Yes, I’m Zailiny at birth . Adek ( the youngest) to family members . Zailiny or Zai was what my school friends called me . Then someone started calling me Liny before college and I’ve been Liny since then. Now , im in a new relationship, he decides to call me Zailiny and introduces me to his numerous friends as such , I feel that im in primary school again. . Full circle.
Weird feeling , a group of people in Malaysia and North Ontario calling me Zailiny.
I love this. There was a time when I only called folks by their full names (i.e. Richard as opposed to Rich) because it sounded better to me! Every iteration of your name sounds adorable, too. You’re rather lucky that way. 😊
Cool! 😊 I'd be up for it, as I do enjoy these kinds of things. A friend of mine recently sent me an email about her name and family history. You can learn a lot, endlessly fascinating, I'd say. Thanks, Rachel (and thanks for the restack, too!) 🙏
I have my parents to blame for my name, and myself to blame for not adopting an American first name when I came to America, and then not adopting my husband's last name when I got married (no he is not American but has a last name everyone can pronounce - CHEN). I stubbornly stuck with Yi Xue.
I am used to people taking a double take (more like a triple take) on my last name while butchering my first name. And yes, I spell out my name on the phone 100% of the time. 50% of the time, people spell my name wrong in writing ...
But boy did my experience debunk the "Big Think" theory! lol Now I am fantasizing about my fate had my name been something like Amy Brown ... :)
Thanks, Yi, or should I call you Amy? Now I'm curious if I'm saying your name right or not.
Yeah, to change or not to change your name, that is the question. I hear it's quite difficult which is one of the reasons why I just kept my maiden name after I got married. My husband's is not much better, Kuns, and so he's got stories of his own.
My mother left the E off the end of Ann because she worried I would not understand how to spell it. Such high expectations from the Toyger (they are a real thing - Google it) Mom (my Westernized version of the traditional Tiger Mom) who would eventually ask me, "A? What happened to A+?" My father vetoed Angela because it was "too weird" and I was similarly denied a Chinese middle name.
Everyone wants to give me an E. Or an IE (the worst). Sometimes even a Y (?) Nope. Just plain Ann.
People very often call me something completely different right after I introduce myself. As though there is no way that my actual name can be what they just heard. I once spent an entire weekend being called Amy (or was it Pam?) because I was too lazy to tell the company renting the theatre my real name - again. Several people have called me Sara, and one lady has decided that I am Nancy. Whatever. It's just a word after all. I'm sure if I had been Angela Mui Mei I would feel differently.
So, after fift-mumble,cough,mumble-odd years of being plain old Ann Marie Smith, I have pretty much come to terms with it.
And I've always wondered how to pronounce your middle name! Thanks ; )
That's CrAzY, as in absolutely bananas. It's funny because you'll always be Ann for me. Anne is a completely different person who I was in homeroom grade school for pretty much my entire time at Waena.
Maybe you're not assertive enough. Maybe you need to shout, "It's AAAANNNNNN." Pretend you're hard of hearing or something.
Yeah, that's your homework. :P
P.S. The funny thing about middle names is you almost never use it. Here in SE Asian middle names not common at all.
Hilarious but so poignant as well - how were the Americans pronouncing the Brit version of 'Duke?' (I'm guessing it came out as 'Dooke' instead of 'Dyuke?') There again the Brits have all kinds of bizarre, presumed-you-would-know kind of surnames - how about Cocksedge as a surname (worse than your own version by far!) but which is (*obviously*) pronounced Co-Sedge by those who know ... both of them ... haha!) Thanks for the laugh and yes, that poor wee Filet Mignon ...!
Thanks for my morning laugh, Sue. (And for recommending me. I got notice about that!) I was not familiar with 'ol Cocksedge, and you're right, much worse...and now a Cocksedge will be commenting on this post. Hmmm.
Yeah, Dr. Duke's a good egg. He tried to make us say his name the British way, but we were having none of it. :P
This is such a great post, Lani. I really enjoyed it. Our names are words we carry around all our lives, often with private struggles (as you are demonstrating here so well!) and usually never spoken about...
Thanks, Veronika. You have a great name. It's sassy in the best way and you have an unusual spelling, too.
I sign my name Lani V. Cox, and over the years people tried to guess what the V stood for and Veronica has come up so much that I have an affinity towards it.
I toyed with the idea of making this post longer by adding meanings, but I wanted to keep it punchy. Perhaps meaning is for another time!
My full name is weird…but even weirder was that I went to school with sisters named Cabernet and Chablis Redwine. (No idea how they turned out, sadly.)
