"My first and middle names, Gaynete’ (Gay-net-tay) Asede’ (Us-add-aye) Maryam (Mi-ree-um) are of Ethiopian descent, and have always been difficult to pronounce. Even years after working with some colleagues, they still had a difficult time getting it right. Often in meetings, and over conference calls, there was that awkward pause in between someone trying to address me. Usually asking, 'Is there something else I can call you?' No, no there is not."The way I see it is if someone can formulate their mouths to pronounce names like 'Kardashian,' I too deserve that same respect. It often isn’t a matter of them not being able to say it, many simply do not care enough to try, and for people like that, I make them put in the effort. Although I understand that it is quite unusual and challenging for people who first meet me, I do not think there are any excuses for those who’ve known of me for some time."While I do not believe I've been passed up on a job because of it, when I was younger, I often wished I was given another name. Now that I am older and run my own successful business, however, I am proud of my name and wouldn’t ever change it. It has proven to be a blessing in disguise as my URL and social media handles were all readily available. Also, to my knowledge there aren't any other authors with my name either, allowing me to stand out amongst the crowd."Everyone and their circumstances are so unique, therefore I do not believe there are standard naming rules anyone should feel obligated to follow. Rather than us asking if we should refrain from naming our child culturally unusual names, we should instead work to progressively eliminate the pigeon-holing that they create to begin with. There was a president of the United States with the name Barack Obama. That should be enough to begin mending people’s views."