What’s in a name? According to my father, anger, if that name reminds you of someone you hate. A couple of days ago I made a Facebook post about having written a science-based motivational book for a genre that prefers fluff, nonsense, and pseudoscience. In referencing the type of self-help books that are most popular I paid homage to an old
Also relatable. My real name is "Jerome." I have NEVER gone by "Jerry" (mainly due to a certain cartoon cat & mouse pair). "Jerry" is someone else; I have a friend named Jerry, but I don't feel like we have the same name (I've never actually asked him what it was short for...).
The only people who ever called me that were the neighbors who lived downstairs in the duplex that was my childhood home.
There was also an incident of sexual abuse perpetrated on me by the teenage boy who lived there, which further distances me from accepting "Jerry" as my own name. I was maybe 8. I felt something was wrong, so I did everything I could to avoid him from then on, though I never told my parents.
He joined the US Navy after he graduated from high school. He came back home once, years later when I was a teen, much bigger, and a fully functioning memory.
He refused to look me in the eye.
I'm not Jerry. I didn't like the name for myself BEFORE the incident. Wow, okay, this was some unexpected repressed memories surfacing.....
In business communication, I get called "Jeremy" a lot, though (just to end this comment on a more positive note).
Relatable! My kid never allows anyone to call him Tony. When he was 3 someone called him Tony and he stood up to this 6'6" man and said "My name is not Tony, you can call me by my real name".
My brother is Jim or Jimmy. He was christened James but no one ever called him that and I very much doubt anyone ever will. I remember my Dad telling me friends of theirs called him Jamie in front of them when he was a baby but they were firmly corrected by my folks. It's interesting how much power a name, or its misuse, has. Very few people use my real name, so much so that I rarely recognise it these days.
I'm a "Jamie" (birthname James) that was born in the early 70s and I had the same experience with being teased about Jaime Sommers. I had a plan that in college I was going to start going by my middle name, but by the time college came around I decided I was fine with Jamie. Interestingly, the older kid who bullied me the worst about my name ended up becoming a good friend when we were in our mid-twenties, as we had a lot of shared music interests.
Addendum: My father is "Jim," and even though we've always had a good relationship, I've always corrected people if they try to call me "Jim." I had a phys ed teacher in elementary school, who kept calling me Jim despite numerous corrections. I eventually retaliated by calling him by a different name; I got some flak for that, but I think he stopped calling me Jim at least.
Many moons ago, when choosing names for my kids, I was astounded at how many I discarded based on people I know. Names that had unpleasant associations. Can’t use that name, she used to bully me in grade 3. There are 2 names in particular that are so toxic to me that I struggle when first meeting someone of the same name.
I’m fairly chill with my own name, although I hate it when people spell it incorrectly. I mean it’s right there on the email ffs!
I can also relate. Do not call me Carol, it’s a different name, it’s not me. Oh and get the pronunciation right, too. Say it the way Neil diamond does.
I have a relatively common, but oddly spelled, first name (Sherye) but I have always been called Dawn, which is my middle name. So the phrase I have used most in my life might be "it's actually [pronounced like] sherry, but I go by Dawn." When I hear the name Sherye I don't feel any connection to it at all. Maybe because people never call me that, if they don't know me they call me Sheree or Sheryl? Anyway, call me Dawn.
I can relate - I'm Jennifer, or Jen, but NEVER Jenny (my mother calls me this very rarely, but that's it). I don't respond to this at all (after going to high school with 7 other Jennifer's who all went by Jenny). I'm now working with two other Jennifer's and a Jenna, so it gets confusing for others (all of us answer to Jen, but only one goes by Jenny).
Totally get it. I was named after my mother, Elizabeth. My parents never planned to call me Elizabeth and I only heard it when I was in the sort of trouble that I couldn't weasel out of. My name isn't, and never has been, Liz. That is my mother. I had a psychiatrist call me Liz once. Damn good thing for him that he only handled my meds, which he royally fucked up but that's another story.
I took my husband's last name "Davis" when I got married (since divorced). I once emailed a vendor who responded to my email with, "Hi David." Close enough, I guess?
The best is as time goes on, it all changes. I have heard "Jamie is a boy's name!" So many times. Thankfully, very few people have said it TO her. I love the name Jamie. For boy or girl. It's a perfectly cromulent name!
My names was mispronounced and misread on a daily basis when I was a kid as there were essentially no Nathaniel in Quebec City in the 80’s and kids being the dicks they can be, i was called quite the range of variations. Nate or Nathan didn’t register to me until high teens just because I essentially didn’t have anyone to speak English with until then. I was called NathaWiel on a stage in a piano contest because they misread the registration papers... that one stung for a a 10yo...
Also relatable. My real name is "Jerome." I have NEVER gone by "Jerry" (mainly due to a certain cartoon cat & mouse pair). "Jerry" is someone else; I have a friend named Jerry, but I don't feel like we have the same name (I've never actually asked him what it was short for...).
