s/o do you have a difficult-to-pronounce last name?

[♥ms.pacman♥]

spinoff of other thread...anybody else have a last name that most (American) people cannot pronounce?

I do and it infuriates me a little. About 90% of the time people "attempt" (i put attempt in quotes) to say it they say it wrong. It is not some 20 letter name with no vowels..it is freaking 7 letters and SO easily sounded out. People who know me IRL have always said without a problem. At work, where i would say 75% of people are not native-born, people have no problem. But every single day at grocery stores, at a bank or wherever i deal with at least one person who stumbles like crazy around it, even when they have said it or met me before and it is spelled out in front of them on a receipt. It drives me bonkers. Like they cannot be bothered. I personally think many people see a non-English name and immediately butcher it on purpose, but maybe I'm biased. In Japan i did not have nearly as many problems with people saying my name.

The funny thing is my maiden name was even worse (one of the many reasons I chose not to keep it..was just too annoying to deal with). When I was in kindergarten, the teacher (a nun) had all the kids first and last names printed in huge letters on their cubby boxes..except for mine..she wrote ("<myfirstname> V") because apparently my was last name was too complicated for her to write. :( As a kid I used to dream that i would marry someone with a last name like Smith or Jones so I could have "normal" last name so that not everyone single freaking conversation would start out with someone making a comment about "Is that your name?? How did you graduate kindergarten??? Your last name is SOOOO long.") :rolleyes: Oh and i won't go into how many times my honor roll certificates were printed with the entirely wrong last name (started with same letter, but that's about it). :S

Anyway, i saw the famous last name thread and immediately thought of this. I'd love to have a famous last name instead of one that people are constantly mispronouncing, misspelling and making a big deal about how it's so hard to say. But, i guess the grass is always greener..... (see Office Space clip :D)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMb8pHmN1YE

[specialp]

My last name is difficult for people, but it doesn't bother me. It would be unfair for me to hold it against people when I myself struggled with it. :wink2:My maiden name was easy to pronounce, but often spelled incorrectly.

However, when I was working and dealing with people in the NE, they always seemed to know both how to pronounce and spell my name so I assume it is more common in other areas.

[bisous]

Sort of. My maiden name was an anglicized version of a French name. It is pronounced very English but I grew up hearing it pronounced more like the more common French version. Then I married a guy who has a very Scottish last name. The pronunciation actually makes no sense TO ME so I don't really get upset if people get it wrong. In both cases, the "wrong" pronunciation was at least consistent and very, very common. I'd answer to the wrong pronunciation without even recognizing half the time that they said it wrong!

[crl]

My last name is very easy to pronounce and people seldom get it wrong. It is very close to another, much more common, last name though and when I say my last name people assume I am saying the more common name. Once that happens it is really hard to get them to spell it right because they have the wrong name stuck in their heads. When I am giving it to someone to write down, I usually spell it first and then say it for them.

Dh and the kids have a name that is extremely common on the East Coast and in the mid-west. Not quite so common in CA, but still very recognizable. It has four or five different spellings. So it can be tough to get people to spell it right. It is quite easy to pronounce though and I have only heard someone mess it up once in the seventeen years we have been married.

Catherine

[vonfirmath]

I have a German last name -- too many consonants, not enough vowels.

I thought for sure my son would never learn how to spell it. At least, not in K. And truthfully he doesn't write it a lot, but I have seen him write it enough that I know he can if he needs to. And here we are, half a day away from the end of school.

[smilequeen]

Yes, it can be hard for some people to pronounce.

[KrisM]

It's easy to pronounce, but everyone gets it wrong. It has an "s" in it, but it sounds like a "z". Everyone reads it as an "s", which is wrong.

My maiden name had a French spelling and while people pronounced it correctly, no one spelled it correctly. I was forever spelling both my first and last names. I hoped when I married I would get a last name that was easily spelled, but no luck there.

