In third grade, I told my best friend Stephanie that when I grew up, I was going to have twin girls named Melissa and Michelle. And I loved the name Ursula (still do) when I read it in The Parent Trap, which I checked out of the school library repeatedly. One of my favorite things about my job is the opportunity I get to combine so many things I like to do: collecting quotes, handwriting, stitching -- and using names for my stamps. (Don't forget to enter the Bonus Giveaway to get a stamp named after you.)
TODAY’S GIVEAWAY: a handwritten name stamp, in your choice of self-inking or red rubber. Use it with fabric ink to label your daughter's clothes or make your own stationery.
TODAY’S QUESTION: Did you have a favorite name when you were growing up? Tell me more!
Good luck!In third grade, I told my best friend Stephanie that when I grew up, I was going to have twin girls named Melissa and Michelle. And I loved the name Ursula (still do) when I read it in The Parent Trap, which I checked out of the school library repeatedly. One of my favorite things about my job is the opportunity I get to combine so many things I like to do: collecting quotes, handwriting, stitching -- and using names for my stamps. (Don't forget to enter the Bonus Giveaway to get a stamp named after you.)
TODAY’S GIVEAWAY: a handwritten name stamp, in your choice of self-inking or red rubber. Use it with fabric ink to label your daughter's clothes or make your own stationery.
TODAY’S QUESTION: Did you have a favorite name when you were growing up? Tell me more!
Good luck!
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Sophie is my favorite name because its my daughter’s name. The name Sophie is so sweet and perfect, just like her!
My favorite growing up was Michele. She was my childhood best friend.
Good morning Gina.
My name is Linda. (you know what decade I was born in) I never liked my name and when I played I always called myself, “Cindy”. Later, my nickname was “Rose”, because of my last name. and I embraced that. When I hear my high school friends call me “Rose” it always warms my heart. 🙂 Thanks for the chance to win!! LOVE your work!
Growing up as a Jennifer in the 70s and 80s, I shared my name with so many other girls. When I would play, my made-up name for myself or my dolls would always be “Alexandria”. It was just the right amount of exotic and elegance that I wish my own name had! Finding out later that I was named after my great-grandmother, I grew up to love and appreciate my name much more than I did as a kid! 😉
I don’t seem to remember ever disliking my name, but I did wish it was spelled differently. : ) Stefani, Stephany, Stefanie. So may other “cooler” variations. Mine seemed so boring. : )
Good morning Gina! I have always like my name, and HATE when people shorten it without asking………I would have loved to have it spelled “Elisabeth” which is the Danish spelling – not for that reason but because it is more unusual. I like my name!
I am a Melissa! Apparently I was supposed to be a boy and didn’t have a name for several days! My boy name was to be David. But the boy name I really love? Grady. I just see southern gentleman in that name. Rolls off the tongue slow and easy!
Your giveaways are so generous! Thanks for allowing us to participate.
I don’t remember ever having a favourite name but I’ve always said that my future dog will be named Jack. C.S. Lewis is my favourite author and his nickname was Jack so, when I imagine my future as a single lady with a faithful pet as a companion, I like the idea that my friend would be Jack. Hope that’s not too silly! 😀
My favourite name has always been Isabel – but I don’t think I can ever use it for my children, because my name is Annabel!
Well… growing up as a girl with name Michael made me want ANY name other than my own. Anything with a feminine ring to it. I hated every new class because there was always an episode with the teacher being confused by name. I almost ended up in the wrong wing of the dormitory at school. I received a stern letter from the government when I didn’t register for the draft at age 18. I had to come up with proof of being female. But then I taught in art museums for many years and people always remembered my name! I loved it! And it always made kids laugh. In terms of a specific name… I always thought a girl named Alex would be so cute (maybe short for Alexandria) but my dear husband thought that one girl with a boy’s name was enough in the family! Thanks for the fun question! I loved reading EVERY response above! 🙂
My favourite name growing up was Emily. It was the name of Sara’s doll in A Little Princess and it just had a wonderful ring to it. Then I met my best friend Emily and that clinched it. Not only was it a fabulous name, but it was also the name of a kind, generous, clever, loyal thoughtful and completely remarkable person. Both my kids turned out to be boys (I called them Dylan and Sawyer) but if either had been a girl I’d have named her after Em. She passed away 4 months ago of cancer, and I am heartbroken. I miss her constantly. When I clicked on your link and saw the Emily stamp, I started to cry. Not sure why I’m telling you all this! But it just feels like I need to get it out. Thanks for letting me…
my siblings and I listened to tapes of Safety Kids songs, and one of the characters was named Monique. I loved the sound of it, that awesome Q on the end. I used to say I was going to change my name when I grew up.
also in the ‘que’ genre, I like the silly idea of naming a girl Angelique, and calling her Ique (pronounced ‘eek’, I suppose) for short.
