WHO is Mary Cathleen Collins? Or Eleanor Gow? No idea? That's because they changed their names to Bo Derek and Elle MacPherson respectively.

It is now hard to imagine the curvaceous star of the movie 10 being known as Mary, or catwalk queen Elle being elongated to Eleanour. Harder still is associating the blonde glamour of Marilyn Monroe with her given name, Norma Jean Baker.

But should it just be film and entertainment stars who get to change their names? No says the company Veet.

Who? Well, if we revealed that Veet used to be called Immac, you would know we are talking about the hair removal people.

They have christened this Change Your Name Week. Their research found that 42 per cent of Yorkshire women would change their name for reasons other than marriage, many simply because they didn't like it.

So are our Thing Is panellists happy with their monikers?

Heather Causnett, 69, part-time legal secretary

"People do reflect their names. When you meet somebody and you get their name you associate the name with the face.

Parents are rather prone to giving their children quite horrible names. You can give a child quite a complex if you give them strange names.

If you have a really strange name, like Peaches, fair enough, you should change it.

If you just want to change it for the hell of it, or to be called David Beckham, then no. You have got to have a good reason.

I am against women who don't want to take their husband's names when they get married. That's very stupid and ineffective, and a very silly part of the feminist movement. I am proud to have my husband's name, even though I preferred my maiden name, Weaver.

I was christened Heather Gloria. I don't like the Gloria part but I'm stuck with it: I'd rather be a Heather than a Gloria any day.

I'd hate to be a Mabel, I wouldn't like to be a Gladys. If I could choose, it would be Rachel. My grandaughter is called Rachel. It's a lovely name."

Rachael Nicholas, 23, boss of York Motorcycle Training

"I have always been happy with my name. I've been quite lucky. It's up to each person if they wish to change their name. I can understand people doing it: if I had some awful name given at birth I would probably change mine.

It would be unfortunate for somebody my age to be called something like Jemima or Beatrice, for example, something you would expect your grandma to be called.

But I don't think you judge people on the name. At the end of the day, I don't think it matters what you are called.

A lot of people call their babies after famous singers and so on. It can be quite easy to lumber your child with a name which is only fashionable for a short time."

Another thing...

REGARDING the Other Things comments from Maureen and Gerry Balcombe on traffic and tolls (February 25), there is a way to reduce pollution and that would be electric vehicles.

Yes, the milk float as it was called that brought milk to our door every morning. Why can't these vehicles be manufactured to serve our cities and help pollution and curb the use of conventional-style vehicles that enter our cities and towns every day?

We must be careful, however. Banning the use of vehicles in our cities and towns could have a bad impact, especially on businesses that are finding it hard to survive as it is. No one wants to see shopping areas reduced to ghost towns.

What's required is getting a balance to the situation for our cities and towns, and being able to survive and provide a service to us all.

Keith Chapman,

Custance Walk,

Benedict Road,

Nunnery Lane, York.

Updated: 08:48 Tuesday, March 04, 2003