www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44601199
I have worked with several guys who took offence at at getting their common English surname wrong . e.g. Haywood v Hayward.
Many younger people, never older people, state my fairly often seen surname, incorrectly.
IMO life is too short to get up tight about it.
Another who got upset was Sir Basil Smallpeice. Oh Dear!
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Likewise, people often get the spelling of my surname wrong especially on the phone. I just spell it out rather than say it, doesn't happen too often face to face but it's common (60-70%) to have to spell it out on the phone.
The OH used to laugh at it, until we got married.
I thought it was my accent but we are from different parts of the country, so I don't think it's that.
I don't get uptight about it, just one of those things.
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If it upsets you, change your name. It is at the end of the day your fault.
Bouquet or bucket?
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>> Likewise, people often get the spelling of my surname wrong especially on the phone.
Rarely have an issue with my surname which comprises the name of a common comestible with suffix worth. OTOH although I clearly introduce myself as Simon from Citizens Advice (we have a forenames only policy) at least one in ten of them call me Sam.
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A colleague gets out of his pram should anyone call him Dave instead of David. He sternly corrects them if they dare address him as Dave.
Me; I'm not bothered whether I'm called Dave or David. Or anything else non offensive for that matter.
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>> Rarely have an issue with my surname which comprises the name of a common comestible with suffix worth
Cheeseworth?, Sausageworth?,
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First time seeing that word comestible.
Butterworth?
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Er, Chipsworth?
Cabbageworth?
Kipperworth?
All right, I give up.
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I worked with a guy named Rodney who used to get annoyed with everyone calling him Dave, as in Only Fools and Horses.
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....first time I've seen the word "jobs" described as a comestible.....
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>> ....first time I've seen the word "jobs" described as a comestible.....
:-0
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>> Likewise, people often get the spelling of my surname wrong especially on the phone. I
>> just spell it out rather than say it, doesn't happen too often face to face
>> but it's common (60-70%) to have to spell it out on the phone.
>>
What's so difficult about 123?
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>> What's so difficult about 123?
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You would think so, plenty of cloth ears out there ;-)
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>> Likewise, people often get the spelling of my surname wrong especially on the phone. I
>> just spell it out rather than say it, doesn't happen too often face to face
>> but it's common (60-70%) to have to spell it out on the phone.
>>
In a similar vein, our house name used to give people a problem. I would even spell it out to them when we were face to face, but they'd still write down what they thought it should be, rather than what I'd actually said!
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You'd drive yourself into an early grave out here, worrying about such stuff.
Quite genuinely "Mark" is too much for them. I am normally referred to as "Max", both verbally and in writing.
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>>
>> I am normally referred to as "Max", both verbally and in writing.
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.....not by the population here, you're not.....
;-)
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True, and just as well, being called "Master" in public would be embarrassing.
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....well (at least in definition terms) that's almost half way there.
;-)
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As a teenager I had a pair of baseball boots from a company called Baters. Now stop it children. :-)
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>> True, and just as well, being called "Master" in public would be embarrassing.
Always baiting people
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>> True, and just as well, being called "Master" in public would be embarrassing.
>>
Only if your surname is "Bates" ;-)
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I have a problem with some jobsworths in
banks because I never use my given first name and have always been known by my middle name.
At work I was Captain or boss.
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Yeah, b******s, insisting on using your correct name rather than the name you choose to call yourself.
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>> Yeah, b******s, insisting on using your correct name rather than the name you choose to
>> call yourself.
To be fair to Chopper it's pretty common to be known by your second forename. My sister, brother out law and late mother out law all share that characteristic. Mother's one time boss and lifelong friend Arthur Smith was same - given names were Arthur and Robert with Arthur his parent's preference but they didn't want to saddle him with initials ARS so he was christened Robert Arthur.
Come to that Harold Wilson was James Harold and 'Jim' Callaghan was Leonard James. Before that Macmillan was Maurice Harold and Eden Robert Anthony....
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When you think about a large number of people choose to be called by something other than the name on their birth certificate. Usually a shortened or accepted alternative, Bill, Chris, Jim, Jack etc.
Your name is what you choose it to be, if you make it known you prefer to be called Tony it would be rude to call you Anthony. It’s the same if you choose to be called by your middle name.
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I think it's a old fashioned thing these days, very popular in days gone by though to be known by another name.
More confusing but less popular was when men (it seemed to be more likely to be men when I was growing up ) were to be called by a name that was none of their given names.
For example, anthony Philip but we all call him jim, or similar wasn't uncommon growing up.
in fairness i can see how using another name other than your first can be confusing or worth checking out.
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WE now have another problem. People are actually now being given as a name names that were once recognised diminutives and were never ever used as legal names. When you encounter a Harry, Charlie, Jack or Jim these days that is likely to be their given name and not Henry, Charles, John, or James as once would have been safe to assume.
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Not so much a problem, more a source of potential confusion really . I"m not sure what's odder, the use of diminutives for common names or the recent adoption of those diminutives as given names.
I was never sure why Johns were called Jack and Henrys were calle Harry. Tricky things names. Very much a matter of fashion I suppose.
