About our names!

[raphandarrin 0]

It does not help that we live in small city in Indiana.

I feel your pain, we do to!hehehehe Wich city do you live at?

I was laughing so much about the Dorito guy!LOL

[tom&tata 2]

It does not help that we live in small city in Indiana.

I feel your pain, we do to!hehehehe Wich city do you live at?

South Bend - I guess it is North Central Indiana?

[ginger1981 0]

I have a very common Irish surname, with a very common first name (I think 50% of all girls born in the late 70's - early 80's are named Lindsay). So no problems there.

However, my mom has a very unusual German surname. The funny thing is, her dad's family all came over from Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic) and we haven't been able to trace who the German was who came across the border to Bohemia so apparently it was a long time ago. Which leads to a funny story...

With my grandpa's family being Czech with a German surname, it would sometimes lead to mix-ups. During the 30's, his sister Elsie started dating a guy called Bob who was of Czech descent with a common Czech surname. They would go out on dates...and he would say stuff to her in Czech that apparently was pretty cheeky. I suppose he assumed that she was of German background so he thought she wouldn't understand what he was saying, and apparently she never felt the need to speak back to him in Czech much less even acknowledge what he said to her.

One time they were out at a very nice restaurant, and I guess he said something to her in Czech which was especially cheeky and she had finally had enough of his dirty Czech talk. She threw a glass of water in his face and started shouting at him in Czech telling him what a jerk he was. I guess it was quite the sight to see...his mouth was on the floor in shock that he had been saying these things and she had understood him all along.

In the end, I guess he was able to make it up to her and she was able to forgive him as they got married and were together nearly 60 years!

[anya-D 8]

I have a name that's pretty unique in Thai also.. so even in Thailand, people still misspell it or even change my name for me.

In the US, it's a little easier but they still think it's "Anna" all the time.

Don't even talk about my Thai last name very long... so I changed it to my husband's which still unusual and people rarely got it right.

Anya

[SWA2 1]

Hey guys, do you get tired of spelling your names all the time?hahaha

There's no soul in this country able to spell my name right before the second try!When they ask for my name, I already start spelling it, don't even try saying it anymore, plus I usually ask if my last name is OK just to make it easier, coz it usually takes time hehehe

I had already shortened my name to make it easier, but my mother and grandmother-in-law still have troubles with it, I always wonder about Asian, Russian and other kinds of names that by far sound much harder than mine, just a silly thread to see if anyone else goes through funny situations, the funniest thing is going to some place that my name is called, I have to hold my laugh coz it's always something even funnier than before.

Share your stories if you have a "not very American name"

Actually, we have the opposite problem. I am the U.S. citizen, but my grandfather came from Turkey so I have a Turkish family name. Even though it is very short (only 4 letters) most people have trouble pronouncing it. My wife came from China. She decided to stick with the Chinese tradition of keeping her name when she married. Her first name is only 3 letters and her family name only 2 letters. Both are only one syllable and pronounced exactly the way they are spelled. No one has trouble pronouncing her name. What's funny is that if people read her name they will pronounce correctly. Sometimes, if they hear my wife's accent first, they will try to change the pronunciation to something that sounds more foreign to them. It's like they can't accept that it could actually be that easy to pronounce.

My wife has met a few Chinese ladies since she moved here. However, they changed their names to Maria, Lily, Susan, and Amy because no one could pronounce their Chinese names.

[HighwayStar 0]

One of the reasons why I've decided to take my future husband's name is to avoid spelling my surname, which is not complicated per se (and can even be translated into English!), rather a bit on the long side. The real problem is my first name, Raffaella, which is very hard for speakers of English to pronounce AND to spell correctly... and that, I'm afraid, I won't be able to change

[raphandarrin 0]

One of the reasons why I've decided to take my future husband's name is to avoid spelling my surname, which is not complicated per se (and can even be translated into English!), rather a bit on the long side. The real problem is my first name, Raffaella, which is very hard for speakers of English to pronounce AND to spell correctly... and that, I'm afraid, I won't be able to change

We have the same name, just different spelling, be prepared to be called the most weird bizarre names you can imagine hehehe

[aidan80 9]

I suppose I'm fairly lucky.. I think I've managed to figure out how to say my name to where about 70% of Americans I talk to can understand it. There's still those that are still when I tell them my name... like ####### did he just say! Then there are those that say.. my nephew, son, friends baby.. etc has that name then appear shocked that I'm an adult with such a new baby name There are still a few and I can normally pick em out now where I don't even need to try saying it I just spell it.. then it's... ohhh you said "Aidan"..

I mean Aidan/Aiden/Aodhan back home is a fairly common name.. there where a few in my class when I was in school with the same name. I have to admit I do pity those that have a longer name to spit out. I'm just glad mine is short and appears to be a fairly recent baby name! I'm sure my "accent" also can hinder things, if I forget and don't slow down before I talk.. I'll get the "look of terror and shock" face from people if I talk normally instead of in slow motion lol

Edited September 21, 2008 by aidan80