I've been on GW for 11 years too, and like Annie I've done all of that non-registered, registered, pay, free, etc. I was afraid to use my real name when I joined, but wasn't very creative so I went with dlynn. So, my real name is Donna Lynn. There were lots of Donna's when I was growing up. In fact, there was another Donna Lynn that even had my same last name and was in my same grade and school. We used the same pediatrician too. Our health and school records were a mess. Then, my cousin married a Donna Lynn which meant she too had my exact name. And, my uncle married a widow with a small child named Donna Lynn and when he adopted her, we had the same name too. I finally went to college and my first month their I got a phone call telling me that I had been elected president of Phi Mu --- they had the wrong Donna Lynn ___. Even at LSU I had to deal with the confusion. After graduation I moved to another city and no one there would take my checks because there was a Donna Lynn ____ bouncing checks all over town! I was sooooo glad to get married and finally take my DH's last name.

Trixie, I didn't know that you are Karen too. I thought of you as Trixie, like in the Honeymooners.
Lars is right abut different names in Catholic schools years ago. When I was growing up I was the only Karen in my school. I was kind of surprised to find out it was a popular name then. It wasn't a popular name in Catholic school. Since it's Danish for Catherine, it passes as being a saint's name, but it wasn't used, except by my parents.

I never met another Nancy until I was 17 then my first boss and her daughter were both named Nancy! 40 years went by and I only met one other and only knew of Nancy Reagan and Nancy Sinatra. When I married my final husband, his first wife was a Nancy, as was his best customer, his associate designer, his doctor's RN, his best friend's wife, his fav cafe's owner, his mail person, his dentist, his neighbor, and three women aquainted with at church. I accused him of "collecting Nancy's" and he said it was the ONLY reason he married me. He got a whop up 'long side his head for that joke. Not really. On other forums here I sign as "Nancy the nancedar" to keep me separate from the other Nancy's who post as regularly as I do. My handle translates to what my DH calls me "Nancy-Dear" = nancedar. Who knew that handles would last a lifetime (since '01) on the GW?

Nancy the nancedar

And now-a-days there are 'The Heathers'. DS dated 7 Heathers after his divorce and finally married Heather #7. He dated a few other names as well, but Heather was definitely predominant and our DDIL, Heather, has her best friend since childhood named Heather.

I think I'm the only Colleen here, but...........
my middle name is Ann!
Without the "e" on the end, which is almost a given here.

My thought when I signed up for GW (BTW, I had to pay :-), was that why use your real name when you could use something like riverrat! My uncle used to call me that.

Cloudy, I didn't know that "our" name was Danish for Catherine. I guess Mom didn't either...I had a sister named Katherine.

"Annie1971 -- just don't hang out with men named Elery and we'll be fine."

More importantly don't (shrug) or (grin).

I was born in 1956 and was named for my great grandmother who was born in the late 1870's (though I don't have her middle name) and I never knew another Grace all of my growing up years. Except for hearing of Gracie Allen and Princess Grace of course.

Now there are little Grace's everywhere! They get a kick out of meeting an old Grace!

I think it must be sort of like now if you were to meet a Megan or Heather in their 70's.... to them it is just not a name that you'd expect an "older" person to have.

And I went a little incognito when signing up too since I started over in the bathrooms forum where people don't usually sign their posts. G is for grace, b is for my maiden name initial, and sim is the first three letters of my last name.... wish I could do it over again and come up with something catchy.

Grace

I admit that I overlooked annie1992 and annie1979 until annie1979 posted a response that I knew to be contrary to annie1992's method. That got my attention so going forward, I checked the handle.

My best friend all through school(s) was a Cathy. We were together frequently even dating the same guys. In fact, she dated my DH before I did and I dated her DH before she did. So to distinguish us, we were Cathy Ann (me) and Cathy Jo (her) until we went different ways. Recently I ran into a HS classmate; he asked if I was Cathy Ann or Cathy Jo. I couldn't believe she remembered.

Mustangs=our girls softball organization. www.tampamustangs.com

So far only one Lyra! One day at work a star chart was blowing across the yard on a windy day. I picked it up and there was the constellation Lyra. I was working on rabbit names and my 10th Californian breeding doe became Lyra. Shortly after I joined a transvestite support group on Yahoo. All the others had names so I picked Lyra and have been from that time.

An amazing constellation. One of the ancient star groups. An old legend claims that human races came from that area and migrated to many galaxies our own being one of them. Interesting that billions of years ago an explosion so massive it is still detectable and larger than current science can explain took place there.

Starting to see Lyras popping up around the country.

