I don’t want to say I told you so — I can’t be sure that her name change has affected her destiny — but on this blog on March 18, I said that Miley Cyrus was taking a big risk in changing the name that had served her so well since birth.

The current firestorm over provocative Annie Leibovitz photographs of Cyrus in Vanity Fair does appear to raise the possibility that changing her name was not a smart move.

There are plenty of people who believe that your name affects your destiny. Personally, I don’t know either way. But I think it’s a fascinating topic. And in light of what I suggested back in March about the possible outcome of Miley Cyrus’s name change — well, maybe there’s something to this idea after all.

Cyrus was given the name Destiny Hope when she was born — because her parents felt she had a great future in front of her. Boy, did she ever. But just last month, she petitioned in Los Angeles County Court to change her name from Destiny Hope Cyrus to Miley Ray Cyrus. The rest, as they say, is history.

It will be fascinating to see if she recovers from this P.R. nightmare — and where her destiny takes her next. No doubt many name experts will be watching her career closely, to see if there is any more fallout from the Miley Cyrus name change.

What do you think? Did her name change affect her destiny? Is such a thing possible?

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Miley Ray Cyrus, also known as Hannah Montana, began life as Destiny Hope Cyrus. Her parents, singer Billy Ray Cyrus and wife Leticia, named her Destiny Hope because they felt she was destined for great things.

Now that she’s pretty much fulfilled her destiny, she’s decided to toss out the old name, and adopt Miley Ray Cyrus as her official, legal name. Papers filed by her parents in Los Angeles County Court on Friday petition for the name change.

Is this a smart idea? If, as some contend, your name affects your destiny (or in her case, Destiny affects her destiny), might she not be throwing out something very valuable? The name she bore while rising to the top? After all, her parents consciously gave her that name to help her succeed. Whether you believe in the power of names to shape your life or not, it seems like quite a risk to throw out a name that has served you well all your life.

To me this seems a little like those successful people who get to the top, and once there, forget where they came from and who was there for them along the way.

I wish Miley Cyrus well, and hope she enjoys continued success. But I hope she’s not making a big mistake that she’ll live to regret.

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Posted on March 18th 2008 and posted to CELEBRITY BABY NAMES, Miley Cyrus | Comments(7)

Billy Ray Cyrus and Destiny Hope ‘Miley’ Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) are in the news a lot these days, so it seemed like a good time to look at that name: Destiny Hope ‘Miley’ Cyrus. How does anyone come up with a mouthful like that?

Actually, the explanation is quite simple, and it says something about the power of names as destiny.

Cyrus and his wife Leticia named their newborn daughter Destiny Hope because they felt she was destined for great things. Boy, were they right, at least so far.

‘Miley,’ as most people are now aware, is a pet form of the name ‘Smiley,’ which is what the Cyrus’s began calling their destined-for-greatness daughter at an early age. The reason, of course, is that little Destiny Hope was always smiling.

Perhaps she had glimpsed the future, and was just practicing for the cameras.

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Posted on June 29th 2007 and posted to NAME OF THE DAY, Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus | Comments(9)