# Having to spell your name over and over and over and. .

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-to-spell-your-name-over-and-over-and-over-and/1021430>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 28, 2025, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-to-spell-your-name-over-and-over-and-over-and/1021430 "2025-07-28T16:00:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-to-spell-your-name-over-and-over-and-over-and/1021430/61 "2025-08-01T13:14:04Z")

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My parents thought they were inventing a name when they named me. It’s not new, in fact one of my multi-great aunts had the same name, but a different spelling. My grandmother discovered that when I was in my teens.

As my name is rather rare, there is a quite a variety in the spellings I’ve seen. And there’s a silent e at the end, which in many latin languages, get pronounced. So my name is mispronounced and misspelled.

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**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2025, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-to-spell-your-name-over-and-over-and-over-and/1021430/62 "2025-08-04T16:27:49Z")

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> [@Crafter\_Man](#):
>
> There are two common spellings for my last name. So I spell it out of habit.

My given name has two different spellings, so I always say, “with an H”. My nickname, a form of my given name has quite a few available spellings so I always spell it out. I do it for both names before being asked.

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**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2025, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-to-spell-your-name-over-and-over-and-over-and/1021430/63 "2025-08-04T17:13:54Z")

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My last name uses a “t” in place of a much more common “d”. I spell it out to make sure people heard it correctly.

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**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:** [August 4, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/having-to-spell-your-name-over-and-over-and-over-and/1021430/64 "2025-08-04T17:23:20Z")

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I have a fairly rare, non-English surname, the pronunciation of which doesn’t line up with how it’s spelled, for most people. It’s a German Swiss name, but the way it’s spelled makes a lot of people assume it’s French – and thus, they initially pronounce it incorrectly.

In addition, my surname also features several consonants which sound like other consonants, especially when said over the phone: it starts with “M,” which can sound a lot like “N” when the letter is spoken, and has an “s,” which can sound a lot like “f.”

So, not only do I regularly have to spell my surname, but I also usually clarify some of the letters: “‘M’ as in Mike, ‘s’ as in Sam.”

I’ve been having to spell my name pretty much my entire life. I’m used to it.

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