I always loved the name Signe, but when we had our daughter my husband wasn’t a huge fan of that name. So we compromised on Sylvie, which i love even more now b/c it fits our daughter perfectly!
I loved the name Anne, because of Anne of Green Gables. I was sadly disappointed that my middle name was spelled Ann without the e, because the e made it so much prettier! So I named my cabbage patch doll Katie Anne, and dreamed of naming a future daughter Anne Cordelia. 🙂 I now have two daughters both starting with letter A but neither of them are Anne! 🙂
My favorite name was Bubba! My dad actually told me that if I had been a boy that would’ve been my name. Hahahahaha no joke!
My favorite name growing up was Patricia. I named everything Patricia – dolls, My Little Ponies, etc. In fact I received a Cabbage Patch Kid as a gift when I was little and sent her “birth certificate” back in to have her named changed to Patricia. 😉 Haha!!
Thanks so much for these giveaways! I am having the best time reading responses and thinking of my own answers! 🙂
i liked my name when i was growing up because it was different. the only time it was embarrassing was on st. patrick’s day when people would tease me by saying “erin go bragh”
Funny enough, I also loved the name Melissa! Not so fond of it now, but somehow in the last few years I decided that one of the most honoring names of all would be Grace, after my grandmother. 🙂
Abigail, I love how it sounds and can be shortened in so many ways to suit someone.
Esmerelda. I just thought that was SUCH an amazing name. Like some warrior princess in a sparkly gem-studded land. [I bet Gracie (my daughter) is very happy I grew out of that phase!]
My favorite “boy name” growing up was Caleb, still is. I hope to name one of my sons Caleb. Or, if fate has it, marry a Caleb!;)
I spent my summers an outdoor summer camp in North Carolina for a few weeks… And one summer the grooviest guy-counsoler, who was on Rock Climbing staff, was named Caleb. (You know when you meet someone who really embodies their name!? Well, he was one of those people.) For whatever reason, he made a big impression on my life because I still remember him to this day.
Nevertheless, the name Caleb is my favorite name! 🙂
I had a babysitter with beautiful long hair. Her name was Delonda, and I always picked that as my “play name.” Fun to remember that!
I never had a problem with liking my name.
You probably won’t believe this, but I loved the name Gina. Unfortunately later on my partner’s ex kind of spoiled it for me, but for a long time it was a name I adored. Never needed to use it though, as I only have boys!
I got a little crazy about the movie “beaches” and swore I would name my first daughter “Hilary” after one of the characters! Note: I didn’t!!
Jessica
When I was little, I hated that my name was so uncommon and my most favorite name was Susan. So when I was 5 and got a cat, guess what I named her? Yup! Susan. She was with me until I was 21 and was my best little friend.
My favorite name growing up was Robert. You know how all Cabbage Patch kids have crazy wild names? I changed mine to Robert when I got him. I even tried to get my parents to name my baby brother Robert!
My favorite name was Linnéa. 🙂 Great giveaway!
I remember watching a video in junior high about the civil rights movement. One of the people interviewed was a lovely woman named Clory. I hand never heard that name before and still think it is one of the sweetest names i have ever heard.
I loved Margaret….after reading, “are you there, God? it’s me, Margaret” growing up. that book made me laugh at parts and scared the crap out of me at others(like when her dad ran over his foot with the lawnmower!). sigh….wish I could go back to when life was easy!
I grew up in the 90s with the name Carolyn which was interesting because there’s almost no one my age with that variation (though there are some Carolines.) My favorite name as a young child was Shelly (I don’t even remember how that happened, but I even named my american girl bitty baby Shelly haha.) Then I read the Odyssey and loved the name Penelope 🙂 My favorite boy’s name is James (though interestingly I don’t really like the name Jim.)
I never liked my name growing up (Melissa). My sister’s name is Michelle which I liked better. I remember liking the name Leslie, but I don’t know why. Somewhere I have a journal entry with a list of girl and boy names that I would one day like to name my kids.
Growing up I named dolls/or pretended that my future children might be Samantha or Alexandra. I also loved the name Eden, from a soap opera that was on for a short time (can’t even think of the name now). Then I always thought I would name my baby girl Olivia……never had a girl, but I got 2 fantastic little boys ! (now not so little)
Mackenzie Paige with a spunky nickname to go along with it – Mac! 🙂
Yes…I made my family call me Jennifer for about a month & wouldn’t respond to my actual name…Katie!
