One of my favourite blogs of all time is 1000 Awesome Things. It’s just like an injection of sunshine with every post. One that really made me smile was this post Your Almost Name. The name that your parents almost called you.
I love the idea that your parents had a little bit of choice in who you were going to be by naming you what they did.
My almost name is Phoebe. I love my actual name, Carly, very much. It definitely suits me… but I think I could have been a pretty amazing Phoebe.
I would have been less loud if I was Phoebe. More polite. I think she would have played a musical instrument. She might have played soccer. She would have liked dogs and would have been a vet or a nurse. She would have been kinder than me, more sensitive. She’d volunteer in third world countries and she would have loved cake.
Carly is brave though. And she is never afraid to speak her mind. No one ever thinks that Carly is dull. Carly is funny, she’s creative and she’s rational. She’s a hard worker. She’s ambitious and she never, ever lies.
My parents thought about it and they chose Carly. That’s pretty awesome isn’t it?
What about you? What’s your almost name? And who would he/she have been?
Love Carly
xxx
31 Comments
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Helen Marie! Instead of Nadine Lisa. My older cousins were given both of those names, so my parents had to go to plan B. I LOVE my name. I love that it’s distinctive, unusual, stands out, is not run of the mill, and makes it easy to be well-known. I can’t even imagine life as a Helen, even though I know LOTS of Helens, and they are all super-awesome in different ways – adventourous/glamourous/clever/hilarious/domestic-goddess etc.
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Nadine is waaaay cooler than Helen!
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My mum told me a while ago that my name might have been Genevieve. I think Genevieve would have been a calmer person. And probably less drunk.
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Yeah… I like Na, Genevieve would have been a pain in the arse.
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I never had an almost girl's name – my mom decided I would be Katie (well, techincally "Kate") even before I was conceived. However, my almost boy's name was "Stephen," named after my granddad.
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My almost-name was Audrey. I think I would have been less afraid to be who I am as Ashley–I’m creative and smart, and I have good ideas, but I’m very shy and insecure once I have the chance to voice that creativity and intelligence out loud. Audrey wouldn’t be shy.
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Love it.
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Mum was convinced I was going to be (another) boy. As someone with 4 brothers, no sisters and 2 sons she thought she was doomed to live a life surrounded by males so she had Benjamin picked out for me. I never realised until I read this post that over the years I’d wondered what Benjamin, the man, would have been like.
Would he be married with kids, unlike me?
Would he have made similar decisions, mistakes and had similar successes to me?
Would I have liked Ben?I think Ben would have been a pretty cool dude.
As I was fairly unexpected Mum and Dad had to come up with a new name. Julia is and always was going to be my first name but they struggled with my middle name, Mum was a big fan of the book “What Katy Did” so I almost ended up as Julia Kate or Julia Caroline. I’m glad I didn’t end up with the latter as I’ve know a couple of horrible Caroline’s but I was partial to Julia Kate, even scrawling it in the front of some of my books.
In the end Mum gave me her name, Claire. I hated Claire growing up (seen The Breakfast Club? “Claire is a fat girls name, inside every thin Claire is a fat Claire waiting to get out” – that line HAUNTED me) but now that I’m older I like the fact that my Mum loved me enough to make me the fifth generation Claire in our family.
As an aside I’ve got a friend who was the only child in her household who didn’t have a middle name, she had three sisters and they all had middle names! In case she felt left out I gave her one, Bottomchop.
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That's bizarre I don't think I've ever thought of who I would be I was a boy. I'm fairly certain I'd be gay though.
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My parents didn’t have another girl name picked out – my mum was convinced I’d be a male. I was either going to be Daffyd or Galahad. So glad I’m a female, if only because of these names..
Daffyd would have been a gentle soul. He would have been slightly embarrassed by the Little Britain sketch about being the only gay in the villiage but he’s a trooper, and good humoured so would have quietly played along with it. He’s likley to be the marrying type. He’d have a scruffy beard. He’d also be unexpectedly buff.
