People Don't Understand My Son's First Name

Can you tell him to say, "Wyatt, like Wyatt Earp"?

Oops, just saw someone else had the same suggestion. :)

I like his name. If he's enunciating the last letter clearly I would think that would actually help prevent people from thinking it's Ryan because the last letter is a T and that's nothing like the last sound of Ryan!

Maybe tell him about Wild West lawman Wyatt Earp and have him tell adults, "My name's Wyatt, W-Y-A-T-T, like Wild West sheriff Wyatt Earp!" I would hope most adults would then always remember his great name!

Say, or teach him to say "Wussell, with a 'W'" or similar.

ETA: Teach him to say "Wyatt, as in Earp!"

sigh.
you just can't blame 'older people' or 'younger people' or 'foreign people' or 'those people'. if it's happening frequently and becoming a problem, then yes, the name you picked IS unusual and difficult, even if you didn't think so when you hung it on him.
you (and your son) can be annoyed and upset til the cows come home. the 'some reason' that people assume it's the 'wrong name' is actually a very simple reason. since it's too late to change it now, i suggest you work with him on being courteous and clear in the way he corrects people.
if you think it's annoying that people get it 'wrong', i can tell you it's ten times more annoying when people have odd names and get all huffy that the rest of the world doesn't get it right the first time.
you either go with simple names, or you teach your kid to handle the confusion gracefully.
khairete
S.

It's too late to do anything about it now, but I find it curious. You had a lifetime of being annoyed by mispronunciation of your unusual name....and then gave your child an unusual name......and the mispronunciation is annoying you.
lol Sometimes we have to take a step back and kind of laugh at our own foibles.
It's time to make peace with the mispronunciations. Even take amusement in it. My boss has an Eastern European last name full of consanants. We make a game out of all the funny ways people mess it up. Smuckers, Smerkna, Smerseena, Smorna, the list goes on. He just smiles and answers to it and we laugh about it later.

ETA: I change my answer to Suz's answer. I 100% agree with her!!

My name is "N.", and every time, without fail, that I tell people my name verbally, they think that I said "Mickey". Have you EVER really met someone named Mickey? Honestly, though, there's no reason to get upset & bent out of shape about this. You had to have known what you were getting into when you chose your son's name, right?

I TOTALLY agree with the suggestion to have him relate it to Wyatt Earp! Older people will understand it immediately if he just says it right away, not even giving them a chance to think he said Ryan. "I'm Wyatt, like Wyatt Earp" is just PERFECT!

As he grows up, maybe you can introduce him to the story of Wyatt Earp, as I am sure some adults will make some sort of a cowboy or outlaw remark, so it would be nice for him to be able to do a little banter with them. His name is actually really cool, and a conversation starter :)

I like both names! Sorry, I know it isn't fun being called the wrong name or a nickname you don't like.

I will defend people, now that I'm at an age where I can definitely tell my hearing isn't what it used to be. I also think it the name isn't familiar to people they would have a tendancy to inadvertantly hear something else. Sort of the brains way of making sense of what it heard. try what One said, "Wyatt with a W".

I had a friend in college who would introduce himself as "Kirk, like Captain Kirk". It was a conversation starter so maybe your son could be "Wyatt, like Wyatt Erp". I'm sorry your son is upset by this but I think if you ask around, people get called the wrong name quite often. Even simple names aren not exempt from this phenomona.

What is the name?
You've got me curious...

How old is your son? If he is under about age 5, then of course I would be fine saying what his name is to others, instead of letting him speak for himself. After school age, then he should probably answer for himself, if he wants to.

My son's name is Gehrig. He is frequently called Garret, Jarrod, Derek, Jarret, etc, even by people that know him (my parents' friends, aides at school). People have a hard time understanding me when I say it and it is almost impossible when his small voice says it. Part of it, I'm sure, is that they are expecting to hear something familiar - not a lot of Gehrigs around, but a lot of Dereks - so they automatically default to that.

I often introduce him as "Gehrig, as in Lou Gehrig, the ballplayer" to help people out. Or say "Gehrig, G-E-H-R-I-G." Then I just tell them his nickname is G and see how that goes!

It's a bit frustrating to him that people, adults and children, can't understand his name when he says it the first time. But whatever, he's 4 and gets over it. He may have to explain/spell it his entire life.

