Bugbears

[sleepsforwimps]

What do you think?

Only jesting

I thought it might be interesting, for those currently choosing names, to have an insight into the biggest bugbears of mumsnetters real life names (especially as they were growing up)

Would you say your parents choice of name somehow influenced your own name choices?

I have a name that can be spelled and said two different ways. Why do 9/10 people always pick the wrong way... I won't lie it has given me a headache having to continuously correct people (even though i do like my name) It's not so bad correcting your name but half the people i correct continue to say it the wrong way, i've even had people say to me, "same thing"

As a result with my own children my top criteria for picking names were names that can only be said and spelled one way. I didn't want them having the same silly irritation all their lives.

My name is Catherine which I've always liked, I just wanted to have it with a K instead of a C so I could use Kate/ie as a nn more readily. I tried Cate at primary school but was told off by my teacher. :0( Never liked Cathy and so I am known as Catherine all the time.

my SIL Catherine is usually Cath or Cat

IMO the C spelling is prettier / nicer

my name Rachel is easy to spell yes???
but people insist in putting RachAel, or like my nan RacheAl bless !

I have one l in my name but it's commonly spelt with 2. So I'm always spelling it for people.

DD's name is unusual(but comes up every now and then), but there's definitely only one spelling (although I do have one friend who puts an e at the end constantly). I did want her to have a name she wouldn't have to correct. ALthough, now that I think about it, by giving her an unusual name she'll probably have to spell it out or say it a few times when introducing herself anyway! Oh well!

On the other side though, DH has a very "normal" name (Jonathan) but gets variations on it all the time- long and short form!

audley SNAP! Except I was forbidden to use either Kate or Cathy and I was told I'd be in big trouble if I was caught letting anyone call me those.

Variant spellings aren't a big deal in the scheme of things IMO, but don't give your child a name that you would be unhappy with a shortening of it, particularly if you communicate this to your child.

My married name is spelt with a J which is pronounced Y. When I say my name I then have to spell it, and then when I've spelt it out the person corrects me "oh you mean Jay...." Er, no. I know my own name. It drives me nuts and I've only had it three years. So yes, I'll be staying away from unusual pronunciations.

tbh I have a very easy to spell surname which is an actual word and can only be spelt one way, however you wouldn't believe the number of times people stop and wait for me to spell it out!!!!!
My dd has a name that can be spelt different ways (but is a very traditional name) the time it does rattle me is with friends who know which is the correct version and yet still choose to spell it using another version.
Once I know how someone's name is spelt I never get it wrong, wish I could say the same for others.x

My first name is Alice. It rolled seamlessly into my maiden name (very soft sounds, lots of vowels)to sound like Alison. SO about 25% of the people I have ever met think I am called Alison. To the extent that they call me up at work and tell me that my email isn't working. I check that it's "alice.maidenname@..." and they say "But your name is Alison". And I have to explain that after 30something years, I do know what my name is. I have nothing against the name Alison, it's just not mine!

I'm also a Catherine but my Dad always wanted me to be Kate/Katie. So they put Catherine on my birth cert but from birth I have been Katie with a K. This has caused endless confusion - I was always Catherine on official documents so got used to be addressed as Catherine and Katie - major identity issues

I like my name - both of them - but I wish my parents had decided on one or the other!

My name was sooo popular that I have never, ever been in a class, office, club etc and been the only one with that name. I veer from being mildly annoyed to enjoying being part of the gang.

I do feel sorry for the children at DC's school who are known as eg Jack P, Lucy C etc.

My advice would be to steer clear of the top 50 or so names. My DC names hover around the 60/70 mark I, and they've been lucky so far to be the only ones in their year group.

My own name is extremely common, so I was adamant my children would have names outside of the top 100. Paranoid about being considered a chav tho, Heaven forbid, so the names are still familiar and recognisable and normal.

That's how my own name affected my choices.

It's a fine line, isn't Liffey. Mine have lovely, normal names, there's no need to go wacky or make one up.

Bikerunski, that's funny, I knew a girl called Jillian Nevan and for years I thought her sur name was Evan. Looked her up under Evan, and decided she wasn't in the book! Her Mother was Susan Nevan which hadn't helped.

People can mangle up the simplest of names. My name is Jennifer, easy enough, but I'm always being asked if that is spelt with one N or two, one F or two. When has anyone ever seen Jeniffer? For my own future dd I wanted classic but uncommon, favorite so far is Elise.

My name is fine, I was teased because my surname rhymes with silly words, but my parents couldn't do anything about that.

My OH's surname is also a common boy's first name, and his first name is a bit unusual, he is always finding that people call him 'surname firstname' or 'Mr firstname' instead of the right way round, and assume that he can't fill forms in properly and has got himself mixed up. Including some official stuff!

My name is Lynn and last name starts with a N so I often dont get emails as there is one N missing. A bit annoying so we avoided names like Nathan because they were a bit too NNNN

DD is Catriona and we say Cat to her. Her name is unusual where we live and she recently said that she was happy that she had an unusual name and was not Sophie, Marie or Lara like so many of her friends.

For anyone discounting names with multiple spellings, my name can be spelt many ways - my spelling being a traditional Irish spelling. Abroad it is oftem mispronounced, but I can't say it ever particular bothered me - and I lived in the states for a number of years. I've always liked my name and how it is spelt. DD's have names that can be spelt many ways - but also have unusual spelling (again traditional Irish spellings) and I hope it doesn't drive them mad

My name is Sarah and only people called Sarah seem to be able to spell it. I also have a surname which you could spell about 10 different ways.. apparently when i am on the phone and say my name it sounds like i am saying Sam MacBridge too, no idea who she is.

Both my children have names with no dodgy spelling options but we've inherited a surname which everyone spells with a D instead of a J. crappola.

I have chosen names without the letter 'r' in them, because I can't pronounce it, and it's annoying not to be able to pronounce your own name very well.

I think parents should bare this in mind when choosing names like Rosey and Ronnie.

My married surname is a nightmare - the only one in this country and not pronounced at all the way it's spelled. I spend my entire life spelling it out, which is why we decided not to lumber the DC with unusual or unusual spellings of common names on top of their surname.

My name is Rebecca-Jayne

I was Becca at home, and Becky at school

I hate BECKY and prefer to spell it Beccy

When writing i finish off emails etc at work with Becs, and i really do not like Beks or Bex either...

I was christened with a long name but always called the short. Never saw the point in the long one, seems overly formal, only the docs etc use it! I gave DS a short version of a name.