I'm sick of my name

[Argus]

My last name is common enough that no one assumes anything when they encounter a second person with that name. And my first name is common enough that the local phone book includes a half-dozen people with this combination of first and last name.

Correction: Almost no one assumes anything when they encounter a second person with the name. Whenever I inform a debt collector that I am not the only one in this state with this first and last name, I feel like I've just caused the squirrel in their head to fall off the wheel.

[drunkenwildmage]

My name is a fairly common name, but not the common US spelling of it, so I'm to the point I have to spell it out of habit. Normally doesn't bother me, except when people who have known me for a while still insists on using the common spelling in e-mails, or other writing forms. Same with my middle name and last name to. Common name, but not the 'common' spelling.

My brother's name, is a common name that also happens to be a well know character's name from a movie. He told me he gets someone once a week that tries to joke with him about his name. Myself, I get once every couple months or so someone who says 'oh, are you related to <name>. When I tell him, 'oh yah, he's my brother" they normally go or .

[BlaqueKatt]

You think high school was bad? Google your own name and see how many results it can find for you.

It's two, myself and an actress. If I use my full name it's just me.

[Jarlaxle]

My last name isn't especially common (first 4 pages on Google aren't me), though my first name (John) is.

OTOH, in HS drama, my wife was one of SIX Elizabeths! No confusion on her part though...she was the only one who used "Liz".

[Kit-Ginevra]

You know you're dealing with common names when a couple shows up to apply for a marriage license: David Smith (son of John and Jane Smith), and Susan Smith (daughter of John and Jane Smith), and the clerk doesn't bat an eye, assuming (correctly) that they're 2 different pairs of John and Jane Smith.

Unless you're in Alabama

[Jarlaxle]

My twice-great grandmother had the same last name as the man she married...far as anyone could tell, they were not related. (Though if you dug deep enough, I figure they were fifteenth cousins or something like that.)

[wolfie]

Unless you're in Alabama

If a man is born in Kentucky, and a woman is born in Tennessee, they get married in Alabama, and divorced in West Virginia, in the eyes of the law are they still brother and sister?

My twice-great grandmother had the same last name as the man she married...far as anyone could tell, they were not related. (Though if you dug deep enough, I figure they were fifteenth cousins or something like that.)

They would have to be. After all, the "roots" of your family tree double with each generation you go back. Eventually you reach a point where you have more ancestors than the entire population of the world, so clearly there must be some duplicate entries. When you reach that point, the odds of having no overlap with someone else's family tree, when they're of the same ethnic background as you, are astronomically low.

[IvorTangrean]

My first name seems to be somewhat common in my age bracket but not too common outside of it, my mom indicated that there was a song featuring my name released when she was pregnant. Plus there was a very popular horror movie with the hockey masked villain having my name a few years before I was born.

My last name on the other hand I doubt there is more than 20 people in north america with that name most of which I know.

My wife has/had it worse her first name is that of a deadly hurricane in the US almost 10 years ago, she still get asked 'Like the hurricane?' when meeting people for the first time.

And her maiden name, all I need to say is that it is 13 letters long.

[Seshat]

This is the age of the internet. I wish I was born with a common last name.

If I google my married-surname, everyone I can find is related to my husband. If I google my maiden surname, everyone I can find is related to me.

If I google my name, all the matches are me.


I know your pain.

[Jarlaxle]

Could be worse...I work with a dude who shares the name of a serial killer.

[BPFH]

When I was working on my master's degree, there was a guy in the same program whose last name was Doom.

Did I mention he was working on his Ph.D.?

[Kit-Ginevra]

And her maiden name, all I need to say is that it is 13 letters long.

Zipadeedoodah?

[IvorTangrean]

Zipadeedoodah?

Close

[dalesys]

It's campaign season here, and it seems that so many of the candidates are compensating for their names...

Wanda Amann
Shill
Spendlove
Swallow
Poulson (poll son)
Horiuchi (.. oochee)
Doug Owens (dug owin's)

[Jarlaxle]

In 2004, a woman was running for state legislature in Virginia. Her name was Kerry Edwards. Lousy timing...

There is an MLB agent named Bean Stringfellow.