when i was little, i HATED my name (Raven). kids in school made fun of me. i don't even know if they realized that they were completely copying the things kids did to Edgar Allen Poe, but they would often walk behind me caw-ing. the most interesting thing anyone ever did to make fun of my name was a kid on the bus that called me Raisin (he later asked me to be his girlfriend so i kicked him and growled...i was a weird kid).
there was a good solid year that i wanted to change my name to 'Katie' because i was obsessed with Dawson's Creek and Katie Holmes and thought she was the prettiest thing ever. my mom broke my little-kid heart when she told me that she would not take me to the government (because that's how an 8 year old changes their name, okay?, they go to the government) to have my name changed.
for a little while i went by my middle name, but one or two teachers refused to call me Nicole, and constantly just called me Raven, so i just gave up.
now, i love my name. i realize at this point that it's a good, unique, fitting name for me.
that being said, i have always really loved the names Calyx, and Vivienne, and Antoinette. if i were to change my name, ever, it would be one of those.