It’s what your parents were going to call you but didn’t.
Flipping through baby books, chatting at bedtime, you better believe your folks had alternate identities in mind before you borned out. They thought about nicknames, shortforms, and tributes. They thought about spelling, rhyming, and meanings. Basically, they thought and hoped and wished all kinds of things for you even before you made it here.
Sometimes when you find out your Almost Name it feels odd and uncomfortable — like putting on an itchy shirt, clenching your fist after waking up, or walking out of a movie and realizing your foot’s asleep. Maybe you let your mind wander and daydream about a new life where your Almost Name takes top billing and your nicknames, identity, and major life choices are all dramatically affected. You wonder how your life could be different — would you be more confident? Less passionate? More artsy? Less annoying?
Nothing’s the same when you’re Nancy.
Everything changes when you’re Chuck.
Now, my Almost Name is Paul.
Yes, it was a close call and my parents switched over to Neil at the last minute. I’m pretty sure Neil Diamond or Neil Armstrong got the name bouncing around their brains like a ping pong ball. But somehow Paul got tossed in the can before I showed up and my entire Paul Life got tossed with it.
And maybe that’s one reason Almost Names are so great: they remind us how lucky we are to get something else. I mean, it’s fun letting Almost Names add frames and borders to our lives … because it helps us feel a little more sure of ourselves and a lot more
AWESOME!
When I was 7 I told my Dad I hated my name, no one could get it right, say it or spell it even though it’s not THAT unusual, everyone’s heard of Lena Horne, what’s so hard about it?
My Dad he told me that he chose my name but if I wanted a different what would it be? I was stumped, what other name could possibly fit me? Knowing my Dad picked my name made me feel special. Ever since that day I ‘ve thought my name was perfectly AWESOME!
If I’d been a boy my name would have been Mark, so plain and ordinary, Lena really is AWESOME!
My Almost Name was Kelsey, i like it but i only just realised it is alot like Chelsea… which i dont like. I really don’t like the name i did get, ‘Tayhla’. It is always misspelt and it can be a boys name :P
My brother was almost a Chistopher, but he ended up with Lloyd. My mum is always saying how ‘manly’ it is…. whatever.
I wish i had been called Lorelei or something sweet like that… but for now, i am stuck being a Tayhla
My Almost name was Jacinth, (pronounced jay-synth). It’s a precious stone mentioned in the Bible. My dad wouldn’t let my mom name me that, so while he wasn’t looking she spelled my name with a ‘J’ not ‘G’ on my birth certificate, and now I’m Anjela (pronounced an-jay-la). I’m a little bummed about not being named Jacinth, it’s a pretty cool name, even though I know people would have been accidentally calling me Jason forever’n’ ever.
BTW, the whoever was almost named ‘Trapper John’, that’s an AWESOME name. You’re parents are very cool.
I’m thinking about naming my kids Phineas and Penelope, if I have kids.
Cameo
I was named after a Neil Diamond song! My parents originally thought I was going to be a boy, and my name was going to be Pierce. Like, Pierce Brosnan. I think I like Desiree a little better. Even if it is a Neil Diamond song. ;)
My almost name if I were a girl would have been Allison, but my mom ditched the idea because she didn’t want me to be called “Allie.” If I were a boy, I would have been Christopher Neil.
my almost name is Rio. how effin’ awesome is that?!!
“Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand.
Just like that river twisting through a dusty land.
And when she shines she really shows you all she can…
Oh Rio Rio dance across the Rio Grande!!!”
My almost name is Brook Lynn. Oh, how punny. Now I can’t imagine being anything besides Jennifer.
I know a girl named Brook Lynn Bridges xD
I don’t have an almost name, but I don’t feel left out at all. I was named after my father’s sister who passed away a couple years before I was born. I’m told she was an amazing woman and I’m proud to share her name. And then my middle name, Elizabeth, is my mom’s twin’s name. I love that my name is unique and significant :D
My parents didn’t find out if I was a boy or girl before I was born, but, as far as I know, they didn’t consider any boy names. I guess they just knew.
