What's in a name?

'Frosty' or 'Frostie?'  Maybe ''Moe'

Names are very personal. Very personal. Whenever I would write a news story and misspell a person’s name, I would get more calls and emails about that than any story I had written. Of course I never meant to get it wrong. It’s just that, well, mistakes happen, and, of course, I would correct it in the next edition.

But have you ever noticed how some people are just bound and determined to spell certain names according to their own rules. I’m thinking of two that seem to crop up repeatedly by more than just a few people.

The first is the national and international icon of health institutions, Johns Hopkins. Maybe it’s awkward for people to add an ‘s’ to the familiar and household name, John, but his family chose to spell it that way, and by golly, it should be John with an ‘s.’ After all, how would you feel if your name was Paulis, and somebody decided it should be Pauli because it sounded more natural. Or somebody was thinking 'Jones' when they actually met someone named 'Jonas' and from that day forward called out, 'Hey there, Mr. Jones. How ya' doin'?'

So if you, or someone you know, insists on dropping the ‘s’ in the Johns of Hopkins, take the plunge to remember to add that swiggly-little, late-falling letter in the alphabet to his first name.

Then there’s the northern county of Maryland that many people think should be spelled like the capitol of Connecticut. Well, Virginia, there is no ‘t’ in your neighboring county. Say it, now, Harrrrrrrford, Harrrrrrford, Harrrrrrford. You get the idea. And one more little ditty. The town of North East in Cecil County is actually the name of a town; not a direction. When the news media 'flooded' the small town to cover the devastating effects of Hurricane Floyd a number of years ago, the town realized how little the Baltimore band of reporters knew of this historic town to the north. So, they adopted a new tourism motto, 'North East. A destination not a direction.'

I admit, some names are tricky. Take Madeline, for example. Some people spell it Madeleine. Some Maddelyn. But the ‘real’ spelling is Madeline. Or is it? Then there are names whose spelling is based on gender, like Carol and Carroll; Hillary and Hilary.  And of course there's the hooked-on-phonics dilemma. My last name is Mones, but people automatically spell it like it sounds, Moans. So when I have to give my name, I recite, 'My last name is, Mones-like-Jones-but-with-an-M.' It takes a bit longer, but hey, some things are worth it.

As we approach the holiday season, please remember that Christmas is not Xmas. I can't be as certain about the preference for Chanukah vs. Hanukkah. Maybe somebody will write in and tell me. As far as I know, Kwanza has always been spelled as it started. But regardless of your holiday orientation,  I wish all of you a Merry (not Mary) Holiday Season.

For more about names, check out our Parenting Examiner, Angele Sionna, www.examiner.com, who follows Baby Names of the Day. You can never start too early to spell.

Send me your name-blunders. I would like to include them in a future article. And I welcome your comments. Write me at: prm@dmv.com