Called by the wrong name. What does it mean?

[IronMam]

I went out last night with my bf of 2 years and a couple of his friends.

While we were out he said, "Look at this [ex girlfriend's name]"

I didn't say anything because we were with his friends.

We've been out in a group before and he didn't have these friends when he was with his ex gf so it wasn't an automatic association.

He was with her for 10 years and they split up around 12 years ago. No contact since.

I've read threads on here before asking if it's something to he concerned about. I think I've always assumed I wouldn't he bothered by a slip of the tongue but, now its happened, I feel weirdly odd about it. But I can't remember what the responses have been.

And I'm not sure why or what it means. I split up with my ex 9 years ago after 14 years together. I've never accidentally called anyone by his name and can't imagine a scenario when it would happen.

Is it something to he concerned about?

@stalkersaga

If I recall correctly, there's evidence to show that mentally we keep names in "buckets", i.e. romantic partners, dependents including DC and pets, bosses etc, and it's very common while distracted or otherwise engaged to pull the wrong name from the bucket, as anyone who has ever called the DC by a pet's name knows. It doesn't mean you were consciously thinking of that person at all. MIL often cycles through several of her 7 brothers' names before she gets DH's, because she has a rather large "family males I mother" bucket, but she never, ever calls FIL by DH's name, because he belongs in a different category (husbands).

It really doesn't mean anything, except that he accidentally got the wrong name out of his "romantic partners" bucket.

I love the theory of the buckets... but my dad occasionally called me his younger brothers name. 🤔

Maybe I ended up in the wrong bucket?

You’re overthinking it hugely. I have been separated from my ex H for nearly a decade. My new partner has been divorced from his ex wife even longer. We have both absentmindedly called each other by our ex’s names once or twice. The brain does funny things sometimes.