# Are "mispelled" names in X on purpose or due to poor education? And if the latter why no correction? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 20, 2013, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778 "2013-01-20T04:08:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/41 "2013-01-20T20:51:09Z")
My husband and I were talking about the name Nevaeh and he looked it up and was relieved to see that it’s popularity is in the 900s. I looked over his shoulder and he had mispelled heaven backwards and put Neveah in the social security website. Which is for sure a misspelling. Otherwise what’s the point of the name? It’s like heaven backwards, but spelled differently for uniqueness? Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/42 "2013-01-20T22:06:39Z")
I knew a Jerl back in Texas, and just based on the guy himself, I always figured his parents not only didn’t know how to spell Gerald but also they thought Jerl was how the name really was pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/43 "2013-01-20T22:15:26Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I knew a Jerl back in Texas, and just based on the guy himself, I always figured his parents not only didn’t know how to spell Gerald but also they thought Jerl was how the name really was pronounced. P.S. as per the OP: Jerl and his family were not black, just redneck. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/44 "2013-01-21T00:13:26Z")
My father worked with a woman whose name was ‘Female’. She pronounced it Fe-Mah’-Lay emphasis on second syllable. Very professional sharp woman who happened to have been born to an illiterate mother. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/45 "2013-01-21T00:15:35Z")
> [@hrhomer](#): > > That is not the spelling, that is the CORRECT spelling. I did not put my niece’s exactly-spelled name in the post. > > Edit : What Eyebrows said. Yay, reading comprehension! It’s my understanding that the CORRECT spelling is Caitlin. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/46 "2013-01-21T00:39:20Z")
I knew a girl at school whose name was misspelled by the registrar. What her parents intended to be Athene was written as Athenita – which is rather pretty in it’s own right. Should she read this message board: Hi Tina. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/47 "2013-01-21T00:43:53Z")
Well, she can still pronounce it “Athena”; just tell people the “it” is silent. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/48 "2013-01-21T00:52:41Z")
I always wondered about Jhonny as in Jhonny Peralta who is the shortstop for the Detroit Tigers. It’s so “obviously” a misspelling of Johnny. My own name is Jon and apparently I came home from nursery school in tears one day because the teacher wouldn’t believe me and insisted I’d misspelled it. I can’t imagine what any Jhonnys went through. In addition Jhonny is a slang term for a condom, masturbation, or a young male pervert. That’s quite a name to be saddled with. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/49 "2013-01-21T00:54:24Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > I always wondered about Jhonny as in Jhonny Peralta who is the shortstop for the Detroit Tigers. It’s so “obviously” a misspelling of Johnny. My own name is Jon and apparently I came home from nursery school in tears one day because the teacher wouldn’t believe me and insisted I’d misspelled it. I can’t imagine what any Jhonnys went through. In addition Jhonny is a slang term for a condom, masturbation, or a young male pervert. That’s quite a name to be saddled with. … as opposed to John? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/50 "2013-01-21T01:04:32Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > It’s my understanding that the CORRECT spelling is Caitlin. :rolleyes: Thanks, you’re right. It’s irrelevant, but you’re right. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/51 "2013-01-21T01:10:12Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > I always wondered about Jhonny as in Jhonny Peralta who is the shortstop for the Detroit Tigers. [Jhonny Peralta - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jhonny_Peralta) > [@](#): > > [In an interview with the Santo Domingo Times on March 11, 2007, Peralta claimed that he is the only person named “Jhonny” with the name spelled correctly; all other “Johnnies” are misspelled.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jhonny_Peralta) One fairly often sees “John” spelled as “Jhon” in Spanish speaking countries. Since neither “hn” or “jh” normally occur in Spanish, the latter doesn’t look any more “wrong” than the former. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/52 "2013-01-21T04:07:47Z")
I’ve always wondered about Johns Hopkins’ parents. Or Mathew Brady’s. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/53 "2013-01-21T04:25:00Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I’ve always wondered about Johns Hopkins’ parents. Maybe they were expecting twins. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/54 "2013-01-21T16:30:57Z")
> [@For You](#): > > I could never get “Michael”. What a goofy spelling that is. It’s originally a Hebrew name, and the traditional English spelling reflects a fairly direct Anglicization of the Hebrew spelling/pronunciation (Mikha’el), though the traditional English pronunciation doesn’t. Yes, it’s mildly confusing to some people, and it gets misspelled not infrequently. I’ve learned to cope. Signed, Michael 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/55 "2013-01-21T17:14:55Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > And the second version couldn’t have been your thread title for what reason, again? > When someone names a child, the name is inherently spelled correctly. > That’s the spelling the parent’s chose. > I sure don’t understand your question. Like I said, technical reasons. There is a limit to how many characters you can have in a thread title and I hit it perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/56 "2013-01-21T17:52:40Z")
I see. For what it’s worth, you could have left the second sentence out of the title, and had enough room to fit “African Americans” in the title. Just a quibble, nothing personal. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/57 "2013-01-21T18:06:43Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > I’ve seen loads of examples of this from here over the pond, but the news story that made me ask this question is [this one](http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4753600/woman-who-measures-over-8ft-around-middle.html), obviously intended towards light relief, of a lady who has a very large bottom. 8 foot wide it is. That’s all you need to know about the entire story really, and if you click on that link you’re a disgusting voyeur 😛 Don’t post schmuck bait if you don’t think it should be taken. 😛 I’m seeing increasing amounts of “creative spelling” among whites, too. Ugh. Aside from wondering about that woman’s hips, knees, back, etc., I’m concerned that her kids might not still have a mother by the time they’re adults. There’ve got to be some major health issues associated with being 420 lb., unless you’re over 8 ft. tall. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/58 "2013-01-21T19:03:23Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I think it was important to have “Americans” included because apparently (judging by a number of the threads he’s started) we’re some alien culture that he’s studying Is it that obvious? I must admit I am doing quite a lot of that, and I am also at the same time (not in this thread) trying to inform Americans of quirky (everyone knows we have red buses and black taxis in london) things about over here. It should be itneresting for both sides of the pond. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/59 "2013-01-21T19:32:30Z")
> [@hrhomer](#): > > Anecdote : I have a niece, with a very unconventional spelling of the name “Caitlyn.” The first time I had a moment alone with my wife after meeting the kid, I asked, “Do they KNOW that they spelled her name wrong?” My wife said, “No, and don’t tell them. It’s been brought up among the family.” They apparently did NOT check any spellings, and wound up with a clusterfuck of a name. I’ve seen Katelyn(n), Kaitlyn(n), Catelyn(n), Caitlyn(n). They must have really done something wrong… Like a co-worker who wanted to use the name “Keira” but wanted a “y” in the name. Instead of the perfecly cromulent “Kyra”, they went with Keiyra. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778/60 "2013-01-21T21:20:52Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I’ve seen Katelyn(n), Kaitlyn(n), Catelyn(n), Caitlyn(n). They must have really done something wrong… I went to school with a (white) girl named Katilin, which was pronounced “Katie Lynn”. I was never clear on whether her parents deliberately went with a creative spelling of “Katie Lynn” or if they were confused about the pronunciation of “Caitlin”. The girl went by Kati, but I remember on the first day of class teachers usually called her Caitlin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mispelled-names-in-x-on-purpose-or-due-to-poor-education-and-if-the-latter-why-no-correction/647778.md?page=4)