as it once was. I'd never spell your name wrong. :)

There was a Zelda in my family - a very common Eastern-European Jewish name at one time. Of course, if I honored that today, my kid would just get made fun of due to the video game.

My coworker pronounces it Gee-nee. I was spelling it wrong for a while (Jeannie) and was very embarrassed when I found out. I'm kind of protective over that sort of thing.

See, and I insisted on Jennie, which meant that even though I had a popular name I never had much with my name on it either. Worst of both worlds. ;)

:p :p :p

I was Jennie (ie) all through school from about 5th grade. I hung out with Jen. We had to have a way to tell us apart. Now though, unless it's someone I grew up with or work, I'm Jen. Work is Jennifer. Old friends are Jennie. (and my Mom and Dad too.)

What about those people that go by their middle name? What's up with that?

Ya, that too. Did you have people buying you Jennifer stuff?

My daughter is one of those people. Her name is Laura Grace (both family names) and we wanted her to be called Grace or Gracie. But Grace Laura just did not sound right or flow well, so we named her Laura Grace instead, but use her middle name. She did go through a phase in second grade, during which she wrote her name on all her schoolwork as Lauragrace, all one word.

I had a roommate whose first name was Nancy, middle name, Lauren. Everyone always called her Lauren. I remember her bills were addressed to N. Lauren _______.

My Mom does - because she had the same first name as her mother. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure her brother went by his middle name for the same reason (except his first name was the same as their fathers).

But because her middle name (Margaret) is longer than her first name (Mary)she signs her name Mary M. (since that's her real name, and M. Margaret is a lot longer). I thought it was weird that all the clerks at the grocery store always called her Mary, until she explained why.

I love my name. My first name is easy to spell and pronounce - but still isn't that common. My last name is just super cool. I mean, it's a Z! How cool is that?! It's actually quite easy to spell/pronounce, but people see the Z and get freaked out and think it's more difficult than it is.

However, I was almost Mary Lee. That would have been pretty icky. Fortunately, my dad stepped in to prevent that trainwreck.

You last name is just the letter Z? That is cool!