My 1st name is the feminine form of a Spanish male name. What it means, I do not know. I do know I hate it, always have. 2nd name is almost as bad. 3 letters. Neither fit me, IMO. Mother says she chose the name for me because a dear and beautiful friend of hers had it. I ask, why me?

I honestly believe names have an effect on people's lives, depending on where they live, who they associate with, and (I'll include because of this thread) when you live. My name drops to the floor like a heavy rock. And, when people call it out, they have an image of the person behind it.

An example of timing: I remember when I chose the name for our oldest daughter. When I shared it with my DH's maternal grandmother, she made a disgusted face and said, "that's a slave girl's name." My spirit plummeted. This was my older sister's name, my maternal grandmother's name and her mother's name (and now one of my granddaughter's name). And, I loved it... still do! She was pulling from her life experiences when she made the hurtful comment. It didn't change my mind, tho... I named my first baby Amanda.