[MontrealMum]

My last name shouldn't be difficult to pronounce, but apparently 90% of the population is unaware of the 2 rather famous, household-name types (one, a hockey player), that share it with me. I cannot tell you how frequently my name is butchered. Like the OP, yes, it's "foreign" (German in origin), not it's not super long, and it doesn't have a bunch of consonants and few or no vowels. Mind you, I'm pretty good at pronouncing names like that myself, considering where I grew up!

My new favorite since moving to Quebec is having to explain that yes, I did grow up speaking English in the home. As did my parents, their parents, etc. etc. I also resent that my name somehow gives people (in their own minds!) a right to discuss and query me on my religion...and many times not believe my answer. I have grown so sick of that whole discussion :banghead: It also baffles me that so many Canadians are rabid hockey fans but can't figure my name out.

I did not take DH's name for a variety of reasons, but one factor was certainly that although his name is super common and easy to pronounce, almost noone spells it correctly. I figured I wasn't trading up, so why bother. And the older I get the more pleasure I somewhat perversely take from confounding people with my surname. :p

[stefani]

My surname is even longer than Nagheenanajar :-) and probably just as hard to pronounce.

I love it when DS, at about 2.5 years old, was repeating that after me when I talk on the phone or at the store picking up something. That is not DS's last name either, DS has DH's surname.

It does not bother me and I appreciate it when people at least make an effort.

AT school, many parents' are introduced to the children as Mr. X and Ms. Y, or Mrs. Z..., but I am DS's mom.

[elektra]

People get my last name right maybe 20% of the time. I hate it!

[ellies mom]

My maiden name was pretty rough. It is French with an Americanized pronunciation. People didn't have a chance, If you could deal with the spelling, you probably won't pronounce it right and if you pronounce it right, you are probably going to spell it wrong. As long as you got either the correct American or French pronunciation, I could deal with it. Generally, though I just responded the moment they called my first name.

My married name is very, very common and very easy to spell. So ironically, when I was giving blood once they asked me to spell my name and I completely blanked and started spelling my maiden name. No one had ever asked me to spell it before so I just reverted back to the old days.

In all honesty, I'd love to go back to my maiden name. I really miss it even with all the butchered pronunciations and spellings.

[AJP]

Both my married and maiden names are hard for Americans to pronounce. My maiden name has a lot of vowels and people used to ask of I was Hawaiian. I think all the "o's" and "u's" made them think of a luau. :52: Both names are pronounced exactly how they are spelled, people just have a hard time. Both names are Greek, but are not the "typical" "opoulos" Greek names. One ends in "aou" and that throws everyone.

[vejemom]

My last name is similar to two extremely common last names. So people often turn it into one of those. I had a chemistry teacher in high school who apparently thought for most of the year I was the twin sister of my classmate with one of the extremely common last names. (She was odd in other ways, too. :rotflmao: )

Recognition is regional and age-related in the case of my last name. I'm from an ethnic group that is well-represented in New York City. No one every gets it wrong there. My last name is also the subject of an old Tin Pan Alley song. Most people under the age of 60 don't know the song, but older folks often start singing it when I introduce myself.

[scrooks]

People never seemed to pronounce my maiden name correctly. My married name is much easier to pronounce. Now if people would just pronounce my first name correctly, I would be doing great!

[georgiegirl]

My maiden name is easy to pronounce. My married name is Eastern European, and even though its only 6 letters and is pronounced exactly like it looks phonetically from an English standpoint, people often don't even want to try pronouncing it (it begins and ends s with Vs). Originally it was written in the Cyrillic alphabet, so it's English version is more literal that other last names from countries that use the regular alphabet.

[mom2khj]

My maiden name was super easy. My married name is not difficult but some people get it slightly wrong. It's Cajun, but we don't pronounce it the "French" way.

