What's in a name?

[cowtime]

I too am not called by my real name, which is Bette. I don't answer to that because in my mind, that's not me. It is a handy clue as to how well someone knows me. When I'm called that, and it's someone "official" I don't say a word. If it's someone who I think might become an aquaintance I always say-" that's my name, but folks who really know me call me Betsy".
I've never had anyone insist on calling me Bette after I tell them that. Once someone called for me at work, asked for Bette and was told no one worked there by that name! They forgot it was me.

I get grief over my last name too- DickENson, not Dickerson.Grrrrrr I've even had to delay legal document signings because someone could not spell it right. The bad thing is it's a common name around here, there's even a Dickenson county. Hmmmmm no one pays any attention I guess. It was easier with my maiden name- Young- not too many ways to mess that up.

[Key_of_D]

Hm.. What about Johnny Doran, or Johnny Cash....

[Jack]

I went to school with a guy named Jack Daniels.

[Denny]

Ben, Bob, Denny, Danny etc. are nicknames, not proper names.

yup! ....but I answer to it.

If ya call me Dennis ya have to sound real mad for me to think ya are talking to me. (trained early by the same gits that thought up Dennis)

[rebl_rn]

My dad has the same problem - his name (on his birth certificate) is Harry, as was his father's before his (my dad is a Jr.) Woe be to the person who thinks they are being proper by calling him Harold. He does not care for it, and will let you know that he doesn't.

I'm an Elizabeth who has always gone by Beth. I don't care if you call me Elizabeth, but I may not answer you just because I'm not used to it. But I don't like it when people decide to call me Liz or Lizzie or some other nickname of Elizabeth.

[izzarina]

My first name has never been too much of a hassle for people, but my last name (both maiden and married) are brutal at times. No one on earth, apparently, can spell...or pronounce for that matter...Foley. I figured that when I got married, it would be better, but Sarsfield is worse. Try spelling it out on the phone: "It's spelled S..as in Sam...A, R, S..as in Sam...F..as in Frank, I, E, L, D." They never get it. And I get letters added to it constantly. Starsfield is the biggest one. Or Starsfeld. Or Starsseld. I answer to just about anything that sounds similar these days

[Redwolf]

We have a similar problem with the surname. It's "Nickel"...spelled like the coin (or the element); no "s" on the end. It's always getting misspelled, even AFTER we spell it for people! We get mail addressed to "Nichols," "Nickels," "Nickle" and even "Nickles"!

Redwolf

[Cynth]

If someone introduces him or herself to me by a particular name, I would always use that name---I suppose I could misunderstand a name, but I would hope to be corrected if I did. I wouldn't have any trouble calling someone "Johnny" if that were how he introduced himself. Maybe if someone else introduced him to me, though, I would wonder if the person doing the introducing was a really close friend and if maybe "Johnny" was more familiar than I should be, just having met the person----only because "Johnny" is more often used as a nickname I guess. That's the only situation I can think of where I might be in a quandry. I suppose I would ask, in that case.

I always introduce myself as Cynthea and that's what I'm called except for a couple of people who call me Cynth. Either name is fine with me and one isn't more intimate than the other. It is amazing, though, the number of people who will start calling me Cindy right after I've introduced myself as Cynthea. I mean, it is a lovely name and all, but it ain't me! They always change over to my real name after I've known them for awhile. It doesn't bother me really, it just sounds sort of funny---kind of delicate or dainty, I guess, with curly blonde hair. I suppose they've known other women named Cynthia who went by Cindy or something. I would never start calling someone by a nickname unless the person told me to or we were close enough friends that a nickname just started up through affection. And even then, if the person told me to lay off, I would.

I am often a little nervous when meeting people and I don't register their names very well. I suppose this could happen to other people too---they know it's something like John or Johnny and they pick John to be on the safe side. I find taking a guess at a name or trying to avoid having to use a name to be really nervewracking, so I just tell people I don't remember names well after just one introduction, and I ask them again. Almost all the time it seems pretty clear that they don't remember mine either, so both parties are relieved to have a review session.

