# Apparently I don't know how to spell my name **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 13, 2004, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996 "2004-05-13T18:55:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![StephenG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@StephenG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StephenG)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/21 "2004-05-14T04:15:09Z")
> [@dwyr](#): > > I get a lot of people adding an extra “e” to my last name. It always bugged me and I never knew why they did it. Doing a little sleuthing I found out that my last name probably originally had that “e” and it was somehow dropped in my particular branch of the family. Which sort of means we _do_ spell it incorrectly, but gosh darn it that’s our privilege. I think we may have the last name… I’m always careful to pronounce it with two syllables, though, and not three. People often misspell my first name with a v. I’m not sure there’s anything I can do about this, other than say “Like Professor Hawking”. Not enough people these days know their Greek… ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/22 "2004-05-14T04:30:22Z")
I have a silent 6 in my name and I cannot for the life of me get people to stop leaving it out!!! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![stupidgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@stupidgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stupidgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/23 "2004-05-14T11:02:56Z")
People spell my first name wrong a lot, either by putting multiple letters in the middle… or by leaving the last two letters off thus making it into a common boys name :eek: I guess then I should be thankful for a hugely common last name! ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/24 "2004-05-14T11:26:20Z")
My daughter’s name is Sarah. With an “h” - and we’ll say that when someone needs to write her name down. So this one doof wrote: Shara. 😕 Um, OK. Another wrote Sarha. 😕 Is it really that difficult a name? I’m sure there’s more than one Sara who gets an “h” appended. ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/25 "2004-05-14T12:15:08Z")
> [@Eureka](#): > > My given name is spelled with a “k”. A more or less equally common spelling of the same name is spelled with a “c”. Once in a while, I’ll even get it spelled with a “ck”. My son, with the given name “Lukas” has exactly the same problem. In Germany the “k” spelling predominates, while here in the Netherlands you get more of the “c” (the French influence I guess). I have never seen “Luckas” though. I think in the States the “k” spelling also predominates, after all the nickname is “Luke” and not “Luce”. Please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/26 "2004-05-14T13:40:30Z")
I’m so used to people screwing up the spelling of my name that I do it myself. I never replace the “y” with an “i” like most people do but I frequently write “yrn” instead of “ryn” at the end of my name. At least I pronounce it correctly. I have had people get kind of mean about how I say it. I say it the way my father intended - not the way Joe Nobody on the street wants. Maybe it’s because it’s my name but I have a very hard time understanding how anyone can pronounce my name wrong. I love the people who think the “l” is silent and call me Caryn. I’ve also had Clarissa 😕 , Clarien, Cloren, Cloris 😕 , Claire and hundreds of others. It’s Claryn people! Claire-In, Karen with an “l”. It’s not that hard. There is no “s” in my name. Oh yeah, Clarence - my favorite. Do the boobs confuse people? I am not a MAN! Sorry, that was slightly off topic. People spell my name wrong all the time but they never argue with me. They just look sheepish and change it back. I do have to spell it 3 or more times for some people to get it right though. ---
**Author:** ![DogMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@DogMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DogMom)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/27 "2004-05-14T14:17:49Z")
I have this one engineer at work who _insists_ that my last name is “Wilkerson”. Last time I went through this, he said, “Wilkerson”, I said, “No, it’s ‘WilKINson’.” His reply? “Oooohhhh, RIGHT, WILKERSON.” I constantly get emails from him referring to me as “Wilkerson”. Since our email addresses are on the address list spelled CORRECTLY, I have no idea how he EVER gets emails to me. I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s either an ass or a complete idiot. Jury’s still out on which one. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/28 "2004-05-14T14:39:16Z")
My first name does not have a y in it. It’s pronounced with a long “a”, not a short “a” but looks like it should be a short “a”. All together now it’s Lay-mon, with a long “a”. It is spelled Lamon. Not Laymon. Not Laymen. Not Laman. And most especially **DEFINITELY NOT** Lemon… grrrrrrrr… Of course, being the certified licensed professional wise ass that I am, I usually don’t respond when it’s pronounced wrong. After I get an exasperated, “Sir! I’m talking to you!” I respond, “Really? Then why don’t you say my name then? I explained how to pronounce it.” When it shows up on forms spelled wrong I get even wise asser. “Excuse me, but I think this must be meant for someone else. My name isn’t on this form.” “Why of course it is, sir, it’s right there.” “I don’t see it.” I see (whatever the hell wrong way it’s spelled) but that’s not me." “If this is meant for me, could my proper name be put on the form?” I got told once that it wasn’t possible to change the spelling of my name on a bill I had been sent. I responded, “In that case, I won’t need to pay it then since the bill is in someone elses name.” “I got a corrected statement three days later.” 😃 Wise assness has it’s good points. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/29 "2004-05-14T14:44:04Z")
My last name is three letters long. It is such an easy name, that people get confused, and want to change the X to CKS. Arrghhh! ---
**Author:** ![MinniePurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@MinniePurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MinniePurl)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/30 "2004-05-14T14:49:28Z")
> [@StephenG](#): > > I think we may have the last name… I’m always careful to pronounce it with two syllables, though, and not three. > > People often misspell my first name with a v. I’m not sure there’s anything I can do about this, other than say “Like Professor Hawking”. Not enough people these days know their Greek… Mr. Purl is also a Stephen. I can’t beleive the amount of dumbasses who call for him and ask for “Steffen”, “Stefan”, or god help me… “Step-han.” And these have all been native speakers of English. My policy is to hang up on anyone too stupid to pronounce Stephen. ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/31 "2004-05-14T14:49:30Z")