DH's mom's maiden name is another Cajun/French name and DD2's soccer coach has the same last name. But, they pronounce it "wrong" according to DH and it drives him nuts. I don't know why he cares so much! :rotflmao:

[MamaMolly]

My married last name is an less common spelling of a common name, that stretches from western Europe to all over Asia. And so far I've mostly known native Spanish speakers who pronounce it correctly. :)

The thing that gripes me is when I meet someone, say my name, and they correct MY pronounciation. Honestly people!! If it is spelled G-R-E-E-N and I say my name is pronounced BLUE just roll with it. It's MY name!!

[Corie]

My last name is very easy to pronounce (& spell) yet people get it wrong
all the time!!!

[marymoo86]

My last name is very easy to pronounce (& spell) yet people get it wrong
all the time!!!

:yeahthat:

same here

maiden name is 2 syllables but usually the emphasis is put on the wrong syllable

married name: 3 syllables but only 6 letters. Pronounced the way it looks but I hear all kinds of mutilation for such a simple name :shrug:

[hellokitty]

I have a straightforward last name. I kept my maiden name, but Americans always add an extra letter at the end! Dh's last name is TWO letters and ppl seriously mispronounce it, two letters!!! It baffles and annoys me. Oh, and my parents gave me an "American," first name, but ppl still misspell it, since it's basically an old lady name that fell out of style like a hundred yrs ago. I feel like I can't win with the names. Dh's parents kept his Korean name when they immigrated to the US, and ppl not only misspell it and mispronounce it, even though it is straightforward, they also try to butcher it into a more common American name, which I think is rude. Who misspells their own name??? If it is spelled that way, them that is what it is!

[pastrygirl]

Yes. And the nutty thing is that I thought I was switching to an *easier* name when I got married! No wonder my husband shook his head when I used to say that I couldn't wait to have an easier last name. People used to butcher my maiden name, but now it's worse! In person, it's mispronounced, and on paper, it's misspelled EVERY TIME. Even if I spell it out with examples like "F as in Frank," they still put S! For several of the letters!

(But nothing irks me more than people putting an H in my first name, especially when responding to an e-mail where I've JUST written my name, clearly without an H.)

[AngelaS]

It shouldn't be. If you learned to read with phonics you can easily say it. If you didn't learn phonics, it gets mangled.

[janine]

My first name (real first name) is difficult for Americans. All my life it has been mangled. Can't tell you how much I appreciate the odd person who says it properly. Telemarketers, customers service reps are the worst. My married last name is long too and not so easy either but at least can be sounded out phonetically.

[doberbrat]

My maiden name is 10 letters and apparently impossible for people to pronounce. As a kid, I used to DREAM of getting married .... not for the dress but to be able to change my name. I longed to be Mrs. Smith or Mrs. Woo. ..... Instead, I married a wonderful man with a....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

10 letter Polish name!! :ROTFLMAO: It is a little easier to pronounce if you know phonics but still.

[mom3boys]

People mispronounce DH's last name all the time. It is 7 letters long, but the combination of letters is odd, I guess. I thought I'd change my name to DH's and then I heard my MIL trying to spell the name over the phone, and virtually every letter you had to do the "S as in Sam" etc. thing, and my BIL's whole wedding toast was about how they spent their entire lives with name misspelled/mispronounced. Yikes!! I kept my maiden name, even though I don't like it much either. It is a common word in the English language, spelled exactly how you'd expect it to be, and only 4 letters long, but very uncommon as a last name. So I still have to spell it out because people don't expect it to be a name.

[vonfirmath]

Yes. And the nutty thing is that I thought I was switching to an *easier* name when I got married! No wonder my husband shook his head when I used to say that I couldn't wait to have an easier last name. People used to butcher my maiden name, but now it's worse! In person, it's mispronounced, and on paper, it's misspelled EVERY TIME. Even if I spell it out with examples like "F as in Frank," they still put S! For several of the letters!

(But nothing irks me more than people putting an H in my first name, especially when responding to an e-mail where I've JUST written my name, clearly without an H.)

Are you a Sara/h? I've noticed we tend to be particular about our Hs.

[minnie-zb]

Yes, people have a very hard time with my last name. Although it's really easy. I do hyphenate, but people struggle with my married name too, and it's very easy, but the spelling throws them. People way over think it. Both of mine are German.

