I get that too. I go by a middle name with friends but lawyers, bank people, official stuff etc... I use my first name... it's handy when answering the phone cos if they ask to speak to 'my first name' I can know instantly it's 'real life' calling and I can tell them 'no she's not here, bug off'.

This is not that much different than many others who didn't change their names but go by their other given name.

In my case my given names are William Stephen but I have always been called either Steve or Stephen. However anything legal or when dealing with the healthcare system I am always called William to which I either don't respond to or am slow to respond to.

This has never been a problem with friends or workmates as they have always called me by what I go by.

Cheers
Bill (I mean Steve)

Strangely it was my Mum who got irate when I mentioned that the OH might keep her own name. I then pointed out that since she's divorced from my father she technically is no longer Mrs M herself. That went down well.

I would have preferred if the OH kept her own name but it was her choice.

I didnt give a monkeys either way. (Mrs C changed her name by choice).

What I would say is use which ever flows best. (In Mrs Cs case my last name works better than her birth last name). So Smelly I like the flow of your name rather than his.

I would assume they at least spell it correctly.

I have been married for 38 years and still members of my family continue to spell my wife's first name incorrectly.

On the topic of changing names, when he got married, my youngest son took his wife's surname. He's had an extremely difficult time getting institutions to accept that fact.

That's actually why I didn't fancy changing my name, it didn't flow well and my surname is unusual and the last of the line so I kept it.

I'm also known by my middle name and when the doctor gets both my 1st name and then my surname wrong, I don't recognise myself so changing it to a 3rd equally odd name would have finished me off!

Oh and my middle name is spelt weird so you see why I'm sensitive on the name thing!

I have a middle name, I personally prefer my first name though, even though it is a little common. Since being in Canada people seem to prefer pronouncing it in its entirety rather than the shortened version. Only a few people at my office have started to say the shortened version, which I don't seem to be responding to at the moment as it sounds funny when they say it.

Couldn't care less myself though I would like to rename myself as:

'Your most Ominous Illustriousness, Madmac the Most High...and a bit.'

I have no middle name. Souvette, being quebecoise, has several. Her first name is Marie, which is standard practice in these parts and always shortened to "M". The next two, never used, are those of her godmothers (I think). The fourth name is the one she is known by. I quite like that name but I like one of the others more (Aurore).

That's surprising, from filling in forms here it seemed to me that all Canadians were permitted a maximum of 1 middle name. I'm always getting caught out on security checks/usernames for banking etc because they've picked a random one of my many middle initials to make up my complete name. And never the same one.

I'm also called a name that bears no relation whatsoever to my real first name but am getting better at remembering to use the proper one on official stuff

Thats a nice middle name, mine is old fashioned and brought down through generations of the family.

I think it is becoming less and less done these days though.

So your real first is Rapunzel and not BoPeep????

PLEASE tell me your middle name isnt Fanny.

GOD NO!!!!!

Thats a relief
I'd hate to think of you going thru life being called Smelly Fanny.