Joanna Cole: Hello, my name is Joanna Cole. Cole is my husband's last name, which I was so, so happy to get when we were married. That's because my maiden name was Basilea. It's a beautiful Italian name that comes from the Greek word for king. Basilea may be beautiful, but when I was growing up no one could pronounce it, no one could spell it, and no one could remember it. People would ask, "What's your name, little girl?"

I would mumble, "Joanna Basilea."

"Huh?" They would say, looking at me as if I had said "Purple-Headed Octopus."

When Phil Cole and I decided to get married, I started using his easy-peasy four letter name, C-O-L-E, even before the wedding. The first time I used it was on the phone. The man at the other end heard Cole and asked, "Is that spelled, K-O-H-L?" I guess Basilea isn't the only name that has its problems.