Names

I've always had a unique name. I thought I had grown used to correcting people. It's Laurel Lee. Not Laura. Not Laurel. Not Lorelei. Not Lori. Or any other variation. Laurel Lee. Just like it's spelled, and both names go together.

Bingham usually elicits one of two pronunciations: Bing-um or Bing-Ham. I would just tell people that the H is silent and there would be no further problems.

Before we got married, Robert told me on more than one occasion that I shouldn't be surprised when people mispronounce or misspell Corkran. I'll admit I had never come across the name before meeting Robert but it didn't strike me as odd. It was just pronounced the way it was spelled. There is no trick to it.

Now, I am a Corkran. I see what he meant. I have only been a Corkran for a little over a month but I'm already amazed at how many comments/mispronunciations/misspellings I've heard/seen.
"Cochrane, is it?" No. It's Corkran. "Oh, is that historically the same as Cochrane?"
Or, "Corkran. That's spelled C-o-c . . .?" Where did that come from?
Or, the assumption that I misspelled my own last name when I completed my name change paperwork. This leads to a new and interesting spelling of a name they just assign to me.
Oh, and one of my personal favorites: Conkran. I'm not sure how an R sound translates into an N, but maybe I just don't know enough about the English language.

So, I'll carry on correcting people, just a little more frequently now. I'm sure my mini-crusade to teach people my correct name will not change the world. But at least they'll know who I am.