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Original poster

Completely weirded out by my name being spelled wrong. Am i being ridiculous?

38 replies

ApolloandDaphne · 20/09/2023 15:14

I was signing some POA forms for my DM today to register her POA with a new savings account. I pointed out she had spelled my middle name wrong. She said that it was correct and when i looked on the main POA form (completed over 15 years ago) it was also spelled this wrong way.

I have checked my BC and the way i spell it is correct. My DF registered my birth and i am aware aware of the provenance of my middle name so it is spelled exactly as might be expected.

I am a bit weirded out that my DM appears to have believed my middle name was spelled differently all my life ( i am 61) despite the correct version being on every certificate i have. She does not suffer dementia or any other memory impairment.

Am i ridiculous to feel sort of strange about this? I can't really figure out why it bothers me so much.

OP posts:
Sawaranga · 20/09/2023 15:22

Yes, my grandparent does this and it is odd. The name she uses is a correct version of my name, but it isn't my spelling. I think it shows a lack of care sadly.

Mumofteenandtween · 20/09/2023 15:28

I think you need to add the phrase “by my mother!” to your post. It makes it much weirder than just your name being spelt wrongly by a randomer!

How weird is the spelling by your mum? Could she have meant you to be Lucy Clare and your dad named you Lucy Clare and she didn’t notice? And people rarely write their children’s middle names.

Mumofteenandtween · 20/09/2023 15:28

Lucy Claire for one of those!

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Soubriquet · 20/09/2023 15:30

My name is spelled wrong everywhere. My mum spelled it wrong when she filled out the birth certificate. Even when I write it correctly on forms, it comes back the traditional spelling. I’ve given up now tbh

SkaneTos · 20/09/2023 15:33

That is odd!
Can you talk to her about it?

(I agree with a previous poster, I didn't realise that you meant your mother (!) at first, even though I am familiar with the acronyms on here. My mind mind went to something like the DMV.)

Original poster
ApolloandDaphne · 20/09/2023 15:35

Sorry, yes it is my mother who believes it has been spelled differently, it would seem, my entire life.

The name on my BC is Isabel and she says it should have been Isobel but this makes no sense as i was named after both my GM who were called Isabella. Her reasoning is a strange pronunciation thing which makes no sense to anyone except probably Scottish people of a certain age.

OP posts:
CornedBeef451 · 20/09/2023 15:40

It is weird.

If it makes you feel better my aunt found out her real birth date is a few days after the day she'd always celebrated, her parents got mixed up and used the wrong date, she was number 6 so I think they were a bit worn out by that point.

What makes it worse was that she was in her 50's when she found out!

Original poster
ApolloandDaphne · 20/09/2023 15:44

@SkaneTos I did speak to her as i was in her house when i saw the forms and the error. She seemed very defensive and blamed my (now dead ) dad for getting it wrong 61 years ago. My full name is written on many things including things from my childhood as i still have lots of certificates from then. The POA was done over 15 years ago when she must have been in her 60's so not exactly elderly. I'm surprised i didn't notice it then.

OP posts:
Freezingcoldinseptember · 20/09/2023 15:45

My sil has an odd spelling because ils didn't know how to spell the name they chose! She is 40+ now and it looks so odd!

CMOTDibbler · 20/09/2023 15:50

Odd, but the registrar in the town I was born in had some spelling choices that were in the 'correct but not normal' category so my cousins name is on her birth cert with a spelling that her mother didn't mean to have, and several children in my infant/junior school had the same. I think there were 7 or so names this happened with, all fairly popular at the time

Original poster
ApolloandDaphne · 20/09/2023 16:08

CMOTDibbler · 20/09/2023 15:50

Odd, but the registrar in the town I was born in had some spelling choices that were in the 'correct but not normal' category so my cousins name is on her birth cert with a spelling that her mother didn't mean to have, and several children in my infant/junior school had the same. I think there were 7 or so names this happened with, all fairly popular at the time

But at least they were aware of this from childhood. I'm 61 and it seems my mum has only just learned my name is not what she thought was on my BC.

