Using surname initial to distinguish between two children with almost same name - almost!

[NewLookings]

Am I being very precious about this? My child has just started big school and is one of two children with a name that is pronounced the same but spelled differently.

I get that verbally they will need to be distinguished by their surname eg Bob A and Bob B. But when written down, is it really necessary? This is not the name but is a close likeness:

Juliet
Juliette

In everything, I have noticed my child’s is referred to as Juliet A and the other Juliette B. Surely this isn’t needed? Her tray, her work on the wall, her name on the class whatsapp group etc etc always with the surname initial.

I KNOW I’m being a bit precious. I know this. And yes, I’m disappointed there’s another one as it’s not a very common name.

AIBU to think there is a difference here because of the different spelling?

At school we have Kelly and Kelli. So they are known as Kelly A and Kelli B

It's a lot easier for me as a parent because I know an invitation has gone to Kelly A and if i accidentally call her Kelli A, It's still the right child.

The trouble is all the staff who enter the room and the other kids will not know (or care) which child spells it which way. So it needs to say Juliet A on Juliet's tray, pictures etc, or it'll get super confusing.
But it is annoying. I met a y3 class as a TA which contained two Erins. One actually thought her school name was "Erinesse" because she had been constantly called that at school since reception.

The names sound the same and many people misspell people’s names. I’m one of those people that remembers how names are spelt but DH gets people spelling his name wrong as often as not.

If you had Alan, Allan and Allen you’d use initials not spell the names our every time.

The Four Marys were known as Fieldy Cotty Simpy and cant remember the last ones surname.

Sometimes a student may be tasked with sorting papers into cubbies or folders or whatever the teacher uses. They need all the help they can get to do this.

Ffs 🙄

Meanwhile in Syria/Calais/Greece. Insert as appropriate.

You could apply that to pretty much any thread on MN, or the vast majority of things anyone talls/worries/complains about. People are alllowed to have and talk about minor concerns.

*talks

Oh and I know how it feels to think you are picking a unique name and it turns out not to be the case. I downloaded the name counts, grouped similar sounding names, and then modeled trends for every name we were considering. We didn’t want to pick one that seemed rare but actually had many variants in that were together trending upward. I did succeed in picking a name that is unique when looking at a large area. She is 11 now and the name remains low ranked in popularity. However, we moved just after dd was born and there must be something about this neighborhood. We have had 3 neighbors next door while we have lived here and every single family in that house has had a daughter with the same name as my dd. Something that made us choose this spot to live overlaps with our name preferences.

This is just part of life. I had two other girls in my class with my name. I was a one was b and one was y.

I have two kids with popular names. I’d rather they were given an initial or a surname if there are others in the class with similar names. It lowers the risk of confusion for everyone.

Why even bother asking? You asked, you've mostly received answers you clearly didn't want to hear and are spending your time disagreeing with everyone. Just leave it be. It's totally pointless.

Mumsnet bingo!
OP doesn’t want opinions and goes off in a strop.

at high school had 2 lads same first and last name in same class. So a middle initial was always used.

This is a complete non issue. I think you're being incredibly precious, so what if they have put the first letter of her surname, it's still correct. I could not get worked up about this

Is anyone else confused about how OP accessed the classroom to view tray labels & wallwork?

yes, I’m disappointed there’s another one as it’s not a very common name.

You're right OP. The name should have been retired forever more when your DD was born. Actually, they should have suspended the use of the name for a good 20-30 years before her birth. Then yours could be the one and only.

Speaking as someone who spent her whole secondary school life as [name] B to contrast with [same name] D, this really wasn't something that ever worried me in the slightest.

There were 5 Connors/Conners/Connars/Conors.... in my DS’s class. When we wrote his party invitations he chose Connor as one of the children he wanted to invite. I knew there were 5 Connors (various spellings) in the class but I wouldn’t have known which way each child spelt their name so the easiest question was, “Which Connor?” DS said, “Connor J”. Connor J went on the envelope and teacher knew which Connor’s bag to put the invitation in. I don’t know if I spelt Connor the way he spells it but by using the initial of his surname the right boy got the invitation.

Maybe having Elliot A and Elliott B helps with remember the spelling, too - ie B has two t's.

Why does it matter if the teacher adds on the surname?

@ZoeCM

I wonder if the Spice Girls had this problem.

Superb.

I went all through Primary school with another girl who had exactly the same name as me, neither of us had a middle name either. I was always no-one as name name2, it honestly did me no harm at all!

From a teaching family and fully understand what goes on a classroom, thank you.

This is what makes it all the more astonishing that it's been posted about, or even entered OP's consciousness at all .

I think yabu. Be grateful it’s not Juliet with glasses and Juliette with long hair which is how it was in my class with 3 of us with the same name. As the one with glasses that made me feel rubbish.

'always no-one'? I meant 'always known'.

My child had gone to secondary school and is one of three where their first name and the first letters of their surnames are identical.
She is best mates with one and they are the same stature and colourings- causes no end of confusion.
She's being referred to as little/mini or small surname by some teachers that have her big sister.