Ask HN: How do you handle name discrimination?
2 level87 2 5/7/2025, 9:58:05 AM
My name is difficult to pronounce and is Arabic in origin, I am western in all other ways. I get the feeling that people avoid saying it because they are afraid of mispronouncing it, or when they read it they make a judgement about me.
Have you ever used a different name on job applications, or cold emails to avoid any sort of discrimination and get your foot in the door?
Feels disingenuous, but also how can someone with a name that people make judgements on get past the fact that discrimination exists.
Maybe it isn't as common these days, but in the 1950s and 1960s lots of Italian, Greek and other European immigrants anglicized their names to mitigate discrimination.
Of course, I am not suggesting that you need to follow those examples. But having an awareness of such extreme measures might give you ideas for changes somewhere along the spectrum.
Sometimes you get someone whose English isn't great and you have to ask them to repeat their name 3 or 4 times, and sometimes their accent is just so foreign that you give up asking. Trust me - it is more embarrassing for the person asking than the person telling, and is awkward for the both if the person telling looks visibly upset at having to repeat themselves or having their name mispronounced.
The best thing to do is make light humor of it and maybe take on a shortened nickname that anyone can pronounce. If someone pronounces your name wrong, just try to say it again more clearly and laugh it off. If you take offence, that's your issue. People aren't deliberately trying to offend you.
Humor breaks through cultural boundaries. You should show that you have a sense of humor because it makes it much easier to talk to you. If an employer feels like they have to walk on eggshells to talk to you, you'll be much less likely to get the job.