Names: A Reminder to Myself

[dewline]

My parents thought that they gave me a name that stands out.

I've been mistaken for two other authors, a mercenary in Florida (or at least they were in Florida when I was mistaken for them), someone else in Ohio who seems to do a lot of business with one of Home Depot's stores there, and there's assorted other doctors, engineers, football players, ex-inmates of a couple of prison systems, etc. out there with the same first name-last name combination. And someone ranting on CBC's web news pages, also with the same first name-last name combo.

I suppose I should stay used to the confusion?

Comments

[jhetley]

Gives you someone to blame?

[dewline]

Several possibilities, I suppose, depending on whatever future contexts happen.

[moon_custafer]

My first-name/last-name combo appears to have been a lot more popular in the late-18th to early 19th centuries. If I google it I get me and a bunch of genealogy sites.

[thewayne]

MANY years ago, mid '80s IIRC, I was once pulled over late at night because my running lights were out. Turned out I had an electrical short that I didn't know about. Cop ran my driver's license, asked if I had a cousin of the same name. I said no. He said there's a warrant out for him, he was AWOL from the military. Same name, same description, very different height and weight.

He said, if you ever get pulled over and the cops pull their guns, now you know why.

[dewline]

That is one of the scarier possibilities.

[notasupervillain]

I got a distinct last name (double-barreled) which I hated until I started publishing scientific papers. Now I love that people can tell me apart easily.