Name Game Gets Annoying and Tiresome
Dear Abby | January 30th, 2026 | Letter 2 of 2
DEAR ABBY: I am in multiple online groups (such as academia, work, etc.) that insist on using my full first name. They require my full first name for legal reasons and do not offer an area to input the name I actually use. I know many people have far worse problems, but it gets on my nerves that everyone I interact with calls me by a formal name I have never used. Even when I sign my emails and texts with the correct name (which is simply cutting six letters off the end of the formal name), people still call me by my whole name. I have tried emailing, You can just call me XXX, but it is often ignored. It really gets under my skin. Is there a polite way to correct them, or must I try harder not to care? I have considered changing my name legally, but it is far more trouble than it's worth. -- MISNOMER IN CALIFORNIA.
DEAR MISNOMER: Because being called by a name you don't like bothers you to the extent that you would write about it to me, my advice is to stop grinning and bearing it and make the time to have your name legally changed.
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