‘They said it was offensive!’
Fanny Abramczuk, 45, lives in Dursley, Gloucestershire
As a child I never realised that my name was unusual – or possibly even rude. But of course, now at 45, you can’t tell me a joke I haven’t heard! At school, I was the only one with the name and still to this day, I’ve never met another Fanny in the UK. It wasn’t until secondary school that I started to get side glances and I began to wish I was called something ordinary like Sarah or Jane – I was sure they didn’t get sexual quips aimed at them! When I asked Mum why she’d called me a name that was so – er – unique, she insisted she’d thought it was pretty and, given that there wasn’t much I could do about it, I just had to deal with it. As I got older new people would double take, often fumbling before repeating. Sometimes you can see them trying to work out if they’ve heard me correctly!
‘Franny?’ they question. And of course, I’ve had a fair share of stifled giggles in response to my name, too.
It’s quite the conversation starter and people tend not to forget me! But I censor my name depending on the situation. Many at the content agency where I work call me ‘Fan’ and on social media I avoid using my full name where I can. Women have enough to worry about online without adding a name like Fanny into the mix. And, though it happens much less now, when I first started creating online accounts, even for mundane things like my TV Licence, the websites would flag my name as offensive and I simply wouldn’t be able to set up a login.
But, despite the occasional jibes and embarrassment, I’ve grown to love my name. It’s unique and memorable, and it’s a part of me.