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Last names that are difficult to spell or pronounce

libragirllibragirl Posts: 4,632
edited August 2009 in All Encompassing Trip
Anyone have one that trips people up? I have one evidently.

I have co-workers I have worked with for years who still can't spell and/or pronounce my name. I even have a close friend who can't get it. I wish I had a name like Smith or Brown.:P
These cuts are leaving creases. Trace the scars to fit the pieces, to tell the story, you don't need to say a word.
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  • mfc2006mfc2006 HTOWN Posts: 37,484
    same here....
    i think i've heard every possible mispronunciation for my last name. my wife was so excited when we got married so she could "move up" in the alphabet from W to C. she quickly became somewhat annoyed that people mispronounce our name all of the time.
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  • libragirllibragirl Posts: 4,632
    mfc2006 wrote:
    same here....
    i think i've heard every possible mispronunciation for my last name. my wife was so excited when we got married so she could "move up" in the alphabet from W to C. she quickly became somewhat annoyed that people mispronounce our name all of the time.

    Yeah it's frustrating..i remember the college i went to had my name wrong in their records. I had to complete a change of name form so it could be correct and it wouldn't go on my degree misspelled..lol
    These cuts are leaving creases. Trace the scars to fit the pieces, to tell the story, you don't need to say a word.
  • evenflowevenflow Posts: 401
    I've had to deal with it too. The problem with my last name is that it's not really difficult to say or spell, it's just so long that people make it difficult. Now my work email is my last name so it's really a pain to try and tell people my email address.

    All together my first and last name has 22 letters, not including my middle name. You can imagine how much fun that was in kindegarden having to write it over and over.
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  • patrickredeyespatrickredeyes Posts: 8,834
    mfc2006 wrote:
    i think i've heard every possible mispronunciation for my last name.


    Yup same here.
  • anothercloneanotherclone Posts: 1,688
    My last name is 10 letters long and Greek in origin. I work with the public so I get "what kind of name is THAT?" about 10 times a day. No one even tries to pronounce it. I don't blame them. :lol:
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    I don't know why, but nobody gets my name right. It's conor, but when people spell it, they like to add extra n's and an e. And people even screw up saying it... I think they just hear 'c' and something Irish... I get called Colin all the time. But I'm just a generally forgettable kind of guy?
  • illegal pantsillegal pants Posts: 13,471
    14 letter Greek surname

    it's a great conversation starter

    ...cannot wait to get married...
    wah
  • HorosHoros Posts: 4,518
    My handle is my last name. I got used to spelling it years ago when asked for. Now it's automatic.
    #FHP
  • decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,977
    my maiden name.
    9 letters, 4 syllables, italian.
    NO one, outside of italians, have ever pronounced it correctly on the first go.
    now my married name is dead easy, never any mistakes.
    however...i LOVe my maiden name, it is my legal middle name, so i do use it......but sure, it's nice to have the option to just go with the easy name. i love the ethnicity of my maiden name. :)


    now my first name is dead easy, but similar to another name and no matter how clearly i annunciate it, sooooo many people call me the wrong name. :evil: THAt irritates me, especially people who do so frequently.
    Stay with me...
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  • comebackgirlcomebackgirl Posts: 9,885
    My family members don't even pronounce my name properly. Most people mispronounce it and leave out an entire syllable. Usually I just introduce myself by my first name because I know people aren't going to understand what I'm saying anyway.
    tumblr_mg4nc33pIX1s1mie8o1_400.gif

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  • libragirllibragirl Posts: 4,632
    decides2dream wrote:
    my maiden name.
    9 letters, 4 syllables, italian.
    NO one, outside of italians, have ever pronounced it correctly on the first go.
    now my married name is dead easy, never any mistakes.
    however...i LOVe my maiden name, it is my legal middle name, so i do use it......but sure, it's nice to have the option to just go with the easy name. i love the ethnicity of my maiden name. :)


    now my first name is dead easy, but similar to another name and no matter how clearly i annunciate it, sooooo many people call me the wrong name. :evil: THAt irritates me, especially people who do so frequently.

