Just Call Me D.P.

Where do I start on this one?

Ever since the first time we had roll call in class, I've had the pleasure of correcting someone on how to pronouce my name.  Even as a young child I couldn't understand what was hard about pronouncing DeRonnie correctly.  LOOK AT IT.  It's not Deroni like macaroni.  It's Ronnie (which seems to be easily pronounced) with De in front of it.  Most people err on the side of prounoucing a noun followed by two consonants with a soft sound.

Knowing that this would be and issue when I went to college I listed my preferred name as D. Pitts, which is what everyone called me in high school.  First Initial...Last Name....EASY RIGHT?  So when we get the freshman facebook I have my picture in there with my official name listed as Dee Pitts.  Dee?  Dee?  Like the little sister from What's Happening?

So you think I would have learned my lesson when I came back to Stanford for B-School.  This time I was gearing up for admit weekend and I told them that my preferred name was D.P., which had become what most of my friends call me.  EASY RIGHT? It's my initials.  Of course the Stanford GSB would get it right... Wrong!  I get my nametag and it reads D.P. Pitts.  What sense does that make?  My middle name starts with an L.  I mean, that just sounds like I'm stuttering trying to say my own name.

Well let me tell you that the corporate world didn't do any better.  I went nine months at my corporate finance job with Prudential getting check stubs that read "De R. Pitts (like Ronnie is my middle name).  I'm just gonna pull a Chad Johnson and change my name to Dos (my college jersey number).

It's hard not having a common name (unless you're famous for something).  I didn't even realize that my name was that uncommon until I got to Stanford.  Of course there are way more Matts, Johns, & Peters, but there are two other DeRonnies from my hometown (population ~70,000).  If you don't believe me... google DeRonnie and see if DeRonnie Turner's name comes up on a Linkedin profile.  There was also a DeRonnie Finch (though I believe he had a different spelling).

So what does DeRonnie mean?

According behindthename.com, Ronnie comes from Ronald, which yields - Scottish form of RAGNVALD, a name introduced to Scotland by Scandinavian settlers and invaders. It became popular outside Scotland during the 20th century.

So I guess it would mean - from Scandinavia????  Maaaaaaaan... just call me D.P.....And when I tell you it's my initials don't ask ... "well what do your initials stand for?" Ummm, the first letters of my name!!!

What about when I have to introduce myself to people?  That's an entire different can of worms.  Most of the time people think I'm saying Jeronni, so I often brave the streets of San Francisco with the shirt pictured below.

That way I don't have to go yell... I can just point to my shirt.  But, most people don't get it until three or four attempts.  So just call me D.P. and not Jeronni, Durante, DeRonimo (yes... someone took it there), Jerome, Damani, DeAndre, or Donnie.... AND NOT Ronnie (why?... cause that's not my name!!).  Either DeRonnie or D.P.

So this mix goes out to anyone who gets their name butchered.  I feel your pain.  It would be easy to just let people call me whatever they want, but I don't let them get away with that.  If you're having trouble explaining your name to someone, just use some of the methods in this mix.  The following tactics are used by the artists in the mix.

1. Yell your name, forcefully

2. Reintroduce yourself

3. Just accept that they won't get it right

4. Use initials followed by a personality trait

5. Explain it's origin

6. Just tell them they're are wrong

COMO TE LLAMAS Mix