My name is D.. I have been called Betty so many times that I actually use that name as my alter ego. :) My husband's nickname for me is Beautiful Blonde Betty.

Wyatt isn't such an odd name that you've doomed your son to always having to explain it. But with a high pitched little kid's voice and older people who probably haven't heard the name much, you do have a recipe for confusion. I would suggest just repeating his name after he says it and pronouncing it very clearly. I had to do for a year or so when my girls started introducing themselves. Their names are fairly typical names, and not at all hard to understand... but there were still older people who had no idea what my kids were saying.

Teach your son patience and tolerance - it will serve him well!

My DD's name is Kailyn and most people pronounce it as Katelyn. I just polity correct cause I can see where the confusion is since Katelyn is rather common.

Not to mention some older people just hear it one way and it sticks. If I can not correct it I just let it go.

I think people will still "mis-hear" your son's name..regardless of who says it. My name is N. - and I get "Angie" all the time. My husband is Matt, and he gets called "Mike" (no idea on why, but it happens a LOT).

Just tell him people misunderstand names a lot of times, and as others have suggested, have him spell it if it really bothers him.

I guess you misjudged the easiness of his name :( Unfortunately, you just have to deal with it and move on. You can't change what people choose to hear and say. My son's name is Liam - people screw that up!!!! They pronounce the i as a long i - wth? Oh well... So yes, just say his name for him. Why let your son get frustrated? Also, you may think he is saying it clearly but he is four and I can totally see how his child voice could keep it from coming out clear to older folks.

**SWH - I can totally hear a 4 year old voice sound like Ryan. Just correct and move on. Really, it is no big deal.

My maiden name was Singer. You'd be amazed how often people got that wrong. Zinger? Swinger? Zinga? I'd say, "Like a person who sings," and they still wouldn't get it. Maybe it was my strong California accent. :)

Unfortunately, a lot of people don't have great listening skills.

I wish I could say it gets better over time, but I eventually got used to having to spell out my "complicated" last name.

Teach him to spell it out for people. That's what my daughter does. She's 4 and her name is Addie but oftentimes people first hear "Abby". So then she corrects them, "No it's ADDIE...A, D, D, I, E!"

It's funny, when I was reading your question, before I read your SWH, I wondered if the name was Wyatt/Ryan. I can see that being an issue.
My daughter has a speech problem and cannot say her name at ALL so that other people can understand her, so when people ask her what her name is (and since I have taught her not to talk to strangers), I will prompt her to answer by saying, "Katelyn, can you please tell soandso what your name is?" That usually does the trick for now. I know your son does not have a speech problem and other people just assume he does, which has got to be frustrating for you both. I like someone's suggestion below of saying "My name is Wyatt. W-Y-A-T-T." It will give him practice spelling his name, make his name clear as day to the people he is introducing himself to, and impress them with his spelling skills!

DO remember by 25 most people have some High Frequency hearing loss, and by 45 that loss can be severe... So children's (high pitched) voices are often less clear to adults than we think as their parents.

Similarly people often hear what they expect or is familiar. Telephone is the classic example.

While you may have thought "Kai" for example would be easy unlike yours...Kyle & Ty will get substituted. Or Mick to Nick or Rick or Mike. It R. to Kyle, Kylie, Mikey, Rally, Ellie, etc.

No matter the name, it will get screwed up.

My son's name rhymes with 3 other names. I just repeat it when it's important. Now that his voice is dropping at age 10 it's LESS than when he was 3-8, but it still happens.

You chose a name you love, but people are messing it up. It happens. You said yourself it happens to the most common names like John. You will just have to learn to laugh it off and deal with it. Not saying that to be mean, but it's not going to change. Biting people's heads off if/when they get it wrong when you (your son) meet them for the first time isn't going to help either. (and i'm not saying you are/will but if you are getting frustrated, you may)

Maybe when he says his name say "Wes that's with a W Wes not Les" perhaps that will help?

It's not unusual for people to not understand little kids when they talk.
It can be like listening to someone with a strong foreign accent, you try harder to understand, which makes it even harder to understand I think.
Just tell you son that some people don't hear all that well... this will pass.

