1. The First Day of Class.
“Is John Smith here?”
This is my moment. I’ve got this.
“Actually, it’s…”
“Alright, thank you John. How about Sarah Johnson?”
Allan. My name is Allan.
2. Legal Documents.
I know I have to use my first name. Should I use my middle name, too? No, it just says first. It’s not like the government needs to know my name, right? Alright, John it is.
3. Employment. Documents, E-mails, People, everything.
Dear Mrs. Johnson,
My name is Allan Smith. I’m searching for employment.
Sincerely,
J. Allan Smith
That’s clear enough, right? Obviously. I introduced myself as Allan and used an initial as my first name. There is surely no possible way that they will call me by my first name, thus avoiding the awkward first introduction and correcting.
Dear John,
Crap.
4. Exams. (AKA assuming no one knows your name)
Should I use my whole name? They can’t mess that up. I mean, the professor has to know my name by now. Right? I mean it’s the end of the semester! I told him at the start of class.
J. Allan Smith or John Allan Smith?
…
John Allan Smith
5. Your family.
“I told you I go by Allan now.”
“Do you not like the name we gave you? I like John. That’s why I named you John.”
“John is fine, Mom; I just like Allan better.”
“I gave birth to you!”
Just sigh and give in. It’s almost not worth it.
6. When Friends come over to your house.
After failing to convince your mother that you’re not disowning the family by going by your middle name.
“John, come here!”
“Dude, I thought your name was Allan.”
7. Anything monogrammed.
Recently, monograms have become a quite popular trend among young women. Well, this is just a struggle for people who go by their middle name. Should the middle initial be larger? Should it come first? Should the first initial even be there?
I have no idea.
Surely, I am not the only person in the entire Earth that goes by their middle name. It’s actually quite common. Why is this such a difficult concept to grasp?
Dear World,
We exist.
Sincerely,
Ashleigh Cain (and everyone else who goes by their middle name)
