My boss has a tendancy to spell my first and last name wrong on emails that she sends out to our group. Her first name is Kimberley, so I usually leave the extra “e” out on my emails. Her last name is very, very Greek, so I usually start it out correctly and just add a bunch of miscellaneous letters in there. Like Eddie Izzard said, you’ve got to have some silent letters, in case of any accidents!
For the record, I usually spell out my last name as “R-U-P-E-R-D as in ‘Don’t spell it wrong’!”
My father is a James. Not a Jim and certainly not a Jimmy. He hates it when people call him anything but James but is too polite to correct them.
I, OTOH, will gently say “Not Tan-ya, Tahn-ya”.
My first name is Amanda, and for some reason, people seem to think that I want to be called Mandy. I rebelled against that nickname in the fourth grade and insisted that everyone call me Amanda because I hated sounding like a trained poodle. People at my new job have a knack for saying “Hey, Mandy, can you do this?” and then don’t understand why I refuse to answer after I’ve TOLD them that my name is Amanda. The only people allowed to call me Mandy are my brother (who’s never called me Amanda), and my family members—aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins. Even my parents call me Amanda. Yet whenever anyone meets me, I get called Mandy.
Ava
I would NEVER shorten someone’s name unless they specifically said, “Hi, my name’s Amanda, please call me Mandy.”
If I met you, and you said, “Hi, my name’s Amanda,” I would call you Amanda.
I would never call you Mandy. That’s just rude.
I would never call anybody by a diminutive name they didn’t use themselves until I had been dating them for quite some time.
As a child, I went by my middle name because that’s what my family called me, but nobody, nobody, could pronounce it correctly, so in 8th grade I started going by my first name, which has three letters and only one syllable.
My middle name is…Tyree. You’d think it would be simple to say, but nooooo. I was always called Timmy, Tommy, Terry, Tony, TyRay, Tyrone, but never my fucking proper name!
So now I’m just Joe. And nobody calles me Joey. At least not more than once–Grrrrr.
I, too, find this exceedingly normal. So normal and common, in fact, that when I met a “Tan-ya” Tanya, I had considerable difficulty in moments of stress (we worked at a busy McDonalds together).
That’s just the thing. Even my boyfriend doesn’t call me Mandy–he knows better. It just amazes me that people automatically think I should be called ‘Mandy’. I guess I look like a Mandy or something. But I HATE the name. I like my first name. I LIKE Amanda. It’s my name and I don’t want to be called anything else.
Ava
Female names that begin with vowels are, to me, incredibly attractive. (Of course Eris fits that bill.) Good thing I don’t work in HR. 
Let’s have one more Elizabeth check in. I grew up as Liz, and being a tomboy, it suited me. But at age 25, I had outgrown it (like some boys outgrow Danny or Tommy). I started going by Elizabeth and now, almost 20 years later, only family and a few old friends call my Liz. But, although I carefully introduce myself as Elizabeth, some new acquaintances insist on shortening my name. So this is my replay–I will respond to any variant of Elizabeth that has at least 2 syllables, and does not end in 'ie" or 'y" (only my mother gets aways with calling me Lizzy!). This keeps most people calling me Elizabeth, although one smartass friend decided that 'Lizard" fit the bill. People that are thoughtful enough to ask what my preferred shortening is are told Elsbeth. Needless to say, I pay close attention to how someone introduces themselves, or listen closely to how other address them, and, when I’m unsure, I ask.
Oh, and though I have a very simple last name, I did have someone tell me that my mother’s maiden name was misspelled when I used it as an idenitfier on a form–she said that the name couldn’t have an “h” in it, but it does. And out-of-towners getting directions in my hometown sometimes get lost when they can’t find “Buhne” St–the locals pronounce it “Booner”. Viva la language difference!
My big peeve is mispronunciation of names and misspelling of them, especially misspelling names. Uhg.
I have lived forever as Billie, not Billy. I am a girl not a boy. Even if you think that girls cannot have the name Billie as well, I will still stand fast to the fact that yes. I am a girl and my name is Billy, and quit trying to tell me it isn’t possible. I cannot tell you how many times I have told someone online that my name is Billie. And they’re all…oh I didn’t look at your user info but I thought you were a girl by the way you talked. I’m all… Of course you would, because I am a girl. But they’re insistant I am not and are all…You can’t be that is a boys name. Uuuuuuuuuhhhhg.
