If you have a unique name like me, you know the struggles of constantly having to explain your name when you first meet someone (or even after you've met them and explain your name multiple times).
This is me formally calling out all the kids I spent 12 years of school with and still thought my name was "Alison" when we graduated:
1. Always having to spell it.
Whenever you have to give someone your name, you automatically spell it afterward because there's no way they will spell it correctly otherwise.
2. Getting used to answering to multiple pronunciations of your name.
It gets to a point that even when someone says a different variation or pronunciation of your name, your head perks up and you wonder if they are talking to you.
3. Nicknames.
Whether you like it or not, you will take on many nicknames in your life. Sometimes its just because someone couldn't pronounce your actual name.
4. Having to explain how you got it/the history behind it.
Whether your name comes from your family, culture or has some cool story behind it, it can actually be a lot of fun to explain where it came from. However, it can also be extremely exhausting or annoying when it's the first question someone asks.
5. Having some people not know you by your real name.
There's always the random classmates, coworkers or acquaintances you don't see too often that believe your name is either completely different from your actual name or who just repeated pronounce it wrong.
6. Telling your Starbucks Barista a fake name.
It would take too long to tell the barista your name and how to spell/pronounce it so it's easier for both of your sake's to just give them a fake name.
7. Your friends correcting people for you.
When you're too shy or tired to correct someone, if your best friend is there they'll correct them for you. It's the true sign of friendship.
8. People spelling your name wrong, even when it's right in front of them.
It might be a distant family member or someone you haven't seen since high school, but it's nearly inevitable that someone will spell your name wrong posting on your timeline for your birthday. Even though they literally had to click on your name to write the post in the first place.
9. Never finding your name on a keychain.
You can never find your name on a Coke bottle. Sure, you could have one custom made, but why spend the extra cash for something that everyone else gets for under two bucks?
10. Eventually allowing someone to say your name wrong because you're tired of correcting them.
Some people are lost causes. While you might mentally roll your eyes whenever they say your name, there's no point in correcting them anymore.
11. Spell check always underlining your name.
Spell check nearly always puts a red squiggly line beneath your name and autocorrect has "corrected" your name to the craziest things. Once in high school, one of my friend's phones corrected my name to Afghanistan. It's still an inside joke to this day.
12. "Oh, I love your name!"
Thanks, me too! Despite all the trouble having a unique name gives me, I wouldn't change my name to anything more common. There's something wonderful about being the only (or one of the few) people in the world with your name.
