Hi! My name is Da'Naia.
Give it a minute.
Still deciding on how that should be pronounced? Here's the proper phonetic spelling of my name: Duh-nay-yuh. Contrary to popular belief, my name is not pronounced duh-ny-yuh, duh-nee-yuh, dahn-yuh or any other weird pronunciations; however, most people seem to think otherwise.
Having a "unique" name is both a blessing and a curse –– well, at least for me. Luckily, I know I am not alone in these situations. There are many other people around the world who experience the same struggles as me:
1. Having a new teacher/professor (or even a substitute teacher).
That long and drawn out pause, the sweat beads forming on their forehead, the hushed stammering –– you know they're about to mispronounce your name, and there's nothing you can do but wait to correct them.
2. Hearing the excuse "I'm not used to 'unique' names! How am I supposed to learn yours?"
How about a little something called "common courtesy?" Or even better! Maybe something called "respect" or here's another thing "the use of your phonics!" Just because my name is "unique" does not permit you to not even try to learn it.
3. Never finding your name on anything in the store.
I guess I'll be needing that custom-made too.
4. Nicknames, nicknames, nicknames – oh my!
Sure, nicknames are cool and everything, but who wants to be referred to by the "easier" version of their name all the time? When will someone just take the time to learn your name's proper pronunciation?
5. That red underline underneath your name on a Word document.
There is absolutely nothing more disheartening than that.
Unfortunately, it seems that I will never rid myself of these struggles. People with unique names understand that this is something that we'll deal with forever. It's unfortunate (and sometimes a blow to our confidence) when others who struggle to pronounce our names don't take the time to ask us (or attempt to learn on their own) how it is pronounced. Even more, we despise sounding repetitious and almost like a broken record with the amount of times that we have to correct others on the pronunciation.
But despite all of this, people with unique names, like myself, are openly in love with having one! It makes us different from others who may have more "common" names and it definitely makes us stand out a little more. People will remember a face before they remember a "unique" name, and for more reasons than none, this is an amazing thing!
So shout out to all of the people out there with unique names! I understand your struggles, and I feel your pain, but chin up and remember that you're unique for a reason.