I like 1growingupfast's idea of saying "Wyatt, like Wyatt Earp!" for older people - or "Wyatt, like on SuperWhy!" for people with preschoolers, LOL! - that would make it very clear! But yeah, it will be fine - as he gets into school, and the teachers start seeing it written down on lists and nametags, etc., people will get it.

What sounds clear to you isn't going to sound clear to others. You are used to your son's voice so you think Wyatt is as clear as the day is long. Other people just hear Ryan when he says it. Not a big deal. If someone says 'What's your name?' and your son says 'Wyatt' and they say 'Oh, Ryan.' You can just simply say his name is Wyatt.

Our daughters roommate in college has 12 letters in her first name. I still cannot pronounce it correctly.. She goes by Mimi.. now..

My husband and I also are more hard of hearing and really can struggle with names.. ]So please, do not be surprised or frustrated.. it is what it is.. It ias not a lack of respect or that they are not listening.. it is that we just do not understand..

And since it happens all of the time... your choice is to always expect to explain, to spell it or to come up with a nickname.

My Nephews friends all call him "G"....They have since he was in 5th grade..
He likes it..

My son's name is Quinn. He's 8 and pronounces it clearly but people often think he has said Ken. He says it again and then spells it for them and it helps.

It is the main problem with naming kids something "unique" or "unusual". Unfortunately this will probably follow him the rest of his life so he will just have to get used to it. I would probably say "tell Mrs. Smith your name John" and say it first so the adult can hear it.

@Riley-Wow, I never knew that about the high frequency hearing loss. I have always wondered why I can't hear certain things- Now I have a valid reason!

my daughter is Gwen and she pronounces it very clear but it gets misconstrued as Quin. My husband is wade people who just meet him think its wayne. If they get his name wrong just politely correct them and say his name is W*** I do that with my daughter and it doesnt get her upset because she said it first and she doesnt have to keep repeating it.

For how common of a name Wyatt is I am surprised how many get it wrong! if it is an issue I would just say it for a while and see if that changes things!

I would still have him to say it himself. If they don't understand it, have him to spell it for them. If they still don't get it, it's OK for you to intervene. He's going to have that name his whole life, so he should start now with knowing how to get people to understand. Hope this helps.

i am sure there are a lot of ppl in your situation! i know, because i am one of them. my first name is Franny. i was called Fanny for a long time, not because they were teasing me, but because Fanny is a name too. so when i tell people my name, i say F like Frank RANNY. People get it.
same with my daughter. her name is Kaylor. so when i make an appt over the phone they repeat her name and say "Taylor?" I say no Kaylor, starts with K like Kangaroo AYLOR. Now i just make it a habit to say K like Kangaroo AYLOR. That is what you will have to do. Since you gave him such a unique name it will probably be this way for a long time. I am 38 and i still have issues to this day. Doesnt bother me. Don't sweat the small stuff!

You should see the look people get on their faces when my 3 year old tells them the baby's name is 'man-child'... hilarious! People are dumb dumb dumb. Just tell your son to ignore them and move on. Wyatt is not that unusual a name. Theres no reason why people cant figure it out, to be honest it kind of annoys me when complete strangers come up and start talking to my kids whether they understand them or not. Especially when Im trying to get my grocery shopping done.

Oh and the baby's name is not actually man child.

I know a few Wyatt's.
It's not a difficult name for the most part.
The R sound can be a difficult sound to make at first.
My sister took speech therapy for a year because when she said she 'liked to be in a car' it came out she 'liked to be in a cow'.
Seriously, once your son and his friends are into the 3rd grade, this isn't going to be a problem anymore.
Relax!
Enjoy some of the funny things kids say and the way they pronounce things - they do grow out of it sooner or later.
My son at that age said some pretty cute things.
He'd hear them and misinterpret, and then make up something to fill the space.
He heard a pirate song about sailing away to Rio (as in Rio Grand) but they pronounced it rye-o.
He heard it, liked it, and I use to hear him singing "Away Rhino!" and to picture a bunch rhinos in pirate gear sailing the 7 seas just cracked me up!

Wyatt... What a nice name. :) Don't let people get to you. Let him say his name on his own. There are always going to be people that mispronounce his name even when he's older.

