I wish I had a unique name. Common last name, and a first name that was like top 10 around the year I was born and still usually makes the too 100.
When I first came to work at my current job, I was told that my email address was LASTNAMEfirstinitial@. Everyone else had just lastname@. Then I found out why, someone at my agency has my name. Now her first name is the shortened version of mine, but still, same name. Constant issues with emails going to her that should go to me, and never forwarded to me. UGH! Someone else within the same agency has my exact same name.
Back when I still lived in Pittsburgh.........
When opening a bank account once, I chose a PIN for my card and then when I got it, different PIN. They said, oh that's the one you had with your last account. YEP, not me. So I was stuck with a PIN that I could never remember because it meant nothing to me.
Had my hair cut once at a shop and they said, are we coloring it the same color as last time? I said - never been here before. YEP, someone with my name got their hair cut there before.
My 5th grade teacher ran into my mother one day when I was out of college. Told Mum she had been volunteering at a hospital in the area and she freaked out when she saw my name on a list of people in intensive care. Went in to check on me, but no, it was not me.
Got a call one night about selling my tickets to the Steeler game. First, I have no Steeler tickets, second, wouldn't sell them if I did.Turns out, the woman had called a number from the phone book that had my last name and my first initial. So happens, it was my brother. He gave her my number since he said he thought she really was looking for me (she told him she worked with me, not about having Steeler tickets, that he would have known was not me). So, some girl with my name has Steeler tickets.
One day when I still lived in Pittsburgh I came into work and opened the paper. In the obits section, there was someone listed who had the same name as the aforementioned brother. I chuckled and asked my boss if he thought my family would have called me to tell me my brother died. Of course it was not my brother (though he freaked out a lot of people at the courthouse when he showed up for work that day). But this man with my brother's name, who had just died, had a daughter with......wait for it....you guessed it....my name.
So, yeah, I know a thing or two about someone having my name. Is it possible that in Pittsburgh it was one girl with my name who previously had banked at my bank, got her hair cut at a new salon I tried, owned Steeler tickets, was in the ICU at one point, and had a father with the same name as my brother? Sure, it is possible. But I tend to fear it is actually more than just one girl in my hometown with my same name.
I sure do wish I'd either have had more creative parents, or not been so unlucky at love. (though I'd probably still keep my all too common name anyway).