Better to have a rare name or a common one?
Discussion
The combination of my forename and surname is, I'm fairly certain, unique world-wide. Certainly search engines find no other. Surname is English but unusual - there would typically be no more than one other family in the local phone book (remember them ?) when I was growing up. Forename is quite unusual though there were three of us in my year at school.
I have often wondered whether having a common name (John Smith for example) would be a good thing or bad. Or totally immaterial.
What does the PH Lounge massive think ?
I have often wondered whether having a common name (John Smith for example) would be a good thing or bad. Or totally immaterial.
What does the PH Lounge massive think ?
Unusual names can be handy for recognition within certain professions- at least that was my ex's view of her name within the NHS. Made sense to me.
I suppose if the name is a common word, not commonly used as a name, that might just sound daft. So it rather depends what the uncommon name is. For example, OP- is your name Medicinal Compound?
I suppose if the name is a common word, not commonly used as a name, that might just sound daft. So it rather depends what the uncommon name is. For example, OP- is your name Medicinal Compound?
Fed up of correcting the spelling on my surname. Pronounced with an O at the front but spelled with an A.
That combined with the fact the christian name I use (have always used, and was the name my parents called me) is actually my middle name, which means that I've got a fair bit of explaining who I am every time I fill in a form with anything financial.
But like someone says - easy to sort an email address, there's two other people on FB with my first name and surname, and two with my middle name and surname.
That combined with the fact the christian name I use (have always used, and was the name my parents called me) is actually my middle name, which means that I've got a fair bit of explaining who I am every time I fill in a form with anything financial.
But like someone says - easy to sort an email address, there's two other people on FB with my first name and surname, and two with my middle name and surname.
Common name and common combination. There was another boy with the same name a couple of years below me at school. Another man with the same name works at my company (a large international) so we frequently receive one another’s e-mail. He’s in Australia so the delay is pretty much a day.
Also my surname is often used as a first name so people will call me by my first name or surname interchangeably
Also my surname is often used as a first name so people will call me by my first name or surname interchangeably
Lily the Pink said:
The combination of my forename and surname is, I'm fairly certain, unique world-wide. Certainly search engines find no other. Surname is English but unusual - there would typically be no more than one other family in the local phone book (remember them ?) when I was growing up. Forename is quite unusual though there were three of us in my year at school.
I have often wondered whether having a common name (John Smith for example) would be a good thing or bad. Or totally immaterial.
What does the PH Lounge massive think ?
Likewise I have often wondered whether having a common name (John Smith for example) would be a good thing or bad. Or totally immaterial.
What does the PH Lounge massive think ?
I have a hyphenated surname and of course my first name is not particularly common. The only other person I can find online with the same name is also in the UK. In terms of email and so on it is handy, however I prefer to have a low profile online in terms of my full name so I don’t use it much. It’s useful that someone else is out there with a much larger footprint. Day-to-day I find people can struggle with spelling my name, or struggle with the concept of it being hyphenated, so I often drop the second part where I can.
talksthetorque said:
...combined with the fact the christian name I use (have always used, and was the name my parents called me) is actually my middle name, which means that I've got a fair bit of explaining who I am every time I fill in a form with anything financial.
Same. Started with teachers calling out your name, and not responding because you've never been called that in your life onto every patronising uniformed tosspot who reads your name and assumes you'll be known by your first name.talksthetorque said:
Fed up of correcting the spelling on my surname. Pronounced with an O at the front but spelled with an A.
That combined with the fact the christian name I use (have always used, and was the name my parents called me) is actually my middle name, which means that I've got a fair bit of explaining who I am every time I fill in a form with anything financial.
But like someone says - easy to sort an email address, there's two other people on FB with my first name and surname, and two with my middle name and surname.
I’m similar with both of these it’s a hassle explaining why you’re known as x when your passport etc says y and then you always get asked “is that how you spell your name” like A) you wouldn’t know or B) you decided your name in the first place That combined with the fact the christian name I use (have always used, and was the name my parents called me) is actually my middle name, which means that I've got a fair bit of explaining who I am every time I fill in a form with anything financial.
