“Jamie! Holly! Coco! Peppa! Tippy!” How many times throughout your childhood would your parents go through your siblings’ and even pets’ names before remembering yours? It was infuriating.

But perhaps you sometimes get your friends’ names jumbled too, or - God forbid - that of a lover. Most of us have.

Remember when Ross married Emily but he said “I take thee, Rachel”? It was one of the most cringe-worthy moments of all ten series of Friends.

However new research has emerged that not only reveals why we call each other the wrong names, but may let us off the hook too - if someone familiar gets your name wrong, it’s because they love you.

Accidentally misnaming someone you know well seems to make no sense, but a study published in the journal Memory and Cognition has found otherwise.

American researchers asked 1,700 people if they’d ever been misnamed or misnamed someone else. They then asked what names were falsely said and what the relationship was between the people - or animals - concerned.

The study found that misnaming is equally common across all ages and “does not appear to be an indicator of ageing or of the cognitive decline typically associated with Alzheimer’s disease.”

The researchers discovered that mothers are most likely to call their children by the wrong name, most frequently mixing the child up with their siblings.

This is largely because misnaming tends to occur within a social group such as a family or group of friends - you're just as likely to call your friend Anna by the name Amber inadvertently if both girls are in your friendship group.

The researchers explain that this happens because we keep information about a person in a “mental semantic network” that also stores information about related people, places and things.

“When we try to remember something, units in our semantic network are activated; when enough units relevant to a concept are activated, the information reaches a threshold, and we remember it.

“Through a process called ‘spreading activation,’ other information related to a concept may also be activated - this may lead to errors if incorrect information reaches a threshold and is remembered, such as the name of a loved one.”

The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls Show all 20 1 /20 The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls 1. Oliver BEVERLY HILLS, CA - MARCH 24: Director Oliver Stone speaks onstage during the 2016 ASCAP Screen Music Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on March 24, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for ASCAP) Getty The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls 2. Jack LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 13: Publisher Benedikt Taschen (L) and actor Jack Nicholson attend TASCHEN And David Bailey Celebrate "It's Just A Shot Away: The Rolling Stones In Photographs" at the TASCHEN Gallery on December 13, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for TASCHEN) Getty Images for TASCHEN The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls 3. Harry LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 04: (EDITORS NOTE: IMAGE WAS PROCESSED USING DIGITAL FILTERS) Recording artist Harry Styles of music group One Direction performs onstage during 102.7 KIIS FMs Jingle Ball 2015 Presented by Capital One at STAPLES CENTER on December 4, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for iHeartMedia) Getty Images for iHeartMedia The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls 4. George Britain's Prince George is pictured in the arms of his father Prince William as they visit the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in western England, on July 8, 2016. / AFP / POOL / Richard Pohle (Photo credit should read RICHARD POHLE/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls 5. Jacob South African President Jacob Zuma addresses supporters during the African National Congress (ANC) party rally at the Dan Qeqe stadium in Port Elizabeth, on July 23, 2016 ahead of the municipal elections on August 3. / AFP / MICHAEL SHEEHAN (Photo credit should read MICHAEL SHEEHAN/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls 6. Charlie British comic actor and film director Charlie Chaplin (1889 - 1977) takes aim with his walking stick in character as the Little Tramp, circa 1925. (Photo by Edward Gooch/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Getty Images The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls 7. Noah Mandatory Credit: Photo by Paramount Pictures/REX (5885237ak) Russell Crowe Noah - 2014 Director: Darren Aronofsky Paramount Pictures USA Scene Still Noé Rex Features The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls 8. William NEWQUAY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 01: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge visits Nansledan, a 218-hectare site that will provide future business and housing for the local area on September 1, 2016 in Newquay, United Kingdom. (Photo by Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images) Getty Images The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls 9. Thomas American statesman Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826), the 3rd President of the United States of America. Jefferson was also responsible of the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Original Artwork: Engraving after painting by Rembrandt Peale. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Getty Images The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls 10. Oscar 28th May 1889: Irish playwright, novelist, essayist, poet and wit Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900). (Photo by W. & D. Downey/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Getty Images The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls 1. Amelia Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ugc/Studio Canal+/REX (5880341k) Audrey Tautou Amelie - 2001 Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet Ugc / Studio Canal+ FRANCE Scene Still Le Fabuleux Destin D'Amelie Poulain Rex Features The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls 2. Olivia LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: Actress Olivia Coleman attends the premiere of AMC's "The Night Manager" at DGA Theater on April 5, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for AMC) Getty Images for AMC The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls 3. Emily Actress Emily Blunt arrives for the premiere of of 'The Huntsman: Winter's War' at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood, California on April 11, 2016. / AFP / Mark Ralston (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images The top 10 most popular names for boys and girls 4. 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It’s for this reason that a mother so often calls her child by her other child’s name, as opposed to that of anyone else they know - the names of the children are connected in her semantic network.

The study also confirmed what people who grew up with dogs may have always suspected - parents jumble up dogs’ names with their children. Interestingly, dogs were the only pets whose names were used, perhaps suggesting that dogs are more part of the family than other animals.

“One interpretation of this finding is that dogs are a central part of pet-owning families; the family dog is likely stored in the same semantic network as other family members, which suggests that we consider dogs a part of the family, but not cats,” the researchers explained.

There’s also the fact that dogs are much more responsive to their own names and general commands from humans than cats. How often does a cat come bounding up to you when you call it? Exactly.