Writer’s Block from June 7, 2010:

Do you like your birth name? If you had the opportunity to change it, would you? What new name would you choose?

It took me a while to figure it out — during which I used several alternatives — but in the end, I realized that I do like my birth name. I can’t really explain why except to say that it fits perfectly. It fit so well, in fact, that when I was Confirmed (at age 27) I used my birth name as my Confirmation name. That went against normal practice in this country as well as a family tradition, but it was the right decision.

At least as it pertains to my first name. My middle name? Well…

It’s a beautiful old name that most people have heard, but not every day. It’s also not English, and commonly misspelled and mispronounced. I put up with an incredible amount of teasing, name-calling and insensitive remarks growing up. I don’t exactly dislike my middle name, but I don’t use it. At all. Not even the initial.

I’ll admit that if it weren’t for the fact that I’d have had to file it as a name change instead of a name resumption (which are a lot less hassle), I likely would not have taken my middle name back when I dropped my ex-husband’s surname.

My mother wanted my name to carry some weight in the sense of being taken seriously, but my first name is nine letters and my last name eleven. That’s long enough to be taken seriously, and while my last name isn’t unique or difficult to pronounce, it’s uncommon.

I introduce myself using my given name and that’s what I use in my signature. That’s the variant I expect professional contacts and strangers to use, and I will bristle (at least inwardly) if someone shortens or nicknames it unless there’s a certain level of familiarity. I’m also picky about which nicknames people can use. Fortunately, I’ve rarely had to correct people more than once.

Is it making a mountain out of a molehill? Probably, but I am the daughter of a woman who intentionally wanted a name to sound a particular way — and who, herself, is picky about certain aspects of her name. So the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.