Vent: That's NOT My Name!

[AdakAK]

My mother's name is also Susan. She can't stand being called Susie, which was a problem during the height of popularity of "Wake Up Little Susie."

I went by Sue, just before the garbage pail kids fad came out.  I would take "Wake Up Little Susie" over Sewer Sue.  My brother had fun with that one.

One advantage of moving often was that I had no trouble changing it back to Susan when we moved a year or so later. 

Susan

[Lauren]

Until I was about 17 I HATED being called Loz or Lozza (popular derivitive of Lauren here) Refused to answer to it and would glare at anyone who would dare call me that.

Now its all I'm called. At uni one of the guys decided he was calling me that and I didn't mind. (plus it was easier to shout out on a softball field) At work I'm either and at softball I'm called Loz as well. You can always tell where people know me from (none of my family call me by a nickname) My schoolfriends can't call me anything but Lauren as I hated it so much at school.

[T'Mar of Vulcan]

My name is Marina. Like a boat dock. Most Americans say that, so they never get my name wrong.

Not so with my fellow South Africans, even family. I've been called Maria, Marinda, Miranda, Mandy (huh?), you name it. And Marina isn't such an unusual name. I can think of at least four celebrities by that name, two in fandoms I'm in, and there's even another Marina on this forum. So why can't people get it right? Drives me nuts.

[momtwosix]

[My 3rd dd is named Seraphina.

What a beautiful name
 Thank you. All of my children are named after saints. There are 43 grandchildren in dh's family. This makes it hard to find a name that hasn't already been used.

Sherill
mom to 5.

[Bijou]

My name is Jean but I prefer being called Jeanie and that is how I used to spell my name.  But when I grew up I changed the spelling to Jeanne (but still pronounced it Jeanie) and now everyone thinks it's pronounced Jean.  Gads!  So, I spell it Jeanne, Pronounce it Jeanie, but it's really Jean.  My school friends knew it was Jeanie but I hardly see them anymore. 
Mostly my problem is that people tend to not remember my name at all, and I think I posted once about the lady who asked one too many times. Maybe five times.  Whenever my dh and I saw her she would say a big hello to him, by name, and then look at me blankly and say she didn't remember my name.  The last time she did that I told her it was 'Barbara'.  She just looked shocked.  I guess somewhere in the recesses of her brain she knew that wasn't right.  I don't think she's ever tried to use my name again, or maybe she's just not speaking to me.

[phred246]

I usually go by my nickname (a short version of my middle name), except for legal documents. It was bestowed upon me by my older sister when I was 1 and she was 3. Many people add an "R" to the end, making it a 2 syllable name, then wonder why I don't answer to it!

[Xanthia, Maker of fine Tin-foil hats since 2007]

My name is not Nan, Van, Sam, Ann, Pam, Lan, Tan, Ran, Jan,... It is XAN or Xanthia.  

It is OK when I first meet someone, yeah, unusual name, mispronunciation is fine, and I correct them, and SPELL it for them, and they still get it wrong.  I till then it is like ANN, with a "Z" sound at the beginning, or like Cynthia, but with a "Z" sound at the beginning...wanna know what I get called THEN...NANCY!!!

How on Gods green earth do you get NANCY from Xanthia???  Not sure but it happens at least once a week.  It is even worse when I have been in e-mail communication with people and they then call me, have read my name in the e-mail about 100 times, and still get my name wrong!  It is OK if they ask me how to pronounce it, not difficult, but to not even come close and call me Van or Nancy?

Can someone please explain how Xanthia = Nancy?  they do not even have the same amount of syllables!!!

[ZipTheWonder]

Yeah I feel you, my name is Jennipher. Sounds easy right, nope. It's jenn-ah-purr. yep that's how my parents wanted it pronounced...they are insane and now i'm paying for it. I now respond to Jen Jenny (I hate that one) Jennifer...I dont even care anymore....

My parents both spelled and pronounce my name similar to, but not quite the same as, two other names (sort of a hybrid.)  It's a much more subtle difference, both in the spelling change and the pronounciation, than yours and a lot less unusual than yours.  But, I never correct anyone's pronounciation, either...and haven't since about 2nd grade! 

