• Dork World
    • Nikki’s Diary
    • Ask Nikki
    • Ask Brandon
    • Academy
    • What’s New
    • Meet the Author
    • Dork Diaries Books
    • For Teachers
  • Dorky Stuff
    • I Heart Writing
    • Videos
    • Fan Art
    • Games
    • Meet the characters
    • Fan stories
    • Calendars
    • Wallpapers
    • Party Kits
    • music
    • Dorks Around the World
Author:
Rachel Renée Russell

dd14-menu-booktitle

Dork Diaries Book 14

Dork Diaries

#1 New York Times Bestselling Series

JUST FOR YOU!!
Miss Know-it-All's Advice
HOW TO:
Virtual PJ Party
Part 1

HOW TO:
Virtual PJ Party
Part 2

December 12, 2018

I HATE MY NAME!!!

Hi Nikki,

I struggle with something that shouldn’t bother me, and everyone I talk to isn’t very helpful. But here it is: I HATE my name! It’s extremely popular where I come from, and that makes me feel like I’m not unique or special. Plus I just don’t like the sound of it. I have other similar-sounding options to change it to, but I’m afraid my parents won’t like it if I do. Please help!

I Need A Nicer Name

Hi I Need A Nicer Name,

I’m sorry to hear that people haven’t been very helpful when you ask them about changing your name! I’ll try to give you the very best advice I can.

It seems like people who hate their name usually have a SUPER unusual one, or a SUPER common one.

People with unusual names might get made fun of for their name, or constantly deal with people mispronouncing or misspelling it. It might make them feel like they’re different, when sometimes they just want to blend in.

But on the other hand, you’ve got a name that blends in just fine. It’s super common, but that makes you feel like you’re not unique. Of course that’s not true! Your name is only a small part of who you are. Your personality, talents, interests, thoughts and dreams are what make you unique and special!

But a name is so…on the surface, I guess? People may not know everything about you, but at least they might know your name.

It really depends on your parents, but I think there’s a good chance they won’t be offended if you want to try out something different for a while. Don’t tell them you HATE the BORING name they gave you. Just say you’d like to change it and see how it goes. If you have a common name like, for example, “Emma,” it might help if you can truthfully say there are three Emmas in your class or in your group of friends.

It also might help if you choose something that’s not wildly different from your given name – from Emma to Samantha, for example. Instead, choose something similar to the name you have, like Em, Emmie, or Emily. Or you could try going by your middle name, if you have one.

FUN FACT: Nikki Russell, illustrator of Dork Diaries, goes by her middle name instead of her first name! Plus we both have the SAME exact name! Pretty cool, right? 🙂

So anyway, if your parents don’t mind, then just go for it! Remember, however, that it might be tricky getting everyone on board with a new name at first, or even getting used to it yourself.

But, if your parents aren’t cool with you changing your name OR what you try just doesn’t feel right, try to focus on the things that truly make you unique and put your energy into developing those instead!

Do you have a super unique name or a super common one? Have you ever tried to change your name to something else? How did it go? Tell us in the comments!

Category: Ask Nikki Tags: self-esteemnikki

Comment Guidelines

I’m happy to post your comments (as soon as I can) as long as you follow these 7 rules:

  • All comments MUST be on topic!
  • Comments that either request advice or offer advice will NOT be posted if they are OFF-TOPIC.
  • NO bullying or mean behavior!
  • NO bad language!
  • NEVER share your personal info, including your age!
  • Do NOT share links to other websites or blogs.
  • Make-Up a Silly Name or Post Without a Name (NEVER use your real name!)

Comments

  1. ICKHYF says

    January 3, 2019 at 2:36 pm

    Guess what? My pet-name is a boy’s name. So when people make fun of me, I just laugh back like I don’t care. After a few months, they’ll stop teasing you.

  2. Poopsie Slime says

    January 3, 2019 at 2:15 pm

    Funny because when I was little I always wanted to change my name to a more common name but as I got older I realized that my name was unique and even if your name is unique or comman you may not know or realize it’s beyond awesome!! So be proud of your name because you might have the same name as other people but we are all different in our hearts!

  3. gg dork says

    January 3, 2019 at 1:38 pm

    I know how you feel, but did you know every name is special.

  4. Regina louis says

    January 3, 2019 at 1:24 pm

    Your name is wonderful and perfect no matter the way it sounds

  5. Regina George says

    January 3, 2019 at 1:18 pm

    No I’ve not i love my name and i’d love to keep it.so you remember, every name is perfect no matyer what it sounds like

« Older Comments
Top ▲
Ask Nikki Maxwell a question

Freaking out about a problem?

Freaking out about a crush problem? Major drama in school? Bratty little sister driving you crazy? No worries! I’m here to help! Tell me what’s up and I’ll give you the best advice I can. Just ask Chloe and Zoey…I’m awesome at giving advice!! I’ll try to answer a question each week, depending on how much homework I have!

Search

Nikki's Advice

Advice Topics

  • friends
    • BFF
  • crush
  • self-esteem
    • beauty
  • school
    • grades
    • homework
    • teacher
    • writing
  • sports
  • health
  • humiliation
    • bully
  • parents
    • dad
    • mom
  • siblings
    • brother
    • sister
  • Pets

Ask Nikki a Question

    Ask Brandon a question

    Get the boy side of things!

    Nikki Maxwell's diary

    Read Nikki's latest adventure

    Recent Comments

    • DorkDiariesFan100 on DORK DIARIES BOOK 7 – POP QUIZ!!
    • a Dork Diaries fan on DORK DIARIES BOOK 7 – POP QUIZ!!
    • Follow your dreams! on DORK DIARIES BOOK 7 – POP QUIZ!!
    • Dork Diaries Megafan on DORK DIARIES BOOK 7 – POP QUIZ!!
    • #Dork#Covid-19GONE! on DORK DIARIES BOOK 7 – POP QUIZ!!

    WEBSITE MAP

    • What’s New
    • Nikki’s Diary
    • My Books
    • Ask Nikki
    • Meet the Author
    • Ask Brandon
    • Merchandise
    • Videos
    • Fan Art
    • Academy

    BUY THE BOOKS

    • Amazon
    • Powell’s
    • Barnes & Noble
    • Simon & Schuster
    • Books-A-Million
    • Target
    • IndieBound
    • Wal-mart

    DORK DIARIES INTERNATIONAL SITES

  • Brazil
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Portugal
  • Bulgaria
  • Greece
  • Korea
  • Romania
  • Czech
  • Holland
  • Latvia
  • Taiwan
  • Estonia
  • Hungary
  • Lithuania
  • Turkey
  • France
  • Israel
  • Norway
  • UK
  • Top ▲ · Copyright © 2021 Rachel Renée Russell · The Dork Diaries Series is written by Rachel Renée Russell and published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing · Privacy Policy · Terms and Conditions