# Are you often frustrated by having to spell your first or last name for other people? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 1, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011 "2011-06-01T21:39:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/41 "2011-06-02T01:37:08Z")
> [@Polerius](#): > > Hmmm, Kirsten vs Kristen (and the actress is Kirsten Dunst)? šŸ™‚ Same idea, different actress/name. > [@Superbia-acedia](#): > > Itā€™s because my name contains the word ā€œcockā€. There are many last names that contain it. I cannot be the only one. Ah, yes. I used to work with a Ms. Woodcock. The jokes practically write themselves. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/42 "2011-06-02T01:58:12Z")
This is why when people tell me their names, in my work, I ask them how they spell it if I have the slightest doubt. There are two spellings of my first name and thereā€™s a variant of my last name out there and I hate when people get those wrong. So if people wonder why Iā€™m asking, I tell them I can think of about three ways to spell (say) Catherine without trying very hard and I want to get it right. Itā€™s usually appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/43 "2011-06-02T01:58:49Z")
I just go ahead and spell my last name. Itā€™s short but itā€™s got a silent letter so thereā€™s no guarantee that anyone will spell it right. Iā€™m always amazed that the people at the pharmacy understand my last name without me having to spell it. Especially when Iā€™m yelling it over the drive-through microphone. No matter who it is, they always come back with the right prescription. My hearing is so bad, I could think of a million things my last name could sound like. My pharmacy rocks. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/44 "2011-06-02T02:08:15Z")
I donā€™t mind having to spell my name for other people. My first name is the less common spelling. What I do mindā€“when people ignore the correct spelling in favor of using an incorrect one. Lookā€“my e-mail address contains my first name, spelled correctly, and a common English word. If you are sending me an e-mail, why the heck wouldnā€™t you use the same spelling of my name that appears in my e-mail address? Vaguely relatedā€“I just finished a temp job where I had access to an online database under what I like to think of as a secret identity. Neither my first or last name were spelled correctly. Had it been a long term job, Iā€™d have fussed. But for a few weeks, I could live with misspelled names. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/45 "2011-06-02T02:17:37Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Donā€™t assume you wouldnā€™t have to spell it if yours was more simple. My last name is only 4 letters and a common English word and I still spell it every single time I say it to a new person because there is about a 75% chance they are going to ask me to anyway. Me too, though mine is five letters instead of four. People, itā€™s a common noun you learned in elementary science class, how else would you spell it?? But whatever, at least itā€™s quick to spell. There are apparently three ways to spell my first name, but 98% of people get it right because my spelling is the one the vast majority use. As for the rest a quick ā€œthatā€™s ā€˜onā€™ not ā€˜enā€™ā€ clears it up. **EvilTOJ** , maybe they think your parents are dumb, or jerky enough to give you the girlā€™s spelling. I work with an Erin\* who has a factory issued penis but Iā€™ve never been able to bring myself to ask what his parentsā€™ explanation for that is. \*pronounced ā€œAaronā€ā€¦in north eastern accents thereā€™s a _slight_ and _sometimes_ precipitable difference in pronunciation between the two. Back in college I knew an Aaron who dated an Erin, and when some people talked about them you knew which person they mean, but others not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/46 "2011-06-02T02:20:02Z")
Iā€™ve been spelling my last name since I was old enough to pronounce it, What bothers me isnā€™t having to spell it, itā€™s pronouncing it, spelling it and still having the other person screw it up. ---
**Author:** ![ladysorrowfree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@ladysorrowfree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladysorrowfree)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/47 "2011-06-02T02:21:15Z")
My last name is short but very uncommon. Over the years I have found that the easiest way to go is to spell it out using the radio operatorsā€™ phonetic alphabet (Alpha, Baker, Charlieā€¦etc). It eliminates any spelling questions. Now the only problem they have is how to pronounce itā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/48 "2011-06-02T02:40:28Z")
My first and last name have letters that are always easily misunderstood when spelled verbally and are doubles too. Once you get the right letter, then you have to convince them to put it down twice. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/49 "2011-06-02T03:30:55Z")
My last name is fairly uncommon and I automatically spell it (with a ā€œvā€ as in victor thrown in for added clarity). Spelling it is so automatic that it really doesnā€™t bother me. What DOES bother me is the fact that so many people say ā€œyouā€™re last name is so-and-so? Are you related to random-person-of-course-Iā€™m-not-related-to?ā€ My last name is uncommon but not rare/unique, it just sounds kinda funky and apparently sticks in peopleā€™s minds. I can barely let people get through the attempt before I interrupt with ā€œno, not related.ā€ (all my relatives are in TX and I now live in CA, the chance of some passing acquaintance knowing an actual relative is pretty damn small). ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/50 "2011-06-02T03:31:36Z")
