Until I arrived at work yesterday, I was oblivious to the fact that it was “Pick Your Name Day”. But it was, and one of our offices decided to play along. Everyone chose a name for themselves — or several names throughout the day — to get in the spirit of the theme.
I played along too, but was one of the few who had no difficulty in choosing a new name for myself. I became Hannah. This has been a favorite name of mine for a long time, thanks to one of its virtues of being nearly nickname-proof.
Hannahs that are named Hannah are actually called Hannah. Unlike Elizabeths that are named that but called Beth. I hate the confusion that it causes — when calling for appointments or knowing which name was used for certain records.
Thus, I have become a name fanatic in our office; insisting that our correspondence be sent to the “preferred name” as soon as a student tells us this information on their application, instead of to their formal name that we likely received from ACT. To me, it is a signal that we know the student and take care to treat them more individually than just a mass mailing.
At home, I toss mail that comes to “Elizabeth” unless it is very official-looking, because it means that it is from someone who has just purchased my name and not someone I have sought out. Contrast that with mail from my alma mater that still to this day comes with lower case beth like I spell it (guess where I am a major donor?).
As you address clients and friends of your organization, take special care to call people by their preferred name. It is an important connection that you can make and a sign that you are listening to what is important to them. A Rose is not as sweet if she really prefers Rosie.
— Elizabeth triplett (how the lower case b originated)
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