: )
lyra
aka... michael

Regarding screen names ... I hate mine :(

When I first joined GW (several years ago, wandered around several gardening forums, then found Harvest and from there came here), I had problems finding a screen name that wasn't already taken. Don't you hate it, you sign in and it says "userid unavailable", I mean really, how many people truly would come up with the same stupid names I do? Anyway, I had tried several different names and I didn't realize the name would actually show up when I posted so I finally found one that works. But it's stupid :)

I thought about changing it, but then would have to somehow explain to the few people who "know" me that it's still me. Just seems like a pain.

Ann_F

I think I am the only Sherry left. And I have only legally been Sherry for about 3 years. I legally changed my name from Charlotte Diane to Sherry Lynn.
As soon as new Annie called her DH "Hubby Dubby Do," I knew there was a new Annie, cause our old Annie wouldn't be caught dead saying that. She is just not into cutesie. (I love you Annie1992, you tough old broad you.)
Sherry

Hey, guess what?! I'm an Ann, too! I'm 39. There were many girls in my classes with some variation of "Ann" as a middle name, but I knew very few first name "Ann(e)"'s. Knew an Ayn once...named for Ayn Rand, I'm sure. Never met another Ann without an "e."

I have a younger sister who is a Ann but she was named Anne by by mother when she was born. Anne is her middle name and her first name is Ashley. So Ashley Anne is always first is the alphabetizing list.

Isn't it funny how we associate certain names with certain ages, and how they come around again?

I had great aunts named Ella and Emma. I think of them as old lady names. Both those names are very popular with the younger set now.

Almost every Jennifer I know is now in her late 30's. After the movie Love Story, that name caught on like wildfire. Some day there will be a nursing home where every woman in it is named Jennifer.

The most popular names for my age as I remember it were Susan and Linda. The SS site says it was Linda and Mary. PAmela did not make the top 20.

Here is a link that might be useful: SS site for baby names.

I am the oldest Linda you will know....I do know one who is older but only by 4 months!
Ia m imagining that that about 65 years from now the nursing homes will be filled with Jared and Jarrod and Keegan and Mikayla and Michaela and Mikeayealah...with lovely flower tattoes mixing with the veins twining about the ankle, strange scarring in the eyebrow, nose and along the ears.
What's the world coming to!! LOL!
Linda C

Interesting how some of the "older" names are coming around again, like Grace, Emma, Lily, Ella, Eva & Ava.

I'm expecting my first grandchild, a girl, in 8 weeks. My daughter plans to name her Priscilla, after my mother. That will be her formal name, but she'll be called "Cilla" most of the time.

I was touched by her choice, and think it's a lovely name - now. If I'd been named Priscilla going through junior HS in the late '60's, I would have been mortified LOL!

My daughter is Linda and always hated that she was the only one in her "generation". Three friends were Jess, Jessica, Jessy.
Hey, at least when she called THEIR house the parents knew who it was!!!

I hated my middle name. It means 'happy' and my dad chose it because I smiled at him the first time he saw me (probably gas, but, oh well).

I refused to tell anyone but my closest friends (2).
By the time I was in high school, it had taken on a whole new meaning!!!
Try living with Gaye! WITH AN 'E' ON THE END!!!!!

Whenever I HAD to tell, that's how it came out.

So, friends..........consider yourselves sworn to secrecy!! LOL

Deanna

LOL, Deanna. Yes, that name has changed meanings since I was a kid. Deanna Gaye -- that's nice.

As for old-fashioned names coming back -- my niece named her baby Audrey, after my mom who is 91. Evidently that name is making a return. I used to be so embarrassed to say my parents names -- Audrey and Harry. I see Harrison is now popular, with some being shortened to Harry.

I am (was) Pamela Jean. Now I use my maiden name as my middle name.

I just had to chime in - this is an interesting thread. There may be just one Marigene here, but my name is actually Mary Jane. I have gone by Jane since grade one, although all my relatives still call me Mary Jane, usually shortened to MJ.
When our twin daughters first started learning to talk, they called each other Nana and Dodo - not even close to their real names. They're 13 now and still call each other by those names, when they are feeling affectionate. My husband is from a large Irish family, and there are so many Seans and Patricks, it would make your head spin!
Jane (aka Mary Jane!)

Thank you, Sherry, I love you too, my long lost sister. (grin) Just imagine, two of us, the world needs to be fearful!