The only people who ever called me that were the neighbors who lived downstairs in the duplex that was my childhood home.
There was also an incident of sexual abuse perpetrated on me by the teenage boy who lived there, which further distances me from accepting "Jerry" as my own name. I was maybe 8. I felt something was wrong, so I did everything I could to avoid him from then on, though I never told my parents.
He joined the US Navy after he graduated from high school. He came back home once, years later when I was a teen, much bigger, and a fully functioning memory.
He refused to look me in the eye.
I'm not Jerry. I didn't like the name for myself BEFORE the incident. Wow, okay, this was some unexpected repressed memories surfacing.....
In business communication, I get called "Jeremy" a lot, though (just to end this comment on a more positive note).
I'm so. so. so. sorry. Virtual hugs.
If you don't mind my saying so, Lord Jerome of the Castle Aargh is now my favorite Monty Python/Game of Thrones crossover character :)
Liking for support.
Relatable! My kid never allows anyone to call him Tony. When he was 3 someone called him Tony and he stood up to this 6'6" man and said "My name is not Tony, you can call me by my real name".
Could be worse, your name could be a synonym for the bathroom commode.
My brother is Jim or Jimmy. He was christened James but no one ever called him that and I very much doubt anyone ever will. I remember my Dad telling me friends of theirs called him Jamie in front of them when he was a baby but they were firmly corrected by my folks. It's interesting how much power a name, or its misuse, has. Very few people use my real name, so much so that I rarely recognise it these days.
I'm a "Jamie" (birthname James) that was born in the early 70s and I had the same experience with being teased about Jaime Sommers. I had a plan that in college I was going to start going by my middle name, but by the time college came around I decided I was fine with Jamie. Interestingly, the older kid who bullied me the worst about my name ended up becoming a good friend when we were in our mid-twenties, as we had a lot of shared music interests.
Addendum: My father is "Jim," and even though we've always had a good relationship, I've always corrected people if they try to call me "Jim." I had a phys ed teacher in elementary school, who kept calling me Jim despite numerous corrections. I eventually retaliated by calling him by a different name; I got some flak for that, but I think he stopped calling me Jim at least.
Many moons ago, when choosing names for my kids, I was astounded at how many I discarded based on people I know. Names that had unpleasant associations. Can’t use that name, she used to bully me in grade 3. There are 2 names in particular that are so toxic to me that I struggle when first meeting someone of the same name.
I’m fairly chill with my own name, although I hate it when people spell it incorrectly. I mean it’s right there on the email ffs!
Sharon. Sharyn. Sharron. Shazz. Shazza. Shags. Sharona.
And do you know how many times I have to spell "Fell"?!
Foxtrot. Echo. Lima. Lima.
"Bell? Sell? Tell? Dell? Pell?
"No. Just like the F in hell."
I can also relate. Do not call me Carol, it’s a different name, it’s not me. Oh and get the pronunciation right, too. Say it the way Neil diamond does.
I did a snort-laugh at the Liam joke. I can think of two famous hot-but-also-an-asshole Liams, so be careful of them!
I have a relatively common, but oddly spelled, first name (Sherye) but I have always been called Dawn, which is my middle name. So the phrase I have used most in my life might be "it's actually [pronounced like] sherry, but I go by Dawn." When I hear the name Sherye I don't feel any connection to it at all. Maybe because people never call me that, if they don't know me they call me Sheree or Sheryl? Anyway, call me Dawn.
I can relate - I'm Jennifer, or Jen, but NEVER Jenny (my mother calls me this very rarely, but that's it). I don't respond to this at all (after going to high school with 7 other Jennifer's who all went by Jenny). I'm now working with two other Jennifer's and a Jenna, so it gets confusing for others (all of us answer to Jen, but only one goes by Jenny).
Totally get it. I was named after my mother, Elizabeth. My parents never planned to call me Elizabeth and I only heard it when I was in the sort of trouble that I couldn't weasel out of. My name isn't, and never has been, Liz. That is my mother. I had a psychiatrist call me Liz once. Damn good thing for him that he only handled my meds, which he royally fucked up but that's another story.
I took my husband's last name "Davis" when I got married (since divorced). I once emailed a vendor who responded to my email with, "Hi David." Close enough, I guess?
The best is as time goes on, it all changes. I have heard "Jamie is a boy's name!" So many times. Thankfully, very few people have said it TO her. I love the name Jamie. For boy or girl. It's a perfectly cromulent name!
I get called Jackie. A lot. So much if someone does call me Jackie, I'll pause long enough to decide if they really mean me or not.
My names was mispronounced and misread on a daily basis when I was a kid as there were essentially no Nathaniel in Quebec City in the 80’s and kids being the dicks they can be, i was called quite the range of variations. Nate or Nathan didn’t register to me until high teens just because I essentially didn’t have anyone to speak English with until then. I was called NathaWiel on a stage in a piano contest because they misread the registration papers... that one stung for a a 10yo...