What's in a name?

I'm rather miffed. This morning I received yet another work e-mail addressed to me, but with my first name clearly misspelled. The sender was an editor I have been acquainted with since I began my job eight months ago and have worked very closely with on a large project over the recent few months. My boss even still misspells my name after nearly 3/4 of a year. There are only three other women on our staff.

I have never thought my first name or my maiden name were hard to spell, but apparently I am very, very wrong. I have had a rather long lifetime of misspelled names, both first and last. I can understand substituting a "C" for the "K" in my first name, or the occasional use of a "y," but not after someone has become well acquainted with me. My elementary school couldn't even spell my name correctly on letters they sent to my parents. In high school, I received a trophy from a local organization at the annual awards night, and my name was very misspelled on the engraved plaque. Don't they have people who check these things? Along a similar vein, I had a professor in college (he was also my adviser) who repeatedly referred to me by the "Kathy" nickname that I abhor. Finally, by my third and final year, he started to catch himself every once in awhile, but I didn't often correct him because I am nice and respectful and simmering with anger that will one day blow and result in multiple casualties.

When I mail letters or send e-mails, I try to be very conscientious about the other person's name, particularly at work where even leaving off a "Doctor" title of the name can result in some ridiculously (and petty) snippy replies. I find it terribly insulting to blatantly misspell someone's name, especially if it is clearly displayed in the e-mail address line.

So, what's the deal? Are these people just careless or passive aggressive? Or am I really just that forgettable? Because either way, I'm getting darn sick of being Cathryn.