Annie

Wow I'm going to have to read this thread many times because I am a horror show for rememebering names! This thread can help me alot! I could never be in sales where they say Hi Bob how is your wife Marilyn and your two kids Justin and Madison?? I'm a visual person and I never get to see you cool people! (Except the occasional pic)

My Moms name is Barbara Ann Cecila, but I would venture that there aren't too many Sands out there so I guess I don't have to fight it out with anyone else here on cf. Oh and my sister is Donna Lackboys3 :)

Joining the Ann/Annie/Ann party late...
I'm another CF Ann (but very, very irregular poster!). Most people called me Annie growing up (except my mother who refused to call my anything except Ann Marie and constantly corrected me when I referred to myself as Ann). I tried to evolve it to Andzia (Polish version) when I was a teenager because I thought it was more exotic sounding, so my sister sometimes still calls me that. Another Polish friend calls me Anya. And one of my uncles still calls me Barbara, just because he liked the name!

Ann (spacific)

I'm terrible with remembering real names and the connections to screen names. I loved this thread and remembered it so I thought I'd bring it up again in case anyone wants to add to it.

Eileen, one of two at least. AKA Barnmom

Actually, I think I may be the only Jude (Judith, Judie). I haven't had a computer all that long and at some point I had to choose a user name or something with letters AND numbers so Jude31 is from what most people call me, Jude, and '31 is the year I was born. Don't bother with the math, I'm 79.
I rarely ever encounter anyone with the same middle name, and if I do, it's usually spelled differently. Judith Burnadine is not very common. Wasn't there a song about Burnadine a million years ago?

A lot of people in my age group used Ann or Lynn as middle names for their daughters. I think because they sound good with most other names. One of my DD's is Tracy Lyn.

This thread is most interesting. Thank you for starting it.

jude

Gosh, rereading this thread made me wonder how long I have been at GardenWeb- looked at my page and see I registered in May 2001- holy cow!!!

Mercy, Colleen, how the heck old ARE we getting to be? I thought I was just a youngster and here I find out that I've got some type of seniority or something.

I wonder if GardenWeb gives senior citizen discounts after 50 or something? (grin)

Annie

Wow - Dec 2001 for me..... Keep me posted on the Sr citizen discounts for the over 50 set, I am closing in on that milestone......

Funny to reread this thread, thanks for bubbling it up Eileen. Ann (amck), I looked up Ann/Anne patron saint of...
Seems Ann is the patron saint of Carpenters. I find that funny, because that's who I married. (the last name, not the profession, though previous BF was a carpenter - the profession, not the last name). Odd.

Anyway, I looked at my own profile and I had written about my "toddler" - DS is now in 5th grade. Time flies!

spacific Ann

Hmm, my member page says October 12 2002, but as I recall I had to reregister at one point, so I think I've around a bit longer than that. If I stick with Oct 12th, I've got an anniversary coming up.

Can we please stay off the topic of age??? ;0)

I came to the Cooking Forum before there was a full page of posts...only 3 or 4...
I came to Garden Web in January of Februrary of 97...I had a 54 K modem with dial up! LOL!
At one time everyone had to re register because way back when spike started this adventure he miscalculated the amount of band width he would use and ran out and had to essentially start over. So at that time everyone had to re register.
Linda c

Can't believe I missed this post the first time around...

Anywhooo... I was almost named Penelope Anne until my uncle said he would call me Penny Annie.... LOL

Hugs,
Rita Anne

My middle name is Anne, so I want to join the Ann-club, too! :-)

I'm an Elizabeth, and I know I'm not the only one, but I don't think any of us high-volume posters...

I one who paid to register (annual fee), and very shortly after it was free... never did get my prorated refund :-)

Very old thread ...Anne is my middle name but was supposed to be part of my first.....Dad filled out Birth Certificate incorrectly. I was meant to be >>>>Anne and that is how he always referred to me. I really like the E. The Anne was after a dear woman and I am super proud to have that name

My mother was Mary Ann, and always called by both names. However, in her last year she spent most of it in hospital, and because her records had her name as "Mary Ann xxxxx", staff would assume the "Ann" was a middle name and so just called her "Mary". I was forever asking them to please call her by her correct name, being in hospital 24/7 for months is depressing enough without everyone messing up your name too. Names are a big part of our sense of personal identity.

Anne: thanks for bringing this interesting and most useful thread back up. I was thinking that other than my mother that I didn't know any Anns. Then I got my brain back and realized that my cousin was Mary Ann and of course DW's legal first name is Ann as well, which gave her and my mother the same legal name. Anns all over the place I guess.

I personally think Anne/Ann is a beautiful name. Very classic and I actually prefer to be called by my two first names, even if the government insists Anne is my middle name. I have to ask my nephew who has three middle names how that works?

Well, in keeping with the "Ann/Anne", theme, my youngest granddaughter is named after both me and her other grandmother. Not Maci, of course, but her middle name is Annelyse. Yup, Ann and Elyse.

