# 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:** 11\ **Page:** 7
**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:** [June 4, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/121 "2011-06-04T15:32:26Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > My last name is also something that can be said as an insult so people always ask me to spell it. They also always try to pronounce it all weird so as not to say the actually word. > > So if it was Loser, they’d say “Loser? can you spell that please” and then pronounce it like LouZAR. Pity my friend Jim upcountry. In Thai, if you pronounce Jim with a certain tone or spell it a certain way, it’s vulgar slang for a female vagina. I mean really vulgar, equal to that C word we’re not supposed to use hear. He really has to be careful. So if any of you Jims have ever been giggled at in Thailand, I mean more than most farangs (Westerners), now you know why. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/122 "2011-06-04T15:50:34Z")
I have a five syllables, two words last name. It is very rare when I will even attempt to get the two words to whomever I’m speaking to (especially on phone). So a truncated name is what I had to use for most of my life. Got used to it, but always had a moment of dread, for the whole of my school-university years, just right after the teacher had finished with the name above mine during the roll call and now had to take care of my name (especially awkward on first day at school, I have heard the gasp of breath made by teachers when they get to my name, and had no fucking clue how they should pronounce this monstruosity). ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/123 "2011-06-04T22:56:11Z")
My married last name is German and contains a PF and a Z. I spell it every single time. After ten years, I typically don’t even say my last name - I just spell it. People can typically pronounce it reasonably well when they see it, except that nobody seems to know that PF is just pronounced like F. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/124 "2011-06-04T23:33:43Z")
I voted “somewhat”. I don’t care that I have to spell it for people, but I do get annoyed when I spell it for people and then it comes back wrong, making the whole spelling thing pointless. I work in graphics. I once designed my own business cards and set up the file ready for output with the text converted to graphics so there would be no font issues. For some reason, they decided to use my background graphics and re-type my name. They did so incorrectly and had to re-run the entire job. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/125 "2011-06-05T03:03:52Z")
My first name is relatively common, so I usually don’t need to spell that one. My last name, starting with a K, is extremely rare. I’ve only ever seen one person that I was not related to that had that spelling. However there is a well-known version that starts with a C, so I always have to spell it for people. It’s kind of second nature to me now, it just rolls off my tongue whenever I say my name to someone over the phone, including the “V as in Victor” that I add for the V in the middle. I don’t even think about it anymore. I am reminded of an amusing anecdote when I had to give my name to a man with a heavily Indian accent, and he would not say my last name as anything other than “Kevin” no matter how many times I correctled him. Only the K and the V were correct. ---
**Author:** ![633squadron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/ee59a6/32.png) [@633squadron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/633squadron)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/126 "2011-06-05T03:26:17Z")
I am frustrating that people get the spelling wrong _even when I spell it!_. My first name is “Joseph”, but I prefer Joe. If I say “Joe”, half the people think I said “Joel”.:smack: My last name is “Malin”. People can’t ever seem to get that one correct. I’ve learned the NATO codes for each letter, just so I can spell it over the phone: Mike Alfa Lima India November If people try to _pronounce_ my last name, they always get it wrong. They pronounce it “May” - “Lynn”, but the first syllable is shorter. It’s (approximately) “Maa” - “Lynn”; the “a” is pronounced like the a’s in “Alan”. It’s definitely _not_ pronounced like the French word “malin”, although I don’t mind at all if people who know French get a kick out of someone with that last name!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/127 "2011-06-05T12:52:24Z")
Not at all. I expect it since I have an odd english name living in a French province I spell it out all the time for people en français. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/128 "2011-06-06T01:23:11Z")
For my last name, I always have to say “May, like the month.” ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/129 "2011-06-06T14:06:23Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Don’t assume you wouldn’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. The same for me. Very short, one syllable, spelled exactly as it sounds, and yet puzzling to people so I must spell. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/130 "2011-06-06T16:03:52Z")
I don’t really mind. My last name is a bit uncommon and the spelling isn’t immediately 100% obvious. My first name is much more common but there’s at least one popular alternate spelling. The one thing that does mildly annoy me is having to say ‘all one word, that’s all my last name.’ (Because my surname could be broken up into a popular given name and a surname that’s no more unusual than the full surname.) ---
**Author:** ![hellpaso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-often-frustrated-by-having-to-spell-your-first-or-last-name-for-other-people/584011/131 "2011-06-06T19:24:34Z")
My last name is not particularly uncommon, but it is an Anglo name and 90+% of the population around me have Hispanic names (including my kids & grandkids). So, basically, no one knows how to pronounce or spell it at all. And it’s only 5 letters long.:smack: [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=6)