What’s in a name?
I spell my name with an extra ‘a’, as in Michael. Most people, however, spell it the standard way – Rachel. This annoys me, particularly in emails, because my name is my email address. How hard can it be just to raise your eyes a few millimetres and check? You typed the goddamn thing in after all. I know I’m being pedantic, but it’s my name, and I like it just fine the way it is.
However, what really annoys me, and it happens ALOT, believe me, is when I spell my name out and people still don’t get it.
The conversation usually goes something very similar to this:
“Can I email it to you?”
“Of course. My email address is rachael, that’s spelt r, a, c, h, a, e, l at [my organisation] .org.”
“OK, I will do that.”
Phone rings two minutes later.
“That email address you gave me, it is not working.”
I know already what the problem is, and I always find it difficult to keep the irritation out of my voice.
“How did you spell my name?”
“R, a, c, h, e, l”
“No, it’s a, e, l.”
“r, a, e, l?”
“No, that’s Rael. Rachael. With an a before the e.”
“R, a, c, h, e, a, l?
“No. A E L. A. E. L.”
“Ah, ok”.
Then I will usually get the email, because they’ve managed to retain the information for long enough to type in the address, but it will start off “Dear Miss Raecheal”, or “Dear Miss Rechal” or some such nonsense.
Over and over again, this happens. Do people not have ears? Do they not learn the alphabet? Why is it so difficult?
Gaaah.
I do not understand.
June 4th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
I’m with you on this one, Rach (cunningly avoids pointed issue). My name’s ‘Prest’. It’s not a common name, and could easily be misspelled ‘Pressed’ (it’s conceivable, I suppose); therefore, I’ve become accostomed to answering “Prest. P, R, E, S, T”. Fair enough.
So why is it that not 10 seconds can pass before the perp addresses me as “Mr. Priest”, even after they have HEARD me say my own name AND SPELL IT. It’s just so wrong. People, on the whole, don’t really listen to what’s being said to them.
June 4th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Don’t bother Raetchealle, some people are just a bit thick.
June 4th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Thick and disinterested, Uncle Did- can’t be bothered with the jobs they have so they take it out on punters with funny names. Being Mrs Innes, I get it a lot. And you’d be surprised how many times my name was misspelled when I was Miss Bicker. I imagine they get Jane Smith wrong quite often too.
Great blog Rachael. HAve linked, if you don’t mind…
June 4th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
fergal…fearghul…fergall…ferghall…feargal…fearggal……….FEARGHAL. Grrrrrrr.
June 4th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Elinor, Elena, Elenor, Elina, Elanor…arrgh! As you can see I have the same problem (for those not in the know, it’s Eleanor, see, very simple). Even when I spell it out for them they inevitably get it wrong. There’s even huge disagreement on how the shortened version should be spelt – I have long given up on this and took the most popular version, though I should point out that Mum and Chris still spell it my originally preferred way (Elea – it makes sense, it’s my name, but shorter), you spell it Ellie (I think) and a certain aunt of ours has always spelt it Elly. I gave up a long time ago, what took you so long?
p.s. Have you noticed the trouble people have with our surname too?
June 5th, 2007 at 8:35 am
Gordon, I did wonder whether you had problems with that! It’s not a name you come across very often. But of course it MUST be you that made the mistake, surely?
Uncle Did – yeah, I know. It pisses me off.
Kelly, thanks! And no, link all you like. I love links. And comments.
Fearghal – I fear you have it worse than me.
Elsworth – I just follow your lead. And yes, here I am always Mrs Johansen, despite the fact that I say MISS. “It’s Miss Johnson. I’m not married.” “OK Mrs Johansen.” “Oh fuck off.”
June 5th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
try changing from the rather familiar and easy to spell ‘mel gibson’ to the unappealing ‘mel fidge’…”so yes, that’s f-i-d-g-e”…stunned silence..”you know, fridge without the r, fudge with an i instead of a u??” inevitably the letters arrive with a variety of options – fitch, fidde, even sidge….. some might say it’s my own daft fault for taking the name of husband and offspring….ps your taxi business sounded terrifying, hope you’re ok
June 5th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
My mum has a very long name which was always shortened and nicknamed and she hated it. So she called me Clare so I wouldn’t have the same trouble. Ha! For a start, no one can understand why it’s not spelled with an ‘i’ in the middle. No-one in sub-saharan Africa can pronounce it, and watching someone using a word with an ‘l’ and an ‘r’ in it is like watching them trying to asphyxiate themselves. The French just categorically refuse to call me by my given name, and so journeying there I become ‘Marie-Claire’. Even in the US I become Clara. I’m just an international spy really…
Fearghal – sympathies. I have a friend called Diarmuid and pre Diarmuid Gavin on the telly his name just did not compute. He kind of got used to being called Kermit…
June 5th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
That’s interesting clare, as I’m sure I’ve been Kermit too! Is it coz he is green?
June 5th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
You do not follow my lead! You’ve never spelt my name like I do
It’s a pain trying to say that there’s not t, or e in Johnson but there is an h. The Aussies just don’t seem to get it. ‘Moore’ technically should be easier but I’m sure deep down that it really won’t be…
Clare, where I went to school in my year we had a Clare, a Claire AND a Clair. It was really pot luck that people got the right spelling with the right girl…
June 6th, 2007 at 8:33 am
Clare – I know. I went up to Opuwo recently, where there is a girl called Laura working, who I’ve met a couple of times. I was talking to a guy up there, who said he was doing some work for her. He kept saying “You know, Roller, Roller.” It wasn’t until he explained who she was that I realised.
Ellie, I’ve always spelt your name however you spell it – Elea when you did that, Ellie now you do that. I can’t even keep up with the vagiaries of your self-nomenclature, so from now on I’m just going to call you Kermit, ok?
June 6th, 2007 at 8:34 am
Oh and Mel – you brought it on yourself. I have no sympathy! I’m fine after the taxi business, thanks XX
June 6th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
In that case, I apologise, it’s just that I have absolutely no memory of you spelling my name Elea
June 27th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Hey Rach,
Haven’t been on your blog for awhile and just looked in and saw all the comments about names. I as you know am LouisA and I hate I mean hate being called LouisE. ‘That is not my name’ I shout and now refuse to answer anyone that calls me Louise so end up calling myself Lou to avoid confusion. I am thinking a lot about names at the moment with the imminent arrival of baby Joyce (that is my surname by the way – it is not a girl – sex unknown). We have two weeks to decide on a boy and girl name or longer if I go over. Suggestions welcome!
Lx
May 6th, 2010 at 12:53 am
No spam, no joke, we simply really like your green blog and want to help people find it.