A friend of mine named her daughter Amelia. It's pronounced A-Me-Lee-Ya, but people kept pronouncing it A-Mill-Ya. I told her that's what people do and not to worry about it. It was annoying so she changed the spelling to Ameelia thinking that would help, but people still say it the same way. I have a Lillian which is pronounced the only way I've ever know L-i-l-l-i-a-n to be pronounced. Yet, people have decided to call her, Lily-Ann, Liliana, Lillonna and so on. Lol. Gotta love people.

If his name is not common and rhymes with a common name it's just something he's going to have to get used to. It may get better when he gets older, maybe people are assuming since he's young he can't pronounce the R and they are just making it the name that they know. In my opinion kids (and adults) with unusual names are going to have this problem a lot, no matter how easy the name is to pronounce. You both need to just get used to it and/or come up with a polite way to correct people.

I think think happens no matter what name you pick.

However, I have a friend with a "Wyatt" and they haven't had the issue you're mentioning.

All in all, not that big of a deal :-).

If this is the biggest problem you have in your life, then you have it made. Don't let something so minor and silly upset you. You may look back at this trivial upset one day when something serious happens and wonder why you were so upset over nothing.

How funny, I wouldn't have thought those two names would be mixed up either. I think people just default to the more common name. My daughter is Lindy and people automatically assume she said Wendy or Lindsey, since those are more common. I actually think people often assume kids are mispronouncing their own name and go to the most common name... annoying I know, and I've been on the other side many times too because my hearing is sub standard. Especially with those cute little kid voices :)

Does your son know how to spell his name. My son's name is Davin but people hear Gavin. Even when I say his name some people just hear Gavin because its a popular name.

When people repeat my son's name to him as Gavin he says no Davin with a "D" then they get it. It is pretty funny. Sometime he will spell his whole name out. He is 4 also.

Good Luck!

Have him say "Wyatt" W Y A T T
People will think he's cute!

Well, it would be easier to answer this if we knew what the name was and how old he is. If he is getting so frustrated by saying his own name, then yes, maybe you should say it so he doesn't have to and others can understand what it is.

I made up my daughters name and at first people didn't understand it. We figured out a little *trick* for people to understand. I have been doing this with my own name for years. My first name is "F.". People either think I say, "Saith", uh, ya...or "April", HUH??? So I either spell it, "Its F., F as in Frank, A, I, T, H" or I say, "Its F., like 'F., Hope and Charity". And then they get it.

So if he is very young, you say it so people get it and think of something like what we do, which helps too. Good luck.

Some people's brains just don't register names. I have the following conversation at least once a month.

ME: My name's M.
OTHER PERSON: Oh hi Amanda/Maria/Marika/Mariah/Minerva/Whatever.

I try not to be too judgmental, since if you give me directions to anywhere, even to my own house, I'll respond with a useless blank stare, but it is annoying. Just tell your son, "They've never met anyone with such a cool name, so they're confused." In a year or two, he'll be able to spell it, which will make life easier.

My son's name is Alex you don't how many people look at me with a "are you kidding me face", then they say "Alice".... Uh ya, I named my little boy Alice....

it's annoying but I guess I'm use to it with my maiden name being slaughtered my whole life! I usually correct by spelling his name and just say no Alex, A-l-e-x....I love the suggestion of your son using the Wyatt Earp, Wyatt on Super Why association, still doesn't help the initial correction, but hopefully will eliminate future ones. Totally get the frustration part!

I named my daughter Brooke and several people call her Brooke(S) It drives me crazy too! She is in her twenties now and it doesn't seem to bother her but who names their daughter Brookes? There is only one of her and she is not a boy! ARGH!!!
I think we take it personal because we think HOW HARD is it to get it right and it is a name we chose. My daughter loves her name and there are better things to worry about but I can't help feel a twinge of annoyance when people can't seem to get a name right.

I think it's going to happen till his pronounciation improves. People add an "a" to the end of my name all the time. It's not there. I don't say it with an "a", but their ears hear it and their brain wants to put it there.

Maybe teach him how to spell it so if they get it wrong, he can say, "no - it's Wyatt."

Maybe an easier nickname?

I feel his pain... it WILL follow him forever for one simple reason... people don't pay attention. I hate to say it that bluntly, but I cannot tell you how many times a day I am called "Kristen" "Christine" "Chris". These are all perfectly nice names, but they aren't mine! The worst part is that I have to wear an ID when I'm not in my office. It's right there people!