Oh my. When I was REALLLLLY young, I fell in love with the name Daisy, because of the ‘daisy a day song”. I was going to name my first baby girl Daisy. Years later,,, I forgot! Now I have a Amy, Katie, Anna, Sara, and Meg, but no Daisy.
Love your work.
Growing up I liked the name Mallory because of Justine Bateman’s character on Family Ties. Growing up my sister said that if she had a boy she would name him Jake because of Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles, which was her favorite movie in high school. Her first born was a girl, but her second was a boy, who is named Jake. He’s 16 and hasn’t seen the movie because now as an adult my sister realizes it’s a pretty nasty movie. 🙂
When I first visited Germany over thirty years ago, I heard the name Loreley, as we passed the famous rock along the Rhine River. I’ve always thought that would be a lovely name for a little girl. ♡
My favorite name growing up was Samantha. I swore I would have a little girl named Samantha and call her Sam…all thanks to Alyssa Milano and Tony Danza in “Who’s the Boss.”
I was obsessed with “Zoe”!
Matthew – I always dreamed of having a son with the name Matthew. I now have two sons, none of which bear this name 🙂
My sister and I both wanted lots of girls named: Stacy, Lacy, Macy, Tracy, and Casey. That phase outgrew itself and then I loved all the babysitters club names. Dawn and Claudia were my favorite.
Other than a stint in childhood where I went by my middle name (Jane), I don’t recall a favorite then. Now, if I had a daughter to name, she’d get Meg (after A Wrinkle In Time’s protagonist).
I thought that Berlin would be a wonderful name for a girl!
I have never liked my name and it only got worse when people often remarked that “oh, my friend has a German Shepherd named Gretchen” and I have been hoping to be dubbed with a nickname but it hasn’t happened yet.
My favorite name as a child was Marsha and I have no idea why but all my dolls were Marsha. My daughters, however, are Anna and Grace with no Marsha in sight.
P.S. I received my latest monthly quote yesterday and I can’t tell you enough how happy it makes me to open your beautiful work and think of the care that went into producing it as well as the joy of the gift from my friend.
i was obsessed with the name “hannah”…. its spelled the same you know?… forward or back! Like BOB but longer, and when you say it it lingers like a breeze on a hot simmering day…. “hannah”…. i would write it on the covers of my notebooks and practice signing it and dream of a baby girl to name….”hanna”…. and then god touched me and brought to me a beautiful baby girl to adopt… and I named her…Jenna! : )
I liked the name Victoria – I thought it was so proper but pretty 🙂
Too much fun Gina! Thanks for all the chances to win, I just Love all of your work! I liked the name Cindy growing up, I thought it sounded so fancy, and wondered why my name wasn’t fancier… No that I’ve had my own children I think picking out a name is soooo stressful! (I’m prego right now And feeling some stress ;). But I’m so glad our kids don’t come with names and we get some attempt at picking a wonderful one…!
I loved the name “Nadia” from the movie Blind Date! I still love the movie, the name not so much!
Natalie – just because it sounded so pretty, so feminine – I am sure it was after watching West Side Story which is when I first heard that name! Ironically, she was playing the part of Maria, which is my name!
I wished my name was something fun and perky like Katy or Rachel. Carol is too gutteral. When you say it, especially slowly, it sounds like you have a mouth full of marbles. To make matters worse, my last name started with a K. Karol Kru…. very harsh.
Later, when i found out that my name could have been Katherine, after my aunt, I almost screamed!
I’ve always loved the name Emma.
When I was a kid, I wished my name was Lisa. I’ve also loved the name Jane.
Noah was special to me as a boy name for as long as I ever thought of naming a child. It was the only name I felt sure about before my child was born, even though I was hoping to have a girl. So it worked out well that our child was a son. Noah he was destined to be.
Hello!
My favorite name has always been Loda. It is the name of the street my mother grew up on. I’m not sure what ties it to me so much, but it became ever so much more important to me when she passed away. For some reason, there is just a connection from her childhood to my adulthood. Somehow it makes me feel closer to her, but I’m not sure why. Hopefully someday I’ll have a little girl named Loda. 🙂
Keli
Oh yes. My favorite name growing up was Caroline or Susanna. They sounded so feminine to me . But then in college I fell in love with the name Carissa which means “grace” and named my daughter this. Another favorite is my grandmothers name: Violet.
I wanted to be called Niki instead of Monica….never happened. Back in the day, I loved the name Minette: It was on one of my name lists that I kept.