Would it be wierd to have a work name? If not help me find one.

[Freakishlycommon]

I have the most common name that ever existed. I'm sure you can guess. I've spent my whole life at school, university, work, school playground etc having to add a surname on as there are thousands of us.
Anyway I'm starting a new job next week in a small company. There are about 10 women. Currently 3 share my name. However there is another lady starting in the same day and my heart sank when I found out that yes she also has the name. So that's 5 out of 11. Potentially very confusing and I don't want to spent years being known as short x or old x or just a surname.
Anyway so I wondered whether to just say call me y to make things easier.
So I need suggestions assuming you don't think it's ridiculous. I want a nice normal name for a lady aged 46. But nothing too popular of course.

I think I'm too old and know too many people to fully change my name. I think as someone said I'd struggle to respond appropriately in public. I do wish in retrospect that I'd changed it after leaving home before university. Ironically though if I'd changed it then I'd have chosen Olivia or Emily. I thought they were so pretty and so unusual. How things change!

I'm
Liking Steph. Steph sounds like someone my age. It's down to earth and friendly.

I agree with other posters, go with a similar/nickname for Sarah, so Sara, Sally or Sadie, or hyphenated with middle name.

There's several of us at work. We go by surnames, like a 1950s boys school. It's great - so much so, that the people in my dept who don't share a first name are also known by surname!

It's standard practice in a lot of call centres.

Worked for two airlines both insured that every had a different reference.

Always loved when we used to get Tracey 5 from Lunn Poly on the phone.

I'm also a Sarah btw.

Yes I've been known by my surname a lot. Incidentally that's also very common and so it's not fool proof. I might then be sharing my name with the med too!

Sadie or Sal/Sally are obvious choices, assuming it's Sarah. You could use your surname if it's one that sounds reasonably OK.

Suranne Jones is a stage name, her birth name is Sarah Anne Jones.

Friends and family would phone a mobile not the employer's switchboard.

That's a pity, I really like Sarah. It has been very popular over the decades (not so much now) of course, but hardly the 'most common name that ever existed'!

It does have nicknames. Sally of course, and I think Sadie is also short for Sarah.

In the bible, wasn't Abraham's wife called Sarai (not sure how you pronounce this) before she changed her name to Sarah?

You could also drop the 'h' and use the 'Sah-rah' proununciation (to rhyme with Zara).

Also how about Sarita - I think it's quite pretty and I believe it a Spanish name derived from Sarah. Coincidentally Sarita is also an Indian name with a different derivation.

What about an Irish/ Scottish/ Welsh version of your name. Or even French/ Latin?

Do think carefully about the practicalities of this:

Training courses - Certification in what name?

Post / emails etc eg. Your P60 finding its way to you.

References after you leave - requested in a name no-one knows you by.

etc

I agree Pemba Sarah is in itself a pretty name. But it was overused for years. No doubt it will have a revival at some point.

Sounds like an enormous amount of faff to me. Keep your name, be yourself and be known for your kindness/intellect/fabulousness, rather than being known as That Woman That Isn't Really Called X.

Good point about the practicalities. It's a small enough company that I could tell the truth though so they know my real name.

Initials? I know a PK, an AK and a CJ. All men mind you.

Sadie is brilliant, not too common and a nn for Sarah I believe?

I like the idea of being known for my kindness/ intellect/fabulousness.

What about Sally, it's a nick name for Sarah.
I like your idea of Jenny.

Sadie and Sorcha common nicknames for Sarah around here.

Sally
Sara/Zara (long 'a')
Sonya

or just some other name you like!

I used to work with a woman with two names, say Sarah and Louise. She was Sarah at home and Louise at work for some complicated reason I can't call to mind. It absolutely didn't confuse us when her boyfriend called and asked for Sarah.

My MN name is Sarah nn Sally so I think it's a good fit. HR will be used to having eg Bill on emails and William on paperwork; if you ever need a reference you make sure your potential new employer asks for eg "Sarah (Sally) Hathaway".

It would be nice to have a whole new name but I think in your case there are many good options with far less potential for confusion.

What about your surname? Could that be made into a nickname?

I'm
Not saying my surname but it's common in a smith sort of way.
Anyway thanks all. I'm thinking either just be initials or liking Steph / Sally . Or stink with Sarah of course.

Stick not stink...

Sarah is nice but, as has been said, anything overused becomes a little dull and, more importantly, loses its function to identify.

I think a similar name like Steph, Sally or Sienna would work best.

Stinky Sarah is unusual. Sorry OP but what a great typo.