My last name begins with C pronounced as S. If I just say my name, people almost always assume itā€™s spelled with an S. If donā€™t say it but spell it out, they still assume itā€™s spelled with an S, probably because the name of the letter C is pronounced as though it begins with S. A tad frustrating. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/51 "2011-06-02T03:45:30Z")
My last name is rare and has a silent letter in an unexpected place. I always spell it out, but thatā€™s automatic and it doesnā€™t annoy me. What _does_ annoy me is when I spell it out and they still get it wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/52 "2011-06-02T03:54:57Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > My name isnā€™t all that hard to spell. And if Iā€™m in Canada or the UK, I never have to spell it: I just say ā€œlike the cigarettes.ā€ Kent? šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![RedWood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f08c70/32.png) [@RedWood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedWood)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/53 "2011-06-02T04:09:18Z")
when I married, I realised I had also gained 40% of the alphabetā€¦ so I automatically spell for folks. It bothers me not one whit. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**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:** [June 2, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/54 "2011-06-02T04:11:09Z")
My first name is Michael, which is extremely common, though also not uncommon to misspell (I see ā€œMichealā€ fairly often). However, I usually go by ā€œMikeā€, which is even easier. However, my last name is not only very uncommon, but not English, so I always have to spell it for people. In addition, itā€™s very rare that someone pronounces it correctly if they see it before they hear me pronounce it, so Iā€™m always having to correct the pronunciation. Iā€™m used to doing that, and I know that itā€™s nearly always mispronounced, so Iā€™m not bothered by it in the least. ---
**Author:** ![goldmund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@goldmund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goldmund)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/55 "2011-06-02T04:13:05Z")
My last name is four letters long, is an extremely common English word, and I routinely have to spell it for people who are native English speakers. Yes, itā€™s massively irritating. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/56 "2011-06-02T04:54:56Z")
Weird thing for me is that my last name can be spelled two ways. There is: 1/ the simple way, which is how (based on the phone book) about 80% of people with this name spell it and how my name is spelled; and 2/ the hard way, involving an extra superfluous letter, which is how about 20% of people with this name spell it. If I donā€™t spell out my name, I would say that at least three quarters of people will assume it is spelled the second way. The only very weak explanation I can come up with is that it is because about 30 or 40 years ago there was a very very slightly famous person who spelled their name the second way, but I have never really understood the phenomenon. One good thing is that there was recently a celebrity (who was famous for about five minutes) who spells their name the first way. I may be kidding myself but I _think_ this has made a difference. ---
**Author:** ![Monstera\_deliciosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monstera_deliciosa/32/109_2.png) [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/57 "2011-06-02T05:01:06Z")
Itā€™s a minor annoyance now with my married name, which is Italian and rare in the United States, and as I understand it, not all that common in Italy either. The spelling is difficult to guess at if you hear it pronounced, and apparently, the pronunciation is difficult to guess at if you only see it written. So Iā€™m always either spelling it or correcting someone who mangles it out loud. My maiden name was short, and in the top five most common surnames here in the US, so I never had any problems with it. My first name is also fairly common, and while it has a few variant spellings, mine is the one that people guess first. It is rare that I have to spell it for anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Tracyfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@Tracyfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracyfish)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/58 "2011-06-02T05:08:07Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > My last name is rare and has a silent letter in an unexpected place. I always spell it out, but thatā€™s automatic and it doesnā€™t annoy me. > > What _does_ annoy me is when I spell it out and they still get it wrong. This is exactly what I was going to say. Itā€™s more irritating to spell it and still have the person get it wrong. It also irritates me when coworkers send me an email and manage to misspell my name in the body. And then there was last year when I spent several months crossing out the ā€˜eā€™ every time someone reprinted the sheet at the end of the aisle that shows who sits in my row. It took a while to figure out who I needed to have correct it, and Iā€™m still not sure why they kept reprinting it with the same misspelling every time I corrected it. Seems easy enough to verify in the company directory. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/59 "2011-06-02T06:43:56Z")
My last name is often mispronounced, even after Iā€™ve told the person what it is. I can understand someone putting the accent on the wrong syllable, but often they put in letters that simply arenā€™t there, for absolutely no reason. My first name is somewhat common, but strangely gets misspelled quite often. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/60 "2011-06-02T09:43:26Z")
My name is common enough, but it has an extra letter people donā€™t expect, and that trips them up unless I spell it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011.md?page=4)