# You idiots keep spelling my name wrong! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 18, 2004, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842 "2004-10-18T15:33:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/61 "2004-10-20T15:24:42Z")
> [@robinc308](#): > > My first name is Robin. Not Robyn. … > It doesn’t help that my middle name is Lee - also entirely non gender specific. Er… did your parents already choose the names before you were born? 🙂 QUOTE=Zsofia]II’m the Sara without the H, and nobody ever ever spells it that way first. Can we switch? I always have to fight them to take the thing off! The only people who ever ask “with an H or without?” are other Saras. And if I say “Sara without the H” or “Sara with an A” it’s like they totally don’t register that I said anything, I guess because their brains aren’t on “spell it” yet. [/QUOTE] I’m curious as to how you Saras/Sarahs pronounce your names? I always used to use the rule of thumb that Sara was pronounced “Sah-ra” and Sarah was pronounced “Sair-ra”. I guess that doesn’t hold always? Don’t get me started on Caitlin being pronounced “Kate-Lynn”. For god’s sake, if you’re going to use a beautiful Irish name, **pronounce it properly**. It’s “Kathleen”, but with an Irish “th” which sounds more like a “t”. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/62 "2004-10-20T15:32:36Z")
Ooof… I have the Curse of the Children’s Book. The horrible _Jillian Jiggs_ series has been a harbinger of doom for me\*. Who knew that sweet and innocent little Jillian Jiggs could be so deadly? Receipts, bills, paycheques, mailings, notices–_everything_, I get “Jillian”. When I explain it’s Gillian, as in Anderson of Scully, I get the hard ‘g’ pronunciation: “You mean Guh-illian?” :smack: \*I kid, I love these books! ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/63 "2004-10-20T16:02:49Z")
> [@sturmhauke](#): > > To be fair, certain misspellings are very common when giving names over the phone (like l-e-y instead of l-y for example), which is why the person taking down the name should repeat it back to make sure. This doesn’t excuse repeated mistakes of course. But it’s not only over the phone, it’s **everywhere**. I’ve seen them do this to **Mama Tiger** about a million times. Oh, and while Snyder is a perfectly okay last name, it’s NOT MINE. Can you not understand a “sh” sound? ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/64 "2004-10-20T16:41:59Z")
> [@me](#): > > I have an unusual first name. Unfortunately, it’s not an unusual word, so people already think they know how to spell it; and who am I to argue when someone wants to spell it with a y rather than an i on the end? After all, that’s the way it’s spelled in the dictionary. > [@OleOneEye](#): > > Laci? I hestitate to list my first name because as far as I know, nobody else shares it for a legal name; nicknames yes, legal name no. It’s an adjective used to describe weather-related conditions but not: Misty, Dusty, Sunny, Wendy, etc. It is also the name of a popular winter cartoon character–there’s a song! Also, occasionally when people hear my name they think of cake. That should be plenty of hints. ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/65 "2004-10-20T17:28:49Z")
> [@stretch](#): > > I hestitate to list my first name because as far as I know, nobody else shares it for a legal name; nicknames yes, legal name no. It’s an adjective used to describe weather-related conditions but not: Misty, Dusty, Sunny, Wendy, etc. It is also the name of a popular winter cartoon character–there’s a song! Also, occasionally when people hear my name they think of cake. > > That should be plenty of hints. Oooh! Your name is spelled the same as a great song by Björk! I’m envious. ---
**Author:** ![Cosmopolitan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@Cosmopolitan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cosmopolitan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/66 "2004-10-20T17:49:36Z")
My first name is Kristin. I can & do understand some misspellings; I’ve known/heard of Kristens, Kristyns, Krystyns, Christens, etc. No problem there. What I fail to understand is how people who’re reading it aloud sometimes get it wildly wrong. I’ve been called Kristine, Kristina, Kristian, Kristi, Kirsten, Kiersten, etc. I mean, it’s phonetic; it’s just Kris-tin. Hm. Don’t even get me started with the last name. Yes, it’s Italian; yes, it has four syllables. It looks intimidating, but it’s phonetic. No slient letters, no “giu” pronounced “joo”, no “gli”. Simple, I would think. ---
**Author:** ![carimwc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac8455/32.png) [@carimwc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carimwc)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/67 "2004-10-20T18:13:03Z")
My name is Carissa, not Clarissa, Marissa, or Larissa. There is no L in my first name. Yes, I do know that there was a tv show about a Clarissa. I am not that person and that is not my name. (Though some kids I used to babysit used to call me Clarissa a lot, due to the show. I did have long blonde hair at the time and it was easy for them to be confused. They were the only exception I made though.) My name has one r and two s’s, not two r’s and one s. The amount of people who misspell it that way is insane! I’m not going to even start on my last name. Not common and no one seems to be able to pronounce it correctly. Ever. At those fast food type places that ask for your name I just tell them that my name is Car. It’s easier for all. ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/68 "2004-10-20T18:22:03Z")
