Don’t Just Call Me Jane

Johnna-
I empathize with you. My name is Simi, also known as "What's that short for?" I am a caucasian female, but people often ask me if I am Punjabi Indian. I often receive mail addressed to, "Mr. Simi..." At Starbucks, I will answer to whatever name will get garner me my triple-tall-nonfat-one sweet and low-extra hot latte the fastest.
My maiden last name is Kaplin. Yes, you read that correctly: K-A-P-L-I-N. So, no one EVER spells my last name correctly.
Oh, and I married a man with the last name "Baer." Not B-A-R-E or B-E-A-R. Again, never correct on the first try.
Annoying as it may be, I am quite certain that I am the only Simi Kaplin Baer around...and that's not so bad.

There seems a lot of Johnna here. Maybe you are not so special. I mean...come on! Just deal with it. How can you blame on people mispronounce your name? I have a weird name, too. But I don't blame on people pronouncing my name wrong. People are just not used to it. I would have made the same mistake if I were they.

There seems a lot of Johnna here. Maybe you are not so special. I mean...come on! Just deal with it. How can you blame on people mispronounce your name? I have a weird name, too. But I don't blame on people pronouncing my name wrong. People are just not used to it. I would have made the same mistake if I were they.

I LOVED THS ARTICLE. My name is Johnna too and I feel the exact same way! My uncle found read it first and called me right away telling to me to buy the magazine and read the article. My parents are John and Donna, and they combined their names to get mine. No one can ever spell it or say it, even though if you just look at the letters, its actually a very easy name to say. You say it just how its spelled. I also get the "Did your parents want a boy?" haha Oo well you just get used to it, and I also agree with Johnna that I wouldnt ever want to change my name either!! Great article, I'm so glad you wrote it!
-Johnna
P.S. I think I have shown everyone I know, I think I am going to frame it haha : )

Loved this article!
Rhona with an "H"

A fellow worker brought the article to my attention. One of his employees insists on calling me Jonah after years of correction. Several times my husband has told people she does not have a fish (whale) following her. I read the article and felt like I wrote it word for word. I love my name and would not change it for anything.
Johnna Cantrell

Well you can't blame people for mis-pronouncing your name or misspelling it either, the way people now and days spell names and mix up the letters, it is easy for another person to think they spelling or pronouncing the name correctly. As for those people that you worked or have dealt with on more than one occassion and still have trouble with you name, they are prbably to self absorbed with themselves or their work to notice anything else. I have a weird name also and I always get, "Isn't that a girls name?" or I get a completely inncorrect pronounciation. I understand where you are coming from but also understand that names these days are bound to get misspelled or mispronounced, it's just a part of everyday life.

Thank you so much for writing this article. As a fellow Jona, I feel very empowered to read an article about someone who is so proud to have such a unique and difficult name. I am still in school and countless amounts of people daily confuse me with a Jon or a Jonah. You have given me the courage to stand up for my name and correct every mispronunciation. Thank you!

Jona Elwell
jelwell@chatham-nj.org

Thank you so much for writing this article. As a fellow Jona, I feel very empowered to read an article about someone who is so proud to have such a unique and difficult name. I am still in school and countless amounts of people daily confuse me with a Jon or a Jonah. You have given me the courage to stand up for my name and correct every mispronunciation. Thank you!

Jona Elwell
jelwell@chatham-nj.org

THANK YOU for writing this. I am also a "Jonna" and have had all of the same questions. My mom thought by spelling it "Donna with a J" things would be different. I have honestly explained this to people when they mispronounce it and they say "Oh so is it J-Donna?".
When my husband (who's name is Shad- and always gets "Chad") and I had to name our daughter, it was a struggle as we wanted something easily pronounceable yet unique. We settled on "Evie" short for Eva. And now we always get "Eh-vie".
In my 30 years as a Jonna I've learned one thing: People will call you whatever THEY want. I think every parent who has the unfortunate task of naming a child this year should read your article.

Thanks Again!!!
Jonna Parker
jonnaparker@hotmail.com

My name's Jennifer Smith. It's not really that hard to live with!

When I was younger, I used to get so frustrated and ask my parents, "Why could you not have named me Mary or something"? As an adult, I cherish the uniqueness of my name. People often ask me to spell it and then when I do they say, "Oh, Theresa?!"... um if it were as easy as Theresa would I have not just introduced myself as Theresa?? So Cheers to us with the great names! And thanks Mom & Dad.... Therese-Ann D'Ambrosia, Brooklyn Heights, NY

Hello Juana,

I enjoyed reading your article. I totally relate! I am sure you tried to help people out by saying Juana, like Juan but add an a. I 've tried to no avail. I have basically resigned to going by Maria professionally. I feel you! - Juana Mria from Bridgpoert, CT

LOL, from the number of Johnna's responding here, it doesn't seem the author's name is as unique as she believed!! Actually, the name Johnna is easy to pronounce. Most mispronounced names are due to someone reading it quickly and visually transposing or adding letters. e.g., Johnna to Johanna, Carlina to Carolina, etc. What's the big deal? Seems "My Turn" is scraping the bottom for inspirational stories.......

my name is the same but it is spelled without the H. people asume that is should have an H because ofthe wayyou spell john. I was named after my uncle JON who died in a car accident when he was young. for some reason, peolple just don't get how simple it is to pronounce. John-uh! My mom, my sister and I are all named after important men in the family but isnce my sister and i were adopted, i KNOW my parents didn't want a boy. I knew one other girl with the same name but she spelled it different. i like having a unique name and using "boys" names for girls is something i am going to do with my first little girl, maisen (like mason). thanks for the article

My name is Johnna too! I have always had this problem and have almost given up on trying to correct people. I also feel pride in my unique name and do not want to go along with the flow and become Johanna or Joanna. Whats really funny is that I have also contemplated changing my name as I order at Starbucks and other fast food chains just to avoid the look of confusion on peoples faces. Its good to know I'm not the only one dealing with this! My father knew a little girl named Johnna probably 30 years ago and chose this name for me. My grandfathers name is John so my mom went with it. Moral of the story: We're the cool ones! At least we aren't stuck being the #6569548th Jennifer Smith out there. :)

I am a woman with the name Kevin. I've answered all the same questions & dealt with the same reactions ("Oh, honey, don't you want a credit card in your own name?). The questions & reactions are natural, so I just roll with it most of the time. N.O.W. even sent my membership card with "Mr. Kevin." My last name is Ness so my best free return labels are "Mr. Kevin Mess." Great article!

I am a woman who has grown up with the name Kevin. I've answered all the same questions & dealt with the same reactions ("Oh, honey, don't you want a credit card in your own name?). The questions & reactions are natural, so I just roll with it most of the time. N.O.W. even sent my membership card with Mr. Kevin... My last name is Ness so my best free return labels are "Mr. Kevin Mess."

My name is Johnna, also. I had a discussion about names with one of my classes last week (I'm a teacher) and much of what I said about my own name was identical to what you said. One of my students brought this in for me. He was amazed at seeing this right after we had discussed this in class. He was even more amazed that we said almost identical things! Anyway, I, too, answer to almost anything that begins with a "J." I have also argued with others over whether or not that's my name, and have had to say on numerous occasions, "No, they already had a boy." (My brother's name is Chantz, by the way. All things different for my parents! ) Despite all of this, I love my name, too, and wouldn't change it for the world. It's one of the things that made me different, just like my love for the #13 and being left-handed. It makes me "me."
Out of curiosity, where did your parents come up with "Johnna" for you and why? I was named after my father, John.