I have an unusual name, it is a family tradition so the only other person I’ve met who shares my name is my grandmother.
I realise by sharing my name i make myself searchable – but I’m trusting I’m not going to pick up any weird stalkers. But I will as I feel I have to rant a bit about it.
My name is ione, I’m named after ancient Greek water nymph called a nereid.
It’s quite nice having a bit of history behind my name and why I have it but…I get fed up with –
People calling me iona – it’s ione pronounced eye-oh-nee (all though it’s ancient Greek so this can be open to debate – so much debate my grandfather refused to call my grandmother by her first name). People even reply to my emails signed off ‘ione’ with hi iona – do they think I can’t spell my own name?!
When it’s written in Arial or similar font I then get called lone! Why? If you see Ian written down you don’t call them Lan
I grew up in a village and was a bit of a nightmare in my teens – there is no anonymity if you have an unusual name.
The song ‘I only want to be with you’ was in the charts when I was a kid – I hated having it sung to me
I wouldn’t change my surname as it goes with my first name – but it definitely put me off taking my ex’s surname – ‘wareham’
I guess these days there are more and more unusual names – so it may not be as bad. I wouldn’t change it now – but I grew up wishing it was something less unusual
(sorry – had to get it off my chest!)