My maiden name is very unusual and I have an uncommon first name, in fact, if you google me, I'm the only one. Which presents it's own unique set of challenges. And if you google my maiden name, there's a handful of us in the US. I'm related to all of them. It's pretty unique.

[123LuckyMom]

Growing up I had what people perceived as a difficult first name AND a hyphenated last name. The thing is, people are careless. They don't pay attention or take the time to do things the right way. My name was not that difficult. It was just unusual. I had one teacher who just decided my name was something different. If my name were Lisa, for example, he just decided it was Elissa. He would say to my mother, "Elissa is doing very well in class." My mother would say, "Yes, LISA has been working hard." He'd say right back, "We'll, Elissa is a good student." He would correct my MOTHER. You know, the one who actually named me! That's just carelessness and lack of attention. It had nothing to do with my name and everything to do with him.

I took my husband's name when I married, so I got rid of the hyphen, but my pesky old first name is still around, and now my two names are of different languages and ethnicities, so it continues to confuse people. Imagine something akin to Siobhan Ramirez.

The best thing about having a complicated name, though, is that when telemarketers call and slaughter it, I can honestly say, "I'm sorry. There's nobody here by that name," and hang up!

[lizzywednesday]

HA!

I used to have my maiden name mispronounced occasionally, usually by nonnative speakers who were trying to follow English pronunciation rules - it is 6 letters and of German origin, which means there are two vowels that, in English, could have a long /a/ sound, rather than the long /i/ sound they make in German. Most people do say it correctly, as there are a father-and-son pair of Hollywood celebrities who share it.

I also have my married name mispronounced - it is also 6 letters and of German origin - though my DH's family has Anglicized it, so they are also mispronouncing it. (My rudimentary German skills tell me it's supposed to be an un-accented schwa at the end, not a long-voiced vowel, like they say it.)

While it's frustrating, it's really nothing new for me, having spent a lifetime spelling out the name of the street I grew up on or my mother's name (very unusual; most people think it's "Annemarie" but it isn't) or any number of things that could easily have been mis-heard or mis-read.

It's not like one of my BFFs' last names, though. Her family is 1st-gen Polish immigrants, so her name is not spelled phonetically (it has a "w" that's sounded as "v" and the ending doesn't get spelled the way it's pronounced, due to a quirk of Anglicization from Cyrillic), no matter how much my 2nd grade teacher wanted to make it so!

[A1icia]

My married last name gets mangled all the time. Like so many it's easy the pronounce once you hear it but hard for folks to get at first.

As an adult I don't care at all. I mean why should they know how to say it. And I home others will forgive me if I mis-pronounce their name. I always assume people are trying and what more can you ask.

But I'm sure growing up with a difficult to pronounce/spell name last name can suck at times.

[ilfaith]

My maiden name was nine letters long, and a couple of those letters were silent (in the variations of the name, one or both of the silent letters is frequently dropped). It is not an uncommon Jewish surname, but if you'd never heard it, you might have some difficulty pronouncing it. For some reason the most common mistake people make is sticking an "L" or an "N" in the first syllable where there is none (why would you make the name even longer and more unwieldy?)

My married name is unusual...but spelled phonetically. It is six letters and should not be hard to pronounce, and yet people are constantly saying it wrong...either using the long vowel sound rather than short in the first syllable, or switching the two consonants in the middle.

My first name is a less common variant of a name that peaked in popularity in the 1940s. I would say the Starbucks barristas get it right about 50% of the time...but I am always surprised when they do.

[Ms B]

DH's last name is difficult to spell and to pronounce. It is Germanic and not spelled as it is pronounced because there are a couple extra letters in there. It frequently gets misprounced and, to top it off, sounds like the name of a famous cult leader when that happens.

Yeah, I kept my birth name when I got married.

[Dream]

All the time. My last name has 11 letters, DH's has 14 letters, we're Asian so long last names are the norm for us. It doesn't bother me that others can't pronounce it correctly. I understand its hard if you're not from that part of the world.