Galahad would have been an annoying prat. He would have difficulty growing decent facial hair. He’d talk too quickly in that eager geeky way. You know, I suspect Galahad is still a virgin.
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Too true. I would have loved Daffyd!
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Until I was born, everyone thought that I would be a boy. So the name lined up for me was Guy. If I were Guy, I would have quite probably resented my name and endured all the bad jokes. I would probably be just as interested in History as I am now, and at about age 14 I would have insisted that my nickname be Fawkes. I’m pretty sure that would have made me cool, and that cute, nerdy girls would have loved me due to the historical and Harry Potter reference. I also envision lots of ‘fawkes’ ‘fucks’ sort of puns.
However, I turned out to be a girl, and mum named me Raquel. Hm. Better than what my Grandmother wanted to name me – Ruth (apologies to any Ruths out there). It just reminds me of that episode of Friends when Ross wants to call Rachel’s baby ‘Ruth’. Blegh.
I used to hate my name, but now I’m kinda square with it.
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My almost name was Gabrielle. I think Gabrielle would be loud, but strangely bewitching and graceful. She would be a ballerina with green eyes. She would hate being called Gabby, and would force everyone to call her by her full name.
I'm glad that my parents picked Gillian. Gillian is sarcastic, clumsy, well-read and overly protective of her friends. I like Gillian.
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I also most ended up as a Rose or Kimberly. All of the Roses that I have know where big gossips and not the type of people that you want to be friends with. As for Kimberly I think I would have been very unique, but happy that did not turn out to be my name since my last name is Kimble. Yes, I would have been Kimberly Kimble and my grandparents said people would have nicknamed me Kim Kim and that is a panda's name.
So, if I was a Rose I would be a backstabber and if I was Kimberly I would have been a panda. -
Well, I was going to be a Jayne. And im so freakin happy I didnt get that name. Every Jayne or Jane ive known has been a wall flower…That I am not lol!
Im Meaghan and Im loud, bubbly and passionate and colourful. Def not a wall flower. 🙂 -
I actually have two almost names. My father liked the name Veronica, my mum liked the name Jessica, and they couldn’t agree on either one, so they put them together and got Vanessa, which is my real name. I am relieved, because I hate the name Veronica and there are a million Jessica’s in the world.
If I were a boy, I was going to be called Nicholas. This would have been fine by me. -
I was almost an Alexandra instead of an Angela … I feel this other me would have been much like the real me but without the guts to make BOLD decisions and run with them. I feel like she would also be a brunette (maybe I am one, I just don’t embrace it) …. She would have rocked some dark luscious locks!! I almost ended up being my sister, Conor but there is no way I could have ever pulled off being a Conor!!
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My “if I was a boy” name was going to be Raoul. I don’t know if I would have like Raoul much. I think he would have been a fiery womaniser with lots of smooth lines. And he would probably be one of those creeps who wears his shirt way too unbuttoned at night clubs. But underneath all that, he’d probably still be scared of the dark (just like me).
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My father wanted to name his children after train stations in England, and thus my almost name is Paisley. Paisley would have travelled and wanted to be a painter. She would have found and lost love in Amsterdam and would currently be living on a houseboat – or a gypsy caravan. With no ties to any particular place still searching for love.
My mum vetoed all train station names (also great news for my brothers!) and instead named me after little miss Presley (Lisa Marie), a bit common, but it’s who I am, responsibilities and all – I still get to be a dreamer!… sigh…
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I could have been Rebecca Ann instead of Sarah Jane. When I was younger I hated that I was plain, boring, Sarah Jane. Everyone was called Sarah. However, I never wished to be Rebecca Ann because all of the Rebecca’s I knew were horrid creatures that had pet rats and pointy noses and were mean. I think Rebecca Ann might have not known so much who she was. She might have been a little snarly and closed off.
It wasn’t until after I went through Army Reserves training that I truly learned to love being Sarah. After a whole month of never hearing my first name, and of being referred to only as Recruit or by my last name, the first time I heard Sarah it just sounded so beautiful and feminine. Now I love that I’m Sarah.