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I find it ever-so-slightly irritating that I have to give my full given name to some sites (e.g. flights and financials) and I don't have he option of putting what I'd prefer to be known as, which is simply a shortened version of my name. So all comms from them comes to me as though my mother was talking to me (she was the only person who ever used my full name, and usually then only when she was at least modestly cross with me).
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I was never sure why Johns were called Jack and Henrys were calle Harry. Tricky
>> things names. Very much a matter of fashion I suppose.
>>
Me neither. I find it strange, why not name them that from the beginning?
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>> Why is that a problem?
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Because different organisations have different rules about which name they will accept.
I've used my second name all my life, but NHS, HMRC and a few others refuse to accept that and insist on first name or full names.
It can cause problems in establishing identity if documents differ slightly.
Likewise some pedantically pick up minor differences in address details. I've lived in the same house for 33 years, it's not in a village, but all organisations insist on one to fill in the box. Every 10 years or so the PO change the address, substituting a different locality. 30 years ago they changed the post code, and some organisations still use this or the other variations in their databases. The NHS have several different databases and don't cross-reference.
So no two identifying documents bear quite the same name or address.
It's not exactly a problem, quite amusing really, but a bit frustrating sometimes.
I teased the TV licence people once with two different addresses, and finally they even sent a detector van out into the sticks, which got lost before eventually finding the house.
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I have three forenames and a long surname. Mrs C and I have a joint bank account we have had for about thirty five years now.
The name of the account is such that it runs to two lines on the card.
This is endless fun these days when entering the card details on websites, as quite often there are too many characters to put into their squiddy little entry boxes.
I often have to use a different card, then shuffle funds about. It's beginning to be a pain, so I suppose I'll have to get the bank to rename the account for The Modern World That Makes Everything Easier, and I can imagine just how taxing that will be for their systems.
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Welcome back Crankcase, long time no see :-)
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>> Welcome back Crankcase, long time no see :-)
Thanks Smokie. I see from my diary that I've had no time to post, what with sunset, lighting up time, dinner with the Full-Moons and St Swithun's day.
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>> Thanks Smokie. I see from my diary that I've had no time to post, what
>> with sunset, lighting up time, dinner with the Full-Moons and St Swithun's day.
>>
The nights are drawing in now, so you should be ok for time.
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>> I've used my second name all my life,
did you choose to use your second name in preference or was used by others in preference?
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I have two "given " names and respond to several others ( non rude) - no problem.
My long term workmates know me as Henry but never been called Harry as my dad was.
Henry is not my first name but that is also known in two forms.
The reason for using my middle name in the office ?
Decades ago a new hire joined the company and had the same first and family name as mine.
We went on the same training course and were then deployed in the same department, group, team, office and had the same telephone number.
Confusion followed. Our middle name was different so the aHk or aJk was tried and then " the balding one who plays football or the other one ( me) ? " and then eventually I became known as Henry.
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I have a friend who is known to us (i.e. our circle of neighbour friends, and I believe his close family) as his middle name - but to everyone else in the world (co-workers etc) as his first name. He must have chosen to make it this way.
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One of my former colleagues was Alexander. In the London office we knew him as Alex but the Scottish end of the outfit called him Aleck (or Alick?). Formally, on office publications etc, he preferred Alexander.
Many roles ago I replaced a woman whom I knew as Elizabeth (not Liz) J when she went on maternity leave. I knew she was married but didn't 'twig' she retained her maiden name professionally. We were allowed reasonable use of office phones for private calls. Had one or two odd conversations with people looking for Mrs O before somebody pointed out her husband was Gary (who I knew vaguely) in another branch of the organisation.
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>> One of my former colleagues was Alexander. In the London office we knew him as
>> Alex but the Scottish end of the outfit called him Aleck (or Alick?). Formally, on
>> office publications etc, he preferred Alexander.
I know zander was fairly popular as a Scottish version of alexander.
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> My sister, brother out law and late mother out law all share that characteristic.
What's a mother out law?
Last edited by: sooty123 on Sat 30 Jun 18 at 11:19
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>> What's an out law?
A person who would be an in law if 'Mrs' B and I had actually married.
Note: Sooty edited while I was replying. Original question was as above.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sat 30 Jun 18 at 11:21
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Another Alexander of course is Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson.
He reportedly adopted the name (and persona) of Boris at Eton having been previously known as Alex. I read somewhere that his family still call him Alex.
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... although he is better known by many other names now... :-)
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A person who would be an in law if 'Mrs' B and I had actually
>> married.
>>
>>
right thanks, is that a common term or just something you use?
Can't say I've heard of it.
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>> right thanks, is that a common term or just something you use?
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>> Can't say I've heard of it.
I would have said it was a common term, certainly in unmarried long term couples' circles.
Have also heard it used ironically by married folks...
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I was Bobby growing up.
When I went to high school i was petrified and so when I was referred to on the register as Robert it kind of stuck for the five years I was there.
After my failed attempt at Uni, I got a job with Norwich Union where my office manager (brother of the captain of the Zeebrugge ferry) introduced me to everyone as Bob, that name stuck for the next 7 years I was there.
Ever since though, I have went back to being plain Bobby
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>> I would have said it was a common term, certainly in unmarried long term couples'
>> circles.
That would be why, I can't think of any long term unmarried couples that I know personally.
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Get the name right - sooty123
