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When I was 10 I wanted to be called Louisa.
I know because I have a piece of schoolwork which tells me so. And I wanted to have black curly hair.
It's a sad piece of writing actually. I couldn't understand why when my teacher read it she gave me a big hug and told me how lovely I was. Or why she edited it before I read it out at assembly (and even then my former teacher came and hugged me afterwards).
We were asked to write about who we were and what we would change. I basically identifed that I had a bad temper, I was very naughty at home and I was horrible to my brother. I wanted to change my name (because everyone pronounced it wrong) my appearance (didn't identify my eye in those days, but I know what I meant) and wanted to be kinder, nicer and less trouble. In fact I wrote that I wished I was more like my sister.
When I was 15 I wanted to change my name to Chloe. In fact when I was 17 I told a guy I met in a nightclub that that was my name, and it's what he and his friends and family called me for the 6 months we dated. Mum said that changing my name by deed poll wouldn't make me a different person - I might as well stop trying to run away from who I was and get on with things. I didn't agree, but could see it would involve a family fight if I went ahead with it. I've compromised by getting people to call me by a pet name over the years.
That said - if I had to add a name to my two, I'd have Eilonwy. Too pretentiously Welsh to have as a first name. But one of my childhood heriones (Lloyd Alexander's books). Although I'd make it my first middle name, as I think CEKO would make an easier to write set of initals than CKEO. If I ever initial anything I always write CKO as it is, CO just looks silly.
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