    My name is Italian also but not a common one. It was rumored that it was changed sometime a long the way. At least I have a common first name. :)
    These cuts are leaving creases. Trace the scars to fit the pieces, to tell the story, you don't need to say a word.
  • Who PrincessWho Princess out here in the fields Posts: 7,305
    My maiden name is a little tricky to spell so when I got married I thought I'd left that problem behind. My husband was highly amused. Our last name is Goodspeed. Sounds pretty straightforward but people turn it into every variation they can imagine: Goodman, Goolsbee, Godspeed. (My all time favorite was Goldfeet.) :? Or they ask questions like "Is that your real name?" (No, we make a habit of giving out aliases.) :roll: Or best of all, "What kind of name is that?" (Hm, Polish maybe? Lithuanian?) My husband tells them, "It's a GOOD name." :ugeek: ;)
    "The stars are all connected to the brain."
  • decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,977
    libragirl wrote:
    decides2dream wrote:
    my maiden name.
    9 letters, 4 syllables, italian.
    NO one, outside of italians, have ever pronounced it correctly on the first go.
    now my married name is dead easy, never any mistakes.
    however...i LOVe my maiden name, it is my legal middle name, so i do use it......but sure, it's nice to have the option to just go with the easy name. i love the ethnicity of my maiden name. :)


    now my first name is dead easy, but similar to another name and no matter how clearly i annunciate it, sooooo many people call me the wrong name. :evil: THAt irritates me, especially people who do so frequently.

    My name is Italian also but not a common one. It was rumored that it was changed sometime a long the way. At least I have a common first name. :)


    my name is, specifically, sicilian. i don't know how 'common' it may be over there, tho i don't think it actually is common....but i DO know here in the states that supposedly you'd have to look through 9 phonebooks before you found my surname. of course, being a NYer and a few relatives about....our phone book has about 5. ;)


    now my first name is as common as can be, particularly if you are italian or spanish. before i married you really couldn't get anymore italian-sounding than my first and last names combined... :mrgreen:
    Stay with me...
    Let's just breathe...


    I am myself like you somehow


  • libragirllibragirl Posts: 4,632
    decides2dream wrote:
    libragirl wrote:
    decides2dream wrote:
    my maiden name.
    9 letters, 4 syllables, italian.
    NO one, outside of italians, have ever pronounced it correctly on the first go.
    now my married name is dead easy, never any mistakes.
    however...i LOVe my maiden name, it is my legal middle name, so i do use it......but sure, it's nice to have the option to just go with the easy name. i love the ethnicity of my maiden name. :)


    now my first name is dead easy, but similar to another name and no matter how clearly i annunciate it, sooooo many people call me the wrong name. :evil: THAt irritates me, especially people who do so frequently.

    My name is Italian also but not a common one. It was rumored that it was changed sometime a long the way. At least I have a common first name. :)


    my name is, specifically, sicilian. i don't know how 'common' it may be over there, tho i don't think it actually is common....but i DO know here in the states that supposedly you'd have to look through 9 phonebooks before you found my surname. of course, being a NYer and a few relatives about....our phone book has about 5. ;)


    now my first name is as common as can be, particularly if you are italian or spanish. before i married you really couldn't get anymore italian-sounding than my first and last names combined... :mrgreen:

    Yeah, I'm sicilian too..well mostly. No one seems to have heard of our name. I always want to do research and try to find out where exactly my ancestors are from. My grandfather seems to know zip... :? but then again he wasn't much of a grandparent..different thread!
    These cuts are leaving creases. Trace the scars to fit the pieces, to tell the story, you don't need to say a word.
  • Steve DunneSteve Dunne Posts: 4,965
    dunne.

    even i can't get it right sometimes! :twisted:
    I love to turn you on
  • decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,977
    libragirl wrote:
    Yeah, I'm sicilian too..well mostly. No one seems to have heard of our name. I always want to do research and try to find out where exactly my ancestors are from. My grandfather seems to know zip... :? but then again he wasn't much of a grandparent..different thread!




    only once, and kinda recently...have i ever met someone who was not a relative and who had the same name. however, it was still local to home, so very well could be a relative's relative, ya know? i've also never spoken to anyone who ever heard my name until they met me....so i am pretty sure it is not too common a name, even in italy....but perhaps in sicily? ;)


    bottomline...it ALWAYS get butchered. in pronunciation, in spelling, everything. :P
    Stay with me...
    Let's just breathe...


