I'm currently sat in a and e

Yes I am in exactly this same situation as your Claire Jones. Over the years, I’ve occasionally experienced surprising coincidences, some of which are in my PPs.

But what happens very frequently - probably once a week - is mistaken identity on email. My email address is simply my name as one word before the at symbol and then a common email provider after the at symbol. (I got that email addess in about 1994, so didn’t need to use numbers or symbols or extra words)

Anyway, I am always getting appointments emailed to me for other women of my name, I have had ‘my’ electricity bill for my house in Los Angeles, a boarding pass for a flight from Vancouver to San Francisco, other people’s family photos, queries from US tax advisors about my income, surveys about my experience of having surgery in some hospital I have never heard of.

Some woman even used my email address for her Plenty of Fish account. I logged into her account (terrible security!) and changed all the details about the type of men she was looking for - I made up something ridiculous - at least 6’5”, loves ballet and is fluent in Japanese and Italian. 🤣

I worked with someone with the same first name and when she got married she took his name and became me! Found out that she was really upset that I had 'her' name and had spoiled things for her 🙄

I knew two cousins who both knew that their wives were expecting "in the summer" but hadn't realised their due dates were just a week apart. In the event they both gave birth to daughters on the same day. Same fairly unusual surname, and they both used the same family name as a middle name. And they both chose the same first name, just because it was a name they liked.

So, second cousins with identical names, and the same date of birth. It wasn't a problem when they were children as they lived quite a distance apart, but became a problem when they both applied for student grants to go to university.

Ugh, double post. sorry.

I get your boredom! I was in A &E for 14 hours a hile ago. One of the nurses on the night shift was ridiculously cheerful and I was actually watching her to see if that cheerfulness was going to wear off, but got to leave at around 2am so never found out.

Anyway, everyone else was calling out the non-british names quite hesitantly, with an obvious "sorry I don't know how to pronounce this" vibe. This nurse comes out and bellows across the waiting room something eastern- european sounding, with lots of syllables in the first and last name, exactly the same way she would shout "Janet Williams" or whatever. A woman near the entrance starts walking towards her, with a pained expression. The nurse chirps "did I say it right?" and the woman smiles regretfully, and shakes her head. The nurse, still just as cheerful: "Well, I gave it go, love, I gave it a go! "
Still makes me laugh now.

Next time, take a couple of books with you.

In 1987 I got a large BUPA payment for private physio work that I hadn't done.

I phoned BUPA to explain, and they insisted that I had done it, and to pay the cheque into the bank. Well, who was I to argue it further? As they said, how many physios could there possibly be with my full name?

Since the advent of the internet I can tell you that last time I looked, there were 5 of us with the same full name. It's not a name I'd ever come across before.

My sincere apologies go to the person who was at least temporarily deprived of their wages.

Yep I’ve got someone with exactly the same name at my dentist. Caused years of confusion (not a common surname!), I’m married now with a much more common surname and yet to find a double.

I knew a gay married couple with the same name (think John Smith).

I’ll play. As a med sec we had two people booked into clinic on two separate days with the same first name, surname and DOB was same date but 5 years apart.
First name was common, surname not so much.

There were 27 girls with the same first name as me in my secondary school. Depends on the name.

My late husband was under a consultant at a hospital for something quite rare, there was also another patient there of exactly the same name, DH was known as name and Matilda, other man was just his name

At work we have at least 2 pairs if siblings that have the same name. We have to check date of births to ensure we are booking in the correct one.

Oh and I did go to school with 3 Andrew Smiths

Well my maiden name was unusual but my married name is super common.

I’m Even a member of a FB group ‘I’m Rachel Bloggs’. There’s quite a lot of members.

My friends brother married a woman with the same first name as his sister, so when they married she now has the same full name as my friend before she got married

As a teacher we once had 3 Tom White in the same year group. It was a bit tricky so they had adjectives put in front by most staff e.g. "sporty" Tom White etc. Bit like the Spice Girls come to think of it! 😅

My child had three Alexanders and two Alexandras in their class of 28 at primary school. We have a surname that is often used as a forename, if we have an appointment it is often called out in the wrong order eg Henry Wilson becomes Wilson Henry. Hope all Ok.

Good luck getting an appointment

I get your boredom! I was in A &E for 14 hours a hile ago. One of the nurses on the night shift was ridiculously cheerful and I was actually watching her to see if that cheerfulness was going to wear off, but got to leave at around 2am so never found out.

Anyway, everyone else was calling out the non-british names quite hesitantly, with an obvious "sorry I don't know how to pronounce this" vibe. This nurse comes out and bellows across the waiting room something eastern- european sounding, with lots of syllables in the first and last name, exactly the same way she would shout "Janet Williams" or whatever. A woman near the entrance starts walking towards her, with a pained expression. The nurse chirps "did I say it right?" and the woman smiles regretfully, and shakes her head. The nurse, still just as cheerful: "Well, I gave it a go, love, I gave it a go! "
Still makes me laugh now.

Edited a typo. But also I just remembered that she actually said "No I didn't think I had, but I gave it a go love, I gave it a go".

I guess it depends on the name if you have a common first and last name such as John smith than the chances would be considerably higher

I went to school with two Steven Browns. They were in different tutor groups but I'm not sure whether they had any lessons together.

Hope all went well at A & E and you're home now.

I’ve learned the hard way to always take a book or magazine. If I knitted or embroidered I’d take that too

ps hope everything ok

Only as high as treating multiple smiths, Jones, greys in a predominantly white area

I don’t understand why you think it’s odd.

i would think it highly unusual for there to be two Jane Smiths in the same small group of people. We’re taking a handful of people here not 100s or 1000s.