My almost name was Teddy Leigh…thankfully my father talked my mother out of this and I became Courtney Michelle.
My boy name would’ve been Jonathan Thomas.
My almost male name was Jacob. My mom said the doctor was sure I was going to be a boy.
My almost girl name was Rebel Jade.
And then my grandma stepped in and my name is Jessica.
I actually don’t have an almost name…my parents wanted Naomi for a girl and they had only thought of Nathan (which my dad didn’t like) for a girl when the ultrasound happened and my parents opted to see the gender. So I was always Naomi.
My almost name is Rebecca :)
It’s kinda weird because I found out that one of my friends thought my real name was Rebecca for the first two weeks I knew her.
…Weird.
I was VERY NEARLY Jessica. :D
Believe it or not, I was almost Ethan. My dad vetoed it.
My if-I-was-a-girl name was Andrea.
What’s wrong with Ethan!? it means “Wise” or “Strong”.
Yeah, but Ethan doesn’t have his own line of punny shirts…
http://www.davewear.com
My mother was a firm believer from age thirteen that her first born, (which she would end up having fifteen years later) would be a girl and would be called Aimee, obscure French spelling and all. So I don’t have an almost name or a boy name, lmao.
Ive always been james…
I was almost Amanda Rachelle, my name turned out to be Abigail Olivea.(yes, olive-a, NOT o-liv-iea),
so people call me Ollie.(think of every word that rymes with ‘Abby’,see why?)
My mom wanted to name me Penelope. But my dad won, so I got Melissa. I think my Almost Name might fit better. :)
My father wanted to name me Melvina after him. I am forever greatful to my mother for stopping him. Natalie has so far worked out pretty well. there is rarely ever another person with the name and the vast majority of people can pronounce it.
My almost name is Amanda Ray. I don’t know where Amanda came from but Ray is short for my father’s name, Raymond. Honestly, I hate the name Amanda. It doesn’t matter which name they gave me, really. I’m not fond of my name, Brianna Tayler, either.
Wow! i read through ALLLLLLL of the comments coz they were so interesting. proud of me?
My girl almost names were Laura and Aniela. Mum loved Little House on the Prairie (eckkkkk!). I would have preferred Aniela, because at least SOME people woud get the pronunciation right, compared to Zosia. I have to spell it for people, even friends that have known me for over a year. and dont get me started on new teachers when they called out the role: “Zoe-see-ah?” “Zoh-sha” “Sorry?” “ZOH-SHA.” Although, everytime that happens most of the class say it for me and i just put up my hand…
My almost boy name was Daniel. Then that became my brother’s almost name. But theres a story to that- My Mum and Auntie got pregnant round the same time, and they both wanted Daniel if it was a boy. So my parents and them made a deal that whoever was born first would have that name. Daniel was born a week before my brother. Good thing they had Josef up their sleeve, eh?
My name is Paul, and although I got teased quite a bit when I was a kid, as Paula Abdul was just then starting her downward spiral, but was still known and rich, I am proud to say it’s my name…I am fine with everything about my life now, and have P-Money as a nickname. :)
If I was a girl I would’ve been named Riley, and if i was a boy I would have been named Danny. (ack) Thank goodness at the last minute they named me after my great aunt Lizzie!
My almost name- Kayla. But my mom is indian, and that means banana in Hindi. So haha nooo for Kayla. :)
My almost name is samantha. Im glad i was called nelly. I prefer my name.
My almost name was Mariah… I love Dianne a lot better :3
Almost names:
Father wanted: Dagmar Carol for a girl and Leroy Michael for a boy
My mother wanted Suzanne Marie for a girl and Christopher Michael for a boy….
Somehow they ended up with Roxanne Carol. (I added the Marie when I made my confirmation. Carol and Michael are my godparents.)
