If You Have An Uncommon Name, These Everyday Struggles Are All TOO Common
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If You Have An Uncommon Name, These Everyday Struggles Are All TOO Common

For those of you who don't know, it's an actual struggle.

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If You Have An Uncommon Name, These Everyday Struggles Are All TOO Common

Devon Lee

I wouldn't say my name is so uncommon to the point that people don't even know of its existence. There are several Devons out there in the world.

But, you know your name is a little unusual when MicrosoftWord throws a little red squiggly line under your name, telling you it's spelled wrong.

So if Word can't even recognize my name, how could I expect actual people to get it right?

Here are a couple of situations that occurred thanks to my name.

1. People spelling it really wrong.

I understand that there are several ways to spell the name "Devon".

You could be correct, like me, and spell it with an "on." But I have also seen people spell it with an "in" or if they're really extra, a "yn."

It can be confusing, I get it, so I have just gotten in the habit of spelling my name after I say it whenever I'm at a coffee shop, restaurant or anywhere else for that matter.

However, there was this one instance when I was getting a smoothie and the person asked for my name. I told them my name and naturally, proceeded to spell it out. So, imagine my surprise when I got my smoothie and my name was spelled "Devlon."

Now, in my entire life, I have never had my name spelled this way. To make matters even more comical, I even spelled my name out.

Yeah. Kind of a fail.

Not really upset about it, but just wondering who would actually name their child "Devlon"?

2. Oh, you're a girl?

In case you didn't know, Devon is a unisex name. Some people are not aware of this fact and this usually leads to very interesting reactions and remarks when taking attendance.

I started my eighth-grade year at a new school and as I walked into my third period, which was English class, I found an empty desk and sat down. My English teacher introduced herself and then began attendance. Typical.

As she went through the attendance sheet, she got to my name and surprisingly pronounced it correctly — kudos to her.

However, when I raised my hand, she looked up and said, "Oh, you're a girl?"

Well if that's not awkward, I don't know what is. I had never had someone respond that way before, so to say I was caught off-guard was probably an understatement.

She ended up being one of my favorite teachers that year, and I'm sure that she doesn't even remember saying this to me that day, but that moment will probably stay with me until the day I die.

I've probably had too many instances when my name has either been pronounced or spelled incorrectly to even try to count. Let's just say that if I had a dollar every time someone fucked up my name, I would be able to pay for my college tuition and have some money left over.

But I would never trade my name for another. I like that it's different and unexpected.

And most of all, I love not having to have my last name initial attached to my first name.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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