Why are people calling me by another name? This happens all of the time.

[StPaulandTheBrokenBones]

Obviously this is not my real name but let's say that my name is Deborah.

At work I send emails to clients very regularly and sign off with my actual name. However three times this week and a number of times last week clients have replied to "Dawn". The clients are not the same people, they are all different clients.

Deborah and Dawn obviously begin with the same letter but are not remotely the same otherwise! They don't end in the same letter, they don't rhyme with each other. I have even had a Christmas card from a client today addressed to "Dawn".

This has happened throughout my life and I am not sure why people are doing this. Has this happened to anyone else?

Is the other name always the same name or is it a different name each time? So is it always Dawn or sometimes is it Delilah, or. Delphine or or I can’t think of any other d names.

I have just the same thing.

If someone calls me by the wrong name - it's always the same name, even though the person is a different one. I've put it down to maybe I just look like a "Dawn"

I'm a Caroline and have been called Catherine all my life.

It's always the same name. I don't usually think too much about it but it has happened at least seven times in the last two weeks so I just wondered if this happens to anyone else.

I have had this but not that often. If people get my name wrong it is always Sue, clearly I must look like a Sue!

I've had this for years, I've been called Emma and Lisa (among others) when my actual name is so very far away from those. I assume people just don't care enough to remember my actual name.

A school mum called me the wrong name for years our children are at the end of their 20s, I met her in town recently and it was all Hi "Helen " how are you ? I just sighed and said I'm fine thanks

I honestly believe the name they have chosen for us just gets stuck in their minds and there is no budging it !

I have the same thing. For example if my name were Elizabeth, I frequently get called Emma. No idea why! It’s always the same name. It’s a nice name but not mine.

I get this too - it's a name that starts with the same letter as my name but sounds nothing like it! And often when I've pointed out it's not my name, I get told "But you look like a (X)". People are weird.

Change your name to Dawn and see if they start saying Deborah…

I get called Emma or Sarah. I can only think it is because I have a common first name from the 70s/80s.

Some people really don't look like their name though. I'm sure I get it wrong and annoy people at times.

This happened to me a lot when I was younger. I used to get called Rachel, by various different people in different places over a number if years. One person I worked with, knew my name but it was like it just slipped out. It hasn't happened for years now

How odd!

I always think the lady down the road to me is Rebecca. It’s Rachel. Someone else has also called her Rebecca!

I have this. It’s always the same wrong name by loads of different people. My first name is two syllables (like Mary) and my surname is also two syllables (like Brandon). People call me a two syllable combo of my last name first and first name last, so Brandy 🤩

If anyone ever gets my name wrong, it's always by calling me Racheal. My name doesn't begin with an R, and is shorter.

Unfortunately I'm really bad with names.

I keep getting them mixed up.
It doesnt matter who it is- even my boss in front of loads of people.

I dont do it on purpose. And I'm not trying to offend. It just somehow gets mixed up in my mind and I can't untangle it.

@Mrsjayy

A school mum called me the wrong name for years our children are at the end of their 20s, I met her in town recently and it was all Hi "Helen " how are you ? I just sighed and said I'm fine thanks

I honestly believe the name they have chosen for us just gets stuck in their minds and there is no budging it !

Dave.....Rodney.

I honestly think that some people get the info from other people and it's important to correct it unless you're okay with the wrong name.

I had trouble locating a Sue in a small firm the other day. Turns out the client who told me she was called Sue tells everyone else. So when I said "i got this number from Mark" the receptionist said, "oh you mean Anne". When I spoke to Anne, she said she just couldn't face correcting a long standing client.

My late MiL neighbour used to call Dd Rachel its definitely not Rachel !

I mentor a lot of students (nurses), I'm usually very good with names, but I run into difficulty when either two students names are very similar or if a student reminds me of a previous one.

So, I had a fab student called (let's say) 'Gary', about a year later I had an equally good student called 'Sean'. Sean very similar to Gary in looks and personality and I found myself getting their names confused. I'm always very apologetic and tell them to correct me - it's my ageing brain I think.

I often get called 'Helen' for some reason, I think I must just look like one?!

Do you have a well used name?

Mine is a known name, but the only people I know with it are two famous actresses and I met another Mum years ago who called her DD the same name. It's sometimes spelt wrong, but I can't remember an occasion where I've been called something else - and luckily people don't shorten it (even that it can very easily be).

I always get the wrong name
I answer the phone with my name at work and it's a simple name like.. Donna
I get "hi there Sonia"
Me

My maiden name is a name that’s trendy as a first name in the US, I used to get it all the time from colleagues even when responding to an email from me in the first place. Not as bad as my poor minion Angus who would always be missing his G.

I get called Lucy. No idea why and have never met a Lucy so unsure what one looks like.

That’s weird. I’ve never experienced that!