Last Names

This is one thing we all have in common-we all have a last name.(and some of us have the same one!)  The difference is, some of our last names are short and simple and others, not so much.  Every work day I ask 15-30 people what their last name is so I can type it into my palmtop.  Sometimes I'm really surprised with what they say.

The best ones are the three and four letter last names.  Rarely do I get a three letter name like "Day", but last week I hit the jackpot with "Mi".  How simple is that for a last name?  Although she probably has to spell it since it sounds like "My."

The worst ones are the long ones that I chuckle at because they are ridiculously long.  I'll usually guess it's about 15 letters. I tell them they don't have to spell it, because no one is checking my spelling.  Usually I just put down what it sounds like and that's good enough.

Unusual last names come about once in awhile too.  I was fortunate to meet a woman whose last name was "Lovely."  How can you possibly forget that name?  I can see that would be fine with just about any girl's name, but are there really boys in that family? Somehow, Jeff Lovely, doesn't really sound right. This week I had the name of "Wycyk", a name without vowels.  You don't see that too often.  It's much more common to have a name with 5 or 6 vowels and they aren't easy to spell either.

I'll never forget hearing in grade school from a teacher who had student with the last name of "Hog".  The problem was that the parents named their son "Harry."  So, if you don't like your name, don't worry about it.  You could have been Harry Hog.