[MontrealMum]

Growing up I had what people perceived as a difficult first name AND a hyphenated last name. The thing is, people are careless. They don't pay attention or take the time to do things the right way. My name was not that difficult. It was just unusual. I had one teacher who just decided my name was something different. If my name were Lisa, for example, he just decided it was Elissa. He would say to my mother, "Elissa is doing very well in class." My mother would say, "Yes, LISA has been working hard." He'd say right back, "We'll, Elissa is a good student." He would correct my MOTHER. You know, the one who actually named me! That's just carelessness and lack of attention. It had nothing to do with my name and everything to do with him.



I think that this is a good point, that some people are just careless. And the people that argue back with you about your OWN name....whuck is that about?

I had a h/s teacher like the one in the quote above and he did what you described, repeatedly mispronouncing someone's name with after having been corrected, with maybe 10% of the class. Everyone around him would be pronouncing the name one way, but still, he wouldn't cave. Not with my name, surprisingly. Always with names that *should* have been easy, like Chamberlain or similar. He did strange things to the vowels and added syllables. Even though it didn't directly affect me if got to be super annoying to hear and I got to wonder if the guy was just deliberately being a jerk.

[boolady]

Yes, LOL. My maiden name was not great to pronounce either, for some reason, even though it is spelled exactly as pronounced. My married name is 11 letters, 7 of which are consonants (including 2 z's), and gets comments every.single.time. I always tell DH it is the wedding gift I should never have accepted. :rotflmao:

[indigo99]

Mine is Swedish so it's unfamiliar to everyone (two syllables and easily sounded out). Instead, they usually just ignore some letters and pronounce it as if it's just a weird spelling of something they have heard of. My maiden name was Riley though and people were always asking how to spell it *shrug*

[Babymakes3]

My first name and last name get mispronounced a.l.l. the time, drives me crazy! There are two ways to say my first name and 80% of the time people get it wrong. My last name is Syrian and completely throws people for a loop, half the time they don't even try. My maiden name was super easy though, it was a very popular vehicle brand!

[speo]

Everyone could pronounce my maiden name correctly. It was a little hard for people to spell it when I said the name.

My married name should be easy, but 75% of people say it wrong. The name is something like Paynter . The y throws people off so it is usually said as Paytner with a major emphasis on the ner. It is so strange that having a y instead of i (Painter) makes people move a letter somewhere else. DS1 was just at a big championship track meet where they called out names for medals over the loud speaker. Of course they said it wrong!

[BabbyO]

My last name is the Assyrian equal to "Smith". It sounds EXACTLY like it is spelled, but people really get confused.

My first name is usually pronounced correctly but butchered when people try to spell it....

[AnnieW625]

I have to spell my married last name out a lot because people don't get it, but if they wouldn't think about it and just spell it immediately they would get it as it is spelled exactly as it sounds. It is common in the NE and it is a variation on a French Canadian last name, but if you add another I in the middle it becomes a pretty common Hispanic last name and people do that all of the time, even at the doctor's office when they call us back because they think the I is missing. It has also been misspelled or pronounced as the last name of a famous college basketball coach of Italian descent. When people see DH they automatically think it is the Hispanic one too. We have also had people spell it as a very common Indian last name.

Even with my maiden name people would spell it without the W. I have never once seen that last name spelled without a W ever.

[pastrygirl]

Are you a Sara/h? I've noticed we tend to be particular about our Hs.Nope, Cristina. :)

[NCGrandma]

I have a German last name -- too many consonants, not enough vowels.

Me, too! I have had people tell me that my name was misspelled and needed another vowel. Also, it's pretty uncommon in the US, so whenever I meet anyone who has known someone with the same last name, they assume that we must be related.

My married name wasn't any better -- the spelling is fairly straightforward but virtually no one ever pronounces it the way the family does (the way it is pronounced in 'the old country'). When I called my husband's office, his staff would correct my pronounciation. Guess that's why I resumed my not-enough-vowels maiden name...

