I go by "Mona"...which is a shorter version of the full, which I hate with a passion! Mona is not so bad. I've met others who have the same name as me and each one has claimed the same - we all have a common dislike, no repeat: "hate", for the name. If you didn't know me by Mona, and having read my posts, what would you think my name was?

Thank you for liking "Mona," tho... backs up my decision to go by it.

Okay, Gimster, you've got my curiosity peaked. What's your real first name? Fess up. It can't be that bad.

My mother's first name is Virginia and she hates it. She goes by her middle name: Kay. When she was a girl she tried variations of it; Ginnie, Ginger etc. It didn't work for her.
I never thought Virginia was that bad.

I have a friend who's first name is Monique, she goes by her middle name, Renee.

Laurel

I want to know, too, Gimster. I can't figure it out either. PM me/us if you don't want it public.

And if you hate it so much, have you ever thought of legally changing it? It's never too late - although the paperwork involved is probably prohibitive, isn't it!

I have a friend who changed his name - he's 40-something, and had such a devastating childhood history, that he finally changed both his first and last names in order to physically and emotionally divorce himself from that past. I don't know if that's actually possible, but he's so much happier now than he's ever been before, so it's clearly a step that he himself felt essential to take in order to start living his life the way he wanted to.

All, I loved reading about your names tonight. Names are so interesting! Mine is common to our era...Kathy. Originally named Kathleen after a popoular song in the "50's" an Irish tune "Take me home again Kathleen" We have a great book, The Secret Universe of Names by Roy Felinson. My favorite note from the book is that those who choose to end their names with "Y" or "IE" are signaling that they don't take themselves too seriously. One of my most cherished responsiblities in life was naming our children...with purposeful intention. We have 2 girls-Faith and Grace. If we would have had a third girl, we would have named her Joy.
Perhaps we should post this topic concerning pet names.
We had 2 siamese boy cats Yin and Yang! Yin is still with us at age 15.

Dotsie,
Are you a Dorothy? Notes on D names from the name book noted in my last post are:
Dominant, durable and dignified. TH is the symbol traditionally assocaited with compassion, thoughtfulness, theology, thankful, thorough, thespian and author.
Inner strength. Reputation for fairness and sense of justice.
Does this sound like you?

Gimster,
The name Mona is symbolic of maternal, motherly and love. Impecable taste, low maintenance and high spirited.
Again info from the Secret Universe of Names, By Roy
Feinson.

Here are some clues:
*Think popularity around the early 1900s
*Think controversial romance novel of same period
*Think Jackie Gleason
*Think Indian/Spanish
*Think of a rolllllingggggg "R"
*Think 'starts with R and ends in A'
Now, how fun was that???

Oh, and my middle name is something you wouldn't want to name your son...

Have I thought about changing my nameS? You bet I have. I'd change it to something softer. Or Sarah - I love that name.

Well, thank you Mercy09... I think the "low maintenance" fits me best. Hmmm, and I do pride myself on being maternal.

Here's some reality checks, Gimster:
* think menopause, as in "mental-pause", as in "no clue"
* think brainfog, as in "nothing upstairs", as in "no clue"
LOL. In other words, I'm stumped. But will continue to unravel this mystery. I did think of Ramona and Roberta, both of which I like a lot, so they're probably not the right ones.

I hope you don't feel awkward with us delving like this. Your right to privacy is paramount...the very last thing I'd ever want to do is make you feel anything but loved and cared for here, so if you'd rather leave it at that, let me know and I'll gently back off. I don't really need to know your name, but I really do care to know YOU.

I love the name Sarah too. My paternal grandmother's name was Sarah, but I never knew her, so there's no real connection. I just love the name.

My, oh my, I do have something for the gratitude thread - my name isn't Roberta. I truly don't mind anyone knowing my name. It is Ramona.

Yea! I had guessed Ramona, even before the clues! I love Sarah as well...my youngest daughter's name.