to think it shouldn't take EXHs family 2 years to learn to spell a 5 letter name

[Thing3]

DD3 turned 2 today. Her name is Niamh, maybe a little unusual if you haven't heard of it before but easily learnable.

She got a card today saying to Niamph.

Is Niamh really that hard to learn or are they simply not bothering?

I'm not upset about it, just wandering if this is usual?

You have to accept spelling errors with a name that is not particularly common and can't be sounded out in English. I did not know how Niamh was pronounced until I was an adult and every time I see a name which is spoken very differently from the way it looks, I have to think hard: which one is this? I actually find it quite hard when I meet new people and they have a difficult name because it would be so embarrassing to get it wrong. I therefore avoid using their name initially until I hear others saying it and then I copy them.

My DH's grandmother picked his name, 5 letters, completely ordinary.

She spells it wrong on every single card she gives us. Up until we got married she referred to me as "DH & his grilfriend". Always grilfriend.

I am very much a pedant and usually spot on with spellings, but my nephew is Elliot and I can't for the life of me ever remember if it has a extra t on the end. I think I alternate in the hope that I might get it right 50% of the time.

Bella at grilfriend

I am Irish and have an Irish name which is more uncommon than Niamh. I have lived abroad for many years.

Contrary to stereotypes, Americans are EXCELLENT at spelling and pronouncing my name correctly. They have so many different cultures, languages, and spelling variations that they basically take it as given that they need to have every name carefully spelled out. There are, after all, pretty much no names that don't have variants - Jon/John, Sara/Sarah, Sean/Shaun etc etc etc.

Unfortunately people in the UK just don't seem to bother. Most of DH's extended family, despite knowing me for ten years, seeing our wedding invites, my name on our cards and presents to them, etc, continue to completely mangle my six-letter name. I do try not to take it personally but it's incredibly rude and hurtful. It's not hard to scribble a spelling in a birthday book or hell, look me up on Facebook. I wish people could be a bit more bothered. It's really horrible to get annual reminders on birthdays and at Christmas that relatives you really like yet again couldn't be bothered to check a spelling.

Bella are you now "DH & his wife", or have you graduated to having your own name

that is a really hard name to spell though I am sure they dont mean it , my dd had a2 frienda called amy (eek spelling ) for a few years each had a different spelling, people don't mean it when they get the spelling wrong, My first name has (counts ) 10 letters can you imagine the fun people had trying to spell it

If its any consolation, my mil still insists on spelling dd2's name (Lily) as Lillie...

And she is nearly 6 (dd2, not mil)

my friends niece has an irish name with As and Es in it I think its pronounced ee-fa that is now how you spell it though

badRoly my uncle managed to condense my 10 letter name into 6 I am 41 he still sends christmas cards with wrong spelling sigh

Aoife, Mrs Jay, what a pretty name.
I think mis-spelling family names has a definite psychology.
what they are saying really is.....
'I am not going to write this name correctly, to let you know how unimportant you are'
so insulting to receive birthday and christmas cards from my family with my name spelt wrongly, and not even the excuse of having a 'difficult' name. my name is very common in my age group and has two spellings,one with an i and one without.......

I have a Niamh and I've been surprised at how many people actually get it right without being told. It has made me feel a bit better about all the comments about her having to spell it to people all her life.

My Dad was spelling it Naimh for a while, but I couldn't bring myself to correct him. He is a stickler for good grammar and spelling as well as being Irish! He was mortified when he realised.

My French grandmother just can't get her head around it, but she's trying!

We nearly called her Saoirse - now that would have been a bit of a nightmare.