How do I find out her name?

[sillysituation]

In the grand scheme of life this isn't a major problem. But it's a little embarrassing.

We moved house in April last year so have been here a little over a year. The next door neighbour introduced herself in the first few weeks and was so lovely and friendly. She obviously would have told me her name at that point. Anyway, I've forgotten it 🙈

It's more and more awkward with each conversation. We see each other a lot and chat over the garden fence. I had a baby earlier this year and she was so interested in my pregnancy asking for updates on baby's arrival etc, and coos over baby every time I'm outside with her. Basically, I feel as though I have developed quite a lovely friendship with my neighbour over the past year or so. But I have no clue what her name is 😂

And now it feels like it's gone too far for me to ask, if that makes sense? If someone you'd been chatting to for the best part of a year suddenly said "sorry, what's your name again?" you'd be pretty offended right?

My question is ... how the hell do I find out her name without offending her?!

Start a conversation about how it's fashionable to spell names different ways
Amy Ami etc
Tell her yours with different spelling and ask how many variations she can do with her name.
Just hope her name isn't Pam.

Gaze at her intently and say “have I ever said you’re the spitting image of my friend Jane, and now my mind has gone totally blank on your proper name!! My memory has gone to baby mush.”

Land registry unless she rents !

If you still haven't worked it out by then, you can address her birthday card "to the best neighbour ever"!

I've got one - I always confidently called the lovely chap who taught my kids to swim "Ray" - every Thursday after school for about 4 years. Found out recently that his name is Alan. Or the other way round, I'm still not quite sure.

I know a Sarah who spells her name Sara, and vice versa, though it has to be said that the Sarah who likes to be called Sara is an up-herself twat.

These days there's no telling. Kier and Kieran, well that's just someone familiar being lazy. Even if her name is Pam, I'll bet that somewhere out there is a different/dumb way to spell it because someone parents had some daft idea about it.

I knew of a kid whose parents had chosen his name from a book, but pronounced it in such a way that made it a totally different (and not pleasant) thing. When his name was called on the register at school, he had no idea they were calling him, and when the teacher asked why he had yet to respond to the register, it all became clear.

I haven’t RTFT sorry BUT I do have an idea. Because I used it myself.

So we think her name is Sarah? Check your local fb group for members and look for Sarahs. If you see a matching profile pic you’re golden

Ask for her phone number in case of emergencies and ask her to spell her name so you get it right in your phone, if she spells Sarah just say I just wanted to check because I've seen it spelt without a h

OP, when I met my DH for the first time as a student, I didn’t catch his name in the noisy students union bar.
We were smitten with each other, and moved in together after three days.
We had been living together for a week and I still didn’t know what he was called and I was now far too embarrassed to ask him!
In the end, I waited until he was asleep and went through his pockets to find his student railcard!

Could you say, ‘what would you like baby to call you when she can speak?’ That would get you her name (hopefully!)

My friend had hte magic answer, if he'd forgotten someone's name, he'd say, "What's your name, it's slipped my mind". When the other person said -offendedly- "Marjorie,!" he'd say, not your first name, I know your first name, I mean your surname.
Works every time!

Ask her to sign a legal document as a witness where she has to print her name. Get down the post office and get an application form! Make a new will

Start talking about full names or you babies full names then yours then what’s hers …. Something crafty in a conversation.

@FluffyPJs

Just brazen it out - say to the baby 'say hello to..... oh my minds gone completely blank! What's your name again?' And laugh it off!

Yes! I was going to suggest this. Blame the baby brain!

25yrs ago, I used to have a job taking lots of messages in a sort of student halls, and worked alongside a married woman called Sandra Jones. People would phone up 'Please ask John Taylor to phone his parents' sort of thing, we'd then put the message up on the notice board.
I put up a message for 'Alex Smith' to call her mum. Turns out that 'Sandra' Jones was actually Alexandra, and Smith was her maiden name. She never let me forget it...

@MargotHeggerty

Get her number Input it to WhatsApp or Facebook

Her profile should appear and hopefully if via WhatsApp her name is her actuall name like "Julie" and not "Mrs smith" or "cat mumma"

Well, it will if she has Whatsapp or FB!

I have been in this situation twice recently - the most recent was with a neighbour I have spoken to daily for the last 5 years, have been to the park together with our children, exchanged birthday gifts for the children and went out running together - I had her in my phone as "Number 3". I only recently found out her name when I was speaking to her mother in law and she mentioned her name "Jenny" - I was so excited I asked her more questions about Jenny (just to confirm it was the correct person). Now I'm trying to figure out the correct spelling of the name as there are many variations.

I completely get it going past a point where you can just ask. It's so easy to ask someone's name at the beginning but years down the line you just feel like a wally.

I'd genuinely ask the postman 😂

This is not much use but someone I vaguely know always calls me Debbie if I bump into him in the supermarket. My name is not Debbie but he's done it for years and now I can't correct him😆. I feel like Rodney out of Only Fools and Horses.

Say what's your name

• she says name

Say "no silly your last name !" 😂

My tactic 97% of the time is - GET HER DRUNK. Invite her over for some nonsense, 5 drinks in you can say “Do you know I have not got a clue what your name is” and then it’s a hysterical drunk story

Sell her raffle tickets (you can invent an imaginary raffle). Tell her to write her name on them and then a week later, say hooray, she's won, ask for the tickets and you can give her a bottle of babycham with the ticket stuck to it.

If DH thinks she’s called Sarah, maybe you could start a conversation about comedians and mention Sara Pascoe, and how you’d think it would be spelled Sarah. Hopefully she’ll then tell you how to spell her name.

Or do some kind of sponsored event e.g. charity fun run and get her to fill in the sponsor form (this requires quite a bit of commitment!)

Agree with PPs that you gave to wait until Christmas. Or throw a birthday party and invite her. Or start some kind of local petition and make her sign it. Or steal her mail.

I'll leave it with you!

You've reminded me of a similar situation with my previous home. We lived there 10yrs and often said hi to the neighbours. Then we were invited to their son's 18th birthday party. My DH insisted he knew his name and I duly wrote it on the card.............it was NOT his name. Not even close. He opened the card in front of me, by then I KNEW it wasn't his name. He looked at me, I looked at him....and we both looked at the card. He said thanks and moved on. I left the party soon after. I never did find out his parents names and I will NEVER attend a party unless i know people well. We just went back to saying hi until we moved away. still none the wiser.