Many people have experienced their names being said incorrectly in public. Nobody should have to face their name being pronounced incorrectly all the time. Everyone should be able to feel confident with their name and not be embarrassed when they are called something other than their birth or preferred name. 

Many people often experienced their name being mispronounced during the first month of school. When others don’t know their names, they try to say their name and sometimes it happens in front of a whole bunch of people which can make them feel out of place.

“Some people do not care about pronouncing names correctly, which leaves me mad because I am being called a name that I would not like to be called,” said Tejeda.  

Tejeda experiences this a lot when she first meets others who often pronounce her name incorrectly, pronouncing it wrong multiple times. 

“It’s pretty awkward for the first time, but some people care to get it and some don’t,” Tejeda said. 

Lila Zahurak experiences her name being misread regularly, having people call her incorrect names that are not her preferred name. Zahurak does not like that there are many mispronunciations, such as Lee-la and Lola, that she has been called and would like people to call her by her regular name. Zahurak’s last name is also mispronounced, leaving her feeling awkward and embarrassed because people can’t say her name correctly.  

“It’s awkward especially in class and in public; it’s just awkward to correct people,” Zahurak said.

Studies have shown that around 74% of people have experienced their name being pronounced incorrectly, leading to feelings of disrespect and alienation. 

Siobhan Humphreys experiences this because her name’s origin is from a different language. She actually pronounces it Shi-vawn not See-o-ban, which is the most common name people say when they mispronounce her name. 

“I don’t really care all that much when people mispronounce it because it really isn’t a common name due to it being a different language,” Humphreys said. 

Karthik Gollakota has this happen to him as well. He often gets called Car-teek, Cru-teek and Cur-teek. He understands when people mispronounce his name because of how hard it is to say. Gollakota chooses not to correct people because of how often it is mispronounced, but still finds it annoying.

“I have gotten used to hearing these names and stopped correcting people since middle school. I still sometimes find it annoying, although I do not say anything about it,” Gollakota said. 

One’s name identifies who they are, their ethnicity and culture. Other people not caring about pronouncing their names leaves many people, especially younger kids frustrated. Mispronunciation of names is one of the most popular ways that some people get angry, because it makes most people feel like they don’t have a sense of belonging.