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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To change my son's name (kind of) at 2 years of age.

383 replies

Writerwannabe83 · 27/05/2016 10:00

DS is 2yrs and his name isn't particularly uncommon but nor is it an overly used one either. Prior to having DS my DH was really keen on this name, me not so much but I did agree to it on the premise that we wouldn't spell it in the typical way because that way can lead to a pronunciation of the name which I really don't like.

But anyway, two years down the line and people are still using the typical spelling and it's driving me mad. Anytime he comes home with something from nursery they've labelled it with the typical spelling, they use the typical spelling when writing in his daily journal, when people text me regarding him they spell his name the typical way and I still get birthday and Christmas cards and they have his name spelt the typical way. He received a certificate yesterday after some activity he'd done at a toddler group and as soon as they heard what his name was they automatically wrote it on his certificate but in its default form so now I feel bummed about that because it my eyes it's not my DS's name.

I have told people soooo many times how we spell his name but it's still constantly spelt in its most common form.

It's really starting to grate on me now.

BTW - the spelling of his name is perfectly legitimate but it's just not the spelling that people associate with the name.

I don't particularly blame people because they just spell it as they assume it's spelt but it's starting to get me down now.

As an example of what I'm trying to say, imagine there's a boy called Luke, but instead of his parents wanting to spell it that way they want to spell it Luc but everyone still writes his name down as Luke because that's the typical spelling. That's probably a rubbish example but I just wanted to try and demonstrate it a little

Anyway, despite me really not liking the common way of spelling his name I'm seriously considering changing his name to it because this misspelling of it is driving me mad and I have a feeling DS will be dealing with this all his life and it will no doubt piss him off in the same way it's pissing me off.

OP posts:
NannawifeofBaldr · 27/05/2016 11:23

Bloody autocorrect:

I pronouce Arun as Ar-oon

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 27/05/2016 11:23

We don't have the Aaron spelling because I didn't want him getting called Air-run but everyone is spelling it that way.

OP posts:
JessieMcJessie · 27/05/2016 11:24

Aaron would be the typical spelling to me. However I would pronounce it "Air-on".

How do you pronounce it OP?

OliveBranchCollins · 27/05/2016 11:24

always asks how I spell it

MrsJayy · 27/05/2016 11:25

So how do you spell it ?

JessieMcJessie · 27/05/2016 11:26

Cross post. So when you said "it's Aaron" you didn't mean that at all.... you just tell us how you spell and pronounce it?!

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 27/05/2016 11:26

Aaron is usually said as Air-ron hence why I didn't want it pronounced that way.

My DS is an Arran, pronounced A-run but obviously the two syllables are gentle and run of the tongue smoothly Smile

OP posts:
MyCatWasRightAboutYou · 27/05/2016 11:27

I do get what you mean about it not feeling like it's their name, though. I see the typical version and my variant as different, even though they're pronounced the same way.

OliveBranchCollins · 27/05/2016 11:27

My nephew is Aaron it mostly gets pronounced Ar-run where we live

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 27/05/2016 11:27

To clarify, I have an Arran but everyone spells it Aaron Grin

OP posts:
PottyMouthed · 27/05/2016 11:30

It's five letters and not like it's a 'foreign' complicated name that people can't get their heads around!
In that case yanbu! If you start being very vocal about it, I'm sure people will get better.

JessieMcJessie · 27/05/2016 11:32

Thanks. I think that this is less about alternative spellings and actually about people assuming he is called one name when he's actually called something similar but different. Like Tristan and Tristram for example.

The misspellers are presumptuous twats and need to be told in no uncertain terms.

celtiethree · 27/05/2016 11:32

I've never heard Aaron pronounced as Air-on! Always Ar-run. How are you spelling the name?

NannawifeofBaldr · 27/05/2016 11:34

Just tell them it's Arran like the island then.

PottyMouthed · 27/05/2016 11:36

Ha, I can imagine someone being Confused at Isle of Arran because they have no idea there was one!

hollinhurst84 · 27/05/2016 11:36

I would always say ar run
I get you though, mine is spelt (spaces so no searching for it!) S u s a n n
People say Susan and it's pronounced Suzanne

Original poster
Writerwannabe83 · 27/05/2016 11:37

Believe me nana - I've tried Smile

Seeing him come home with his certificate yesterday saying "Well done Aaron" just pushed me over the edge!!

OP posts:
celtiethree · 27/05/2016 11:38

Sorry missed your post 'Arran'. I would pronounce that differently as in the Isle of Arran which to me is slightly different to Aaron.

That said if you've corrected people they shed get it right.

bluecarpet · 27/05/2016 11:39

Nursery being completely unreasonable and I would complain vociferously. You haven't given him some silly made up name, or a very unusual spelling.

celtiethree · 27/05/2016 11:41

Ps - Arran is a great name

youngestisapsycho · 27/05/2016 11:42

I would look at Aaron written and would pronounce as Arun.... never known it be pronounced as Air-un.
I have a Katy but everyone spells it Katie. They kept doing it when she started school, all her work had wrong spelling. Quite disgraceful for a school to spell it wrong, and I told them so.

LagunaBubbles · 27/05/2016 11:44

Ha, I can imagine someone being confused at Isle of Arran because they have no idea there was one!

Yes its off the West Coast Scotland, quite a popular name here.

Ed1tY0urPr0f1le · 27/05/2016 11:47

My surname is very easy to mispronounce and misspell. I mostly spell it out quickly before people have a chance to write it down wrong but I still get people correcting me on my own name or I turn up to events and there is a name badge for me with the wrong name on etc etc. It's actually a bit of a running joke between me an DH to see who can get it the most wrong on restaurant reservations etc and, as long as it's not something important, it doesn't really bother me.

His nursery really should be getting their act together though! With the number of different ways people spell names these days, you would think a nursery would be on the ball about this.

I was half inclined to say change it to save him having to correct people forever but, since you don't like Air-ron, you'd just be swapping one problem for another as you'd be constantly correcting the pronunciation. If I saw Aaron, I would definitely assume Air-ron. However, if you said A-run, I wouldn't immediatley think to spell it Aaron and would check the spelling with you.

I would start spelling it out and correct nursery every time!

MiaowTheCat · 27/05/2016 11:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

moreshitandnofuckingredemption · 27/05/2016 11:50

Yanbu at all, pick it up with nursery or he'll get confused about spelling his own name later. And keep on at them. If you respell it Aaron he will definitely be called Air-un quite a bit - if not where you live now, then very possibly somewhere you or he lives later on.
As long as he knows how to spell his name you'll be fine longer term.