My first name couldn’t be any easier. It’s only three little letters and very common. (It’s Amy, in case you’re wonderin’). And, still, people mess it up. I always have to stifle a laugh when someone says, “and how is that spelled?” :dubious: :rolleyes: :smack:
I ask that with just about any name that does have alternative spellings, even if they’re much rarer…I inherited the hatred of people assuming a common spelling from my mother, who visibly seethes when people add an E to Ann.
Is ‘unique’ or ‘interesting’ offensive?
My maiden name is five letter and sounds exactly as it’s spelled, but people don’t want to believe that. It starts FRO, but people have informed me that it’s FOR. They glance at it and come up with names that are pretty much unrelated except for the F. My brother just got married and his new wife doesn’t believe that she’ll have a problem because her maiden name is much more complicated looking. My mom, step-mom, my two sister and I told her to just wait. Anyway, I couldn’t wait to get married because I knew it couldn’t be worse, name-wise and it hasn’t been.
Yes! With the proviso it depends on the tone, of course. If you’re saying unique, but your nose is wrinkled up in disgust, well, it’s still annoying.
And again, just remember that many times it’s really not unique - it’s just unique in the current location. My name, for example, is very popular in India - but practically no one has heard of it here.
:smack: I meant, that unique or interesting is NOT offensive. Sorry!
I don’t mind being asked to spell my last name. Usually, I’ll volunteer the spelling. 
It consists of two palindromes that roll right off the tongue.
I’ve seen it spelled Amie and Aimee also.
“Weird?” I wish I had an unusual name. A common name sucks.
And please please please admit the other two are D and O…go on…
I do that too. Despite it being really really obvious (Multimap gives 15 separate places in the UK with the name). But that’s my own fault, kind-of, through having an accent full of glottal-stops, and a name with a double-T in the middle. :smack:
When I’m doing a book signing, I always ask how names are spelled. I’m not going to mess up a book and have to either toss it or upset the customer! And, by the way, I’ve met someone who spelled her name Aimee. I’ve also encountered Donn, Soo, and unusual spellings of many other simple names. It’s much easier just to ask.
My last name is simple–just six letters long–but it’s similar to a far more common longer name. I spell it for people without even asking because I’ve gotten so tired of having it written wrong.
This could only be funnier if her name was Dea D. Farkerov
My given name is Thaddeus(from a 70’s TV western, not from the bible), but I’ve always gone by Tad.
I realize that my name is fairly uncommon, but not so uncommon as to be unheard of to your typical American (Tad Lincoln, Tad Hamilton, Tad Williams, that Tad from All My Children, etc). I also realize that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between various hard consonant sounds (k, t, p, d), especially over the phone.
So, I am fairly understanding when someone mishears Tad as Ted or Pat, and I politely correct them. What I don’t understand, is why people are so eager to believe my name is Pad, Tap, Tat, Tab, or any other rediculous variation? Who the hell is named Pad, for chrissake??
That sounded just like Dory’s “es-SKA-pay!”, which probably made it a lot funnier than it really is.
Sarah Elizabeth (not terribly common German last name which, IMO anyway, ought to be fairly easy to pronounce but quite obviously is not, as evidenced by the fact that no one pronounces it correctly).
I’m not really annoyed by it too much anymore. I’ve even gotten used to having to say, “That’s Sarah, with an “H” on the end” because so many people manage to fuck up even the simplest of names. :rolleyes: 
My name is pretty easy for most people to spell and pronounce. I lucked out there. I’m always very careful about other people’s names partly because of that. Since I’m an operator and people ask me for various professors, who come from several different places and have all sorts of names, I try to say people’s names as right as I can. I also refrain from making fun of the names, unlike my boss.
My last name is 6 letters long. A good, old Prussian name. It is also one letter removed from a very popular (over here, anyways) Native American surname. It doesn’t help things that most of my relatives have that Amerindian name. So, I always spell my name when first introduced.
What’s really funny is that almost all of my friends call me by my last name only, since it is relatively unique in this area. My Christian name is extemely common. Taken right out of the book of Acts. And used in anti-gay marraige arguments all the time. So, calling me by my last name actually individualizes me so much more than using my first name. In fact, I’ve been called by my last name by friends since I was about 6 yrs old.
Still, with new introductions, I always have to spell it.
I had an editor give me advice once about making sure you have the correct spelling of even common names. If someone gives you grief about asking how to spell their names, remark that you know at least 4 ways to spell “Smith”.
Your first name is " Thou Shall Not Butt Fark?" Man, that is rough.
I failed bible class in school. Go Shirley, Go Shirley Go Shirley!
My middle name is
Thou shall not use the blood of monkeys to grease your man meat, either
I hated school
I’ve got both an unusual first name and last name. It doesn’t bother me when I get any kind of response. I just usually joke about it - I’ve a number of canned responses. On a slightly different tack, how about common names that when combined are unusual? I once new a man who was named (I kid you not!):
Tad Mooredick