Right now I’m listening to the song that is the inspiration of this post (so catchy!). As I’ve been out of the office most of this week, I’ve met quite a few people. What’s a common subject that comes up when I’m meeting someone new?
My name.
Yes, Ronnica is my name from birth. I actually really like it (along with my equally unusual middle name), but that doesn’t make it easy. I’m named after my father, Ron. Besides, my dad, his siblings, and my brother and I all have R names (goes with our last name).
Every time I go to Panera, I have to look at the receipt just to see what exactly was the name they entered for me. (Side note: yesterday I tried their roast beef asiago sandwich for the first time…I’ve been missing out!) ”Veronica” is the most common name substitute, but “Monica” and “Rhonda” occasionally show up.
Even if people get what my name is, they’re likely to forget the second N. So close, but still not right. Even if people have known me for a while, they’ll still ask me if it’s really short for Veronica. I guess people think I’m just trying to be cute.
I suppose my own name “issues” is why I try so hard to get others’ names right. I try especially hard with the little kiddies, even the ones who I’ve never had (that always gets to them, hehe).
Do you have a name that people always get wrong, mispronounce, or misspell? What’s the weirdest misinterpretation you’ve gotten?
Photo by Eugene Hood Photo
I love unusual names… yours is pretty cool!!! They always write down our last name of Vincent as BENSON… so many times!!!
One of my friend’s name is Evangeline. They never pronounce it right or ever spell it right. I don’t think I did until I ended up moving onto a street called Evangeline.
I love your name, but I am also the type who prefers names that aren’t in tune with the standards.
We always have a problem with our last name. The hubs is half Irish, half German, and came with a German last name. If the pronunciation is not butchered, the spelling is. lol
I’ve had trouble a few times with people hearing my name incorrectly over the phone. I say, “This is Liz”, and the person will reply, “Hi, Lynn.” I guess maybe it’s hard to hear a “z” over the phone.
I’ve also had people struggle with spelling my maiden name in the past. It’s a color name. When I’d give my name, they’d ask, “and how do you spell your last name?” It was kind of a no-brainer.
I love your name. I too like names that are unusual – but not weird. Fine line.
Mr. Burns’ first name is a source of distress for him. People hear it right but write it wrong! And really if you hear it right but can’t spell it – I have to question your education. So when go to restaurants and they ask for a name – he gives them mine… because after they spell his name wrong in the book – that’s when the annoyance begins with the next person trying to say it.
My name is Tammy – and people want to call me Tamera for a formal name. My name is not Tamera. There is not a single official form in my history with the name Tamera on it – and furthermore – I hate that name, I think it’s ugly. (no offense to anyone named Tamera – I just don’t like it.) I’m very stern about making sure people know it’s Tammy. I actually scared a college professor when he got wrong!
People call me Kristine or Kristin, all the time.
Did you do this post just for me? I think your name is simple compared to mine!
I don’t know about the weirdest one. The most common is obviously Karen. On the phone I get Kaylen, probably because I talk fast, but even when I’m being deliberate they still hear an ‘l’ instead. Now that Kaitlyn is popular I’ve gotten that a few times. I also get Kayreen, or a syllable inversion of Kay-ren’ instead of Kay’-ren. There are more, but those are the most common.
I think our names seem simple. They are spelled exactly like they are pronounced.
My name is Camile but it’s spelled “wrong” so people get confused. They most commonly spell my name “Camille” or change my name to Carmen. I won’t even start on my last name. It just get butchered :(
Little kids have trouble saying my actual name, which is Melinda. My now five year old sister used to call me Linda ’cause she just couldn’t get out the first part. And then places like Panera often think I say Cindy instead of Mindy, but it happens.
Unfortunately it’s my last name that gets the most comments. Without typing it out – and thus making me searchable via your blog (check my email address and you’ll know it though) – it looks A LOT like Sputnik, so people are frequently misspelling it or mispronouncing it, or they think I’m joking.
people usually call me Judy instead of Julie and everyone thinks I say Judy on the phone… I also sometimes get Julia, but nothing too weird
I’m not a fan of any of my names, particularly the last one. I can’t tell you how many different pronunciations I have gotten through the years. Riley and I have been discussing names for our future kids though…and have decided that the alliteration tradition in your family ends with us.
That being said, I think your name is pretty spectacular!
I get Stephanie a LOT, especially over the phone. And I get Brittany quite a bit too. The one that baffles me the most is Heather. It’s this long-standing family joke, but maybe I look like a Heather?? The mother of my former serious boyfriend called me Heather like the first 6 months we knew each other…(and it baffled their family too, because they didn’t really know any Heathers)
Love your name, it’s so unusual! Embrace it!
My full first name is pretty unique too… actually I was at Starbucks today and when I said my name, the barista looked at me funny, then wrote my name on my cup saying, “I probably spelled it completely wrong.” Interestingly… he actually spelled it right. Usually people add extra letters to my name. Blegh.
I am one of those that wondered if your name was short for Veronica. But I like your name the way it is. :-)
People have always had trouble with my maiden name…Gemmel. It sounds just like it is spelled, with no emphasis on anything. But people have pronounced in Gem-MEL, GEM-mel, Gerbil, you name it.
And now? My married name? HA! People sooo can’t spell or pronounce it right!
Honestly, I never really considered your name weird…unusual maybe, but not weird. I’ve never really thought about it. It’s just your name. It’s who you are. My maiden name (Burchette) got tons and tons of different spellings and pronunciations and was generally very annoying…no offense to my family, but the name was just difficult.
When people question me about your name…I always say, her Dad’s name is RON, does that help. Of course, I like your middle name especially. Names are special and I, too, want to get everyone’s correct. And you know I don’t like Zoey (spelling it that way, so you will get what I mean) and it is also spelled Zoe. I think the oddest name I have been called is zoo…And your name is perfect for you…And you were the one who named me GZoe…so special to me.
My “real name” is Nicole so it’s pretty hard to get it wrong. But now and then someone spells it as Nichole. Bleh.
I actually had someone spell my name “SIN-D” and also Sindee. Wow.
Unbelievable.
Both my names get mis-spelled and mis-pronounced regularly. It’s gotten bad enough that I congratulate clerks who actually do get it right!! My full first name is Margaret but I’ve gone by Margi since I was 16. I get called Marj (which I absolutely despise!) or Mar-jee but in my opinion if I wanted the “g” to sound like that I would’ve spelled it with a “j”! And my last name is of German origin and nobody ever gets it right! Even though there’s an NHL hockey player in our nearby city with the same last name…
My brothers and I all go by our middle names, which makes things a bit confusing at times. Other than that, there’s just a minor spelling error in my last name that shows up a lot. Not sure why …
My older brother, though, has a bizarre name. For one thing, he’s “the third,” having the same name as my father and grandfather. For another, Grandfather was named after the pastor who married his parents and the doctor who delivered him — all last names. His name is pretty consistently messed up.
Yeah, I guess it’s not a common name. I can see people getting it wrong. It must be very frustrating. It’s a pretty name, though. I do like it a lot. I noticed that the first time I came to your site, though. “What a unique and beautiful name. I really like it!”
I had a similar problem. My name is Caitlin and it’s what I use the majority of the time. Only recently have I been using Caity as a nickname of mine. Do you know how many ways there are to spell Caitlin? If I give up and just say Caity, forget that. I’ll just get “Katie.” Oh well.
My first name is misspelled. Every. Single. Time. Always with a K. Or They write Sara or Tara or Dara, never Cara. It’s maddening. But I wouldn’t change it. I like having a slightly unusual name.