What's in a Name?

With all these new Hollywood babies, the hot topic on all the "non-news" shows (i.e. Inside Edition) is the current trend in baby names. Since pregnant seems to be the new black these days, there are plenty of new offspring to don these crazy labels.

The unusual names seem to be the hot trend right now and as a bearer of an out of the ordinary name, I cringe when I hear some of these. Not because they are so strange or different, but because of what these children will have to go through because of them.
like...
new little Suri - this is going to be a hard one to pull off
Alaia - I don't even know how to say this and forget about spelling it!
Banjo - come on, why not just put a Kick Me sign on the kid!
Grier - wha...??
Maesa - what is up with all the heavly voweled names?
Rebop - this is just mean!

When I meet someone and tell them my name is Simone, the usual response, "what a pretty name". I think that it's just a polite thing, instead of "never heard that before."
I have always disliked my name.

It started when I was little.
The first day of school was always the most embarrassing day for me. You would think that teachers would be phonetic experts, but every year without fail, they would mispronounce my name during the first call of attendance.
I have been called:
Sim - one
S - eye - mone - ee
Si - mone - ee
Sim - on
S - eye - mone
Simon

Whatever the mispronunciation, that would be the nickname for at least the first month that year....mortifying as a 10 year old. Being called Simon was the worst! In 7th grade, I was called Simon the first day and it stuck til I graduated.
If teachers can't pronounce my name, you can't imagine how everyday folks would mess it up. Anytime I would have to introduce myself, I cringe.

"I'm Simone"
"Huh??"

That is the usual response. Even now. Or they think they heard a different name like Mona (I get that a lot) or Sloan. Now, I know what you're thinking....Maybe I am not annunciating enough, but that is definitely not the case, especially now. I know that people are going to mess it up, so I always over-annunciate so there is no confusion.
Even at work, I cringe when someone on the phone will ask, "Who am I speaking to?" because I know what the next line is..."How do you spell that?"

In certain situations, I expect people to get it wrong. Anywhere that is loud is a bad place. Once at a bar, I met a guy, told him my name and he said, "Oh my god, your name is Smoke?" I laughed so hard I had a spit-take. I said, "Yep, my name is Smoke, my parents thought that was cool." He ran around that bar and told everyone.

Also, I have this problem even NOW with people changing the pronunciation of my name, it drives me mad. My name is pronounced exactly as it is spelled. Come on! Short I, Long O...this is basic first grade knowledge. So even if I say my name correctly to them and they see it written, they still seem to change it to their own liking. My own boss does this and I hate it. He calls me See-mone. Ugh!! And most people call me Suh-mone, like it is spelled with an A instead of an I.

Speaking of spelling that is the worst! If anyone has to write down my name and I don't tell them how to spell it, I get every variation.
Samone
Symone (this just emphasizes the Y obsession these days)
Shamone
Simon

I know my name has finally been used in some movies and I know of two soap operas that have characters named Simone, but I still go through most of the same stuff I did when I was 7.
When I was little, I used to tell everyone I hated my name and grown-ups would tell me, "You will appreciate it when you are older."
Well, I am definitely older.
I still hate it!

When I was pregnant with Max, I wanted to make sure that his name was easy to say, convey and spell. So, when his dad kept campaigning for odd titles such as Xander or Elrich...I knew that would never happen. In fact, I never even wanted the name Max because of it's popularity in the pet world, but it fit the criteria. Extremely simple in all ways!

I just think that if parents knew the impact a name really has on a kid, even after 34 long years, they would think about it a little more seriously.