I just recently met someone named Rena. Now, I knew another Rena back in the day. She was one of twins–Rena and Lena. (no comment-nice people).
Except this new Rena doesn’t pronounce her name Ree/na–in fact, her name ISN’T Ree/na. It’s Renee. She pronounces it Ren/ay, but spells it Rena.
<bangs head against desk> Nava–I know you meant well, but somehow knowing that there are a bunch of Spaniard baby girls running around with the Spanish version of my English version of a French name didn’t quite console me…
I was once asked if my name was Sandy. I replied in the negative. I was then asked, “are you sure?” I was tempted to do this: :smack: and exclaim,“OMG! The witness protection program has failed!” but I refrained.
Yes this sort of thing I just don’t get. Why yes, I am pretty sure how to spell/pronounce my own name, thanks ever so. But perhaps I’m wrong, in fact, why don’t you tell me how to and I’ll just go with that?! :rolleyes:
My first name is Claryn. Exactly like Karen with an L.
I have been called:
Claire (by far the absolute worst. I detest this name)
Clara
Kara
Karen
Clairol
Clarissa
Carolyn
Clarien
Clarinette
Clarinetter
Clarinutter
Marilyn
Mary (no, that is my sister)
Nettie (by a friend of my mom. He called me Clarinette when I was young, to annoy me. He decided it needed maturing once I was an adult. I kinda like Nettie)
Fergie (by my ex boyfriend/best friend. He said I look like her - Sarah I mean. Not the singer.)
Clarabelle (my favorite by far. I love this one. But a friend from my new job started this after he gave up on trying to pronounce my real name. Then he got fired. Unfortunately, it stuck and most of my coworkers call me Clarabelle. It makes me sad to hear it now because it reminds me that work is no fun anymore without my friend there).
There are many more really strange names I’ve been called but I’ve given up on trying to remember them. My sister’s boyfriend calls me DB (short for douchebag - don’t ask, yes we are friends).
I no longer tell people IRL my middle name because I got sick of explaining that I was NOT named after the singer Madonna. Even if they understand the religious aspect to the name, they don’t seem to understand how an Agnostic could have a religious name (um, how about I didn’t name myself you dumbass).
The only times I correct people when they screw up my name now, is when they call me Claire, which as I said, I detest. Otherwise, I will answer to anything. I just don’t care anymore. I like my name but I’m not particularly attached to it. I decided that explaining the religious signifigance of my middle name was a waste of time so I just don’t mention it anymore. I ignore the candybar jokes about my last name.
Life’s just too damn short to get worked up over things like this. I know people are trying to pronounce my name correctly. Most people just can’t seem to wrap their tongue around it.
Oh, and no one can spell my first name. But, when I tell them it’s with a “y” and not an “i” or and “e”, they have NEVER asked me if I was sure. They’ve never asked that about the pronounciation either.
I was this close {—} to being named “Madonna Maria” instead of Angelique Marie. Madonna is a family name, you see, but my mother had the good sense to realize that 1986 was a good year for a Madonna other than the virgin mother. Yeah, she took pity on my little unborn self.
You are so lucky. I was born in 1980. My father probably still would have named me after her because he’s obsessed. But, at least I would have had some sense of the hassle my name would have caused me in school. Nope. I went to Kindergarten in September of 1985, blissfully unaware of the torment those little bastards would heap on me - simply because of my name.
My first name (female) happens to sound just like another common-ish first name (male) in most American accents. These names are totally different in spelling and ethnic/linguistic origin, and I have never, ever run into a guy who had the female version, or a girl who had the male version. I’m constantly correcting people who want to use the male spelling, even though I’m really, really obviously a girl. I even sound girly on the phone.
I got fed up with it when I got to college. Now I sign everything with my first and middle initial. The wary question of whether the mystery letters go to a girl or a boy is slightly less annoying.
My last name is an Americanization of a surname that seems to be moderately common in Ireland, but is rare over here in the US – if you Google the post-Ellis Island version, everyone who comes up is related to me, within a couple of degrees. It also happens to sound like, but isn’t spelled like, a common English word – and is spelled like, but doesn’t sound like, another English word. Oodles of fun I have every time I show up to a class taught by an instructor who doesn’t already know me.
Swap “Liz” and “Beth” in your story and that was my childhood (except I have never given in to being called “Liz”). Everyone wanted to call me Liz. I had a shop teacher that didn’t even bother asking my preference. He was calling people up to his desk for some evaluation thing and called “Liz” about 20 times before the whole shop went quiet and a friend pointed out that he was calling for me.
And then there is my (German) maiden name, which was only four letters and one syllable, yet it was constantly mispronounced or misinterpreted for any number of English nouns. And now my married name IS an English noun and still no one can get it right! GAH!
I was tempted to do this: :smack: and exclaim,“OMG! The witness protection program has failed!” but I refrained.