A WOMAN whose name becomes "s.hart" when shortened in email addresses has warned parents to think twice before naming their kids.
Sam Hart, 27, has had the unfortunate fate of her name being shortened to "s.hart" in all her company email addresses.
The issue led to many uncomfortable email exchanges with HR and has made her fear for her employability.
This has pushed Sam, a communications professional, to urge parents to consider carefully how they name their children.
Sam, from Richmond, Virginia, USA, said: "I think parents should think about it and run different formulas.
Are there illegal baby names? Surprising monikers that are BANNED in other countries, from Sarah to Thomas
"They should think about monograms, initials, think about all that stuff."
Sam didn't realise her full name became "shart" when shortened until her parents got her custom license plate as a gift.
Sam said: "I was in high school and I got a vanity plate as a nice gift from my parents.
"I drove the car to school and my boyfriend pulled me aside and said: 'You know what that means, right?' I was mortified"
The shortening of Sam's name using the first letter of her first name and her surname is very common in the United States.
In every job she has had so far, Sam had to discuss changing her email address.
This has led to multiple embarrassing emails from prospective employers, with some even changing her email address.
Sam said: "At my first job, in 2019, I was working in communications at a local government.
"I got a very polite email from HR saying: 'This is how we structure our emails but I don't think it's right for you, do you mind if we change yours?'"
"The job I currently have were saints.
I'm scared I've ruined my daughter's life because of her name
"I sent them an email about it and it's not a lovely thing to bring up, it's a bit embarrassing, and they had to back and change my details.
"They were lovely, they said: 'Oh! we didn't realise.' They changed my email, my log-ins, everything."
Sam doesn't believe it has affected her employability so far but she has worried that it would at some point.
She said: "I have worried about it. I don't want to seem unprofessional by having the conversation. It's gross."
