Do you like your own firstname?

Never liked my first name and never thought to shorten until in my forties as my mum had always said she chose something that could not be shortened ( sorry mum it's very very wee now ) I also longed for a middle name and was always using different ones or made up ones :-)

I'm Susan.... but family and friends call me Sus, which I prefer.

Always makes me laugh when somebody calls out Sue, and every woman of a certain age spins round.

There are loads of us !

Think I'm right in saying that Susan was the top girls name for six years running in the 1950s.

Oh and my little sister is called Beverly... because that's where she was conceived !

MargaretinNorthant ?

My parents gave my brother and I two Christian names, but called us by the second one.
Now that they hardly ever use surnames at the hospital and many other places they call out my first name, nothing I can do about it.
When my brother got married the registrar used his first name even though she was told he was known by the second.

I have a very common name for my age group but find that very few people can spell it correctly nowadays. It is Margaret, after my Grandma; followed by Mary, after my other Grandma (Mamma). My DM was adamant that it wouldn't be shortened - my Grandma was Peggy, G-grandma was Meg. I always thought Margaret a rather formal name and would have preferred Maggie but woe betide anyone who said it in DMs presence.

Mum gave me the name Ann, long long before the princess, mainly because she said it couldn't be shortened, BUT a lot of the time I was called Annie by various school friends and then work colleagues. Do I like the name, yes, both versions.

I am sorry, but I can't resist........

" What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

I will go and sit on the naughty step.

Margaret, never Maggie unless you wished to die at my mothers hands.

I had three Godmothers called Emily, Alice and Rita and grandmothers called Victoria and Cecilia. My parents called me Rita...I detest the name...sighs. My favourite of the possibles is Cecilia... From what I have heard of this fiesty Irish woman I think I inherited a lot from her

Because of my awful name I chose beautiful names for my two daughters.

I have an old fashioned name, as you can see... I loathed it much preferring the more modern names of the time; being brought up in a French environment they would have been names like Chantal and Janine! I can't imagine being any other than my first name now - second and third names are eithyer mispronounced or commented on anyway.

Before we moved to our present house, I always had to spell my first/Christian and surnames, my house name [no numers on our road], the road too... It got very wearing

I hate being given any shortened versions of my name - reminds me too much of my parents and sisters, with whom I have/had a very troubled relationship.

Like numberplease I am a Lois; hated it when growing up in Canada where there were more Lois's, a couple I knew my age but most older, so I thought of it as an old-fashioned name (I wanted to be Kim or Debbie). Since moving to England many years ago, I've grown to like my name as it's not common here (although I still get letters addressed to Mr Louis, and there's still a few people who call me that). A few years ago I was startled to hear a woman behind me shout 'Lois - sit down!'. I turned around to see a little girl standing up in her push-chair. At the time I thought 'What a strange name to call your daughter' but maybe like Mabel and Ruby (my aunts' names) that are having a turn at being popular again, Lois can too!

I have been called by the shortened form of my name (which isn't ella!) since I was a child - except by teachers and certain members of my family. As a result the full version sounded more and more formal and unfriendly until I came to absolutely hate it - especially in situations like being in hospital where use of my unfamiliar name was quite alienating. The last straw was when I got married and my husband was in a similar situation - only ever known by the shortened form of his name. We felt as though the registrar was talking about two other people. Solution - changed my name by deed poll to my 'comfortable' name 20 years ago and am very happy with that.

My problem is I was named Jacqueline, after male family members called Jack ( my ma evidently not aware of the true origin, James). In fact my mother was forced to give me the first name Maria, having married into an RC family, but I was always known as Jackie. At the age of 72 this seems a most inappropriate name and has rather common connotations with a cheap girls' comic book of the sixties & seventies. I mentally cringe when my grandchildren refer to me as Grandma Jackie to distinguish me fom the other two (one from a remarriage). I should prefer something more dignified, such as Helen, or Charlotte. After this confession I expect to be targeted by Gransnetters accusing me of snobbery. I can take it; I'm a blunt northerner who believes in honesty.

I was Elizabeth which my mother didn't allow to be shortened. I changed it to Jane when I was 16 and haven't looked back. Y daughter also changed her name about the same age. I wonder what my grandson will do?

Dad's mother was Kate Elizabeth Jefferies - so I am Elizabeth and my brother is Geoffrey. I always wish they had gone for the Kate instead!

No! As a child I was always referred to as Janet the Gannett.

Hated mine especially as a child I constantly got the nickname Elsie Tanner from coronation street at the time ,when I was eleven and starting secondary school I changed it to my middle name which I much preferred and have stuck with although it can be confusing as my family still insist on my first name.

Mildred just referred to unusual Scottish names which reminded me of a comment near the start of the thread about the different attitudes to the name Fiona in England and Scotland. I did ask about it but no-one seemed able to enlighten me and now I'm really curious. Not the sort of question I can google, is it?

PPP we meet lots of couples called Sue and Pete like us!

My name was very popular in my year at school, although with various spellings and pronunciations.
I have sometimes wanted to use a shortened form, fancied being a Carrie at one time (the film or Cliff Richard?), but have always been a Caroline.

My first name is Scottish and rare rather than unusual south of the border. Unfortunately I also had an unusual surname so my full name stuck in everybody's memory at school so I had to behave myself. I was in my 50s before I worked with someone with the same first name which was confusing because I was so used to responding when my name was called. I have a lovely surname now and am quite happy with my first name as they go together rather well.

I've never liked my name its Jean. My mum wanted to call me Beatrice I'm not keen on either and I feel my name doesn't suit me.

I always liked my name, Susan, shortened to Sue when at uni. But there were five Susans in my class at school and now I feel that it indicates my age too much! And how many couples, now in late 60s, do you know who are called Sue n Dave?!

I love my name, Pamela and only wish other people would use it "Pam" sounds so flat and boring.

My mum was called Joyce and there were several others in her year at school. When I was born she wanted a name no one else had so chose Rebecca. It was shortened to Becky - I was only called Rebecca when in trouble. Now there are numerous Rebecca's but they are all younger than me!

Yes, I've always liked my name. It's one of my favourites. I once asked my DDs if they like their first names. They do, all three of them. They were all, for longish periods of their school careers, the only ones in the school with their name. None of the names are unusual; they're all 'classic' names.