Very funny visit from the boys in blue...

[fireheart]

So my day got a little more interesting with the arrival of the police on my front doorstep. Turns out they were looking for someone with my dads name, albeit pronounced as if he was a woman.
When I told them that he was my dad, they looked at me as though I was nuts, then asked if he's transgender. Hell no, if we was, we'd know about it. I also added that my parents had gone on a cruise for a week and a bit (true).
After some more confirmation that no, my dad was not living a secret double life, they then asked if anyone drove a daewoo lanos. Nobody in the house drives that sort of car, two of us own fords and we also own a Suzuki and a Volkswagen transporter. Definitely not a daewoo lanos!
So the officers apologise and leave. Turns out they WERE looking for a woman.

And I burst out in a fit of giggles once they left.

[Jester]

I had a female roommate once years ago whose first name was typically thought of as a last name, and whose last name was typically a man's first name. I don't remember her exact name, but let's say her name was Reagan James.

Naturally she would get plenty of mail addressed to James Reagan, and of course lots of calls asking for "Mister James Reagan" or "Mister Reagan James." Which, being a girl, she wasn't.

Said she dealt with that her whole life.

At least she (generally) had a good sense of humor about it.

Wish I could remember her name. (I can remember her first name, but not her last....)

[MoonCat]

Could be worse. One of my co-workers has a son who has a pretty common first and last name. He applied for a job with the gecko...and was turned down because of a "police record" and, IIRC, outstanding warrants....in another part of the state.

Turned out the bad stuff involved another guy with the same name...who wasn't even the same ethnicity...and her son had to prove he wasn't the same guy before the company would reconsider his application.

[Kristev]

If that happened to me, I'd be considering a legal name change.

[Draper Mel]

This isn't so much about getting confused with someone else as it is misspelling of names. I'm sure we've all seen weird misspellings of our names on junk mail.

The best one in my family was the time that my mother, Patricia, received a piece of junk mail addressed to "Farticia."

I was in grade school at the time, and that was, and is still hysterical.

[Jester]

Could be worse. One of my co-workers has a son who has a pretty common first and last name. He applied for a job with the gecko...and was turned down because of a "police record" and, IIRC, outstanding warrants....in another part of the state.

If his names are both common, this is just stupidity on the part of the potential employer.

Now, I don't normally reveal my friends' or relatives' names on this site, but in this case I feel pretty safe telling you that if my stepfather went by his first name, he'd be able to be confused for TONS of people with the same name. Because, if he went by his first name, he'd be Ed Smith.

Of course, Stepdad goes by his middle name, and no one calls him "Ed" if they want to continue to have the use of their legs.

[fireheart]

So my dad got back today.

Luckily, he and mum found the whole situation hilarious

[Andara Bledin]

If that happened to me, I'd be considering a legal name change.

Alas, such a thing won't help. If a company is stupid enough to get the history of the wrong person, they'll do that through a name change.

^-.-^

[Geek King]

I went to school with a Jim Smith. He literally had issues with having to prove that really was his real name.

[Sakka]

I went to school with a Jim Smith. He literally had issues with having to prove that really was his real name.

I know that one quite well. My name is R(not gonna give full name) Smith. Growing up, every single teacher or adult would look at me and then ask what my name really was.
Or, they'd call me Smitty (which I absolutely hate)

Probably doesn't help any that there are several relatives with one initial different from my name, and several with names very close.

[BrenDAnn]

I just so happen to have the same name as one of my aunts. Once, when I was making a visit to the doctor, as a CHILD (this is important), the doctors got my record mixed up with hers. Imagine my mother and my faces when the nurse walked in asking if I'd had children, before she realized she had the wrong file! As for misspellings, well, the phone company itself is guilty of that, and I have a four letter last name. Come on now...Really?