OP posts:
AnnieKayTee · 20/09/2023 16:19

My mil always spells my sons name incorrect. She knows shes spelt it wrong, she just thinks I am wrong. It's literally the difference of an a and an e. Drives me mental

Original poster
ApolloandDaphne · 20/09/2023 16:30

AnnieKayTee · 20/09/2023 16:19

My mil always spells my sons name incorrect. She knows shes spelt it wrong, she just thinks I am wrong. It's literally the difference of an a and an e. Drives me mental

It's not quite the same though. My FIL always spelled DD1s name wrong but he wasn't involved in naming her so we let it go for the most part.

This is my mum, a person who has always been meticulous in life admin tasks. She is known by a name that is not on her BC and she is not known at all by it on any official documents. She would be scandalised if it appeared on any such document. She doesn't seem to understand why i am a bit nonplussed by her attitude to this.

I have suggested I get it changed on the POA and also change my address as it is not up to date. She seems to just want to rush through the POA forms for the savings account as she had decided that needs to be done right now. I would rather things were right.

OP posts:
Butterflyheart · 20/09/2023 16:31

my name is always spelt wrong. I'm used to it, but it always annoys me!

MinnieMouse0 · 20/09/2023 16:37

It is a bit weird.. She obv really wanted Isobel and has stuck with it ever since, regardless of what DF actually registered 😅

My granny’s dad registered her using the nickname rather than the ‘proper’ name. The proper name is on her marriage cert though! And we only found out when she was in her late 80s!!

Original poster
ApolloandDaphne · 20/09/2023 16:43

The thing is, if my DF had registered the wrong spelling and she was aware of it then it would be a funny story that I would have been told lots of times as a child. I'm more confused that this has just come to light for both of us now.

OP posts:
Polecat07 · 20/09/2023 16:51

I know exactly the Scottish 'Isobel' pronunciation you mean, my granny did it too.

PennywisePoundFoolish · 20/09/2023 16:52

Do you think she just wants the POA stuff done now so was trying to argue black was white? I

My mum tried to argue with me over the spelling of DS1s name! I've hard people tell me it took them sone time to get used to it, why they thought I should care for their opinion I don't know.

Alargeoneplease89 · 20/09/2023 16:54

Same thing happened to my DH, registered the birth and didn't look at the certificate properly until they got home and realised its spelt wrong. They took it back and the registrar just TIP-EX the certificate of course that was pointless, so he has two spellings. One he has grown up with and one that's official. He had no idea until he tried to get offical documents.

PuppyMonkey · 20/09/2023 16:56

I think it just shows that all the angst people on here get about “what middle name to go with Beryl” etc and you’ve got to the age of 61 before this has finally come up OP. Grin

HunterHearstHelmsley · 20/09/2023 16:56

My Dad gets his own name wrong. He spells it one of three ways. I don't know how he decides on which spelling or even which is correct.

Miniminiminimalist · 20/09/2023 16:56

She probably thought the school / doctors surgery / whatever had messed up when she got documents for you with the wrong (according to her) spelling.

That or your dad did get it wrong and she is making a point.

Isobel is the traditional Scottish spelling I think so if she's Scottish that's probably why she chose that spelling (even if your dad didn't)

Miniminiminimalist · 20/09/2023 16:58

A friend of mine has a dd with Roísín as her middle name. The passport agency put it as Rotsin 😂. I don't think they've changed it either

Spinet · 20/09/2023 17:00

My dad can't spell his own middle name. You can't help feeling weird about it but I wouldn't assign any significance to it!

MichelleScarn · 20/09/2023 17:04

Re the Scottish aspect is it as in, Isabel will be called 'Isa' 'Eye-zah' and an Isobel would be an 'Izzy'?

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