I'm low lever concerned that we know people named after alcohol brands. And Bond is a GREAT last name. Does anyone ever ask if you're related? Hahahahaha.
I'm dying laughing right now. Man, Filet Mignon. I'd be at the social security office the second I turned 18 to change that one, or maybe just accept my fate as a standup comedian--or fancy chef. Imagine if you were a vegetarian! That would really confuse people. Growing up Becky Moon, you'd think I would have had it pretty easy in the name department. But our cousins from Germany who came to visit couldn't say Becky and so said Piggy. That was hysterical (for my siblings). And then, while Moon is simple and straightforward, mooning was a thing when I was in middle school, so I got teased about that. When I went away for college and got my own credit card I started getting a lot of mail in Korean. (In addition to being English, Moon is also a pretty common Korean last name, I gather.) Then there were the Moonies of that religious cult in D.C. When I added on my husband's last name, I thought it sounded simple enough. But it's tricky to pronounce because people want to make Ruark sound more legit Irish instead of completely phonetical. I'm constantly having to spell it out--tiresome. Also, there's a very famous old skipjack (oyster boat) here in MD named the Rebecca [T.] Ruark, and I've had people ask if I was named after it--or it after me, only it's very old, and I'm not yet.
I gave a lot of thought to my kids' names (as one does--ahem, Filet). But I'm sure they'll have their struggles. Character building all of it, I hope.
Now, you're cracking me up. Poor Filet, but we just say that because we simply do not know. I read that having an unusual name can pay off later in life.
Yes, I remember asking about the Moon in your name because I associate it with Koreans, so I'm not surprised at the least. Sorry about the cult thing though, but the boat must have been a good conversation starter?
In any case, Piggy, ahem, I mean, Becky, I glad you joined in the fun because name stories can be the best. xo
Yes, I’m Zailiny at birth . Adek ( the youngest) to family members . Zailiny or Zai was what my school friends called me . Then someone started calling me Liny before college and I’ve been Liny since then. Now , im in a new relationship, he decides to call me Zailiny and introduces me to his numerous friends as such , I feel that im in primary school again. . Full circle.
Weird feeling , a group of people in Malaysia and North Ontario calling me Zailiny.
I love this. There was a time when I only called folks by their full names (i.e. Richard as opposed to Rich) because it sounded better to me! Every iteration of your name sounds adorable, too. You’re rather lucky that way. 😊
I really enjoyed this story! I can relate in some ways. I wanted to start writing to about my name/names, it will be a long story!
Cool! 😊 I'd be up for it, as I do enjoy these kinds of things. A friend of mine recently sent me an email about her name and family history. You can learn a lot, endlessly fascinating, I'd say. Thanks, Rachel (and thanks for the restack, too!) 🙏
This is so hilarious and so relatable.
I have my parents to blame for my name, and myself to blame for not adopting an American first name when I came to America, and then not adopting my husband's last name when I got married (no he is not American but has a last name everyone can pronounce - CHEN). I stubbornly stuck with Yi Xue.
I am used to people taking a double take (more like a triple take) on my last name while butchering my first name. And yes, I spell out my name on the phone 100% of the time. 50% of the time, people spell my name wrong in writing ...
But boy did my experience debunk the "Big Think" theory! lol Now I am fantasizing about my fate had my name been something like Amy Brown ... :)
Thanks, Yi, or should I call you Amy? Now I'm curious if I'm saying your name right or not.
Yeah, to change or not to change your name, that is the question. I hear it's quite difficult which is one of the reasons why I just kept my maiden name after I got married. My husband's is not much better, Kuns, and so he's got stories of his own.
🤣
Ann Smith
My mother left the E off the end of Ann because she worried I would not understand how to spell it. Such high expectations from the Toyger (they are a real thing - Google it) Mom (my Westernized version of the traditional Tiger Mom) who would eventually ask me, "A? What happened to A+?" My father vetoed Angela because it was "too weird" and I was similarly denied a Chinese middle name.
Everyone wants to give me an E. Or an IE (the worst). Sometimes even a Y (?) Nope. Just plain Ann.
People very often call me something completely different right after I introduce myself. As though there is no way that my actual name can be what they just heard. I once spent an entire weekend being called Amy (or was it Pam?) because I was too lazy to tell the company renting the theatre my real name - again. Several people have called me Sara, and one lady has decided that I am Nancy. Whatever. It's just a word after all. I'm sure if I had been Angela Mui Mei I would feel differently.
So, after fift-mumble,cough,mumble-odd years of being plain old Ann Marie Smith, I have pretty much come to terms with it.
