A third of Britons would prefer to be called Jack or Lily

A third of us have a nom de grrr and wish our parents had called us something else, pollsters discovered. Jack, Lily, Sophia, and Max emerged as the most coveted names, with Adam, George, Mia, Stevie, and Joe also desirable among the 32 percent who hate their own.

To get round it, four in 10 use a nickname, while more than one in 20 go by something completely different.

Nearly a quarter admit they avoid using their name entirely, while one in 10 make a point of asking to be called something else.

Three percent went whole hog and changed their name by deed poll.

The reasons why they don’t like their name range from it being old fashioned (35 percent), it doesn’t suit me (28 percent), it’s too common (19 percent) and it’s no longer cool (14 percent.

The study found 11 percent were teased at school, while nine percent say their name is too hard to pronounce. One in 20 (six percent) were named after a distant relative.

And there may be mixed fortunes for four percent named after their parent’s favourite pop star of the time.

Other favoured names to emerge include Mya, Freya, Evie, and Clint.

The poll of 2,000 adults marks the rebrand of Jurys Inn Hotels to Leonardo Hotels. Managing director Jason Carruthers said: “It’s surprising to see that so many Brits prefer to be called by a completely different name as they feel like their given one doesn’t suit them.

“We have in fact just been through the process and while we are sad to say goodbye to the Jurys Inn name, we are excited to join the wider 193 Leonardo Hotels.”

For a third of those quizzed, however, nearly a third were so disgruntled they confronted their parents over their name, with more than one in 10 (six percent) having fallen out with them.

The study also found over a quarter (26 percent) had arguments with their partner about what to name their children, with more than half (59 percent) agreeing naming a child is one of the most stressful decisions in life.

Nearly half (42 percent) think celebs give their children silly names and a further 40 percent say it is important to consider nicknames and their initials.

Almost one in five (18 percent) use a different first name for their social media accounts, with 13 percent introducing themselves with a new name. Just under one in 10 are jealous of their friends’ names.