How much of an effect does your name (first and last) have on your confidence? (husband, parent)
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I like my first name a lot. My maiden name is German so it sounds like someone hacking up a lung when they say it. If they say it right which is hardly ever.
I was glad to trade it in for my husband's name, which is - or should be - easy to pronounce and spell. It's not a common last name but it's at least phonetic and pleasant sounding. Ironically, it's the name of a country - but it's not FROM that country at all. Isn't that weird? It's actually an Irish (Gaellic) last name but you'd never know it, because apparently when the Irish ancestor moved to America, the spelling was changed and it ended up being spelled like the name of another country entirely.
But I like it because it brings to mind a sort of exotic traveling destination and my first name is melodic and very pleasant sounding so overall I like the effect a lot. MUCH better than the German maiden name!
I told my parents "Change your surname if you don't like it - it's not like no one has ever done that before." My dad actually did change the PRONUNCIATION of it but not the actual spelling, which I would definitely have done if I'd been stuck with it for life.
Life is too short to be stuck with a bad name. It only costs about $300 to change one's name and believe me, I'd do it in a heartbeat if I had a bad first or last name.
I wonder this sometimes. My sister and I were both subjected to "I have a dog with that name!"
Our names are Germanic too, not melodic at all. Though we are not German.
I'm sure that's why actors change their names....to sound more successful. I think names have a great deal to do with success. I'd sure change mine if I had a negative one. It's curious why people would go through life saddled with an awful name.
My name hasn't ever affected my confidence. I do have a friend with a name that has stereotypical connotations that she feels prevents her from being taken seriously in professional settings (not the name or field, but picture being a corporate attorney named Barbie. Along those lines). I've never had that particular issue.
Obviously he was going to be a successful basketball player.
However, Homer Bush didn't have a very successful baseball career.
But, Bob Walk wasn't a terrible pitcher
And Josh Outman didn't win a Cy Young award
But, neither did Matt Young. Anthony Young had a 3-30 W/L record over a 2 year span
The Only Nolan (The Only Nolan Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com) was upstaged by Nolan Ryan.
Even Oil Can Boyd eventually got creaky.
I certainly think it's possible for our names to have some impact on us, but I think you might be oversimplifying things a bit.
Dick Butkus grew up in the south side of Chicago to one of the best middle linebackers in history. He certainly did not let his name get in his way.
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