People mocking my name

[Addictedtocinammonrolls]

My father is from another country, and I have a European surname which is 4 syllables long. My first name is 3 syllables. I went to a predominantly white British school where there were only 3 of us in the year group with a non-British name.
I work in education and a couple of times other adults have said to me, 'Really?! So do the kids call you Miss ___?!"
Usually I've just smiled and laughed politely but next time I'm going to say 'What else are they going to call me??"

I was in the staffroom with a couple of teachers I didn't know. A pupil came to the staff door and asked for me by name. One of these other teachers went to another 'Is that her name?!"

I was on the phone to an agency and he asked for me full name. I told him, he repeated it back to me as a question in order to express shock and then laughed. I don't know how I didn't tell him to do knr.

I usually shorten my first name so that it's not as many syllables as a whole. I'm proud of my heritage but sometimes other people make me feel embarrassed. Having lived in other countries where it was common to have a dual heritage, I felt that I blended in more. How would you deal with this?

Agreed, If it were Hetherington or Witherington or something no adults would be describing it as a 'mouthful' or asking "Is that your name? Is that what the kids call you?" I'm almost tempted to start calling them out and making this point.

My surname was a very long but very English name. Not super uncommon or funny in any way but people would comment on it, misspell it, ask me to repeat it etc. It is a combination of two very common English words. I got so fed up with it as a kid that I said I would only go out with boys who had a name 5 letters or shorter. My first boyfriend was Greek and had a suitably long Greek name, but after that I all my boyfriends had short names.
When I got married I took my husband’s short name. It still gets comments and misspellings, despite only being 5 letters.

What I’ve learned from this is that some people are twats and will comment on just about anything.

My sons had a teacher called Mrs Wierzbowski All the little kids could say it no problem. She's retired now. Lovely lady. No one made fun or commented on the length or how to say it.

Emily Penelope has hit on one with problems, for non - English speakers who haven't met it though, because of rhymes with antelope and envelope. But they are never rude, they want to get it right. And English speakers with the short form used to have "fun" and think they were the first to think of whatever currency joke occurred.
The rude ones above are denying you your identity, and we all now know how awful mis-gendering and dead-naming are thought to be. This is worse.
I know of two women, one in my family, one in a friend's, who in the past were in service. "Your name isn't suitable for a maid, you'll answer to Mary." Challenging peopl's names is appalling.

I don't understand why people would laugh unless it sounded rude in English. I once knew a Spanish girl called 'belen' pronounced like bellend without the d and had to explain to her why some boys were sniggering. Could it be an issue like that?

People just show their ignorance.
I am mid fifties and was taught at my parents knee the respect shown in understanding and getting peoples names right. Was bought up in a very multi cultural part on inner London.
It never fails to amaze and disapoint me when people don't get it.

People can be so rude about names, i have a traditionally irish name and spellint and living in england I've had all sorts of comments.
Just keep doing what you are, I just say bluntly yes that is my name and that's that.

I work in a pretty multi-cultural school where I have to ask how to pronounce some of the longer names. We have a few Sri Lankan students with very long names which I admit I struggle to read out without a lot of thought, eg Ratnandanaman and I’m mortified every time I have to pause, and feel embarrassed both on my own behalf and on the students’ who must have to put up with people mangling their names. It feels disrespectful.

I’m not a teacher, I’m support staff so I don’t come across these names regularly, therefore don’t get a chance to practise them.

I find it shocking that grown adults would even think of taking the piss.

Your colleagues sound small minded and small town. Do they live in an area particularly devoid of immigration?

Where we live is very culturally mixed so long names and often in a different standard format to British names (ie Portugese which tend to include several surnames) are common. I've never encountered anyone who thinks they're weird or silly, they're just names.

I remember the hassle I used to have with my family surname....if I had £1 for every time somebody "jokingly" said "bless you!" (like you do after someone sneezes), when I gave them my surname, I would be minted. It's the only reason I kept my English surname after my divorce 28 years ago.

It's not necessarily your heritage that is funny there are plenty of British names were people ask again I.e Teresa Green, Wayne King, Ben Dover and laugh.

I had a long Scottish surname that was a mouthful and never pronounced correctly but never bothered me

I think your strategy is perfect but also hold their gaze until they look away.

@Treaclemine ‘I know of two women, one in my family, one in a friend's, who in the past were in service. "Your name isn't suitable for a maid, you'll answer to Mary." Challenging people's names is appalling.’

This happened to my grandmother who was in service. Her name was something like Gwendoline which was considered too posh for a maid, and they renamed her Gladys. 😮

People are so rude. My name is British, first name 10 letters, married surname 8 letters. My first name can be shortened to 6 (3 if I like you) so your name isn't long. People are just cunts

I know you can't post it because it's outing, but there must be something about your name, because honestly, people don't bat an eyelid at non English names, they are so part of our culture now, no one even notices.

So there's something about yours that's interesting, for them to make this comment.

To use your example:

"Witherington"....Meh.

"Witheringpoop"...

Your colleagues are rude OP! Call them out every time

My surname is very uncommon English one but phonetically can only be said the correct way or one similar way but people like to make up entirely different and often insulting pronunciations. Think Pildoct and I get called Pillock. I also get asked where I'm from so I always answer England and give a hard stare

I have a long forename and surname. I worked in education for 10 years. I doubt its to do with how long your name is. I feel like perhaps your name, sounds like something rude in English. We had a German supply teacher. Everyone including the kids kept asking his name. It was perfectly fine, just sounded like a rude English slang word. No-one told him obviously, but he looked annoyed.

In syllables, your name is exactly as long as my English first name, Irish last name combination. Lots of people mispronounce or stumble over my last name despite it being phonetic in English, because it looks unusual. But the difference is that they usually seem a bit embarrassed because they think it's a British/Irish name - no one laughs or thinks I should have to change it. They're being xenophobic, OP.

As for what you should do. If they laugh, "What's so funny?" And then, "I don't get it." Watch them get embarrassed as they try to explain that they're laughing because foreign names "sound funny".

If they make a rude comment, very cooly reply, "what a strange thing to say." Or, "that's quite rude." And carry on with the conversation.

I don't understand the surprise at a multi-syllable name. I was at university in the Late Middle Ages with a student of Sri Lankan origin whose first name was five syllables and last name at least six. No one batted an eyelid.

I think you're handling it well. I might be tempted to say 'Yes, that's my name. What's wrong with it?'

Not the same thing, really, but I work in a school and I've just gone from a two syllable surname to a three syllable one, as I have remarried. People are finding it really difficult to get their heads around the three syllables...myself included! And its not a 'foreign' name, but it is a bit unusual (I think). Some children have said can I still call you Mrs xxxxxxx ? And I say no my name is Mrs yyyyyyyyy now and on the whole that is what I get called, but there are still some slip-ups. I'm not particularly bothered by it, its understandable!

Nope, definitely doesn't sound like something rude in English or have any sort of connotations, and even if my name was Mrs xjdieirjejgmeokfkeidn I'd still think the above comments were rude.
I live in a large city now, but have just been working in a very white, middle-class British school briefly, this is where the 'is that her name?' comment came from.

The one who said it's a mouthful dislikes her own surname, it's very short but has negative connotations, she's always said she doesn't like it, so maybe she was projecting.

I'm so surprised if I'm honest. Does your name contain a word in English that is rude or funny?

Ah cross posted. Then yes carry on with your approach.

I've spent years feeling ashamed of it and also disliked having a long first and surname and it's sad. I think some people are just rude and will comment on anything though.

Do call people out if they are openly rude, like the woman in the staff room. I couldn’t have let that go. Some people are just plain ignorant!