S/o why do ppl care if non Jews can pronounce the name

amother

Puce

Fri, Jun 21 2024, 1:57 pm

I dislike it when you speak to someone over the phone. It’s a whole hassle to have to spell out your name because the representative doesn’t understand it. C - for Charles! H - for Harry! It’s simpler to just introduce yourself as Seth vs Simcha Chanoch Chaim.

amother

Mintgreen

Fri, Jun 21 2024, 5:56 pm

I have a unique Jewish name and Jews and non Jews mispronounce it constantly. I don’t mind, and often introduce myself with my mispronounced name. It’s just easier. I remember being so shocked when someone said my name correctly last year.

amother

IndianRed

Fri, Jun 21 2024, 7:48 pm

My name is Gittel and I struggled with this name my entire life and still do. I got called Giddel or Jeetel it was awful and people can never spell it right either. Even as an adult having to spell it out for people over the phone just frustrates me to no end. All my siblings got more “normal” names and I got stuck with this one

amother

Stonewash

Fri, Jun 21 2024, 8:03 pm

amother Caramel wrote:

because people messing up your name multiple times a day is annoying. names are personal. if you’re the type of person to correct them it’s annoying. if you start to say, oh it doesn’t matter, well, yes it does! it’s your name. it should matter! I think people who say it doesn’t matter if people can pronounce your name don’t interface with non jews enough for it to matter. once a year at the dentist or doctor doesn’t matter. but if you go to college/grad school and/or work in a secular environment that means that your name is getting mispronounced all day every day. I gave my children secular names for legal documents but I also gave them hebrew names that are easy to pronounce so that no matter who they interface with they can proudly use their jewish name and not have to correct people’s pronunciation. my kids go to secular daycare and have secular EI/cpse providers and we are happy they can be called by their easy to pronounce names.

Agreed. I gave my kids easy to pronounce English names. One is the English version of that Hebrew name and one is not connected (partly because we weren't sure what we were naming and wanted to fill birth certificate in hospital). But big believer in making it easier for my kids down the line.

zaq

Sat, Jun 22 2024, 10:09 pm

But there are plenty of fine Jewish names that are easy to spell and pronounce. No need to select davka those that pose problems. People seldom have issues with Sara, Rachel, Leah, Miriam and Esther, to list just a few.

On the flip side, you should know that careless and thoughtless people have problems even with names that are not obviously "ethnic." Ellens find themselves called Helen and Elaine, Rhondas become Rhoda and Shonda, Roxanne becomes Roseanne...a coworker of mine could never get it through her head that the person she called "Carla Hope" was Claire Hofe, despite being corrected countless times. It takes a certain measure of caring and politeness to bother getting people's names right.