Name me name me name me!

May 27, 2009 1:57 AM

I love my name but people can't say it. Help me choose a 'stage' name.

My name is in my profile (I would really prefer Google not to connect this question to my name directly).

It's pronounced: saw-son.

I love my name and I'll continue to use it with family and friends. The problem is work. I'm meeting a lot of new people, arranging meetings, and find that it's always a problem to get people to say my name correctly, especially on the phone. It's also an issue when it's printed, as it looks like "Susan" if you quickly glance at it. And that's a problem, cause I'm a guy.

So, I'm looking for the coolest options. I'd like the name to start with an 'S' as it would make the transition less strange for me.

So far I have:

Sas
Sean

posted by 913 to grab bag (33 comments total)

Saz, with pizzazz, shizznazz, foschizzle pizzle-dizzle. Um, izzle...
posted by benzo8 at 2:14 AM on May 27

SAWZ sounds like a sweet robot.

Sonny is a good, Godfather-approved name.
posted by martens at 2:20 AM on May 27

"Sawson" looks okay to me. "Saw" for short.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 2:43 AM on May 27 [3 favorites has favorites]

I was going to suggest Sawson too.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:52 AM on May 27

Some more short names with a strong "S" sound.

Sam
Sal
Stu
Seth
Sully
Sven
Scott
Sid
Skip
Stan
Spike

Sam is a fine name.
posted by sambosambo at 3:04 AM on May 27

Søren
posted by ersatzkat at 3:22 AM on May 27

One more for Sawson. You'd still get to answer to what sounds like your name; you're just helping them out with pronunciation by spelling it that way. Very much looks like a guy's name too.
posted by springbound at 3:24 AM on May 27 [4 favorites has favorites]

Just a little surprised that nobody's suggested "Samson" yet.
posted by fearnothing at 3:26 AM on May 27 [1 favorite has favorites]

Yeah, Sawson. It looks male and while it's not a name I've ever heard before, it looks like a real enough name that I don't stop to think about it. If you watch the credits to any tv shows or movies, lots of people have names you might not have heard before, so.
posted by Nattie at 3:37 AM on May 27

I'm a little surprised that nobody's suggested Sue.

On a more serious note, Sawson or Samson sound good.
posted by bjrn at 3:37 AM on May 27

Sarson reads male, and doesn't have sharp-implement connotations. Is it a homonym when said in your accent?
posted by embrangled at 3:46 AM on May 27

Steven
posted by JohnnyGunn at 3:47 AM on May 27

Going purely by sound (starts with "s", two syllables, ends with "-an/-on" sound):

Saxon/Saxton
Sherman
Simon
Solomon (OK, three syllables)
Stanton
Stephen/Steven
Sutton

Also, if you're willing to drop the mandatory "S", there's the very similar-sounding "Dawson".
posted by Rhaomi at 3:48 AM on May 27

If you love your name, don't change it for other people. I work with someone with an unusual name that leads people to think he's female, including the people who interviewd him for the job. It only takes being prompted once to get right.

If you really want to do it, though, phoneticise the spelling as others have suggested.
posted by mippy at 3:48 AM on May 27

If you love your name, just change the way you spell it so that the pronunciation is obvious
posted by missmagenta at 3:52 AM on May 27

I say embrace the "Sue" part but add some flair! I have used "Tsunami" as my Starbucks name for years, and after one visit, no matter what city I'm in, they never forget me. I think it could work for you in this instance :)
posted by HappyHippo at 4:12 AM on May 27

How about Sawyer?
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 4:43 AM on May 27

If you love your name, don't change it for other people.

Another vote for a phonetic spelling of your name if you desperately want to change it.
But it's a nice name, unique and interesting.

I have a very feminine name -- all you need to do is change a single letter -- and, unless it's for publication, I shrug it off. It is often hilarious in interviews since I often interview with my wife. People have moments of befuddlement as her name could be mistaken for a man's name.
posted by sundri at 4:45 AM on May 27

Going by your first and middle initials could be an option. I know a guy that goes by YK which I think sounds cool, is memorable, and doesn't get mispronounced. Plus people that know him well eventually ask what the YK stands for, giving him the option to give to deliver his first name which they then have the option of using (if so desired by either party).
posted by syntheticfaith at 4:46 AM on May 27

I actually do know the name Sawsan (or maybe Sawson), and it's a woman. I think it's an Arabic women's name. So avoid that.