> [@LilyoftheValley](#): > > Oooh! Your name is spelled the same as a great song by Björk! I’m envious. I did not know that, not being familiar with Björk or her music. But, yeah, that is my name. Maybe more people will think of the Björk song instead of the one they usually sing me–especially around the holidays. Which clue gave it away? Or was it a combination? Or are you just really intuitive? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/69 "2004-10-20T18:35:59Z")
> [@](#): > > At those fast food type places that ask for your name I just tell them that my name is Car. It’s easier for all. Mee too. (Hey, as a hijack, does anyone else always write “Mee Too” and have to go back and delete the second “e” … every single time …) With my unspellable first name, unpronouncable last name, and Japanese-named African husband, more than one such conversations has gone like this: Me: [phones restaurant] “I’d like a reservation, please, 2 for 8:00.” Them: “Under what name?” Me: [mentally runs through possibilities, reviewing past restaurant reservation attempts: first name, no, it’s uncommon enough that I will have to clarify it six or seven times; last name, no, I will definitely have to spell it at least twice and then reassure them that they have it written correctly; husband’s first name, no, it will only confuse them; husband’s last name, no, it’s 9 letters and African and spelling it for someone who’s sitting in a noisy restaurant will surely take a while. I’ll just use husband’s initials (which are what everyone calls him anyway).] “T.K.” Them: “PK?” Me: “Close enough” See, if only I could remember to call myself Jenny or something I wouldn’t have a problem, but I would get to the restaurant and forget that I’d called myself that and lose my reservation. Ah well. At least it keeps life interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/70 "2004-10-20T18:47:59Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m curious as to how you Saras/Sarahs pronounce your names? I always used to use the rule of thumb that Sara was pronounced “Sah-ra” and Sarah was pronounced “Sair-ra”. I guess that doesn’t hold always? It dosen’t hold at all. The H is silent; it’s the same name. (Of course, here in the South it’s “SAY-ra”, but what can you do?) It seems to be a name more subject than usual to the vagaries of accent, so I get a lot of subtly different pronunciations. But they shouldn’t be different from Sara to Sarah. My parents just picked that one because they like shorter names. (My mom got tagged with Geraldine Antoinette, why do you ask? 🙂 ) How do you pronounce the Hebrew version, Sarai, BTW? Does anybody know? ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/71 "2004-10-20T19:35:03Z")
I had trouble coming across the border with one of the customs agents. I had to be taken aside and questioned a little, because I had once been engaged to an American man and had had a visa in the process. I was told after I called them when we had broken up that the visa had been voided and “purged” from the system. Apparently, it had not been. The man I was engaged to had the last name of “Stith”. Customs Officer: So, you had a visa in the past with this Smith fellow, correct? Me: Stith. CO: Stith. Me: Yes, I did. CO: So what happened to Mr. Smith? Me: Stith. CO: Stith. Me: He left me for another woman, so naturally, we broke up and went our seperate ways. CO: Who is this man you are travelling with today, is he your boyfriend? Me: He’s not my boyfriend, he’s a friend. CO: Where is your boyfriend taking you? Me: He’s not my boyfriend. CO: Whatever. Me: I’m going to vacation to Seattle. CO: Why are you going to Seattle with your boyfriend? Me: He’s not my boyfriend. CO: Whatever. Me: I enjoyed the time I spent in Seattle when I last visited, and he’s a good friend who invited me to stay with him for Christmas. CO: So you met your boyfriend when you were here two years ago visiting with Mr. Smith. Me: Stith. And he’s not my boyfriend. CO: Enjoy your time in the United States. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/72 "2004-10-20T19:57:24Z")
Poor Mr Stith. Wow. (I mean, aside from that whole being-nasty-to- **Anastasaeon** thing.) He probably pronounces it ‘Stith-no-not-smith-s **T** ith-with-a-“ST”’. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/73 "2004-10-20T20:12:05Z")
> [@cowgirl](#): > > He probably pronounces it ‘Stith-no-not-smith-s **T** ith-with-a-“ST”’. You have that exactly correct. I’d heard him on the telephone so many times saying this exact phrase, and several times while we were at the INS offices together. He’s stuck with that name for life (unless he changes it, but I think he’s used to it). My mother is really, really happy I didn’t marry the guy, for a multitude of reasons, but I think this one is her favourite reason. She used to say “Anastasia Stith. Stasia Stith. Oh, he’s ruining our little girl’s beautiful name!” Oh, and no worries about what he did to me. Karma or something stepped in and the woman left him, and he called me sobbing that he was sorry and all that other good stuff… but, oh, so sorry, Mr. Smith, er Stith, whatever your silly name was - I married your best friend while you were whoring around 😃 Not as dramatic as I make it sound, this happened over a period of years, took time to build genuine trusting and loving relationship, and my husband and I are happy together with no ex-fiancee residue on us - but my version sounds so much more marketable, don’t you think? I _love_ irony in my favour. ---
