My name seems to always be someone’s middle name, either the person to whom I am being introduced or to someone they know. Despite the minor annoyance this causes me sometimes, especially if it has occurred more than once that week, I have only had two minor issues with my name.
The first one would have to be spelling. Lynn is deceptively simple and there are several of ways to spell it: Lyn, Linn, and Lynne are the most common misspellings of my name. Whenever someone goes to write my name down Lyn is the most common. I don’t get why, when I look at this it seem odd and unfinished; it just seems to be waiting for the second "n" to balance it out. Not to mention I have never seen anyone with the name Lynn actually spell it as Lyn, but who knows maybe I will meet someone someday that does.
The second issue I have had over the years, and to this day, are nicknames. None of them are bad or too embarrassing, but I am constantly amazed at how others add suffixes to my name or combine it with another word. I have gotten a new one every time I have transitioned school buildings during my academic journey: elementary, middle school, high school, and even a new one bestowed upon me in college. Some have fallen by the wayside as those who created it have gone out of my daily life; there are a few that I have to say that I am not terribly upset to have lost.
However, when presented with the option to change my name the first thing that pops into my head is “change it to what?” I am not sure how Lynn describes me or how it defines me, but I couldn’t tell you what a better name for me would be.
I understand your frustration over continual misspellings. My last name, Swartzendruber, has been butchered many times by announcers during sporting events and by telemarketers. The situation with your middle name, too, sounds like the dilemma faced by Anne of Green Gables. She hates the way her name looks when people spell it without the "e" on the end. Four letters makes it look more open.
ReplyDeleteIt's really amazing how names can define us. In reflecting on what I would want people to call me if not Stephanie, I couldn't come up with an answer. A comparable question could be asked about national identity. What would I want to be called if not a North American? My answer would be I don't know.
I definitely identify with your spelling frustrations. The most common iteration of my name here in the States is Louis. People assume (every time) that that’s how it is spelled. Additionally, the name must have been popular earlier in the century, because most Louis’ I meet are significantly older men, typically retired men. I also used to think I wanted to change my name. It’s always interesting to me to hear about how others have experienced nicknames. I feel like mine doesn’t lend itself to nicknames very well, so that has never been something I experienced. When I was in elementary school, my high-school neighbor called me Louie, but that has been the only time.
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