Am I Too Young to Change My Name?

I disagree with you, "Name Lady". Carmen is the feminine spelling and Carman is the masculine. I have known a lot of Italians with that name (men), and several women who have the name. It is not uncommon at all.

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I am a teen girl and I like the name Pati's right kids are cruel but when your a adult most likely people won't make fun of it. My names Taylor and i hated it because i used to know a boy with that name but now i love it DONT CHANGE IT.

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I, too, wrestled with a name I felt uncomfortable with my whole life. Growing up, my given name (I felt) was a "boy's" name. I hated it. I wanted a "girl's" name, and while technically my name was about as 50/50 as it gets, I just hated it. In first grade, I even chose to go by my middle name in an effort to distance myself from that dreaded first name. My dad, who named me, did not approve and I was forced to go back to the name I didn't like. I always told my parents when I was 18 I was going to change it. They told me I'd grow to like my name.

Well, I never grew to like my name, and adopted a new one around 13 or 14, but it wasn't until my mid-twenties that I was finally certain of the name I was going to be stuck with for the rest of my life. Once you change your name, that's it, you don't get any more chances so I wanted to be really, really certain that I was going to be satisfied with my choice. I also wanted to be certain my hatred of my birth name wasn't just a product of teenage angst/drama.

I've been Alexandra now for over two years, and while my parents still don't like it, they respect my decision and I've never been more comfortable in my own name. I say go for it, but don't rush into it. You have plenty of time to decide.

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Karmen, talk to your parents. Before you talk to them, call your county court office and find out how much a name change costs. It depends on the where you live and can be really cheap or up to about $150. Your parents might be more receptive if you've money saved to do it. If your parents resist, start changing your name yourself. Tell your teachers the name you wish to be called by, most will respect your wishes if you let them know that you are tired of the bullying and that is what you will be changing it to when you are 18, if your parents don't let you do it now. Tell you friends, also. Those who are your real friends will respect you and go along with your wishes. Introduce yourself to new people you meet with the new name you have chosen, even when with your parents and correct them if they introduce you as Karmen, by telling them politely that you'll be changing it to that at 18 and would like for them to start calling you that now. You could, also, just stop answering to Karmen. Karmen is indeed a boy's name but that's not what people think when they hear it. My son wasn't born in the SW but was raised here. He likes his name, Gabriel, but hates when Spanish speakers he runs into pronounce it Gabrielle which is how they say the boy's name Gabriel. Good luck to you.

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As a parent, I am not all that attached to my children's names. If they asked to change it at age 16, I probably would be okay with that. I would have some criteria, as it would actually have to be a real name, nothing notorious, etc. In some Native American cultures, a child's name changed as they grew to reflect the person they were at that time, I love that idea. One other idea to help with the parents though, you might want to volunteer to help pay for the change. Most courts will charge fees for a name change. Look into how much it is in your state and see what you can come up with. Another alternative, if they still refuse, is to just start going by your middle name and using your first initial.

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Hope you get your way and change your name. Parents don't realize how a stupid name impacts a child, to this day and I'm 66 I HATE my name, my mother and father use to call me Patty for short, and when my friends heard that they started to call me "Fatty Patty", this guy I REALLY like alot, since I was 12, use to call me my "little red head Patty" and my girlfriend to this day calls me Patty, I could cry every thime I hear that awful name. I couldn't imagin how the kids of Holliwood parents deal with their weird names. PLEASE parents give you kid a NORMAL name that can't be shortened in to a nasty stupid thing to haunt them for the rest of their life.

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Do some of these parents ever think what the child will think of the name instead of the parents thinking "its so cute."

Get a grip parents.

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Young man, I am an old man. Got to youtbe and listen to Johnny Cash's song, "A Boy Named Sue." Look at the version that shows the lyrics. It's a funny song, but it has a message of wisdom in it

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Hey kid, if thats the worst thing that has happened to you then you have had a good life, just man up ,the ones that are your'e real friends wont tease you and the one's who do arent worth worring about,,life is going to get a lot tougher for you and the teasing from losers right now is going to be quickly forgotten

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If you're not comfortable with your given name, try using your middle name, if it's not offensive to you. Many people go through life using their middle name. Just a thought.

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Karmen,
Although I don't see the problem with your name, I can imagine it's horrible dealing with your classmates. Do you think if you changed your name now that they would take to it, and stop being mean? Personally, I think that maybe waiting until right before you go to college may be a great way to go. It would be easy to ask professors to call you by a chosen nickname rather than Karmen, and if the school you go to is big enough, they won't even know any of the students names. Plus you could always introduce yourself to dorm mates and class mates as another name, they would be none the wiser. It might save you a lot of grief with your family and the chance to avoid the legal hassle while still not having to deal with "Karmen."

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It certainly isn't like it used to be. My father didn't want his name, and his first day of school he was asked "What is your name son?" And he replied Council (rather than Counciler), added his own middle name and kept his last name. From that day forward, that was his name-the one that he gave. He even went into the military and worked for the government with no problem. It is more of a problem when you change your name later in life because employers ask for and do get verification of schools attended. He is much better off gettig his name changed before he graduates if he wishes. My grandson has a letter changed in his name at the hospital but kept it and has never complained about it. It makes him unique.-well one of his unique things anyway. Just remember schools do not go back and change their graduating records, they go by what you are when you graduate and it will come up repeatedly throughout life Ask your parents, or wait and keep the name. My granddaughter has a masculine name, and it's caught on.,,now I've seen another mother on the internet name her female child the same name.

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I think this 'Name Lady' should butt out! With NO background about this individual,she is in no position to be giving advice to a person this young. If it is really that important I am sure a discussion with the parents will be in order. ~~ At the age the individual can make a sane decision of what to change his name to !

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I think Karmen sounds cool and not particularly feminine. But you're the one thats living with it, so yes - change it if you don't like it!
I changed my name when I was 43. I always disliked the clunky English and Polish spelling and lack of identifiablity.

When you do it, try to pick something unique. I believe it helps add character. I'm JO 753, believe it or not!

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Yes 16 is too young for a name changel/

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Well, he is 16. At that age, we all thought every little thing we didn't like was the end of the world. He'll be OK with the name he was given. He will face far bigger challenges in life. This too shall pass.

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My nephews name is Bailey, there is a girl at his school with that name and another boy, he has a girl cousin named baylee and he asked if he could change his name because of the girls having it too. We told him we could see calling him bail or another nickname, i agree with the folks that say let him grow into his name. we all hate our names at some point and we all get over it, unless of course you're a boy named sue...lol :)

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If bullying is involved..by all means talk to parents with a counselor about changing the name to one the boy likes. I had my 4th daugher--no son.. so we named her middle name after her dad. She also had problems in school.. We suggested she assume a new middle name that was her choice with our blessings. She went through about 5 of them. As an adult she decided she liked it after all and went back to her birth name. NEVER name a girl or boy an opposite sex name----Names are so important.. give it a lot of thought as it is for life. With Mary being her first name---she goes by just that now---so she never had a legal name change,. Her uncle has an unbearable name-- so he did go to court to change his first name... they should lower the age to 16 for this privilege..

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