It's just a name... get over it.

[the lawsmeister]

My children look more like my side of the family, so I'm sure they will run into people telling them they don't look Italian.

My sister in law (who is very pale) used to delight in telling people her grandfather was born in Sri Lanka. They'd usually say something along the lines of "yeah, I can see that it your features" It was always a good laugh to see the confusion on their faces when she added that his parents were British and just worked in Sri Lanka. Some of them would still insist they could see the Sri Lanken heritage in her face.

I'd get similar comments when I told people my uncle is chinese. let me tell you there is no way that i look asian at all, I'm half Italian. But they still insist that "they can see it." It must be a new form of genetics that when your aunt marries someone from a different background it automatically filters through to the rest of the family.

[Shironu-Akaineko]

I've been called Sharon Stone for as long as I've been to school (Very annoying)and 2 very unflattering bastardizations of my name in French. My last name has been butchered to no end.

Mom: France G*******
Lady on the phone: Go-tire?
Mom: G*******!!!!!
LotP: Gow-taaaayuur?
Mom: G (correct prononciation, very slowly)
LotP: Frank Côté?
Mom: ....That's right. Frank Côté. Close enough.

I much Prefer going by Shiro. I actually recognize Shiro more often than Sharon now.

Passed this close to being called Melissa-Sue. eek.

[CrazedClerk]

I've been called Sharon Stone for as long as I've been to school (Very annoying)and 2 very unflattering bastardizations of my name in French. My last name has been butchered to no end.

Mom: France G*******
Lady on the phone: Go-tire?
Mom: G*******!!!!!
LotP: Gow-taaaayuur?
Mom: G (correct prononciation, very slowly)
LotP: Frank Côté?
Mom: ....That's right. Frank Côté. Close enough.

I much Prefer going by Shiro. I actually recognize Shiro more often than Sharon now.

Passed this close to being called Melissa-Sue. eek.

I think the name you speak of is Gauthier (Go-tee-A), a common french surname. Having growing up in Ottawa, across the river from Quebec, I am very familiar with the spelling and pronounciation of French names.

Richard (Ree-shard), Desjardins, Deslaurier (Day-Lore-E-A) , Sauntiere (saw-nt-ee-air), etc. I've also become good at Spanish names but European and middle eastern names still puzzle me.

I myself have a EUROPEAN last name that bears a resemblance to a common Mexican surname and people are ALWAYS mixing it up. This mistake can be forgiven somewhat if I you are talking to me over the phone since you can't see me, but I most definitely do NOT look Latino (I have fair skin and red hair) so if you are seeing me in person you have no excuses.

my classmates, teachers, co-workers, supervisors, basically no one outside of my family and friends ever gets it right.

[Killer Bees]

My name is Michelle (no middle name) and my family used to call me Shelley for the longest time. The only time my mum called me Michelle was when I was in trouble.

But now that I'm all growed up, everyone calls me Michelle, including my family. Although my sisters usually call me Shell. My dad wanted to call me Misty Rae, but my mother put her foot down hard on that one. I think dad was drunk at the time, he was a pretty serious alcoholic back in the day. Still, if I wanted to become a stripper, I wouldn't have had to change my name

My mother's family is Eastern European and I had to have my name converted into their language to be christened in their church. But my proper name is actually Michelle like on my birth certificate. With the proliferation of odd names these days, I could use the European version of my name, but I'm too long in the tooth for that now.

And even though I've been divorced for a long time, I still use my ex's last name. Changing it back is more trouble than it's worth.

[Imogene]

Hmmm...
Do I dare...?
What the hell...
I have introduced myself as Juwl many, many, many times, mostly while I was at school. I've had teachers tell me they'd never be able to think of me as Juwl as I'd always been Dani in their classes.
That particular teacher, however, had been my third grade teacher and I went by Dani then. By the time I had her for sixth grade, I hated the name Dani, and decided I wanted to go by Juwl. And she spouted that excuse. However, I liked her, and knew it wouldn't bother me too much for one year.
I had classmates in game design school who would only half be able to spell Juwl, though, and often they replaced the 'u' with an 'e'. But they caught on to Juwl really quickly, lucky me. I absolutely hated being called Dani by that point. And once I'm out on my own, I will be getting my name legally changed.

[Annichka]

It must be a new form of genetics that when your aunt marries someone from a different background it automatically filters through to the rest of the family.