So, all of my friends are horrified, if they notice the subtlety, the first time they hear my parents (esp my mother) call me by my name.  They always say "HOW COME YOU NEVER TOLD ME HOW TO PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME???" 

[ZipTheWonder]

My name is not Nan, Van, Sam, Ann, Pam, Lan, Tan, Ran, Jan,... It is XAN or Xanthia.

I love your name, as well as your nick-name.  It's beautiful.  I also like the fact that it starts with an "X" because it's so unusual.  (My friend just married a woman from China named Xixi (pronounced she-she), and I hope she doesn't change it when she immigrates.) 

There's something very exotic about a name that starts with "X."  Very cool!

[Xanthia, Maker of fine Tin-foil hats since 2007]

Well, it is a Nick-name, My given name is very common and I detest it, but I go by Xanthia in my daily life.

Thanks, it is Greek and just a nick name I picked up along the way..go figure, LOL.

[ItZWhoUKnow]

I'm a Kerri and growing up I hated the spelling because all my friends were named Amy, Angie and Jennifer and they had the nifty personalized things from gift shops and they never had my spelling.

I was also cursed with a very uncommon maiden name...Teusink. Pronounced Two Sink...my parents went to town on my birth announcements...The (imagine two sinks with faces) have a new (insert baby sink)....On the inside it said: Manufactured By..Shipping weight..Product Name....you get the drift.

I still don't spell Tuesday right the first time I write it out....The only good to come out of having a strange last name is that when telemarketers would call and butcher the name...I would just say that noone by that name lives here.

[HushHush]

My name isn't that unusual and the spelling isn't hard but for some reason people want to spell it exotically.  No, its not spelled Sharlot, Charolotee, Charlet, Sharolet, etc.  Its just like the spider.  Just like the city.  Charlotte.

My old married name was a nightmare.  It was spelled exactly the way it sounded but it sounded really weird.  Ortigoza.  And everyone had the same comment after I had spelled it for them and told them that it was spelled the way it sounded..."Hey!  That's exactly the way it sounds!"  Really?  I hadn't noticed.

I'm glad I'm back to my easy maiden name now but my son will have a devil of a time.  His first name is super long(we call him by a shortened version of it) and his middle name is super long and then this last name.  It will never fit onto any forms with predetermined slots for letters.

[Athos_000]

ah.. name manglers... how I loathe thee

My name is Kristy... I am constantly called "Krissy". I can't stand it, every time I hear it my brain conjures up the dingbat blonde from "threes company". I have started telling people that there is only one person in the entire world allowed to call me Krissy, and it is NOT YOU.

As a side note, I find it really strange that people with international names will accept being called some made up name because the people around them can't take the time to learn their name (I have seen this a few times in OK, I think they just give up because nobody will try to learn their name). I would never go for that. Just because you are lazy doesn't mean you get to change my name!

[T'Mar of Vulcan]

My given name is very common and I detest it, but I go by Xanthia in my daily life.

I got quite freaked the first time one of my friends called me "T'Mar" in real life. It was like, "Hey, that's really a name of mine now!!"

When we all get unplugged from the Matrix it will be my name so I'd better get used to it!!

[Brentwood]

My name is Jean but I prefer being called Jeanie and that is how I used to spell my name.  But when I grew up I changed the spelling to Jeanne (but still pronounced it Jeanie) and now everyone thinks it's pronounced Jean.  Gads!  So, I spell it Jeanne, Pronounce it Jeanie, but it's really Jean.  My school friends knew it was Jeanie but I hardly see them anymore. 
Mostly my problem is that people tend to not remember my name at all, and I think I posted once about the lady who asked one too many times. Maybe five times.  Whenever my dh and I saw her she would say a big hello to him, by name, and then look at me blankly and say she didn't remember my name.  The last time she did that I told her it was 'Barbara'.  She just looked shocked.  I guess somewhere in the recesses of her brain she knew that wasn't right.  I don't think she's ever tried to use my name again, or maybe she's just not speaking to me.

I know a woman named Jeanne who pronounces it Jeannie.