**Author:** ![MelCthefirst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/74 "2004-10-20T20:31:29Z")
Okay, I have the easiest of family names but the ‘e’ always gets left off. When asked my name, I always say: Cooke with an e - you’d be suprised at the number of times people think I have an hyphernated surname: Cook-witherny!! Which reminds me of a slightly humiliating high school occurance of mine. In social studies we were talking about family names and their meanings. Before my turn, there had been a whole lot of kids with really tricky family names and they didn’t know the meanings. Then my turn came and I said that I too, didn’t know the meaning - the class roared with laughter. I truely hadn’t associated ‘cooke’ with the verb ‘cook’. I have since found out that ofcourse, it is the same name, but apparently the Cooks in the South of England wanted to be distriguished from the Cooks in the North of England, so they added the ‘e’. The humiliation never truely leaves when one thinks back to all those years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/75 "2004-10-20T20:43:41Z")
> [@MelCthefirst](#): > > Okay, I have the easiest of family names but the ‘e’ always gets left off. When asked my name, I always say: Cooke with an e - you’d be suprised at the number of times people think I have an hyphernated surname: Cook-witherny!! Which reminds me of a slightly humiliating high school occurance of mine. In social studies we were talking about family names and their meanings. Before my turn, there had been a whole lot of kids with really tricky family names and they didn’t know the meanings. Then my turn came and I said that I too, didn’t know the meaning - the class roared with laughter. I truely hadn’t associated ‘cooke’ with the verb ‘cook’. > I have since found out that ofcourse, it is the same name, but apparently the Cooks in the South of England wanted to be distriguished from the Cooks in the North of England, so they added the ‘e’. > The humiliation never truely leaves when one thinks back to all those years ago. Where I’m from in New Brunswick, Canada, the place is overrun with Cooks and Cookes. One of my best friends used to tell people all the time “I’m a Cook, not a Cook-ee”. People who would visit from western Canada would laugh at these names. Another very popular last name is Hatt. I had a friend named Carrie Hatt, and when she went out west to join an acting troupe, they used to laugh about her “strange name”. That blew me away, I thought it was the most normal sounding, common name… until she told me they used to call her “Carry-my-hat”. Then it dawned on me… ahhh! ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/59ef9b/32.png) [@Kaitlin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlin)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/76 "2004-10-20T21:50:47Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Don’t get me started on Caitlin being pronounced “Kate-Lynn”. For god’s sake, if you’re going to use a beautiful Irish name, **pronounce it properly**. It’s “Kathleen”, but with an Irish “th” which sounds more like a “t”. Well, my mama named me “Kaitlin”–pronounced “Kate-lin”–so that’s my name. 🙂 But I get a whole hell of a lot of people who call me “Cat-lin.” Phew. ---
**Author:** ![lexi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lexi/32/6806_2.png) [@lexi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexi)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/77 "2004-10-20T22:45:54Z")
I get the misspelling too - my name is Nicole, but who knew it could be spelt in a myriad of different ways - how many l’s and c’s and adding an h or dropping the e - my goodness and I really hate it when people spell it Nichole - if my name was Nichole I would change it to Nicole. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/78 "2004-10-20T23:40:08Z")
The most commonly misspelled name I’ve seen (on nametags at the checkout/banks) is Sheila (Shelia?) (Sorry all you legit Shelia’s). I once worked for a fellow named (xxxx)assoff. He often threatened to shorten his name by dropping the assoff. True (not the x’s). For Calm Kiwi: Marvin changed his name from Gay to Gaye, long before his father shot and killed him. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/79 "2004-10-20T23:48:24Z")
> [@stretch](#): > > Also, occasionally when people hear my name they think of cake. You’re called Double-Chocolate-With-Extra-Chocolate-And-Choccy-Type-Stuff-Chocco-Gateaux??? WOWWWW!!! ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2004, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842/80 "2004-10-21T00:16:57Z")
> [@stretch](#): > > Which clue gave it away? Or was it a combination? Or are you just really intuitive? 🙂 I’m behind you, watching you type RIGHT NOW! :eek: OK, it was the winter cartoon character song. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-idiots-keep-spelling-my-name-wrong/269842.md?page=5)