[BabbyO]

I have a German last name -- too many consonants, not enough vowels.

I have the opposite problem. 7 letters and 4 are vowels - 3 are O's

Add to that the City I live in has 5 O's - every other letter! - there's some trivia for you! :)

[trentsmom]

Yes. Before I got married, my SIL gave me some advice - if someone has to write down our last name, spell it before you say it because if you say it first, it will be written down incorrectly. When someone says my last name correctly, I'm shocked.

My first name and maiden name are unusual, too. When I was in school and there was a substitute taking roll, I would wait for him/her to pause, and then I would say "Here" because I knew my name had thrown them for a loop!

[Blue Hydrangea]

Add to that the City I live in has 5 O's - every other letter! - there's some trivia for you! :)

Shot in the dark here, since I don't know where you're located, but that city wouldn't be Oconomowoc, would it? :waving4:I grew up near it, but I don't live in Wisconsin anymore.

[queenmama]

Nope, my married name is super common, and you're probably looking at it right now in the form of the color of this website! My first name, on the other hand...

Lara

[lkoala]

Our last name is very common, however my DD's first name isn't. We requested her daycare and now her school use the full first name rather than a nickname. The interesting thing is how easy it is for the kids to say her name, however adults are always hesitant (except for her teachers).

Personally I think it is downright laziness that prevents people from at least attempting to pronounce names correctly. My DH is often guilty of this much to my consternation.

[Twoboos]

My married name is Nordic has 9 letters, so I think people see that and get intimidated and trip over the middle. Even though it's three simple syllables - and the last three letters are -son. Just say it like it looks, people.

My maiden name was a nice simple, one syllable common 5 letter Irish surname you can't get wrong. I tried to convince DH to change his instead but he wasn't going for it. ;)

[hellokitty]

Growing up I had what people perceived as a difficult first name AND a hyphenated last name. The thing is, people are careless. They don't pay attention or take the time to do things the right way. My name was not that difficult. t was just unusual. I had one teacher who just decided my name was something different. If my name were Lisa, for example, he just decided it was Elissa. He would say to my mother, "Elissa is doing very well in class." My mother would say, "Yes, LISA has been working hard." He'd say right back, "We'll, Elissa I is a good student." He would correct my MOTHER. You know, the one who actually named me! That's just carelessness and lack of attention. It had nothing to do with my name and everything to do with him.



ITA, ppl don't care or don't want to bother trying. I had a similar issue with my first name. My first name is a very old fashioned, traditional American name. My last name is asian, only three letters (and no, I'm not Korean, so it's not Kim), but EVERYONE always add an extra letter to it. Throughout high school, I struggled with teachers who insisted on calling me by my last name, acting as if it were my first name. No, they did not call anyone else in class by their last name, so it wasn't just something that they did to all students, but I guess they took one look at me and decided that my first name did not look, "foreign" enough to match my physical looks. So, they would use my last name and then play stupid when I would point out that it was my last name. Like I said, my first name is a very old fashioned name, no longer that common unless you are over age 70, but very much recognized as a one of the classic names. It would be crazy to think that it was my last name. It would be like thinking my name was, "Chang Elizabeth." Most ppl's first guess would be that Elizabeth was the first name, Chang the last name, but maybe I just had really dumb teachers or maybe they were just especially racist. IDK, NONE of my classmates (who were all white) ever had this problem with teachers getting their first and last names interchanged.

I do get very annoyed when ppl butcher up names. Not so much last names, but first names, esp ones that aren't difficult to pronounce. I feel like it is a total lack of effort and respect on their part, to bother to use the correct name and comes off as flippant. I can understand the first few times you meet someone and maybe they have a name that is easily mixed up like Carolyn vs. Caroline, but after a few times, you should be able to get it right. It's not too much to ask, kwim?

[elephantmeg]

my maiden name was terrible. Reinhold. I dropped it for a 4 letter last name that at least is easier to write... And I still distinctly remember that in K I had to write my first and last name every day. Why???