My favorite thing is when I worked at a chinese restaurant and at least twice a week someone would say " well, you don't look very chinese" which is true I am white and was about almost a foot taller than everyone who worked there. though in actuality not a single person there was chinese they were vietnamese. not to mention the fact I have a Hyphenated last name, and the endless jokes about that

[iradney]

I go by my middle name. I don't like my first name. I don't respond to it at all. And yet, when people find out that I go by my middle name, and what my first name is, all of a sudden it's THEIR BUSINESS why I go by my middle name.
I like it better. Quit bugging me.

[Alfie]

I grew up hating my name because I was always asked "Oh! Like that Princess in the Star Wars movies?!" which drove me up the wall. Judging by my icon though, it doesn't bother me too much anymore.

My name apparently sounds a lot like Anikan Skywalker's (sp?) name. It's a very traditional Scandinavian name, and so it's very complicated to pronounce for Australians. So many people, once finding out my name, say "oh, Anikan Skywalker hay?" and think it's hilarious. I now just give out death stares each time I hear someone make the (false) connection.

[bigjimaz]

though in actuality not a single person there was chinese they were vietnamese.

My last job was as a dishwasher in a mexican restaurant.

The owner is from Iceland, his wife, who practically runs the place, is from Germany. The Chef is from Russia, the head bartender is from Canada and finally the prep cook is from Argentina. All of the waitstaff were American.

No wonder they changed it from a mexican restaurant to an international bistro.

As far as the name thing, and I think I posted this here before, but I dated a girl back in the late 1960's whose name was Cricket. Real name. On her license and everything. What's even worse? Her sister's name was Velveeta. That's not a typo.

You can't even blame the era for the names, both of them were born in the early 1950's.

[ArenaBoy]

I forgot to mention, my French professor's first name was Dikka. It belonged to a female.

Shironou, your last name is a direction? (Sorry, had to)

[MystyGlyttyr]

People give my last name some looks, too. It's Foote, prounounced "foot", but I get "foute" "footie" "fute" "foo-tay", etc. (Yes, I am related to Shelby, but it's exceedingly distant )

Usually, the ones who pronouce it "Foo-tay" then ask me if I'm French, and then get put out when I get offended.

I think it's Welsh, actually, but I have no idea.

Let me tell you the worst part, though. Last name of Foote. There were three kids in my family. So we were often referred to as the "Yard" kids.

Think about it.

Taste my pain.

[Lace Neil Singer]

My first name is very old fashioned; I was named after my mother's godmother. I get sick and tired of people pointing that out. My surname isn't English; it's actually originally from Poland, which is why I refuse to wear a nametag with it on. I'm ex-directory, but there's still ways that nutzo customers could try and find me.

[greensinestro]

My name is simple, but I still have customers that will ask me why my parents named me what my name is. Well, that's the name they gave me?

That lady was definitely rude, although I may have made up something to make her go away.

I took a speech class about ten years ago with a woman named Rayna. Her parents had named her that because they were huge "Star Trek" fans and this was the name of a character in an episode called "Requiem For Methuselah". She was always proud to tell everyone that, including people that did not ask or care. My thought on it was, "OK, a couple Trekkie Geekie parents", but since then, I've discovered there are many women out there named Rayna.

[fma_fanatic]

My name is simple, but I still have customers that will ask me why my parents named me what my name is. Well, that's the name they gave me?

I get this too. My name is not an extremely common name(Esther), but it was very common way back when. So when someone asks me about my name, I have received the following comments:

• Oh, your parents must have been very religious
• Were you named after [insert various family relations here]
• Were your parents a fan of Esther Williams?

Umm...why does it matter? Maybe they just liked the name?

[Sharsarannon]

My thought on it was, "OK, a couple Trekkie Geekie parents", but since then, I've discovered there are many women out there named Rayna.

Actually that's because it was originally Reina (curse postmodernistic parents) and is Spanish. As a word it means Queen.

For this thread and the topic of names I have a link well worth visiting: http://notwithoutmyhandbag.com/babynames/index.html Baby's named a bad, bad thing. Prose and snarky commentary almost worthy of our own dear Gravekeeper. Please visit this site.

As to names, every time I go to the grocery store the cashiers always try to say, have a nice day, miss... *long pause* *slaughtered version of my surname*

I gotta cut them some slack though, because my last name is Basque. If you don't know who the Basque are, look them up. They're old as dirt and have a very unique language that just so happens to be- get this- entirely phonetic. The spelling for everything is very Very simple.
Yet somehow very few people ever manage to get my name. Probably because other than meeting me, they will never see it again- there are less than 300 people in the world with this last name, I'd posit.