Having an uncommon name can be quite fun, yet extremely inconvenient. It was always so nice knowing I was the only one in class with my name. Although it is nice to feel unique and different, many issues seem to present themselves when you suffer from a tricky name.

1. A custom souvenir from vacation? Not likely.

When I was little, I would constantly scour the gift shops of any trip I went on desperately yearning for an overpriced key chain or mug with the name "Moira" etched on it, but that never seemed to happen. A total blow to my self-esteem, may I add.

2. You have corrected every teacher ever during attendance.

It was far and few between when a teacher could actually pronounce my name correctly, after a double-take at first, of course. But more often than not, I had teachers who had no idea how to say it and asked for my assistance or I had teachers completely butcher it all together. And, of course, when I tell them what it is they say "well, that's new." Well hey, thanks teach.

3. You're constantly reminding people how it is spelled.

Spelling my name aloud for people has become such a norm, I'm almost taken aback when someone gets it right on their own. "How do you spell it?" is a question I know and love, seeing as it's the one I constantly receive. Or, my personal favorite, "How'd your parents come up with that?" I don't know, ask them.

4. You're blown away when you find someone with your name.

It's almost like a second Christmas when you discover someone else with your name who, undoubtedly, has the same prevalent issues as you. Any time I learn of someone who shares my name, I fall into an immediate state of shock. Growing up, I was the only one in my whole school with my name and now, out in the big bad real world, I sometimes stumble across another person with my rare name, and we obviously become the best of friends. That's a rule with weird named people, right?

5. You've adopted a nickname.

My name seems to trip people up often enough that I have been blessed with a nickname. It is very, very rare when you hear anybody in my friend group refer to me by my real name now. I have adopted another identity, an identity with a three letter nickname that saves people the time and effort of bothering to learn my first name. Now, even when my friends introduce me to others, they introduce me by my nickname, leaving people baffled when they discover my real name. But, I love having a unique name that earns me passage to a cool nickname. Not everyone gets such an honor, you know.

6. Be prepared to answer a series of questions.

Having a unique name leaves you vulnerable to a slew of questions from random people. Aside from people asking how to spell it, I'm always asked what nationality it is, if I'm used to people mispronouncing it, blah blah blah. I get it, it's different, carry on!

7. Placing orders for food is a huge ordeal.

Everyone with a weird name knows exactly the mess I am referring to when ordering food over the phone. You place your order, and the call is going smoothly. Nothing to fear here, right? Wrong. The dreaded, "what name is the order going to be under?" follows the total, and panic sets in. Do I just skip the mess and give them my last name? Do I say my real name and have them ask me to repeat it five times? Sometimes, I'll just settle giving them the name of whoever I'm with. No one messes up an order under a name like Ashley or Bob, right?

8. You're the black sheep in the family.

If you're anything like me, you lived in a house with parents and siblings who all had more common, applicable names. And then there was you. Maybe your parents ran out of options and played a little scrabble? Who knows! But it was always kind of fun being the odd one out in family to some extent.

9. No last name is required.

When you have a less than common name, people often know you're the one being referred to simply by your first name which is both a blessing and a curse. It was nice being pretty well known for no reason other than I had a name no one else around me had. But on the plus side, being referred to by your first name kind of makes you essentially on the same cool level as Beyonce, right?

10. You're loyalty, by default, has to lie with Dunkin' Donuts.

Do I even need to tell you why it's a waste of time to be in a Starbucks with a weird name? No, I don't want you to try (and fail) to write my name on the cup, and no, I don't want to pronounce it 84 times then spell it out for you another 46 times. I'll stick with my good friend, Dunks, thanks.

11. You wouldn't trade your crazy name for the world.

Even though my weird name has posed some challenges in my everyday life, I would never change it. It is a part of me, and I love having a unique aspect about myself that people like to learn about and question. Although it is tedious constantly spelling it out and pronouncing it, and I may never get my personalized Disney mug, I love who I am.