@Pip: I commented on this earlier today, and only just now read through the other comments. Some say that the initials VJ are not a big deal (especially since the last name begins with B, so the actual initials are VJB). I've already cautioned against using VJ, but the more I think about it, the more strongly I feel. It's very common slang. It's not just a texting thing anymore. Like I said, I'm 38, so I'm not even in that demographic (and I don't text), yet I immediately make the jump from VJ to vagina. Vajayjay it such a catchy word. I've taught a lot of teenaged boys, too. Believe me, once one of them discovers a girl's initials are VJ, they will not let it go!

I commented already, and only just now read through the other comments. Some say that the initials VJ are not a big deal (especially since the last name begins with B, so the actual initials are VJB). I've already cautioned against using VJ, but the more I think about it, the more strongly I feel. It's very common slang. It's not just a texting thing anymore. Like I said, I'm 38, so I'm not even in that demographic (and I don't text), yet I immediately make the jump from VJ to vagina. Vajayjay it such a catchy word. I've taught a lot of teenaged boys, too. Believe me, once one of them discovers a girl's initials are VJ, they will not let it go!

Pip@#3: OK, we're moving into the realm of total personal preference here, so feel free to take anything I write with a grain of salt. Middle names never get used, but sibling names get said out loud, in succession, all the time, and I think that "Sylvia" and "Vivian" together are indeed a mouthful. I'd worry more about that than whether Vivian Josephine is too much of a mouthful (for what it's worth, I think it's fine). I'd be inclined to stay away from the initials VJ. I'm a 38-year-old woman, but when I see those letters together, the 14-year-old boy part of my brain automatically wants to say "Vajayjay". Not a good nickname. :-) Josephine Pearl and Sylvia Grace have the exact same rhythm, and the names are stylistically similar, yet not too matchy-matchy. I'd be inclined to go with that, to be honest. Then you'll be shouting "Sylvie! Jo!" across the playground instead of "Sylvie! Viv!". It's just better. Plus, Josephine Pearl is a pretty name in its own right.

OK, I've got to add something here, even though I'm looking in at this thread kind of late. I'm Canadian, I did change my first name, and it WAS a bit of a hassle. It was a long time ago, so I can't remember exactly how much it cost, but I think it was around $200. And I had to advertise my change of name in two papers, and one of them had to be a provincial (or perhaps a national?) paper. And, to answer Laura's question at the end of her post, I did do it right before getting married. To the people who have posted comments indicating they aren't keen on the idea of legally changing given names: I can understand where you're coming from. I'm not crazy about the idea myself. However, for me it was totally worth it. When my parents chose my name in the early 70s, they waffled between going with a beautiful classic or using a nickname version of this classic instead. I was a very small baby, so they chose the shorter name. As it turned out, the nickname-name they put on my birth certificate was one of the most popular names of the decade (and also the previous decade). My parents had no idea. To them, the name seemed fresh; they had never met anyone else who used it. (Challenge: can anyone guess what it was?). My two best friends in grade school shared my name. While I didn't hate the name, I did feel that it was too "ordinary." Plus, I really liked the full version, so I always felt like I had been short-changed! When I started university, it occurred to me that there was nearly no one there who knew me from high school, so I could introduce myself as anything I wanted and no one would be the wiser. It seemed like a great opportunity. So I said to my parents, you know what, I'm going to change my name to its full form, what do you think. I didn't think they would be too offended, since I knew they had considered the full form when I was a baby. They were fine with it (or at least kind enough not to say otherwise), so that was that. I have used the full name ever since (and it has spawned an uncontrollable host of new nicknames, but that's OK, because I love how the real name looks on paper). I have never regretted changing my name. The nickname I had looks nothing like the full name I now use, but it didn't take long to identify with it and feel like it was mine. Back to what Laura asked -- did anyone consider a change of first name at the time of marriage? -- that is what finally gave me the kick in the pants to go through the hassle and expense of a legal name change. Although I had unofficially changed my name years before getting married, I was told I would have to sign the marriage documents with the name appearing on my birth certificate. So I went ahead and legally changed the blasted thing, and was issued a new birth certificate. One interesting side effect of all this: now that my first name AND my surname are different (I took my husband's surname), people from high school can't find me easily. This can be both good and bad. :-)