Thanks to Cop Car, I have found a completely useless, but fascinating theory on my name. If I use my former married name, I am the only person in the US with that name. And, there are only 164 people with that last name at all. I must know at least 20% of those people. I will admit that the spelling is a non-common variation and if I put in an alternate spelling, the instances rise.
However, what I do find funny (and perhaps accurate) is that according to the graphic, there are 1 or fewer. If I was the only person with that name on Dec 31, 2014 as of Jan 1, 2015, no one has it.
| HowManyOfMe.com | ||
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Now that I have gone back to my maiden name, it seems there are 188 people that would respond if it was called over the loudspeaker.
| HowManyOfMe.com | ||
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Of course this is non-scientific, not claimed to be accurate, and just uses statistics to estimate those numbers, so this means absolutely nothing except I had something to post.
There is another family in Kansas with the same last name who is not, AFAIK, related to your outlaws. One of their members is a bird watcher, and there used to be a family in Cuba (I don't know if they are still there.) As you note, there are several combinations of vowels that make up variations on the name.
Your dad was surprised to see your last name on the return address of the card you sent the other day. You and he are the only people in the USA who are related and share that last name. There are even more ways of spelling that last name; but, AFAIK, none are related to you.
Posted by: Cop Car | April 25, 2015 at 09:03 AM
Of course, no one with whom I share MY last name is related to me. That's what happens when you make up your own name!
Posted by: Cop Car | April 25, 2015 at 09:04 AM
Now that you mention it, I remember you telling me of that bird watcher. I think I contacted the crew there in KS to determine if anyone knew that person.
Either I missed Dad with my announcement email, or he is just so used to my former name that he forgot I reverted back to my maiden name. Not many people do that after they have had a name for 29 years!
Posted by: bogie | April 26, 2015 at 11:43 AM
I think you may have misspoken when you said that he and I are the only ones related in the US with our last name. Surely at least a couple other people are related to each other. Maybe you meant that he and I are the only ones in our family tree with that last name.
Posted by: bogie | April 26, 2015 at 11:45 AM
My maiden name is so common as to be scary, according to that page just short of 8000 people respond to it. Despite the fact that my first name is considered uncommon in my age group and younger.
My married name on the other hand, apparently I'm the only one who'd respond to it. Assuming they pronounced the last name in a kinda close manner, which is usually the problem!
Posted by: Ruth | April 28, 2015 at 09:19 AM
Bogie--Picky, picky. You and he are not related to the others who spell your name that way (or any other way AFAIK in the USA).
It just took a split-second for your dad to realize that the card was from you. It takes a while to get used to such changes. I still start out writing the wrong last name for me, myself, every couple of years.
Posted by: Cop Car | May 01, 2015 at 12:47 PM
Bogie--I still didn't get it right! Forget it. It wasn't that important. *laughing*
Posted by: Cop Car | May 01, 2015 at 12:48 PM