[BabbyO]

Shot in the dark here, since I don't know where you're located, but that city wouldn't be Oconomowoc, would it? :waving4:I grew up near it, but I don't live in Wisconsin anymore.

I don't know of another city that has 5 O's. You win!:waving4:

[SASM]

I do. People stumble all over my maiden name, which is 10 letters. Then I decided to hyphenate, for some reason. DH's (and kids') surname is "normal" but with the two names combined it REALLY throws people off. Especially when the hyphen is removed on forms, etc. When combined with my uncommonly spelled first name, it is actually quite amusing!!!! :)

[gatorsmom]

My maiden name was easy for everyone to say and spell since it was the same as the local brewery (a huge local employer) I the town in grew up in. We were never any relation to the founder of the brewery (my name had one less letter than the brewery name) but it was great growing up here and never having to spell my name. Outside this area, though, everyone messed it up. It's a complicated German name and no one could figure out how to say or spell it.

My married name is easy-if you know your phonic rules. It is 6 letters with no complicated combinations. But everyone gets it wrong. It has -ey as an ending and people pronounce it like a long I all the time. I understand when people pronounce like long A because words like grey, Trey, have long A. But when is -ey ever pronounced like fry? Or guy? It's not!! Drives me nuts.

[BabbyO]

My maiden name was easy for everyone to say and spell since it was the same as the local brewery (a huge local employer) I the town in grew up in. We were never any relation to the founder of the brewery (my name had one less letter than the brewery name) but it was great growing up here and never having to spell my name. Outside this area, though, everyone messed it up. It's a complicated German name and no one could figure out how to say or spell it.

My married name is easy-if you know your phonic rules. It is 6 letters with no complicated combinations. But everyone gets it wrong. It has -ey as an ending and people pronounce it like a long I all the time. I understand when people pronounce like long A because words like grey, Trey, have long A. But when is -ey ever pronounced like fry? Or guy? It's not!! Drives me nuts.

Did you grow up in Chippewa falls?? I'm thinking Leinenkugel.

[gatorsmom]

Did you grow up in Chippewa falls?? I'm thinking Leinenkugel.

:ROTFLMAO: I was wondering if someone here would guess that. But no, different brewery, different weird German name. ;)

[niccig]

No...maiden name was4 letters, easy to say and spell as also a word in English. Married name is 7 letters, but again common. It can be spelt ay or ey, so I have to correct that.

My first name is common nickname for longer name. My full name is the shortened version, so sometimes I'll get called the longer name. Spelling is also different. Nicci as in Nicky. Here in USA, people pronounce it as Ni-see. I never was called that in Australia. I've had to spell it for everyone since Kindergarten.

[BabbyO]

:ROTFLMAO: I was wondering if someone here would guess that. But no, different brewery, different weird German name. ;)

I was wondering how you would subtract a letter from Leinenkugel...but I've seen and heard lots of strange German (and Polish) names being this close to Milwaukee.

Hmmm...

[happymom]

My maiden name was common but so simple! I have an easy first name, so before I got married I was able to say my first and last name without having to spell or repeat either one,

DH's last name is one syllable and only 4 letters, but its just an usual word and I always, always have to spell it. As a matter of fact, I don't even give people a chance to ask anymore- I just say the name and immediately go into the spelling. Its a little annoying and I definitely liked my maiden name more, but its not that big a deal to me.

[maestramommy]

My maiden name for some reason stumped a lot of people. It's pronounced, "tang" but because of the double "n" people kept thinking it was "tanning, tanig, tanny."

[MamaMolly]

My maiden name was easy for everyone to say and spell since it was the same as the local brewery (a huge local employer) I the town in grew up in. We were never any relation to the founder of the brewery (my name had one less letter than the brewery name) but it was great growing up here and never having to spell my name. Outside this area, though, everyone messed it up. It's a complicated German name and no one could figure out how to say or spell it.