[Congratulations]

I go by my middle name because my dad and I share a first name.

So I've recently started frequenting this tobacconist downtown (where I now work, actually, so yay ) and there's this really cool dude that works there named, coincidentally, Johnny. So I start going with my friend, Mark, and we become pretty good friends with Johnny, but never outside the smoke shop. Well, I introduced myself to him once as Jared, and I guess he forgot because he started calling me Steven after a while (my first name). I figured out that he had gone and looked at my debit card once when I bought something, thinking he was all slick. So I let him call me Steven for a while (didn't really matter to me), but when I started working there I corrected him, explained the whole situation, so he wouldn't go talking to everyone about that cool new employee, Steven. He's a really awesome dude, and it was fun to see him embarrassed for a second that he cheated and looked at my name on my debit card.

[pipersgrip]

i love your signature congrats, it is very funny!

[Congratulations]

i love your signature congrats, it is very funny!

You like Warren Zevon?

The French Inhaler Lyrics

How're you going to make your way in the world, Woman,
When you weren't cut out for working?
When your fingers are slender and frail?
How're you going to get around
In this sleazy bedroom town
If you don't put yourself up for sale?

Where will you go with your scarves and your miracles?
Who's gonna know who you are?
Drugs and wine and flattering light,
You must try it again till you get it right.
Maybe you'll end up with someone different every night.

All these people with no home to go home to.
They'd all like to spend the night with you.
Maybe I would, too.

But tell me,
How're you going to make your way in the world, Woman,
When you weren't cut out for working?
And you just can't concentrate?
And you always show up late?

You said you were an actress.
Yes, I believe you are.
I thought you'd be a star,
So I drank up all the money,
Yes, I drank up all the money,
With these phonies in this Hollywood bar.
These friends of mine in this Hollywood bar.

Loneliness and frustration,
We both came down with an acute case.
And when the lights came up at two,
I caught a glimpse of you,
And your face looked like something
Death brought with him in his suitcase.

Your pretty face,
It looked so wasted.
Another pretty face,
Devastated.
The French Inhaler,
He stamped and mailed her:
"So long, Norman."
She said, "So long, Norman."

[hyldemoer]

Ben, Bob, Denny, Danny etc. are nicknames, not proper names. I can see how people who are no longer associated with the culture from which their names came from might understandably come to think that nicknames are full and correct names.

In southern states of the USA its not unusual for people to have given names that are considered nick names in other places; Bobby, Ricky, Sammy, Terry, Joey, Billy, Willy, ...
and those are names for males.

That's just an accepted Southern naming custom.

[Jack]

Ben, Bob, Denny, Danny etc. are nicknames, not proper names. I can see how people who are no longer associated with the culture from which their names came from might understandably come to think that nicknames are full and correct names.

In southern states of the USA its not unusual for people to have given names that are considered nick names in other places; Bobby, Ricky, Sammy, Terry, Joey, Billy, Willy, ...
and those are names for males.

That's just an accepted Southern naming custom.

This is true. And these names are all "proper."

[talasiga]

......
For some reason many people , especially certain age groups (ahem, the elderly) REFUSE to call me Johnny. I don't know if it's a matter of what they think is appropriate or proper but they won't do it. They call me John almost every time.
.....

Having been on these forums (of largely American membership) for sometime I have come to the conclusion that Americans have difficulty with names of more than one syllable. Its the only thing that explains why so many call me Tal instead of Talasiga. I bet ya even if my name was Tally they'd still call be Tal.

They even shorten USA to US. But that may be on account of Hawaii which is not on the American continent.

[Jack]

Its the only thing that explains why so many call me Tal instead of Talasiga. I bet ya even if my name was Tally they'd still call be Tal.

I have noticed that, too. I, for one, try deliberately not to shorten your name, because it also bothers me a little bit when people use "Cran" instead of "Cranberry," and I never said it was ok (even though "Cranberry" obviously isn't my real name, LOL). But there are much bigger problems in the world, I suppose.

Oh--and I've noticed that it's not just Americans who do it--Canadians are guilty, too!