My almost name was Samantha-but my parents reconsidered when they thought that people would call me Sam Jr or Wee Sam, my dad’s name is Samuel and in the Irish tradition of naming someone for another person in the family, being first born I was going to have a variation on Dad’s name…
my brother got called Samuel then when he came along, but to avoid the JR/Snr bit , Dad is Sam and my brother is Uel, which combined with our not so typically Irish surname leads to much confusion when letters come for Yule/Euel/ Ewel/ Eul and every variation but his name!
Glad I didn’t get called my almost name though…don’t really like how it sounds.
My almost name is Rayne, but as my last name is Coates my Mom wasn’t about to let that happen. :)
Oh ouch!
My parents were gonna call me Nicole….wether I was a boy or a girl.
Rating up there with Neil Diamond, Neil Armstrong and NEIL YOUNG
is now Sir Awesomeness, Neil Pasricha…
Awesome!
(Natasha, Naomi, Christina:)
:)
if I’d been a boy, my initials would have been WTF :) when I found out about that, I almost wished I had been born male.
My name is Sarah Lyneen (lyneen = middle name). My name was ALMOST China Rayne and if I was a boy I would be Thadeus Sebastian.
i was going to be Odette, Lula, Emma, or Ursula. But they settled on Ruscha.
(thank god i wasn’t named ursula, cause as a child i developed a serious fear of ursula from the little mermaid and id cry and scream every time i heard the name.)
I was almost a Magnolia Dawn, but instead ended up a Julia Roxanne. And I will be forever grateful! My brother lost the name game though and ended up Micah Woodrow.
my name was going to be lars if i was a boy and man am i glad i was a girl.
My real name is Corinne, which straight away was cut down to Cori.
No-one calls Corinne just Cori. Never understood why people give their children a name that they don’t plan to actually use?!?!?
If I had been a boy my name would be Liam…
When I was pregnant I didn’t find out the sex, but was sure I was having a girl, so chose the name Keira. I had a boy…. so for the first 20 mins he was nameless, until we chose Brandon. x
I was almost Hannah, but my parents decided on Nora Frances instead, after two of my Great Grandmothers. As much as I hated my name until I was 12, I really like it now because it’s not typical at all, it’s an alternate spelling of an uncommon name, whereas there are so many Hannahs out there it’s scary.
I was almost a Katie (not sure if that would have been full or nick) and I am sooooooooooooooo thankful that I was not. There are sooooooooooooo many Katies in my grade level and in my brother’s. If I were a Katie there would have been 4 Katies in my Camp Fire group. My brother is friends with 3 or more and dated 2 of them.
Oh, and my friend is Kate (Katherine) but was almost a Lilith.
Sadly, my mum never told my father of my sex, so it was just a hit or miss..
My mum liked the name Julie but my dad said no since I have an aunt Julie.
I was techniclly supposed to be a boy, Julie was just a little back up name,
It was originally Eric.
But when I popped out as a female, they panicked and just added on the “a” to bring forth, Erica.
My little brother was thought to be a girl so we named him, Nichole Julie(Yes, it made a comeback) But when this little bugger came out as a boy, we named him Zachary.
Mum got pregnant again, and yet again, she thought this one was a girl.
Sadly, another boy was born, as a back-up, we named him Logan.
Durring my mums 4th, and final pregnancy, we gave up on having a girl we just automaticlly named him Nicholaus James. But this time, it DID come out as a girl, (funny how my mum keeps thinking the opposite sex is gonna be born) thus, naming her Nichole Julie. :)<3
I would have been a Ryan…. ew.
My almost names are “Hillary” and “Ariel”… I would have been so much happier with Ariel! I don’t have enough fingers to count how many Ashleys I went to school with…
I was nearly an Emily. I think I was also nearly an Alice but I ended up with Alison. I actually don’t like any of the names, and I’m only vaguely happy with ‘Ali’ as a nickname. If I were born a boy, I would be Thomas, which is fitting as I loved Thomas the Tank Engine as a wee kid.
My almost name was Nirvana. Seriously. The 90s would have been tough.