**swampbear** I like the way you think. I wish I had the balls to do that. Alas, I was born shy with an overactive politeness gene. Perhaps I need therapy. It is nice to see that I’m not the only one with such an affliction. I had no idea there were so many of us. **DogMom** Both **congodwarf** yes, boobs are confusing. Why just the other day a man was talking to me and mistook my boobs for my eyes when speaking to me. Surprising really. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/32 "2004-05-14T14:49:43Z")
Used to happen to my ex-wife all the time. Her christian name was an unusual spelling and people would routinely “correct” her when she filled in forms. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/33 "2004-05-14T14:53:33Z")
> [@velvetjones](#): > > swampbear I like the way you think. I wish I had the balls to do that. Alas, I was born shy with an overactive politeness gene. Perhaps I need therapy. See, I went for the advanced degree in wise assness. That’s why I am a certified licensed professional wise ass. It was worth all the hard work. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Eliphalet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eliphalet/32/9563_2.png) [@Eliphalet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eliphalet)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/34 "2004-05-14T15:07:02Z")
Even the most common names can get destroyed by well-meaning morons. My last name is the most common name in Ireland. If you Google it (with the correct spelling), there are 8.3 million entries. If you mis-spell it, there are 14,000 entries. So 99.9% of the time, it’s spelled one way. So why do I get 30% of my mail with the wrong spelling? :dubious: Another anecdote: When my daughter was born, we gave a simple Greek name. We then nicknamed her “Cassie”. Nice, simple, easy to spell. Everyone spells it with a “K”; or, more often, “Casey”. Fortunately, her school has finally gotten it right. My son, we went even more simple; “Duncan”. Spelled the same way as Highlander. What could possibly be easier? The first mail we get for him says Duncyn. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![mlerose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@mlerose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlerose)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/35 "2004-05-14T15:08:24Z")
My last name is very unusual (the only ones in the US are directly related to my family). However, it’s extraordinarily easy to both spell and pronounce (it’s only five letters long). For some reason, people really really want to add extra letters like l, a, and y, or make it sound like other last names that start with T that are similar to but not at all the same as my last name. How hard can it be? It’s five letters. Straightforward. No muss, no fuss, no l, no a! Five little letters. No unusual pronunciation, nothing silent, nothing weird. And no, it’s not Taylor, Tyler, Traylor, or whatever people want to force it to be. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/36 "2004-05-14T15:53:26Z")
> [@swampbear](#): > > My first name does not have a y in it. It’s pronounced with a long “a”, not a short “a” but looks like it should be a short “a”. All together now it’s Lay-mon, with a long “a”. It is spelled Lamon. No, dear, it’s Lamont. 😛 😃 You’ll always be **swampy** to me. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/37 "2004-05-14T15:57:50Z")
This happens to me ALL THE TIME. My first name is somewhat common, with a number of different spellings of equal common-ness. I understand that anyone would have to guess how to spell it, but when either (a) I spell it out for you, or (b) it’s written in front of you !! like in an e-mail, there is simply no excuse. But that doesn’t bug me nearly as much as my surname, which I apparently spell wrong as well. See, it’s an uncommon name to begin with, and it ends with ‘O’ which is an uncommon letter for last names to end with. There is a more common version that ends with an N - but even that is rare, there are only about fifteen in the Toronto (‘Toronton’? ‘Torontow’?) phone book (as opposed to about ten of mine - all relatives of mine or of one other family that happens to live around the corner from my family). People can’t resist putting an N on the end. Or an S. or a T, or W, really, anything at all. The ‘O’ must look so bare on its own. My thesis supervisor submitted my evaluation with the N on the end. And my best friend of many years once spelled it with an H on the end - because my _first_ name starts with H, and my e-mail address at the time was LastnameFirstinitial. My entire family comments that our last name actually formally includes the spelling, as in “Yes, my surname is LASTNAME, L-A-S-T-N-A-M-E, yes, that’s the end, full stop” - we all do it reflexively. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/38 "2004-05-14T16:09:19Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > No, dear, it’s Lamont. > > 😛 > > 😃 > > You’ll always be **swampy** to me. Just for that, you **will** have wall to wall lime green shag carpet in everyroom including the bathroom! Your furniture **will be** pseudo Mediterranean in dark brown and your dishes **will** be melmac with little mushrooms painted on them. That’ll teach ya to tease an over the top gay decorator! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/39 "2004-05-14T16:12:17Z")
> [@swampbear](#): > > See, I went for the advanced degree in wise assness. That’s why I am a certified licensed professional wise ass. It was worth all the hard work. 😃 Perhaps I need tuturing. Whenever I attempt wise-assness it turns out more like cold hearted bitchyness. Turns out nobody likes a bitch. My husband (different last name) doesn’t even bother saying his name he just automatically spells it even though it’s perfectly phonetic and there are a number of semi-famous people with the same first and last name. **mlerose** I know what you mean. My last name is only 4 letters. How hard can that be? Perhaps it’s just too short and begs for more letters. Yes, that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996/40 "2004-05-14T16:24:11Z")
I have a normally-spelt first name that always gets the abnormal spelling, and an abnormally-spelt last name that always gets the normal spelling. So you can’t win for losing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-i-dont-know-how-to-spell-my-name/244996.md?page=3)