What's in a name? Well, everything.
- It's usually the first thing someone wants to know about you.
- It's something your parents gave significant thought to -- perhaps bickered about -- before you even made an appearance in the world.
- It may be a gift, given to honor a family member, friend or special person in your parents' lives.
- It is something that will (usually) stay with you for the rest of your life.
- It will live on, after you are gone.
Your name is how you identify yourself, so of course everything about it is important, right down to the spelling, which is why it is imperative that people make every effort to get it right. If you aren't sure, look it up, do an internet search, or simply ask.
One of the worst -- and by worst, I mean most pathetic -- places I see names misspelled is on email. The person's name is usually right there, as part of the email address, and often times in their signature line, yet it is spelled incorrectly in the greeting.
Really -- this has more to do with lack of attention and perhaps, laziness, than spelling ability, and there is no excuse.
It definitely sends a message.