Last week someone accidentally called me Patricia. That’s a new one.
When I was growing up, no one was named Alissa. I might be exaggerating slightly. After all, there was me, of course. Also, I think there might have possibly been a few Alissas scattered about, oh and some Alyssas, as well, and here and there an Elissa. Anyway, the point is that years ago, Alissa (in any of its permutations) was not a very common name.
When names are uncommon, they confuse people. They have difficulty pronouncing the name, even when you tell them and they try to repeat it back to you. Although it’s not a hard and fast rule, I’ve found that the older someone is the more trouble they have with my name.
The result of all this is that I’ve been called lots of things other than Alissa. The most common are similar, but not quite the same names. Things like Alicia and Alisa and Alisha and such. Occasionally someone opts for the more common Alison. When introducing myself I always try to same something along the lines of, “My name is Alissa” as opposed to “I’m Alissa” to avoid being mistakenly called Melissa, but I still do get called Melissa sometimes. Elizabeth is another one I’ve gotten a few times. That one’s interesting since it has a whole extra syllable.
I worked at a newspaper for awhile, where I shared a phone with a graphic designer colleague. The phone was on his desk, which meant he ended up acting as my receptionist. He was astounded at all the different things I got called. We had a sales rep at that newspaper who couldn’t really handle it when anyone who had a name that was not too common. (By the way, he bucked the stereotype by not being all that old, but he still had an impossible time with my name.) He tended to call me Elise. The first couple of months he was there I corrected him, and then I realized it was probably a lost cause.
Now that there are a lot more Alissas and Alyssas and Elissas in the world, I’ve noticed that less and less people have trouble with my name. The younger generation especially has mastered the art of pronouncing Alissa.
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Well, Alissa, given your name, you are writing for the right generation.
And to think we just wanted a girl with the nickname Ali (as in Ali Mcgraw). Good thing you don’t need to tell or spell your middle name . . Carin, right Liss?
I always get different names, too. It’s kind of become a game when I go to Starbucks – I say my name as clearly as possible and then see what ends up on my cup. Anita, Alicia, I think I’ve even gotten Alissa before.
I also have to be careful when introducing myself. “I’m Alita” has gotten “Malita?” more times than you’d think would be possible. And still, when I correct them, they rarely get it right. How is Malita easier than Alita?
Paul, it’s a good thing I didn’t decide to write cozy mysteries for the over 60 set. (Not that this under 60 doesn’t enjoy the occasional cozy mystery!)
Hey, Mom, good point on the middle name.
Hey Malita, I’m glad I’m not alone! (Oh, and by the way I think Alita is a very pretty name!)
LOL – I can SO relate! I’ve been called Debbie, Susie, Linda and Kathy all my life. Seriously. By people who KNOW me. Oy. My real name is Karen. Which is one of the reasons I write under a pen name!
People are always mispronouncing my name, so I get this. It’s interesting what people come up with.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Kiki, that’s crazy. Oh, and my middle name is Carin, which is technically the same as Karen, just spelled in a very non-traditional way.
Thanks, Medeia.