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?

I used to get Judith and Julia all the time at school. People at work get my name wrong all the time too - simile to calling a Juliette Julie all the time. It drives me completely insane.

Same here. Repeatedly the same wrong name. Always the same name. 🤷🏼‍♀️🙄🤣

Even on emails, that are actually to my (obviously) real name!!!

We nearly called DD Julia.
Nobody outside the family knows this.
But she regularly gets called Julia.
Maybe WE were the ones to make the mistake…

I think it happens when you have cause to interact seriously with people briefly, but only once. They sort of “typify” you. So, you’re that woman I talked to at customer services in Waitrose about my refund. You were very helpful, but I can’t for the life of me remember your name. Was it Susan? She looks like a Susan

When I worked in a call centre this happened to me. Let's say my name was Fiona (it's not), people would call me Claire, so not even close. It happened that often that if someone rang and spoke to a colleague, if they asked to speak to Claire, they'd know to put them through to me.

This drives me nuts! Say my name is Catherine and I ask to be called Cath, I get Cathy. You correct with what you prefer and they still call you what they prefer - infuriating!

@HerculesMulligan

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

I used to have a neighbour called Catherine, I would avoid saying her name for the sole reason that my brain just won’t stop confusing it with Caroline. Clearly I’m not the only one with a blind spot there!

Sorry Catherine

@DinkBoo

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.

Me too! If I am called anything that isn’t my name, it’s always Rachel, and my name is completely different and starts with a C.

OP, is there perhaps a famous person called “Dawn” who has the same surname as you? Have you Googled it?

I get really pissed off with this kind of laziness; lack of regular employment has, thankfully stopped it. If I saw the wrong name on an email, I didn't even bother to read it, just replied with 'I think you have sent this to me in error'

It did stop.

If it’s Rebecca and Rachel this is really common. It’s like a blindness people have (I’m neither but know a few if both and have seen it happen a lot).

I am Karen but I get called Ruth all the time

Emails and face to face

I answer to Ruth at this stage.

It's very bizarre

Yeah I get this, I get called Shirley on email all the time, my name is not Shirley

@Howshouldibehave

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

This is me the other way round I am always called Rachel !

My name is not English so this happens to me a lot. I always get one of two names spelt similarly but pronounced entirely differently.

E.g if I was called Aisha and always got Esther or Eva.

Mmm. Is there someone going round referring to you by that name?

I instantly know if my mum-in- law has been talking about be when they start referring to me by the specific nickname she calls me by. It drives her mad when I say that I know that she's been talking to so and so lately........

Have you once signed your name and it looked like Dawn?

Otherwise sometimes someone has met a person who looks very similar and their name gets stuck on you

Different people in different jobs throughout my life have called me Claire, which is not my name and not even anywhere near close. They then say I just look like a Claire.

Allmadeoflego - Yes, it's this. My name is Rebecca and I don't shorten it. When the Christmas card arrived addressed to Rachel everyone in my office was scratching their heads, trying to work out who it was for. I had an email from a client yesterday, replying to one from me, and she addressed it "Dear Rachel".

And earlier in the week a face to face client was alternating between Rebecca and Rachel.

I know it's not really a big deal in the scheme of things but how on earth can you keep calling someone the wrong name, particularly when it's there in correspondence.

Apparently I look like an Alison. Years ago, I got into conversation with a friendly group of slightly drunk people on the Tube, and they all assured me of this. And then at least two other, random and unrelated people have called me Alison consistently, even though it’s nothing like my real name.

Maybe you accidentally changed your name and then forgot about it?

Happens to me a lot - so much that I'd bet you and I have the same name and the wrong name is always the same one too.

I was happy to lose my maiden name as it was slightly unusual and I’d always have to spell it, but now lots of people accidentally call me by my surname (which can also be a female first name) thinking that’s my first name which is equally annoying!

Itisileclair - Possibly!

I don't like correcting them either as I find it embarrassing and I don't want to make them feel awkward. So I just keep plodding on, signing off on emails and letters as Rebecca and hoping they will realise their mistake.