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No, my name is not Nerda, it’s Nedra (Knee-dra) but I’ve heard it all.
There are a few advantages to having a unique name.
1. It’s a dead giveaway to inform you when a telemarketer is calling you
Don’t know my name. Sorry. Click.
2. There is typically only one of you EVER in any social setting
If you overhear your name being talked about in a crowd, it’s most likely about you. That could be a good or a bad thing.
3. You never have to worry about mistaking your name written on a cup for someone else’s
Five cups with the name Nedra on it at a party…not gonna happen.
4. Your name will be mispronounced when you are introduced by someone else to strangers
This is a situation where I have to weigh my options.
(1.) Will I ever see the person I’m being introduced to again? If the answer is no, sometimes I just let it slide.
(2.) Sometimes you don’t know the person introducing you to the other person that well which means that you have two options. (option a )You can try to be sly and reinforce the correct pronunciation by saying “Hi I’m ________. “(option b) You can pull the person aside and let them know how to really say your name after the stranger is no longer near you. I usually try to make them feel better by telling them that it happens all the time.
5. Give up on ever finding your name on a keychain, mug, frame, etc with your name on it
You will have to get yours custom. My mom had to special order barrettes for me as a kid.
6. People will want to know the story behind your name
You can choose to make something up to make it more interesting or just give it to them straight. My story was pretty uneventful. My parents heard the name, wrote it down on a piece of paper and later named me it. I have toyed around with making up a story about playing a game of scrabble.
7. People will say and write your name wrong in restaurant settings
You can choose to make up a new name or you can make a game out of keeping tabs on the craziest names you’ve been called.
8. If you have a unique spelling to a common name, be prepared for people to get it wrong and don’t be offended that they didn’t know it’s spelled with and “i” not a “y”
I decided to continue the vicious cycle by giving my kids unique names that were easy to spell.
9. You can take joy in the fact that people with more common names still get their names screwed up too
10. I like having a unique name but what is more important is my character attached to my name
I would rather someone describe me as a friend, encourager, optimist, adventurous, brave, etc.
I was really excited when my husband found a Coke for me at Taste of Cincinnati that said “Explorer” on it.
The excitement got even bigger when he found me one that said “Adventurer” on it. When your blog is named “Adventure Mom” that’s about as close to finding a personalized can as you can get!
I ended up getting my own 32 pack at Sam’s Club so that friends and family could share in the fun.
I’m looking forward to sharing these Cokes with names with friends and family.
Which word would you want to be described as?
Be sure to check out more fun ideas at the Share it Forward website. I’d love to hear your favourites!
Leanne Strong
Hi, my name is Leanne, which from what I understand, was not super popular in 1993, when I was born. I never really minded the fact that my name was not one of the most popular at the time, because if I was called on in class, I always knew that the teacher was talking to me, and they never had to refer to me as “Leanne S.” When I would look in my yearbooks, I was always the only student with my name. I don’t even recall any students with a different spelling of my name. Now, this made sense when I attended a small private school, with only 100 and something students in the whole school. However, this was always the case, even when I attended my local public high school. I would have understood this if we were in a small town/rural school district, but in our district, where there were around 250-300 students in each graduating class, this says a lot about how popular my name was for my generation. The most common problem I have with my name is how people think it’s spelled. Unless I tell someone how my name is spelled. I have had people think it’s spelled something like LeeAnn or LeAnn, but honestly, I’m so used to this that whenever I’m ordering at a restaurant counter, and they ask me for my name, I will tell them what it is AND how I spell it.
Ann Williams
Fun post! 🙂 Let me tell you–people spell my name wrong all the time!
Sharon
I love finding the cans with the special names too! This post definitely made me laugh! I’d love to see all the ways your name has been misspelled! So glad Coke has found your nicknames! #client
Karianne
in addition to #5 (and what you are getting at with the cokes), you get personalized things that say ‘super kid’ or ‘awesome person’.