    I am myself like you somehow


  • libragirllibragirl Posts: 4,632
    whoprincess wrote:
    My maiden name is a little tricky to spell so when I got married I thought I'd left that problem behind. My husband was highly amused. Our last name is Goodspeed. Sounds pretty straightforward but people turn it into every variation they can imagine: Goodman, Goolsbee, Godspeed. (My all time favorite was Goldfeet.) :? Or they ask questions like "Is that your real name?" (No, we make a habit of giving out aliases.) :roll: Or best of all, "What kind of name is that?" (Hm, Polish maybe? Lithuanian?) My husband tells them, "It's a GOOD name." :ugeek: ;)

    That is a name you don't see everyday. Almost sounds English. interesting.
    These cuts are leaving creases. Trace the scars to fit the pieces, to tell the story, you don't need to say a word.
  • Who PrincessWho Princess out here in the fields Posts: 7,305
    libragirl wrote:
    whoprincess wrote:
    My maiden name is a little tricky to spell so when I got married I thought I'd left that problem behind. My husband was highly amused. Our last name is Goodspeed. Sounds pretty straightforward but people turn it into every variation they can imagine: Goodman, Goolsbee, Godspeed. (My all time favorite was Goldfeet.) :? Or they ask questions like "Is that your real name?" (No, we make a habit of giving out aliases.) :roll: Or best of all, "What kind of name is that?" (Hm, Polish maybe? Lithuanian?) My husband tells them, "It's a GOOD name." :ugeek: ;)

    That is a name you don't see everyday. Almost sounds English. interesting.
    It is English but since we live in the Southwest I meet people who think it might be an American Indian name. Seriously. :shock:

    I've met about a dozen people named Goodspeed that aren't family in the 31 years I've been married. Compare that to meeting ONE person with my maiden name in my entire life. Also, I went to a conference once in Hartford, Conn. and everyone there told me about the Goodspeed Opera House.

    It was also the name of Nicolas Cage's character in The Rock. Even better, since we are big fans of Lost, there's a character named Horace Goodspeed. Everything is so "meaningful" on that show that I'm sure that detail will turn out to be important. :ugeek:

    Or maybe not! ;):lol:
    "The stars are all connected to the brain."
  • stargirl69stargirl69 Posts: 6,387
    Horos wrote:
    My handle is my last name. I got used to spelling it years ago when asked for. Now it's automatic.

    I need to do that too :lol: ......... I automatically spell out my sir name
    “There should be a place where only the things you want to happen, happen”
  • redrockredrock Posts: 18,341
    libragirl wrote:
    Yeah, I'm sicilian too..well mostly. No one seems to have heard of our name. I always want to do research and try to find out where exactly my ancestors are from. My grandfather seems to know zip... :? but then again he wasn't much of a grandparent..different thread!

    Not sicilian but Northern Italy. My name (maiden name) is not difficult but people seemed to have some kind of a block with it. Pronounced and spelt in so many ways that it was not even recognisable as my name!

    libragirl... do your research - it's fantastic when you find things out! When my family moved to Brussels many, many years ago, we were VERY suprised to find another listing with our name in the phone book. We contacted these people and all of a sudden a whole new 'family' was there. At one time, two brothers left Italy, one for North America (US) and one for South America (Argentina) - they were from the south america 'branch'. Through this, we found we still had land in Italy and a cousin spent 3 years researching the family now that they had found the 'north american link'. He went as far back as the 11th century. So go girl... find out about your family!
  • mbangel10mbangel10 Posts: 548
    http://howmanyofme.com/

    Based on the 2000 census... there are 709,165 that share my first name and 1,570,649 that share my last name. 3,628 share my full name. I know about 3 of them. LOL

    My last name is obviously a very common one, but even though my first name is quite common too... I always have to spell it for people.
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  • redrockredrock Posts: 18,341
    edited July 2009
    mbangel10 wrote:
    http://howmanyofme.com/

    Based on the 2000 census... there are 709,165 that share my first name and 1,570,649 that share my last name. 3,628 share my full name. I know about 3 of them. LOL.
    Wow... that's a lot. Couldn't resist checking..

    313,138 share my first name
    245 share my last name
    1 or fewer people in the U.S.share my full name! I know of ONE lady in Southern California. And I found out because she banked with the same bank (though I was in San Francisco). It was a very interesting find....