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I was going to be Mary-Jane, after my great grandmother, or Nicholas if I was a boy,,,
I ended up being Felicity (middle name Jane) after the sister of a girl my mum went to school with… She always liked the name and I think after I was born she decided against Mary-Jane…
Not sure who I would have been as Mary-Jane, interesting to think about!Luckily I wasn’t a boy, as my aunty was pregnant at the same time and gave birth a month before I was born and “stole” the name Nicholas!
Think I know all my brothers and sisters “almost” names, they come up from time to time…Great post!
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Thanks love! It's something really interesting to think about…
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if I was a boy I would have been called James, which is a bit odd as my boyfriend’s name is James! I think if I had been a boy my parents may have kept trying for a girl, so James would have had an older brother and a younger sister or brother. I think he’d be pretty shy but calm and level-headed. my older brother has always hated confrontation so I think he and James would have gotten along well – or James would have been antagonising him all the time! I don’t know.
I know my mum also liked Kate as a girl’s name but didn’t pick it because my last name starts with K and she didn’t want that hard alliteration. but that was before my brother was born, so it was actually his almost-name! As is my name, if he’d been a girl he would have been Ali. weird to think about! Also I think I could have been Alice or just Ali on it’s own, but my dad suggested Alexandra. my mum was set on Ali after Ali McGraw, but dad said it needed to be short for something because it sounds like a nickname, not a ‘proper’ name! -
If I’d been born a boy, Rowan. I think if I’d been Rowan, I’d have been one of those awkward, geeky boys that didn’t fit in at school, but came into his own during, and after, university.
… actually I’m just describing myself now, but with a penis. But me as a boy, instead of a girl, would be a very different me. It makes me wonder if I’d have gotten along better with my father, or if I’d have been more into sports, or if I’d have ended up a parent at such a (relatively) young age.
My son was very nearly a Luka instead of an Eduardo. Sometimes I feel like a Luka would be less trouble than an Eduardo…
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My almost name was Carrie Ann, but this got changed to Tracy Anne on the way to the registry office. Carrie Ann would have been more delicate and less of a tom-boy, I think.
If I was a boy, I was to be Vincent Reginald (after both of my grandfathers). How relieved am I that I came out as a girl!!!!!
btw, I have only found your blog this week, but read it from the beginning, and it’s amazing!
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Thank you! Thanks for visiting! And just to give you more incentive to read my blog my middle is Ann! Twins!
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My almost-name is Tuesday, apparently Mum was dead-set on it even though I was born on a Thursday, until she said "Hello Tuesday" to me in my basinette & cracked up laughing.
From then on I was Natasha, until my dutch grandparent's friends sent a postcard from Holland spelling it "Natasja". That made my life probably just as difficult as being Tuesday would have been.I love my name, even though I kind of resent that it doesn't mean anything to me (born on Xmas day? No!) and it also has a spelling that EVERYONE either can't spell or thinks is the wrong spelling on documents. Annoying.
I would have liked being Tuesday though, I can imagine I would have been a bit more of a party animal who drank gin and tonic and didn't care who saw her dance awfully. I would have probably ended up with some other job than an early childhood teacher, and I have no idea what my nickname could have been.A group of my friends in Melbourne call me Tuesday for a joke, after I told them the story one drunken night.
I have mentioned alcohol WAY too much in this comment, maybe Tuesday is my real name after all!? -
My name is Alline (pronounced ah-lee-knee), but my almost name is Angelica. I like both of them, they are feminine and delicate. But Angelica wouldn’t have a second name, which I have: Cristina. That happens to be my mother’s name, and I’m most proud to carry her name with me!!
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My name is Carly (snap!) and I was almost called Benson. Er, yup… Benson. Indeed. xx
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I was going to be Madeleine. So glad I'm not….. pretty chuffed I am a Carly too.
Lady Smaggle, your description of our name was spot on!
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