And They Spelled My Name Wrong (Again)

And They Spelled My Name Wrong (Again)

Posted on 01. Feb, 2010 by Writer in On Writing

I was at the Outdoor Retailer’s Convention the other week and picked up the March copy of Trail Runner magazine pre-release date.  My heart began to race with excitement as I thumbed through the pages of the magazine searching for my name in print (the first time it will appear in a real magazine).  And then I saw it – the article that I had written… but wait a minute… that byline isn’t me it’s my alter ego Aimee.

Chances are if you even know my name, you think there is nothing wrong with the above spelling but in fact my name is spelled as follows: A-M-I-E-E.  Yeah I know – just two little letters swapped an “m” and an “i” out of place – but ughhh I was so thoroughly bummed – it doesn’t even feel like me.  I have been plagued with thirty years of incorrect spellings and I have honestly had enough.

I guess it all started with my birth.  My mother named me after her aunt and it wasn’t until I was an adult that I learned that my Great Aunt Amiee actually spells her name Aimee.  It turns out my mother spelled my name wrong on the birth certificate and cursed me with a lifetime of misspellings.

Bank statements, magazine subscriptions, pay stubs, childhood awards and trophies, medical records – nearly all spelled wrong.

Flickr:Vintage Collective

Flickr:Vintage Collective

I have two high school diplomas – one for Aimee that was handed to me on graduation day and one for Amiee that I received months later after much begging and pleading for.  You see, for some reason no one thinks a misspelling is that big of a deal.  But then just try and screw with the spelling of their name and they freak!

And it is not just the “M-I” vs “I-M” thing.  A few years ago (in my former academic researchy life), I was super stoked to be second author on a paper in a fairly reputable journal, which somehow managed to botch my last name leaving the ‘L” off the end – sheesh.

Oh and then there was that time my grandmother sent me a birthday card that said “Happy Birthday Amy” and when I questioned her about it she said that she was simply in a hurry.  Those two letters must have saved her so much time…

One of my earliest childhood memories was getting a verbal whupping at home because I spelled my name A-M-Y on the back of an art project.  At age 5 I was already sick of everybody getting my name wrong and tried to take control of the situation.  My parents took it personally and lectured me on the importance of owning my name.  I think that was the first time I ever got in trouble for anything – so their words stuck and oh do I get pissed when people screw up my name.

Proudly,
Amiee

Header photo courtesy of Wickenden

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13 Responses to “And They Spelled My Name Wrong (Again)”

  1. Bryon

    01. Feb, 2010

    A-M-I-E-E, I feel your pain. Yes, one can easily enough shrug off every instance of carelessness, but it gets awfully old when looked at cumulatively. Perhaps I should check my byline in the same issue of TRM. I am and will forever not be B-Y-R-O-N.

    -Bryon

  2. JoAnna

    01. Feb, 2010

    Such a bummer about Trail Runner, but oh – I have SOOO been there with you. I love having an original name spelling, but curses to my parents for throwing in a capital letter with no space.

  3. Robyn or Robin

    01. Feb, 2010

    I do get it – although yours is definitely more prone to folks getting in wrogn. I did that on purpose. No I didn’t – I’m just not correcting it in the spirit of this post.

    huge congrats on the article – I’m going to look for it!

  4. Alouise

    01. Feb, 2010

    Yes I can feel your pain too. My name is constantly spelled wrong or pronounced wrong (moreso the latter). Some might not think spelling is a big deal, but I’ve heard of people being denied boarding on flights because the name on their passport or driver’s license doesn’t match the name on the boarding card. Either way congratulations on the article Amiee/Aimee.

  5. neha

    02. Feb, 2010

    Bummer about the misspelling on the byline, but congratulations on the article! Any chance I can see it online?

    I’ve had name issues all my life. My first name is super common, and I had around 6 (or 7) Nehas in my graduation class alone. But my last name is very uncommon, and complicated. I couldn’t spell it till I got to the third grade! No one else tried. But it’s how I’m recognized now, so a happier ending.

  6. Carina

    02. Feb, 2010

    Yowza Amiee! In retrospect, I’m FAIRLY certain I’ve spelled your name wrong approximately 50 times. My apologies! I have one of those names that is often misspelled as well, but not nearly so difficult as yours. I’ve been taught in editing school (hahah…just kidding, I didn’t go to editing school) that especially on computer screens our brains switch letters around and make them look “correct” to us even if they aren’t (which is why as an editor I’m required to print everything out and read it on a hard copy). I think my brain did that to your name. I’m so glad you wrote this article – it brings my attention to it and will help me double-triple-check all my authors’ names!

  7. Candice

    02. Feb, 2010

    AGHHHH, I have an aunt who uses “Candace” all the time. Shes NEVER spelled my name right, even when it’s in plain sight, like on FB. Mom pointed it to her FINALLY and she was so apologetic, said she had never realized…and now she’s back to spelling it with an “a.” Hahahaha.

  8. Nancy

    02. Feb, 2010

    If it makes you feel better, I always wished I had a more interesting name. Nancy never really gets confused. (Once a kid spelled it with an “i” on the end…but that’s it. And he ate glue.) And my maiden name was Jones. I hope to name my kids something funky and cool one day. (Btw-looove how you spell your name, even if it does confuse people!)

  9. Abbie

    05. Feb, 2010

    I get -y, -ey, -i, and even the strange spelling Abi. It’s Abbie people! I feel you Amiee!

  10. Bonie

    16. Feb, 2010

    I feel it too. Bonie not Bonnie. My mother spelled it wrong at birth not to curse me.

  11. Jessie Kwak

    24. Feb, 2010

    I most often get my name spelled the “boy’s” way (Jesse)–when I was in highschool I won first place in a state journalism contest only to receive a plaque with my name misspelled. From a journalism organization!

    I think it’s taught me to be extremely aware of what people want to be called and how they want it spelled. Thanks for the reminder–can’t wait to see your article.

  12. Jackie

    22. Mar, 2010

    AMIEE! omg thank you!!!! I thought I was the only person in the world with this problem!
    I’m a junior in high school. My mom has spelled my name wrong my whole life!!!!
    it’s JACQUELINE.
    in my school it is spelled JACKELINE!!!! who even spells it like that!?
    so for the longest time I thought my real name was JACQUELINE, with the CORRECT spelling.
    This summer I finally saw my birth certificate and it hit me, the nurse spelled it JACQUELYN. With a Y!!!!!!

    Doomed.
    I am officially Doomed.
    Colleges are sending e-mails to Jackeline! not Jacqueline or JacquelYn.

    I want to cry. I am SO mad at that dumb nurse and my mom!

    But fortunately I forced my parents to go to court to change my name to its correct spelling; JACQUELINE.
    Unfortunately, I have to sign up for the SAT’s THIS WEEK!!! and I still don’t have my name. :’(

    I am nameless for now.

    Just call me Opal…that’s a fairly easy name to spell.

  13. Nancie

    03. Sep, 2010

    My name is ALWAYS spelled incorrectly. It is NANCIE – and no one ever believes me when I say that it spelled that way on my birth certificate. When I was a woman in my twenties, I often had older people try to correct it for me on important papers, such as at the bank or at college. If I see my name spelled with a ” y” – I’m sorry, but that just isn’t me, but I often feel like people think I am being picky when I tell them that my name is spelled with an ie. Also, I am often called Marcie – I guess this is because it is common to see Marcie spelled with an ie.

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