But like someone says - easy to sort an email address, there's two other people on FB with my first name and surname, and two with my middle name and surname.
This kind of thing (unusually spelling of names, when you’re known by a middle name. but officially someone else etc) makes it far easier to lay low on search engines and social media where you might only want friends to find you or see what you’ve written online.
Maybe not so good if you actually want a bigger online profile though.
Voldemort said:
talksthetorque said:
...combined with the fact the christian name I use (have always used, and was the name my parents called me) is actually my middle name, which means that I've got a fair bit of explaining who I am every time I fill in a form with anything financial.
Same. Started with teachers calling out your name, and not responding because you've never been called that in your life onto every patronising uniformed tosspot who reads your name and assumes you'll be known by your first name.My first name is iain. You'd be surprised how difficult it is.
ian is the obvious mistake
iian on the odd occassion
iaian once or twice
Lain
And my surname doesn't make it easier. Only 5 letters but quite uncommon.
There are three other people that come up on Facebook with my first and last name.
I'd rather an uncommon name.
ian is the obvious mistake
iian on the odd occassion
iaian once or twice
Lain
And my surname doesn't make it easier. Only 5 letters but quite uncommon.
There are three other people that come up on Facebook with my first and last name.
I'd rather an uncommon name.
talksthetorque said:
That combined with the fact the christian name I use (have always used, and was the name my parents called me) is actually my middle name, which means that I've got a fair bit of explaining who I am every time I fill in a form with anything financial.
I have the same issue, the name I've always been called isn't even my name, It's not on my birth certificate. I've always used the other name and never had a problem, it's the name I'm called at work and school and have only needed to use my real name for passports and such like.I only actually found out it wasn't my real name in school when I was around 8, my dad had a car crash so some official came to pick me up from school and was furiously shouting my name which obviously I ignored, then we had a 10 minute argument that I wasn't the person he was after.
I've often asked my parents why they put the name they did on my birth certificate but have never had a satisfactory answer. Just seem bizarre, lets name this child (insert name) but never mention it again.
Some friends of my wife’s family decided to call their son ks
tige (I’m not too sure of the spelling). Apparently it means something beautiful in Hindi. I think that was fairly uncommon. I suspect you can already guess how his classmates shortened his name. His parents ended up changing his name to something more common and less controversial.
I had a fairly unusual name, which can be both a first and second name. I was named after the commanding officer on my father’s ship in WWII (but with his name reversed ie first name was his surname and my middle name was his first name). I used to prefer my middle name but never got around to using it as my first name.
tige (I’m not too sure of the spelling). Apparently it means something beautiful in Hindi. I think that was fairly uncommon. I suspect you can already guess how his classmates shortened his name. His parents ended up changing his name to something more common and less controversial.I had a fairly unusual name, which can be both a first and second name. I was named after the commanding officer on my father’s ship in WWII (but with his name reversed ie first name was his surname and my middle name was his first name). I used to prefer my middle name but never got around to using it as my first name.
A friend of mine at university had a couple of acquaintances back home named Dwight Bottomley and James Bond. She said they were once travelling somewhere together in the Liverpool area and were pulled over by the busies. Lacking any form of id (this was the 90s) they had considerable difficulty getting the police officer involved to believe that they were their actual names.
My name is Leonard and it does my fking head in. Every time I have to give my name it takes three attempts for them to understand. Sometimes they call me Lennon, sometimes they pronounce is Leo-naaard. It's not that difficult! There are famous people called Leonard FFS. The worst one was starting a new job a few months back, I was given a uniform with my name on it, spelled "Leamard" 
king head in. Every time I have to give my name it takes three attempts for them to understand. Sometimes they call me Lennon, sometimes they pronounce is Leo-naaard. It's not that difficult! There are famous people called Leonard FFS. The worst one was starting a new job a few months back, I was given a uniform with my name on it, spelled "Leamard" Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff