# I'm tired of people getting my name wrong **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 23, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778 "2010-09-23T16:03:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/61 "2010-09-24T12:15:42Z")
My first name is a last name, and my last name a (girl’s) first name. My first name does exist as a first name, but it is either spelled differently, or pronounced differently. My last name just has an extra letter that is often not there. Finally, a few people here, put my username as **Big T**. There is no space. I don’t see it happening to anyone else who has more than one word shoved together. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/62 "2010-09-24T13:29:13Z")
My first name is Sarah, and I’m another who’s always amazed that I’ll get a return letter or email addressed to “Sara”, when the correct spelling is Right. There. One or two people I know STILL misspell it, despite many multiple times of seeing it written correctly. My last name is a Scandinavian type name, ending in -son, sort of like Williamson. More often than not, I will be called Ms Williams, even when the person has the name in print on a page in their hand, and has just glanced down at it before saying my name. Or I get a return email addressed to Sara Williams. Sigh. I also find it interesting that my screen name is saje, but in responses I’ll get referred to as “Sage”. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/63 "2010-09-24T13:39:16Z")
My surname is one of the most common names in the U.S. Not Smith or Johnson, but pretty close. The one everyone mishears it as is hovering around #400. So I always have to spell my incredibly common name. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/64 "2010-09-24T13:44:51Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > > [@Morgis](#): > > > > What makes me crazy is when I tell someone my name and they immediately start calling me Chris. Yes, this would be a valid nickname for me, but I have never gone by Chris, and I’ve never asked anyone to call me that. 😕 > > My first name is Katherine and people will automatically start calling me “Kathy”… which I loathe. I have to then find a polite way to ask them to never call me that again without looking like I’m being an asshole. Right there with you, **OpalCat** - I can’t stand the short form of my name, but making a fuss about makes me sound like a total jerk. You probably get the whole "Katherine/Catherine/Catharine"problem too. A friend of mine is named Katharine (note second “a”) and she gets this all the time. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/65 "2010-09-24T13:53:16Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Gees, TND why are you so sensitive? It would actually be NDT, or more likely NT, since I never use my middle name. Oh, and my user name at work is tpn. I guess I didn’t write my middle initial clearly enough. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/66 "2010-09-24T15:11:35Z")
I can (usually) tell the age of the person who is calling by whether they can say my last name correctly. It’s the same as a very famous TV show character from the 70/80’s. It would be the same as a tweener now not knowing Bieber or Jonas. Sometimes I will say “It’s [name], as on [show]”. If there is a long pause, they’re under 30. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/67 "2010-09-24T15:15:56Z")
> [@MissTake](#): > > I can (usually) tell the age of the person who is calling by whether they can say my last name correctly. It’s the same as a very famous TV show character from the 70/80’s. It would be the same as a tweener now not knowing Bieber or Jonas. Sometimes I will say “It’s [name], as on [show]”. If there is a long pause, they’re under 30. I’m guessing it’s either Roper or DiFazio. ---
**Author:** ![J\_Cubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@J\_Cubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Cubed)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/68 "2010-09-24T15:42:24Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > I am Jesse. Not Jessie, Jessica, Jeffery, Jeffeny (seriously!) JEFFENY ISN’T EVEN A REAL NAME YOU DICKS ahhhhh… Sorry it happens all the time. People constantly spell my name like a girl’s name. I am not a girl, never have been. And not just strangers, but coworkers too! There was one guy who could never email me because my name didn’t spell right to him in the directory or something, so he’d always do a reply to a previous email. THEN he would spell it “Jessie” oh man I wanted to kill him. > > It’s not that hard to spell. J as in Jay. E as in eye. S as in sea. S as in sea. E as in eye. Simple! Word. I once got “Dusty”. The strangest thing is when I get called by middle name, which, sure, also starts with J; but the two names form a historically and contemporaneously famous unit, so if you see them together, I don’t know how you could not notice it. Feel free to use my line: **There’s no “I” in “team”… or “Jesse”.** ---
**Author:** ![rinni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f6c823/32.png) [@rinni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rinni)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/69 "2010-09-24T16:58:25Z")
My name is Lynn. People insist on spelling it Lynne even when it’s right in front of them. I used to work as a live chat help agent, and my name would show up on the screen before every single message I sent, and people would _still_ write Lynne. It also always gets misheard on the phone as Liz all the time. > [@J\_Cubed](#): > > Feel free to use my line: **There’s no “I” in “team”… or “Jesse”.** Haha, I like this. My SO’s name is Jesse and he too gets Jessied from time to time. I shall have to pass this along! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Koldanar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@Koldanar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koldanar)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/70 "2010-09-24T17:18:16Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > > [@Morgis](#): > > > > What makes me crazy is when I tell someone my name and they immediately start calling me Chris. Yes, this would be a valid nickname for me, but I have never gone by Chris, and I’ve never asked anyone to call me that. 😕 > > My first name is Katherine and people will automatically start calling me “Kathy”… which I loathe. I have to then find a polite way to ask them to never call me that again without looking like I’m being an asshole. Hah…same boat for my GF (though hers is with a C instead of a K). She’ll accept Cathy (I really really try to stick to Catherine, or Cat Master X[don’t ask]) but hates the other diminutives…Cate, Catie, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/71 "2010-09-24T18:12:53Z")
If my husband and I see someone staring at a form, trying to decide what to say, we know that our names are about to be called and we go ahead and get up and go; we know it’s us. The best they usually manage is, “that’s French, isn’t it?” 😛 He’s had to deal with his whole life, though; me just six years. I like it though. I was a Baker for the first 23 years of my life, then an easily pronounceable fairly common name for the next 16. It’s more fun being inscrutable. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/72 "2010-09-24T18:35:36Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > If my husband and I see someone staring at a form, trying to decide what to say, we know that our names are about to be called and we go ahead and get up and go; we know it’s us. The best they usually manage is, “that’s French, isn’t it?” 😛 What’s so hard about pronouncing Cherie? d&r ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/73 "2010-09-24T18:36:25Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > > [@mnemosyne](#): > > > > Wrong gender! 😉 > > Oops, sorry Kristine. Nope, try again! ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/74 "2010-09-24T19:22:55Z")
> [@saje](#): > > My first name is Sarah, and I’m another who’s always amazed that I’ll get a return letter or email addressed to “Sara” At least you don’t have to go through your life repeating _ **“NO H!”** _😛😉 ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/75 "2010-09-24T19:31:22Z")
The best is when I have to give my name to someone to write down, and I say “Sarah, with an H…” Then I see what they’ve written later and it’s **Shara, sahra, sarha** :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/76 "2010-09-24T19:48:48Z")
A friend of mine named Becky was constantly being called Betty by people on the phone, somewhat understandably. Me, I got called Pam (from Kay???). But the best was when she got married and the sign outside the hotel read: “Congratulations Jerry and Betty!” Lovely. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/77 "2010-09-24T19:51:53Z")
> [@saje](#): > > The best is when I have to give my name to someone to write down, and I say “Sarah, with an H…” Then I see what they’ve written later and it’s **Shara, sahra, sarha** :rolleyes: Don’t worry **Hsara** , it could be worse. My name has very recently been started to get misspelled. With people now taking common names like Jeff or Kevin and spelling them different to make their kids special. My name has gotten misspelled to the new misspellings. Like Jaff or Kevan. (Not saying that it’s worse than what Hsara is going through but it’s my only example.) ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/78 "2010-09-24T21:54:04Z")
My last name is 2 syllables, and people constantly want to add another syllable in the middle. Me: “my last name is Fallsworth” Them: “Fallisworth?” “Fallingsworth?” It just seems harder, to add that third syllable, but it happens all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/79 "2010-09-24T22:06:39Z")
My last name has two L’s and two T’s. I would say 90% of the time, I lose my last T. I don’t even get stabby anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778/80 "2010-09-24T22:18:34Z")
My real name is Jacob Brown. I don’t know what any of y’all are talking about. 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-getting-my-name-wrong/554778.md?page=5)