What’s in a name? It depends on what you think of the question

LAST week, after I had bought a copy of the Irish Examiner for every member of my family to marvel at the wonder of mommy in a newspaper, I took five minutes out from children’s bath time to see for myself what it looked like.

As I looked at the picture and then at the name, my heart sunk a little as I heard the same question being silently asked by dozens of readers: “Adshead, that’s a funny name, I wonder where that’s from?” It is a question I am routinely asked — when I book a taxi, when I pay for anything by cheque, when I meet someone new at work, if I’m introduced to someone in the pub.

When I’m feeling crabby, I answer that “my dad gave it to me” and I am immediately aware of a subtle change in the conversation. I have dodged a central question. At this point the conversation either stops completely or turns to the weather. Sometimes, the question is not asked because people assume that they already know the answer. Many people read the name as “Adze-sheed” and surmise that I am from Pakistan or India (except, obviously, anyone from Pakistan or India). Others read the name as “Adz-Shed” and assume that I am English. If this is case, they tell me that they once lived in London or have a brother over in Birmingham. This turn in conversation is intended to be kind, but always irritates me because it indicates that the person I am talking to is clearly talking to me with the understanding that I am “from somewhere else”.