Samson is nice. But, eh, I'd stick with the very nice name you already have.
posted by bluedaisy at 5:20 AM on May 27

I love my name but people can't say it. ... It's pronounced: saw-son.

You've practically answered your own question here. As others have said, just change your name to Sawson -- different spelling, same pronunciation.
posted by Jaltcoh at 6:29 AM on May 27

If you love your name, just change the way you spell it so that the pronunciation is obvious

As someone with an unusual but phoneticaally spelled name, save for a silent E at the end, I can say with almost absolute certainty that this won't work. In the English language, there is no one "obvious" pronounciation of any vowel, or of most consonants.

The only way to ensure an obvious pronounciation is to do what the OP is originally asking - change to an standard American-English name with a standard spelling.

I have yet to do this myself, but have thought of it for years. If I were to go through the trouble, I'd become Mary. Same root word as my real name, and even a beginning reader should be able to figure it out.

That being said - I'd go with Sam. The "coolest" options are not necessarily going to solve your issues, but Sam's a great name and if there's a way to mispronounce it, I can't think of it!
posted by chez shoes at 6:35 AM on May 27

One more thought - if you go with Sawson, expect to be mistakenly called Samson. A lot.
posted by chez shoes at 6:41 AM on May 27

I suggest Samson, simply because it's a pretty bad-ass name.
posted by dunkadunc at 6:49 AM on May 27

A old friend I recently re-connected with via Facebook had, in the interim, changed her Arabic first name to a spelling that is fo-ne-tik for American English speakers. I like Sawson better than any of the other options suggested here, and would recommend that.
posted by not that girl at 7:35 AM on May 27

My old schoolmate Sasan started going by "Sauce" sometime in late high school. Don't know if that's pro enough for your line of work, but I always thought it was sort of cool. I think now, looking at his Facebook, he's back to Sasan.
posted by crinklebat at 8:06 AM on May 27

Okay I'll take the opposite approach. Just go with your real name, seriously. It's pronounced "Sawson" - just say that. There are lots of names out there where the spelling doesnt really jive with an English phonetic pronunciation. I dated a gal named Siobhan (Irish name) and that isnt even remotely pronounced as it's spelled. Your name is your identity, regardless of spelling. I am usually called 'Elen' (example) but my professional name is Elendil71 J. Generic. I agree its annoying to constantly correct people as to the proper pronunciation, but dammit it's your name - make'm get it right. My two pennies.
posted by elendil71 at 8:25 AM on May 27

I always thought Seven would be a good name. It's a beautiful name for a boy or a girl. Especially a girl. Or a boy.
posted by wayofthedodo at 9:02 AM on May 27 [1 favorite has favorites]

I can't believe no one has suggested "Fishface" yet.

Also, Sawson is a good second choice.
posted by mullacc at 10:51 AM on May 27

I took a couple of classes from this lady. Who wants to guess how you pronounce that?
Answer is (and remember, I got this from the horse's mouth):
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
It's pronounced "Ginge." Like Ginger. She told us that she used to go by "Ginger" to make it easier on people for awhile. She also said it was originally spelled "Gyongyi", but she dropped the i.

I vote for going by the actual pronunciation. Sawson it is!, even though it does have that "mix it up with Samson" quality to it.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:19 PM on May 27

Try adding pronunciation marks to your business card. Add a capital, so it's XxXxx, and looks less like the incorrect name. People will ask you why you have pronunciation marks or capitals, and you can explain that your name looks like Xxxxx, and you prefer to be called by your actual name. Explain casually; don't make it a big deal.

Or, should you choose to use a stage name, Sawson is good.
posted by theora55 at 3:55 PM on May 27

Thanks for the advice everyone! I'll need to make a decision pretty soon.
posted by 913 at 8:02 PM on May 28

I've thought about it a lot and I'm going to stick with my name (with its original spelling). I really like it and like the way it looks. I need to keep it. Thanks for the advice everyone!
posted by 913 at 12:35 PM on June 26