Having a name that’s difficult to spell or pronounce can lead to complications.

For any parent, picking out the perfect baby name is paramount. Many devote countless hours to finding a suitable name, one that they hope will be easily pronounced and spelt correctly by others their child encounters, eliminating the need for constant correction.

While steering clear of “made-up” names for this reason, some might still opt for traditional names from other cultures or languages, which can pose challenges – particularly if you live or move somewhere where the name is uncommon. One Irish woman experienced exactly this, as she explained in a viral video that her Gaelic name repeatedly stumps people.

Orlaith Mary posted a TikTok video showing numerous emails she’d received in which her name, which should be said as “Or-la”, was misspelt in various ways, including Olaith, Orlaigh, and even Olaf.

These errors occurred despite her correct name spelling being in her email address. In her video, a soundbite plays with another woman emphatically stating: “The spelling of my name is in my email.”

Orlaith, 27, shared in her video caption that it’s “almost like [my name] is another language”. She also mentioned an alternative spelling of her name – Órfhlaith – which has the same pronunciation but often confounds people outside of Ireland even more.

According to UK Baby Names, regardless of the spelling, the name means “golden princess” and ranked as the 509th most popular baby name in the UK in 2024. While data on its popularity in Ireland is scarce, Rollercoaster notes that it was at its peak at 22nd place in 1980 and remained “steady” through the 80s and 90s before declining in the early 21st century.

Viewers of Orlaith’s video expressed solidarity with her situation, sharing their own experiences with frequently misspelt names. A person named Réiltín commented: “Olaf had to have been intentional. feel your pain as another person who never gets their name spelt correctly.”

Someone named Amy recounted: “A colleague who’s worked with me for more than five years managed to misspell Amy Jayne as Jayme. Jayme. TWICE.”

A woman named Deirdre revealed she was once called Didier, while one person called Cynthia lamented: “If it makes you feel better, people misspelt my name so often my nickname from friends is Cyntina now. Even close family misspell my name when tagging me.”