I refuse to go by my actual full name as noone I have encountered can use it in full term. Lucy, Lucille, Luce, Cindy, Cinda, Lucky. That is not my name! My real name is Lucinda and before they even ask as they normally do. No I am not spanish. (No offense and I’m not a racist.) But not only spanish folk can use the name Lucinda. huffs Or did I or my parents miss a naming rule? shakes head
If you want to use a nickname for me, use the one everyone else does and one I’ll most likely respond to.
My last name I gave up on, because everyone seems to have it in there head, that if they’ve heard a name pronounced one way. There is not any other way to pronounce it.
Sorry my first rant on this board. Please excuse the lack of “Hi, I’m new this is my rant!” lol
Exception to the nicknaming is if you’re the beloved aunt who calls her darling less than a year younger niece Maltomeal.
smacks you Yes I won’t even go into the mispronunciation of my screenname. And as for Maltomeal…just shakes her head and chuckles
My last name is Semancik. Pronounced see-MAN-sick.
I’ve gotten it pronounded: Semanski, Semacki, Semanik, but my favorite is Semensack.
I’ve been called John Semensack by many people.
Misspelling my first name really bugs me. My name is Jemma and thats with a fucking J! NOT G! I was in the library and the librarian says to me are you sure you spell it with a J? I could have killed the bitch! Of course I know how to spell my own bloody name! deep soothing breaths thats better
Ahh names. I’ve been blessed with a rather uncommon name (Ginger). Growing up, I’ve found so many witty people that think they’re amazingly original by calling me Gingerbread, Gingerale, Gingerbread MAN (wtf?) and other such nonsense. I can’t figure out why they do it. Do they think they’re funny? Maybe they figure I hadn’t heard it before? And please, don’t compare me to that redheaded Spice Girl. Yes, yes, I’ve heard she was a stripper, but that does not make Ginger a name ONLY strippers use
:rolleyes:
So far the only funny response I’ve gotten after introducing myself is having someone whistle or sing the Gilligan’s Island theme song, but that’s because I’ve only had that happen a handful of times in my life.
And oho, my last name! I think it’s Scottish, but I could be wrong.
Lately I haven’t had anyone say or spell it wrong (though if someone needs to write it down for whatever reason, they ALWAYS ask how to spell it), but when I was younger, living in North Carolina, my last name was nearly always misspelled on our mail. I blame my dad for this… “wolves” would suddenly become “wooves” (like hooves) or “woofs” but still it was odd getting mail addressed to the Miltons, Miltins, Mintins (that one is close to our real name, actually) and the strangest one… Mittens.
I really don’t get the odd spelling some folks do to their names. I guess they think they’re being cute and somehow original, but it just makes it more frustrating for those of us with normal names. I’ve had a few people ask me if I spell my first name with J’s, or Y’s, as if Ginger isn’t different enough.
I have a friend named Jinja, which is bona fide Korean, not cutesy, and she frequently has people insist her name is Ginger.
My first name is Orga. Let me ask a minor question: How many ways do you really think you can pronounce my name once I tell you how it’s spelled? Let me make the following perfectly clear:
- For the love of fuck, and for the last time. I AM NOT AN ORCA.
And to my 10th grade French teacher:
Ortega? WHAT IN THE BLUE FUCK???
Thank you. That is all. I feel so much better now.
I’m so used to hearing my name pronounced two different ways that I don’t notice it anymore. If someone asks me the correct pronounciation, I’ll tell them. I prefer ‘Ray-gun’ over ‘Ree-gun’ (hence the user name) but it’s not something I get upset over. What does get to me, if when people spell it wrong when it’s right in front of them. It’s spelled Reagen, not Reagan or Regan or… (any other number of variations I’ve seen). How do you get it wrong when it’s right in front of you? That’s just showing that you’re not paying attention and it’s disrespectful.
Far as I am concerned, you all have it easy. My given name at birth was Giuliana Ruth Fiorito Lange. The only name that ever got pronounced correctly was “Ruth.”
No, it’s not Ghoulie-anna, and no, you may not call me Ghoulie.
No, it’s not Frito. Or Fritos. Or Fioretto. Or Firetta.
No, the “e” is silent, and we don’t care HOW Germans pronounce that.
I change my name legally after I stopped associating with my biological father - since I was dropping his last name, I figured I’d straighten out the first couple while I was at it. Dropped the Ruth, and changed Giuliana to Juli Ann. I took my stepfather’s surname - Lieberman.
No. It’s not LIE-berman, who the hell ever heard of LIE-berman? Does that even SOUND like a name? It’s Lee-berman.
I finally married a nice, ordinary Irishman with a fairly common last name. It’s the same name as a certain infamous Senator from Wisconsin. People have to get it now, don’t they?
What?
No. I am not related to Paul McCartney.
:smack: