Were you teased because of your name?

one boy turned my surname to sound like 'bordello' and shouted it all the time

his surname was gaunt - and at 10 - i didn't know that gaunt was actually a word - i didn't know what a bordello was either

I was teased at school because my maiden name is Nicholas, Knickerless, geddit?

And also because I apparently look like a monkey.

My married name+surname combination is equally bad.

I've never been teased, about my name or anything else.

But I am 6'5" and built like a brick shit house

I have an unusual first name and suffered with teasing and bullying all through school because of it. As I grew up I made sure I had a little story ready to explain to people where it comes from. My brother also had an unusual name but his became cooler and more popular as we grew up . People just look at me blankly or say pardon when I tell them my name and I don't think I have ever had a telephone conversation without repeating my name [yawn emoticon]

Unfortunately my DTSs have suffered instead of being Rory and Rafe or something equally unusual they have very traditional names which can be shortened and go with our surname.

I grew up having first name and surname starting with the same letter. I wasn't teased about it but I never liked it so made a point of not naming my daughters with alliterative ames even though I loved lots of names starting with the same letter as DP's surname.

I did get some teasing about by surname - linked to a particular elephant packing her trunk! Mostly that was just from friends as a nickname!

I made a point of giving my girls 'pretty' names - both their names look lovely on paper but have a range of shorter versions if they prefer to use them when they are older.

As a teacher I make a point of checking how to pronounce names and would never make a joke about someone's name.

And I agree, children will find anything to pick up on with some children and others can get away with having anything unuaual -depends on the nature of the child, I think.

There was a guy working at DH's old work called Russell Sprout (honestly).
Surely that's just bordering on child cruelty?!

I was teased at school for having a very long, unpronouncable surname. And in fact I still get teased, even though I am now married with a much more common name!

It doesn't bother me at all, and never really has.

All kids get teased for something, and I think being teased about your name is much less hurtful than being teased for having freckles, the wrong colour hair, being too tall, too short, spotty etc. etc.

My name is unusual and I was teased.

I am guessing MI's name is Rhea/Ria

'Tooby or not To be that is the question' a million times until I got married and everyone thought they were the first to say it!!!

Don't know if it's urban myth or not but my friend swears blind that he was at school with Andrew and Peter Ness.

A. Ness

P. Ness

(hopes it's actually true!)

I've got an impossible surname that most people don't even attempt to spell or pronounce properly. I hated it as a kid but I love it now.

Kids will get teased no matter what, but childhood is short and you find your true confidence in adulthood anyway, where nobody would dream of jumping up and down and trying to rhyme your name with smelly bum or whatever.

Tamarto - I am intrigued now as to whether we have the same surname!! Not sure though as the reference to putting the A on the end - was that your surname or first name?

My pet bugbear is people who phone up, ask for my name which I pronounce correctly, then carry on pronouncing it the wrong way for the rest of the call - height of rudeness!!

Mater has truly peculiar first name which is all to do with Christian Martyrs in Madagascar (oddly enough the missionary branch only being related by marriage! Grandmater also copped it but as middle name and kindly, I avoided it altogether.

My dc have very traditional names and the extremely common surname which isn't Smith. Hence me needing to avoid Tom.

But from experience, it was never the names alone that caused the grief at school, it was the initials too or any accidental sharing of names with the famous or notorious! One of ds2's friends is still suffering (12 years on) from the discovery that his middle name is Ronald.

If you have a hugely confident child then they'll wear their name with pride. Unfortunately, you never know whether you'll be having a child with these qualities at the time of naming. A task often rather hormonally challenged.

How can a name rhyme with both diarrhoea AND gonorrhoea?

Someone I know was teased dreadfully for having the surname Longbottom, Sadly his parents who had him late in life gave him the tradtional family name of Richard

Dick Longbottom! Can you imagine.

When he got married he and his wife chose a new surname for both of them, she hated hers anyway, Smith, so like previous posts of Granny smith - oooh she's a bit tart and they chose a place name as their surname.

They couldn't bear the thought of their children going through what both of them had been through as children.

I think children pick on anything they can whether it is a name or a physical attribute.

IKWYM mmj, I recently realised that I don't hate my name any more! But I certainly did when growing up, and given the choice would prob still change it!

I'm good thanks, full of a cold/swine flu/whatever and desperately trying to get better, we are going to DLP next week! No msn but am usually around on FB chat.

thank you saucepanman! lots of people sy it's nice but i still feel a bit odd about it

it's still very uncommon too

how the hell are you anyway? got your msn up and running yet?

Oh dear, my DD1 is doomed then, her initials are TB.

my name rhymes with gonorrhoea (or are there 2ns in that and only 2os?) and diarrhoea - so yes, bit of teasing but only from my siblings

My name is unusual (certainly was back then) and I was teased. I longed to be called Susie.

My brother's name is fantastically unusual (still) and he was never teased. He loved having an unusual name.

It's always the same: if you're a cool kid, everything about you is considered cool. If you're not a cool kid, the bullies will find some 'excuse' for singling you out.

Having said which, there are some names that really are unkind...

Oh, yes to the keyring thing- I could never get my name on anything- now ds has the same problem but because his is so popular it is always sold out!

I got teased because my name is too common, I hated and loathed my name for years, still don't much like it tbh.

My dc have unusual names.

Agree with op, kids will always find something to tease each other about.

Did you think you had a stalker?! I stand by my comment, your name is lovely

Dp was teased because his name is very common and uncle-y (the Spitting Image chicken song didn't help, either). So our dcs have unusual names. Kids find anything to tease each other about so my view has just been to go with whatever... In fact, one dc came home the other day going on about a boy called 'Fiddly' in his class. Turns out it's Finley but someone couldn't pronounce it so Fiddly stuck sigh

Oh yes... I was also teased for being small/flat chested/too loud/too quiet... As you say, if someone picks you as a target, you are pretty much fvcked whether your name is completely popular or not... Shameful really. I detest bullies. I recently saw one of the girls who bullied me at school and I actually began to shake with dread. She didn't even recognise me (or if she did she didn't let on). I really wanted to go up and confront her but I thought I would look totally pathetic. She looked amazing and was dressed in the best clothes and was confidently chatting away to someone in the shopping mall. Looks like she never had to learn any lessons from being a bully.

Sorry - this isn't really on topic is it...

So, no, it wasn't JUST the weird spelling of a familiar name that got me bullied, but it certainly gave them something to start on for free...