Mistaken Names And How To Fix Them

Poor aul Joanna. She started a new job and between trying to learn everyone's name and keep up with all the new info being bombarded at her, this happened:

“Paula started a new job on Monday and everyone keeps calling me Anna. My name is Joanna but I was too caught up with everything and embarrassed to correct anyone. It’s Day 4 of being a different person!!”

Does she tell them, or stick to the new name?

• “Paula, tell Anna who used to be Joanna that my neighbour has called me Jane for years now. My name is Sarah and it’s gone too long. Even the kids are onto it now!”

• “Paula, try being a Caoimhe living in Sydney. Hi to all the Gearys in Cork!”

• “I don't tell them, and when they eventually realise their error and apologise I am nourished by their embarrassment!”

• “Paula when I was 10 I was in Disneyworld with the family and someone asked me my name. Pauric, I say. PORK, asks the American. Like PORK CHOP? It’s been 18 years and I have been Pork Chop ever since. Damn him!”

• “Hi Paula, I’m Will and last week while getting a Starbucks, my name was called out as Wheel. As in, wagon.”

• “Paula I’m David, nobody has ever shortened my name to anything. Til I started my last job... Davey is what I’m called there. The wife was amazed, it’s a different name like!”

• “Hi Paula, when I was 14 I worked an entire summer on a bread van. The driver called me Gary for some unknown and totally obscure reason. My name is Stephen. He'd be calling me and I'd never answer because I never got used to being called Gary. 30 years on, whenever I meet him on the street he still calls me Gary. I never bother to correct him now, it's been far too long!”

• “Paula, Joanna / Anna HAS to tell them her real name and she has the ideal chance to do it by the end of her first week. She can clearly explain away that things were so crazy this week that her actual name got lost in the mix but she needs to put it right before going into another week. She can say that it was an easy mistake to make and that lots of people could mishear Joanna / Anna. And she can make a laugh out of it. It will show her to be the cool girl she clearly is. Do it! Tell them!” - Niamh

But the divil in me thinks like this texter...

• “Don't correct them and let Anna make all the mistakes, the boss will hear no bad reports about Joanna in her first few weeks on the job!”

• “Paula my cousin called my dad to tell of the birth of their new baby. Dad asked what the name was and he said “Nadia”. Don’t worry, said my dad, you’ll think of a nice one. My cousin was a bit flustered as there was a lot going on and said right, bye. Talking to him myself later on, I asked if there was a name yet and he said, yeah, I told your dad. It’s Nadia and he basically told me he didn’t like it. Confused, I called Dad and asked what was going on, my dad never dislikes everything. Sure enough poor aul Dad thought my cousin has said “No idea” about the name!”

• “Paula my Granda calls me Susanne - my name is Carla! Same thing happened in college. Wrong name since the beginning in one class and I left it too long so I’m just rolling with it!”

• “Hey Sweet P! People seem to have trouble with my name a lot even though it’s pretty simple? , “Hi I’m Kara” “Hi Karen” “No, Kara...” “oh sorry, Tara” , “No Kara” “Carol?”   “ No,  K A R A!!” that’s usually how it goes down! Older people especially find it tough!”

• “Heya Paula. My name is Kiall. As in Kyle, but spelt my way.  So many people get it wrong.... people mainly say "niall is it", then the rest are keel, coil, kiely. I correct absolutely everyone and just say no i’ts Kiall as in K-Y-L-E!!”

• “Paula everyone in my old job called me PJ. My name is Brendan”

• “Hi Paula, my niece was born 7 years ago today in Finland, her name is Minerva but my dad couldn't get his head around it and called her Mireva - as in Opel Mireva!”

• “Paula, my Name is John, I'd say 90% of the time when I introduce myself to someone they call me Sean. I never know is it how I pronounce it or are they just using my Irish name. Very strange!”

• “Names are confusing... my mam is called Brigid but christened Mary. My aunt Patricia is actually Sarah. Uncle Joseph is actually Gerard. Must be an Irish thing?” Mick in Dundalk... Micheal, actually

• “People have a problem with my surname; BOATE. Got oil delivered the other day to Sarah Boot!”

• “So you would think TORI would be simple enough... I get Tara, Tina, Tini and even Toni...In an email thread with a client once, he kept coming back with Toni.  Even when I signed with capitals at the end of one email, he still replied To Toni. I asked him... He actually thought I was spelling MY OWN NAME wrong ... sigh!”