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

[CrazyShoeGirl]

I've never had an issue with my name, as it is a common name. I do have one customer who keeps coming into the store, and every time she asks me "what other language do you speak?".
I find this very annoying for two reasons. One, I was born in Canada, and my entire family immigrated here from England and Scotland. So, I have never learned any other language. (well, I was taught french in school but I only remember about 6 sentances). And two, she has asked me this probably a dozen times in the past six months, and every time I tell her I only speak english, she tells me she doesn't believe me and leaves.
Now I understand that I live in a multi-cultural country, but is it so hard to believe that some of us only speak one language.

[Sliceanddice]

A former co-worker's name is Shilo. She is a very nice girl. A while ago, after Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had a baby (named Shiloh) a customer asked her if her parents named her after their kid.

Shilo:....
SC: ?
Shilo: I'm 29 years old.
SC: Oh.

.... i thought they named her after the book/dog (not that its a bad name, i like it... i just like irish/gaelic names for girls and um.... cowboy names for boys.... i feel Alittle sorry for my future kids... Seeing as they are going to be name something along the lines of Eithne Angel-Grey and Oran Chancrey-Boyd...)

[AnaKhouri]

My name is Patricia. I will not answer to Pat, Patty, Trish or Tricia. Because my name is Patricia.

It's amazing how many people just shorten your name with even asking. If they ask I tell them I prefer the long form. If they just start calling me something else I ignore them until they get it right.

[aurelemsrealm]

This has been an interesting thread. If I am in doubt about how to pronounce or spell someone's name when I don't already know, I just simply admit it, ask them to pronounce or spell it for me, and point out that they'll need to bear with me because I'm not the greatest at remembering names until I get to know people.

As for my name, my first name is fairly common, Ronald. My last name is Scot-Irish. The sad part about my name is that I get called Ronald McDonald sometimes, which is why I prefer to be called Ronnie or Ron. My family calls me RL. My initials RLM are the inspiration behind my nickname for this board (RLM=aurelem), and I'm always lost in my own realm. I sometimes wish I'd have went by my middle name because my father and I have the same first name, but different middle names. It was always a source of confusion when I was growing up.

[protege]

It's amazing how many people just shorten your name with even asking. If they ask I tell them I prefer the long form. If they just start calling me something else I ignore them until they get it right.

I nearly got to see my now-ex-gf strangle someone when he called her "Mindy." I was the *only* one allowed to call her that

[DragonRose]

My last name is Polish and very hard to pronounce if you don't already know what it is. It's also not common at all. I am very used to it being mangled completely. In fact I've only had 2 ppl say it right in my lifetime.

My first name is Erika. Not difficult by any stretch of the imagination. Pretty common right?? apparently not. I've actually had people mispronounce this, and they were native english speakers. maybe they were already flustered by my last name????

Second, my last name starts with a Z. Initials = e. z. I think I've heard every joke out there. Especially after a high school teacher said "and now Miss EZ will come up and read her original poem in front of the class" (He was a wrestling coach and favored the athletes. I was a reader/gamer/nerd. Cranky old bastard) I think I about died of mortification. Like high school isnt hard enough

[tendomentis]

My name is so convoluted....it doesn't really reflect any of my heritage. I'm mostly Scottish, with some Cherokee and a little Danish, but my first name is Greek and my surname is a butchered Russian name (which NO one ever gets right on the first try, even though it is pronounced exactly how it's spelled), they always assume it's pronounced some strange way.

Sadly, the only thing I really take delight in my heritage is that if some 460+ specific people (mostly in Denmark) died right now, I'd be next in line for the throne

[Bliss]

Well mistress of foxes, my name is scandinavian... and I'm latinamerican and I live in south america... it causes reactions, and my last name is from Austria to whoever mentioned his was german. one people in 100 say "is it german?" the rest look at me with unfocused eyes and begin to drool absentmindedly.

Anyhow, I HAVE to say is, my name's Lars, and one MAJOR pet peeve is the people who say "Oh like Lars ulrich?" I want to throttle them... yeah just like a talentless arrogant prick from american pop culture...

The day a girl told me "Oh like Lars Von Trier" I almost doubled in tears, and thanked her for hours, for using that comparison instead of the common one. heh

[Andara Bledin]

I sometimes wish I'd have went by my middle name because my father and I have the same first name, but different middle names. It was always a source of confusion when I was growing up.

My brother is named David. My dad is named David. My grandfather is named David. I have a cousin named David. When we were little, my brother's best friend was David.