And I've always wondered how to pronounce your middle name! Thanks ; )
That's CrAzY, as in absolutely bananas. It's funny because you'll always be Ann for me. Anne is a completely different person who I was in homeroom grade school for pretty much my entire time at Waena.
Maybe you're not assertive enough. Maybe you need to shout, "It's AAAANNNNNN." Pretend you're hard of hearing or something.
Yeah, that's your homework. :P
P.S. The funny thing about middle names is you almost never use it. Here in SE Asian middle names not common at all.
Wow! Who knew that people can get so complicated with a 3 letter name... thanks for sharing. I love 'name stories'
Me, too!
Hilarious but so poignant as well - how were the Americans pronouncing the Brit version of 'Duke?' (I'm guessing it came out as 'Dooke' instead of 'Dyuke?') There again the Brits have all kinds of bizarre, presumed-you-would-know kind of surnames - how about Cocksedge as a surname (worse than your own version by far!) but which is (*obviously*) pronounced Co-Sedge by those who know ... both of them ... haha!) Thanks for the laugh and yes, that poor wee Filet Mignon ...!
Thanks for my morning laugh, Sue. (And for recommending me. I got notice about that!) I was not familiar with 'ol Cocksedge, and you're right, much worse...and now a Cocksedge will be commenting on this post. Hmmm.
Yeah, Dr. Duke's a good egg. He tried to make us say his name the British way, but we were having none of it. :P
This is such a great post, Lani. I really enjoyed it. Our names are words we carry around all our lives, often with private struggles (as you are demonstrating here so well!) and usually never spoken about...
I've got my own journey with mine, summarised on my website here – https://www.symbiopaedia.com/about
Veronika is a word, incarnated as a humanoid by a quirk of fate.
Veronika – [from Latin verum = true + Greek nike = victory] was born in Germany.
Bond – [from old Norse buande = occupier and tiller of soil] joined her later in life.
It was love at first sight.
(all the things that really happened are covered in the dusts of history)
Thanks, Veronika. You have a great name. It's sassy in the best way and you have an unusual spelling, too.
I sign my name Lani V. Cox, and over the years people tried to guess what the V stood for and Veronica has come up so much that I have an affinity towards it.
I toyed with the idea of making this post longer by adding meanings, but I wanted to keep it punchy. Perhaps meaning is for another time!
To love at first sight. :)
My full name is weird…but even weirder was that I went to school with sisters named Cabernet and Chablis Redwine. (No idea how they turned out, sadly.)
Dear god, that reminds me, I know a Jack Daniel. Seriously.
I know a Johnnie Walker. In Portugal, where we live, our surname is causing plenty of merriment. At least my husband's first name isn't James.
I'm low lever concerned that we know people named after alcohol brands. And Bond is a GREAT last name. Does anyone ever ask if you're related? Hahahahaha.
of course! All the time. It's a game...
I'm dying laughing right now. Man, Filet Mignon. I'd be at the social security office the second I turned 18 to change that one, or maybe just accept my fate as a standup comedian--or fancy chef. Imagine if you were a vegetarian! That would really confuse people. Growing up Becky Moon, you'd think I would have had it pretty easy in the name department. But our cousins from Germany who came to visit couldn't say Becky and so said Piggy. That was hysterical (for my siblings). And then, while Moon is simple and straightforward, mooning was a thing when I was in middle school, so I got teased about that. When I went away for college and got my own credit card I started getting a lot of mail in Korean. (In addition to being English, Moon is also a pretty common Korean last name, I gather.) Then there were the Moonies of that religious cult in D.C. When I added on my husband's last name, I thought it sounded simple enough. But it's tricky to pronounce because people want to make Ruark sound more legit Irish instead of completely phonetical. I'm constantly having to spell it out--tiresome. Also, there's a very famous old skipjack (oyster boat) here in MD named the Rebecca [T.] Ruark, and I've had people ask if I was named after it--or it after me, only it's very old, and I'm not yet.
I gave a lot of thought to my kids' names (as one does--ahem, Filet). But I'm sure they'll have their struggles. Character building all of it, I hope.
Now, you're cracking me up. Poor Filet, but we just say that because we simply do not know. I read that having an unusual name can pay off later in life.
Yes, I remember asking about the Moon in your name because I associate it with Koreans, so I'm not surprised at the least. Sorry about the cult thing though, but the boat must have been a good conversation starter?
In any case, Piggy, ahem, I mean, Becky, I glad you joined in the fun because name stories can be the best. xo