What’s in a Name?

Today at an emergency Mah Jongg gathering (yes, there are Mah Jongg emergencies, but that is a different story) I learned that two very long time friends had different birth names than the ones I call them now. This was interesting since I too was given a different first name at birth, that I never went by after day three. Eventually I legally changed my name to Dana after I got married, but there was a lot of confusion with driver’s licenses, passports, social security and other official forms.
Since I was given the name Jane at birth, which was also my mother’s name, my godmother declared, “there are too many god damned Janes around here, I am going to call her Dana.” Or at least that is story I was told, I was only three days old so I don’t remember. What I do know is I am no more a Jane and my God mother was right to declare me a Dana. One of my friends today told us her name had been Wanda and never in a million years would I see her as a Wanda. Eventually she started going by her middle name. But getting people to start calling you a different name, is hard even if it is one you legally own.
What I wonder is if you could chose your own name would it be something different than you were given? Names come and go in fashion and what if you have a very old fashioned name, or you happened to be named the most popular name of the year and by the time you get to third grade you are just one of six Taylors, and they re not all the same sex? Are you tempted to create a nick name for yourself that ends up sticking and if you do what do you do about your legal name? Is your new name more like a Grandmother name, one you just created for yourself?
I am very thankful that my godmother so quickly came up with my true self name. Maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to name children and instead let them hang out with us for a few days until we find the name that fits. Changing your name later is just a lot of work.