So my family has Great-Grandma, Annie, and I'm Angela/Annie. A niece is Julie Anne and a great niece is Angelique. Now we have Maci Annelyse. And a whole bunch of Maries, which is my middle name, and many family members also have Marie as middle names.

Annie

2016 10 most popular girl's names:

1Sophia
2Emma
3Olivia
4Ava
5Mia
6Isabella
7Riley
8Aria
9Zoe
10Charlotte

Ann and Anne were not even in the top 100 girls names. But then, Hillary, Melania, Chelsea, and Ivanka were not popular girl's names either.

dcarch

Interesting, Dcarch. It's easy to see where a lot of those names come from popular TV and celebrities.

My first name is Linda, middle name Ann. There are not a lot of new baby Linda's out there, I don't think!

It has something to do with age, maybe location too. I know two Emmas and one Olivia, one Riley. No other children with names on that list at all, and that includes the children of my children's friends!

Here in Michigan, according to the 2015 census, the most popular girl names were:

1. Olivia

2. Ava

3. Emma

4. Sophia

5. Charlotte

6. Harper

7. isabella

8. Amelia

9. Evelyn

10. Abigail

11. Elizabeth

12. Madison

And that would probably explain my own small Princess, Madison Elizabeth, who I call "Mad Lizzie".

However, in 1955 when I was born, the popular names were:

1. Mary

2. Deborah

3. Linda

4. Debra

5. Susan

6. Patricia

7. Barbara

8. Karen

9. Nancy

10. Donna

Clocking in at #43 was Ann, but that was #893 last year. In 1955 #84 was Anne, but that was #569 last year. Angela was #220 last year, though!

Annie

I love seeing Charlotte and Harper on the lists!

Colleen - My MIL has the same first name(s) and the issues that come with it.

"Annie" is cute; my wife tries it on my daughter from time to time but it never sticks. Which is fine with me because I love her full name.

I know this is super old but popped up when I did a search. I am as I said before anne, as the second part of my first name (not Mary) out of my host of siblings I feel like I got the best name with Anne. I recently learned that name was not for the person I thought but my "real" paternal grandmother, who I grew up knowing but not knowing she was my grandmother and I am once again honored, as she was a lovely woman!

Annie1971 - my grandmother's name was also Clara Belle! I'm Nancy named for the admired babysitter of my brother and I never met another until I was 18. Then my first boss was one and whose daughter was also and soon they hired two new people - guess their name. I think the head guy was a collector of Nancy's.

My DH is definitely a collector - besides me, his nurse, his dentist, my hairdresser, his favorite client, and two servers at our regular restaurants, and also his first wife who we call Nancy-Ex.

I do not like first names that are family last names but it is very common in the South. My new DIL has something like 47 cousins, all with weird first family names that make it hard to keep track of who is related to whom. I gave up and just call everyone "Sweetie". At my age it works - little ol' lady.

I love seeing this thread again!

I don't know if sheshebop is still around, but I just gotta say....

My name is Sherry Lynn. I am 16 months older than my brother. When he started talking he pronounced Sherry as SheShe, which became Sheesh, which I have been to my family lo these last 68 years.

I have always wished I had a real name instead of a nickname. Sherry is a nickname, which seems to me to be frivolous, lacking substance. Thusly, I named my three daughters Elizabeth (Beth), Ann Catherine (Ann or Annie), and Margaret (Margaret), but Margaret's nickname is Adidas. She married an Englishman two years ago and he and his family call her Mags! Her beautiful name, corrupted!

I think I'm the only Madonna. I was supposed to be named Jacqueline after my father who was in the China, Burma, India Theater during WWII. Can you believe that neither my mother nor the nuns at the Catholic hospital knew how to spell that? The one nun suggested Mary, my mom said no because nearly every other girl in my father's family was a Mary something. Another nun suggested Madonna and it stuck. Middle name is Jeanne in the French pronunciation after a friend's daughter who was a Little Sister of the Poor, Sr. Jeanne Marie de St. Anne. Oh, and at 74' I'm an oldie.

Madonna

I'm glad this came back up, there are old friends here that I would wish back again. (sigh) It's hard to believe we've been doing this for almost a couple of decades...

Madonna, my Mother's name is Phyllis Gene, the middle name was after a movie star, Gene Tierney. She HATES Phyllis, so many years ago she decided to use her middle name, but she spells it Jeanne. Everyone calls her "Jeannie".

And I don't have a Clara Bell in my family, but I had an aunt named Lula Belle. Everyone called her Midge, LOL.

Annie

annie1992, my mother was a Lula. Only her best friend from childhood could call her that!