Have you ever suffered an identity crisis? Have you ever assumed another name because you though you're birth name would hold you back? What situations arose in which you felt compelled to change your name? What was the outcome?

Share your idenity stories...
[Edited 12/29/05 12:22pm]

Years ago I changed my name to an unpronouncable symbol. It didn't go over well. People thought I lost my mind, and made jokes.

one of my fvorite episodes of Soap was when Chester loses his identity, and wakes up saying, "I'm Gunga Din!" that's what i thought of when i saw the thread.

as for me, i've always flirted with the idea of changing my name, but never too seriously.

When I was born there was a huge dispute between my Mum's side of the family and my Pop's side as to want my name should be (the respective in-laws weren't the best of friends, you see ).

Anyways, my Dad's side won the paper, scissor, stone contest so the name they chose when on the birth certificate and stuck. However, ALL my Mum's side of the family insisted on calling my by a different name that they had chosen for AT LEAST 8 YEARS! Talk about confusing a kid Crazy, huh!?

Every so often ( usually when I'm being told off ) aunties on my Mum's side they still use my 'other' name

senik said:

the drama!!!

reminds me of the TV show "mad about you" and the drama they had in naming their daughter.

madartista said:

Obstinate Asian families It's all drama in our neck of the woods. There's no such thing as a simply, easy method

littlemissG said:

I once decided I was gonna move to California and change my name to 'Stella'.

I never did, though.

CarrieMpls said:

STELLLLL-AAAAA!!!!!

3 posts in a row ... I crashed and now can't edit the first one for some reason - sorry about that.

Anyway, I hate my married name. I keep thinking about reverting to my previous name now I'm divorced but so far have only changed one bank account, which caused so much hassle it put me off doing anything else. Slowly I'll go back to my original name though.

I "felt" successful with my maiden name; the married one didn't really do me any good at all.

CarrieMpls said:

You're so zany Carrie!

Reincarnate: Dont worry. Ive forgiven you.

JDINTERACTIVE said:

you mean i am not really Tina Turner







well hell fire

Mach said:

whoever said that? go on, girl!

madartista said:

hold up ...




gotta get my clothes back on then

Mach said:

For the past couple of years Ive really wanted to change my surname from my Fathers name to my great grandmothers on my mothers side, and whats generally considered our "family name", O'Neill. I feel it goes better with my first name (Alice - which I also hate), and that would make me named after my great great grandmother on both counts, AND she was a great woman, AND I cant pronounce my surname properly...its just more who I am, in terms of heritage. I know thats meant to be 50/50, but lets face it, it hardly is. Especially when you were brought up around only one side, 400 miles away from any paternal relatives except the man himself.



Havent done it yet though. Filled out the form and everything, but I dunno...Its a big step!! It also bothers me that I cant ask his opinion....or I cant get an answer at any rate!



Wow. I think this is my longest ever post!

Nah...

my parents really took their time naming me for the first 3 months I was nick-named "dockan" (the doll ) my mum didn't want to name me without my dad seeing me and he was in the middle of his final exams when I was born and didn't even meet me until he finished

i guess i had an identity crisis for a while, because i'd get upset when people at work would put the short version of my first name on official documents and reports and nameplates, etc., but then i got annoyed when people would address me verbally by the long version of my name.

i have a general rule - i like my full name in print, but you can call me whatever you like. the short version of my first name is my nickname, but the long version is what my mother named me, and that's how i like to be identified by strangers or the general public when i publish something.

seems like a pretty common rule, though people had a tough time with it. so eventually, i just quit caring.

Anxiety said:

I go through the same thing at work. They put Kim on everything, drives me nuts. But I fume if anyone calls me Kimberly outloud.

Glad I'm not alone on this!

charlottegelin said:

So I guess a lot of you see your identity as being connected to your name?

I've never really had an identity crisis, and I'm very thankful for that. Even when everybody else seemed to wander around aimlessly in life in their teenage years (trying to find themselves and their purpose) did I doubt who I was or what I wanted. I've struggled more with the fact that there are so many things I feel I can do with myself because of who I am and what I've been given, and to prioritize those can be tricky. When I meet others who feel similarly, they usually have many stories to tell about periods in life when they've choked on their own ambitions, which in a way is nice to hear since I then understand that it's not just me.

Mach said:

No, you're just a private dancer.....a dancer for money.


M

I know this guy who was born Shawn Peters but he didn't get along well with his name so he changed it and insisted everyone call him Brit Zane. Because, his family in his mind associated to him by his name was "holding him" down/back.

Nothing changed after his name did.

He's doing worst today then way back years ago.

He's borderline homeless with a case of HIV, unable to work or suport himself he talks about doing gay porno.


Maybe the lession learned here is that we must accept our selves for who we are, and not try to change into who we want to be.

Anxiety said:

Anxy...far less complicated! Gees your given me Anxiety mean!

retina said:

as a result I don't believe we ever bonded

oh HELL yeah. People have been fucking my name up my whole life. My birth name is Orlondo, which sounds extremely dorkish, and people have raped the shit outta the pronunciation of my name, which isn't hard at all. You say it how you see it. I've been called Orlando, Rolando, Rolanzo, some girl called me Gonzo before, Alonzo, Alana, Alando, Land-O-Lakes, Rolaids, and the shit ain't cute. So now I just introduce myself as Lonnie, which my family has called me since birth and the name everybody knows me by. Fucking drunks.