Teach your son how to politely correct people rather than teaching him to simply repeat his name. "My name is not Ryan, it's Wyatt." will draw their attention much more quickly than just saying it again.

My son's name is JD (John David) and people call him JP or take it upon themselves to shorten it to "Jack" all the time. At 4, he knows to say "My name is not ____, it's JD or John David". He says it in a polite tone, but your son needs to know that it's OK to politely insist that he be called by his given name.

Cute name!

I tell people my name is S. and they look me in the eye and say Susan. Happens all the time. I don't know if the other Suzannes on here have that problem. It's very annoying to me. If my name was Susan that would be fine but it's not. Just tell your son to work on his 'R', which comes in time, and it will be fine. Then when he can spell it that will be even better. :-)

Jeez you'd think he has a name in some Martian language with your description!! :) Maybe it's because I'm from AZ but Wyatt is NOT that unusual and I cannot imagine why it would be so hard to grasp.

You're right though, this is not a new problem. Just have patience, don't take it personally (or allow your son to) and know that this will build character in you all.

It's a great name, so just carry that confidence when you correct people ;)

I believe that this happens when we deal with lazy people. Seriously, people get so caught up in what's familiar that they cannot even register something different, and they try to force YOU to change. They don't want to take the energy to process something different in their brains.

If he can spell his name, have him spell it instead of pronouncing it. People are idiots.

My last name is the actual spelling of a letter of the alphabet. I find myself spelling it first and then pronouncing it. If I pronounce it and then spell it, they put that letter in front of it.

When I was in high school, I was annoyed by a teacher who consistently mispronounced my two-syllable name. One vowel she would mess up EVERY DAY. I started writing my name with that one vowel in very large print, obviously way larger than the rest of the letters. She wasn't terribly thrilled, but she got it. At work, one woman told me that my name would be pronounced differently in a different part of the country. Then, she proceeded to apply that pronunciation whenever she would speak to me. I had to start ignoring her, because I was not going to answer to that.

My names are not at all difficult, especially once I pronounce them first--no more than one or two syllables. I make a point of confirming pronunciation and spelling of a name when I meet someone or need to apply it to something official. I find it offensive and insulting not to put more effort into learning someone's name.

It will get easier! I have a friend who named her son Alec, not that weird of a name right? Well people were ALWAYS calling him Alex! At first he didn't seem to mind, he responded to either name, but by the time he was 3 he would correct people "my name is AleC!" Now he is 12 (holy cow I'm old!) and no one gets his name wrong anymore, he does not appear to be scarred for life!

Wow, I don't really see how people confuse that name. I love Wyatt. It's a great name! Hopefully things will settle down, I can understand his frustration. My name is Rae, and people always ask me if it is short for something..Umm, no, its just Rae. Ahh!

Wow, really? In the midwest, this is currently a very common name. I actually know 6 Wyatts, and they're all under the age of 10. It doesn't even sound that much like Ryan. :-(

I like the idea of having him spell it. That's what I do with my last name. It's just automatic now, I just always spell it after I say it, or people are confused.

If you make a big deal about people mispronouncing his name, so will he. People mispronounce both of our daughters names. One has a very old name that everyone has heard before and they STILL butcher it. I just repeat it and go on. The other one's name is always mistaken for another name even when it is written down. It IS annoying. I want to say, "Come on people. Pay attention!" :)
If you act like it is no big deal in front of Wyatt it will keep him from feeling frustrated. Like someone else said, this is a great lesson on how to be patient.

My son's name is Josyah.

You get an uncommon name + a 5 yr old with a speech problem = me telling everyone his name after he says it. He doesn't get frustrated thankfully because sadly he is use to having to repeat himself or mommy/ daddy repeating what he is "trying" to say to others.

When he gets older it will get easier... otherwise he will just get use to repeating it.

Btw... I have to tell everyone ususally a couple of times my name is Becky.. not Jackie and I'm 35.

i don't understand how people can confuse Wyatt with Ryan. Your son can also say that his name is same as the super reader guy Wyatt on the "Super Why" kids show. It's pronounced "Whyatt"...

Just an issue now I bet, that's not a name people will have a problem spelling or pronouncing later. My four year old is Olivia and people think she says Lydia.