When naming your baby, one fear may be that your child will grow up hating the name you choose. Relax. Psychological studies consistently show that happy, well adjusted people who like themselves also tend to like their names, no matter what they are and even if it takes a while.

Gertrude, for example, is commonly disliked by many children. One writer named Ann Bayer confessed in Seventeen magazine several years ago that as a little girl she absolutely abhorred her middle name Gertrude: “when I confided it to anyone ,the reaction was always the same :as screech of horror followed by giggles followed by a sympathetic glance and then a final snort of amusement.” But as this woman grew up and came to fully appreciate her own uniqueness, she also grew to like her middle name. She writes, “I can ‘t say that I’m crazy about its original German meaning ”spear maiden” but the name has a certain headstrongness, a Kind of I’m - Gertrude - wanna – make – something- of – it quality that appeals to me. Whenever I write a story I always name the heroine Gertrude. It has become my hallmark, a code word for the part of me that’s most unique.”

It’s generally best not to inflict a humorous name on a child. Calling twins Pet and Repeat might be amusing at first, but the joke soon grows stale. Likewise, rhyming names such as Mary Perry or Ronson Johnson may make a child the butt of jokes at school. Still, even an odd name won’t necessarily cause a child to want to change it. Until his death in the 1950s, a Wisconsin man named Oofty Goofty Bowman (after a circus clown) insisted he always liked his name and never tried to conceal it by using initials.

Many children (especially teen-age girls) go through a stage when they dislike their name, no matter it is.

Girls named Tia and Krishna want more ordinary names; while those called Sara and Emily wish their names were more exotic. Though parents sometimes worry when their daughter suddenly wants to change her name, psychologist say this may actually be a sign of healthy growth: The adolescent is developing a strong, unique personal identity and part of this evolving independence may involve considering a whole new name.

Most kids, once they get through their rebellious teen- age years, settle down and come to love the names they once detested. But for those who don’t it’s fairly easy in most states to change one’s name by simply going to court. About 50,000 Americans change their names each year. Why some people choose the new names they do, however, often remains a mystery. A clerk in the New York State Supreme Court tells of a Mr. Murphy who had grown weary of his last name, which he found “too Irish and too common.” So he petitioned the court to change his name - to Kelly.