So my dad was Big David, my brother was Little David, my grandfather was Grandpa, my cousin was Paul's David (Paul is our uncle, his dad), and my brother's friend was BD which was short for Big David, because between the two of them, he was a little bit older.

^-.-^

[aurelemsrealm]

Goodness, Andara, that does top the confusion of sharing the same first name with my dad.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I think I have an easier time getting people's names right after I hear them because of all the problems I've had with my name. I guess I just automatically pay more attention.

I have a very Italian last name, which most people butcher the first few times they pronounce it.

Then, of course, there are the idiots who tell me I don't look Italian when they see my last name. I guess it doesn't dawn on them that I might have married into it.

My last name is also Italian (Sicilian)... My father's grandparents came over from Sicily not long before my grandfather was born (then moved back for a bit when he was a baby, and then came back here again) (my dad's mom was Irish or English, I guess; maiden name Farley). I look like my mom's Irish/German side of the family - brown hair with a hint of red in certain light, and really light skin...My last name's not that hard but most people throw in an extra syllable because there is an "ie" in it, so they say "ee-ay" when it's just "ee".

My mom and I also share a name...except it's my first name and her middle name. But she goes by her middle name (officially she is Mary but her family and most friends call her A-----). I am A----- Marie (it sounded better that way). So she is Big A----- and I am Little A-----....even though I am now 3 inches taller than her. (Her mother was also Mary A----- so if people ask where my parents came up with it I just say it's a family name; an old Irish name, I'm told, though I've never seen it anywhere. It is a word in German and there's a story for that origin too...both told to me by the same person so I don't know what's the real story, and as my grandmother died 10 years before I was born I guess I never will ). My mother had no other names picked out. She had a boy name for my brother and a girl name for me. If I had been a second boy I wouldn't have had a name. When people asked her what she planned to name me, and then said "What if it's a boy?" she just said "It's not going to be a boy."

My first name was even spelled wrong on my birth certificate. It took them 3 months to fix it (by crossing out the misspelling and typing the correct spelling between two asterisks above it). I was born in October and the correction date is January. (The wrong name was a boy's name...so if I had turned out to be a boy...)

My boss calls everyone by their full first name, even if they go by a shortened version. He hates being called by the obvious shortened version of his name (so I do it every once in a while just to bug him). I always get a snicker when he forwards me emails that address him by the nickname. I can't help but think at least some of them do it on purpose...

[protege]

So my dad was Big David, my brother was Little David, my grandfather was Grandpa, my cousin was Paul's David (Paul is our uncle, his dad), and my brother's friend was BD which was short for Big David, because between the two of them, he was a little bit older.

^-.-^

...and I thought we had it bad. Why? Well, for years, I had a neighbor named Peter, his son is named Peter, and my brother is named Peter. For years, we had "Big Pete," "Medium Pete," and "Little Pete." Sadly, Big Pete died of cancer in 1998. Even though he's gone, we still call his son "Medium Pete." Otherwise, his widow would have no idea who we were talking about

[Andara Bledin]

We had a similar situation with Jason's for a while.

At one party, we had three of our Jason's all sitting on a single couch. And you couldn't refer to any of them as "little" Jason, because the smallest of them was over 6' and at least 250 if not 300 lbs. Thankfully, none of them went by their actual names.

^-.-^

[EmiOfBrie]

This once happened to me at a fan convention in 2000....
I guess that since I happen to be an anime fan, I got this insistant asshat on my back...

"What's your name?"
ME: Emi
"No, your name!"
ME: Emi !!
"No, your real name!"
ME (whipping out my ID): EMI !!
"... fair enough"

Yes, my name is Emi. No, it's not "Emily". No, it's not short for anything else. Yes the name is Japanese. No, I'm not of Asian descent in any way shape or form. Just accept it!

[Sofar]

My name is very simple, and as my parents ensured, spelt in an intuitive fashion. It is Beorn. Whenever someone sees it written out, they pronounce it perfectly, or at least in one of the three acceptable ways to pronounce my name. The name's from Olde Englysh, it means bear. Raar. The only problem is that my name has a R in it, and I can't pronounce Rs. And frankly, at this point I just hate those goddamn Rs. Do we really need them? The French have the right idea. And Americans expect a lot out of their Rs. What passes for an R in England doesn't even register to an American's ears. So, I introduce myself.

"Hello. I'm Beorn."
"Bay-won?"
"Beorn."
"Baowin?"
"Beorn."
"Beowulf?"
"Yes, that's my name. Beowulf."