My married name is easy-if you know your phonic rules. It is 6 letters with no complicated combinations. But everyone gets it wrong. It has -ey as an ending and people pronounce it like a long I all the time. I understand when people pronounce like long A because words like grey, Trey, have long A. But when is -ey ever pronounced like fry? Or guy? It's not!! Drives me nuts.

I'm guessing Lisa Budweiser. ;)

[Momit]

Did you grow up in Chippewa falls?? I'm thinking Leinenkugel.

Lol. I was thinking the same thing! :)

[amatahrain]

My married last name is a 7 letter Polish name. 90% of the time it is pronouced wrong or stumbled over. I typically don't even say it when somebody asks for it (like mailing list/email stuff). I just start spelling it out to save them having to ask. My maiden name was frequently the made fun of growing up so I am more than happy to have an obscure Polish name.

[elliput]

My maiden name is Swedish and is more often than not pronounced incorrectly with emphasis on incorrect syllables as well as incorrect vowel sounds. Married name is Polish/Austro-Hungarian, only 5 letters and is usually slaughtered.

I don't think there has ever been I time when I haven't spelled out my name for someone. Including my first name.

[marie]

My maiden name is very unusual and I have an uncommon first name, in fact, if you google me, I'm the only one. Which presents it's own unique set of challenges. And if you google my maiden name, there's a handful of us in the US. I'm related to all of them. It's pretty unique.

This is very similar to me, except my mom has the same name. So we're the only two in the world. :)

My mom always told me when I was growing up "Don't worry, someday you'll get married and you can have a different last name." Well, DH has a super common, easy to spell name and I have no interest in using it! I like my unique, vowel-deficient last name and I like to watch people squirm as they try to pronounce it - especially store clerks who've obviously been trained to look at the credit card and address you as Ms. Shopper. :tongue5:

[marie]

I don't think there has ever been I time when I haven't spelled out my name for someone. Including my first name.

Now this I don't get - people are always asking me to spell my first name! It's not *that* unusual!!

[ABO Mama]

My maiden name was super easy, never had to spell it for anyone, everyone could pronounce it. Married name is still pretty easy, but some people say Mac******* instead of Mc*******.

[edurnemk]

I'm so used to people mispronouncing my first and last name, I automatically spell it out without being asked when someone has to write it down, as in "my name is Mary Jones, M-a-r-y J-o-n-e-s". And as far as pronunciation, sometimes I don't even bother to correct them anymore, LOL. My name is basque, my last name is Spanish/ Hungarian (hyphenated). My married name isn't complicated, but sometimes it's slightly mispronounced. But I didn't change my name, despite it being complicated I love having a unique name and last name, wouldn't change them for the world.

I'm also the only one in the world with my name, if you google me.

[gatorsmom]

I'm guessing Lisa Budweiser. ;)
:rotflmao: The brewery "was" in Wisconsin (extra little hint in there).

[Nooknookmom]

Yup - hubby's Polish heritage. We get all kinds of variations! I get it and don't care.

My first name is rather normal- yet a little uncommon, although there is a longer form of it that confuses people. This used to drive me crazy.

My favorite mis pronunciation is a type of fish! ugh!

[gatorsmom]

I'm also the only one in the world with my name, if you google me.

So am I with my married name. DH's great great grandfather changed his name from a German one to a made-up one when they immigrated to the US. His ancestors didnt have a ton of kids. So, there aren't a lot of us in the world. It makes me nervous to think we are the only ones with this last name in our state.

[twowhat?]

DH has a very difficult name to spell/read. It's easy to pronounce once you hear someone say it. But reading/spelling it? No way. It goes against all phonetic rules and everything. It's the reason I wouldn't take his last name. It's that bad, and I cringe when I think of the girls having to deal with it when they're older. At least they can spell it:)

YES to the PP who said "spell it BEFORE you say it" whenever there's a need to (on the phone with credit card company, or whatever). Once you say it, people immediately have their own visions of how it should be spelled, and the chances of getting them to spell it correctly despite listening to you spell it out drops exponentially.