    Also looked at my married name.... only 235 people with it. Obviously not as popular in the US as it is in the UK!

    My daughter's first name is not that common either.. only 26,095 share her name!
    Post edited by redrock on
  • mfc2006mfc2006 HTOWN Posts: 37,484
    mbangel10 wrote:
    http://howmanyofme.com/

    Based on the 2000 census... there are 709,165 that share my first name and 1,570,649 that share my last name. 3,628 share my full name. I know about 3 of them. LOL

    My last name is obviously a very common one, but even though my first name is quite common too... I always have to spell it for people.


    very cool link...! 8-)
    over 1 million people share my first name (Matthew) & about 60,000 other that go by Matt like I do. fewer than 114 people share my last name & i'm the only one with my full name.
    I LOVE MUSIC.
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  • redrockredrock Posts: 18,341
    http://www.yournotme.com/testaspnet/default.aspx

    Found a UK version of it.
  • Foxy MopFoxy Mop Posts: 2,823
    mbangel10 wrote:
    http://howmanyofme.com/

    Based on the 2000 census... there are 709,165 that share my first name and 1,570,649 that share my last name. 3,628 share my full name. I know about 3 of them. LOL

    My last name is obviously a very common one, but even though my first name is quite common too... I always have to spell it for people.

    I totally couldn't resist checking this out too...


    # There are 782,845 people in the U.S. with the first name Laura.
    # Statistically the 57th most popular first name.
    # More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Laura are female.

    I feel bad for that .1% guy who is named Laura :roll: :lol:;)

    There are 1,616 people in the U.S. with my married last name
    There are 1,830 people in the U.S. with the maiden name
    and 1 person with the same name as me. Weird.
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  • dimitrispearljamdimitrispearljam Posts: 139,721
    illegal pants wrote:
    14 letter Greek surname

    it's a great conversation starter

    ...cannot wait to get married...
    here im sweety...and only 8 letters and a Greek one too ;)
    "...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
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  • dimitrispearljamdimitrispearljam Posts: 139,721
    anotherclone wrote:
    My last name is 10 letters long and Greek in origin. I work with the public so I get "what kind of name is THAT?" about 10 times a day. No one even tries to pronounce it. I don't blame them. :lol:
    Greek one?aham....
    please visit our company
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  • Who PrincessWho Princess out here in the fields Posts: 7,305
    mbangel10 wrote:
    http://howmanyofme.com/

    Based on the 2000 census... there are 709,165 that share my first name and 1,570,649 that share my last name. 3,628 share my full name. I know about 3 of them. LOL

    My last name is obviously a very common one, but even though my first name is quite common too... I always have to spell it for people.
    Wow, thanks for that link.

    There are 590,971 people who share my first name and only 2,393 who share my last name. A grand total of 5 people have the same first and last name that I do. Bigger surprise: 4,942 with my maiden name. I thought it was less common than my married name.
    "The stars are all connected to the brain."
  • lostdawglostdawg Posts: 109
    libragirl wrote:
    Anyone have one that trips people up? I have one evidently.

    I have co-workers I have worked with for years who still can't spell and/or pronounce my name. I even have a close friend who can't get it. I wish I had a name like Smith or Brown.:P

    Ha, hey Libs, I know exactly how you feel-you know my last name...doesn't get any more Italian than that.I must admit, I didn't think you were Italian! I knew there was something I liked about you! And like someone else said, I don't even bother using my last name for intros cuz they just don't get it. And it's not hard, it's pronounced just like it's spelled! *Sigh* And DTD, you'll have to tell me next time I see you in NYC!!
  • FifthelementFifthelement Lotusland Posts: 6,963
    mbangel10 wrote:
    http://howmanyofme.com/

    Based on the 2000 census... there are 709,165 that share my first name and 1,570,649 that share my last name. 3,628 share my full name. I know about 3 of them. LOL

    My last name is obviously a very common one, but even though my first name is quite common too... I always have to spell it for people.

    Neat link :D

    18 420 with my first name
    47 107 with my married name
    3 with the same first and last married name

    2 756 with my maiden name
    1 or fewer with my maiden name :D

    and I'm not even in the US :? :o:D
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