Antinaming: How to spell

Bad spelling is an epidemic here in the US.  We've gone so far as to create a texting language so that we don't have to spell out every word we use.  We've all been guilty of bad spelling at least once in our lives (I know I have a ton!  Thank you spell check, for being there for me in my times of need).  Now let's consider bad spelling as it applies to names.

Can you spell a name incorrectly?  My honest answer is yes.  Although, I accept that some folks want to intentionally use a different spelling of a name for personal reasons.  Sometimes, I don't find a different spelling odd and I almost always love any spelling of a name when it's attached to an adorable little kiddo (a sweet/fun/adorable/loving child can make most any name just as sweet/fun/adorable/etc).  Overall, spelling is completely up to the parents and once that name is given, the spelling is correct to that child.  BUT, when a name is not attached to a little kiddo, it is easier to assess it's positives and negatives, one of those being spelling.

So, what is correct?  Well, even that can be subjective, as some names have multiple traditional spellings (i.e. Catherine vs. Katharine).  Let's take a look at my own name, Kristi.  This is a name that can be spelled a ton of different ways, but there are traditional ways of spelling it.  Really, my name is a variant of a variant of a variant.  Christian is the original, next is Christina, then Kristy, then Kristi.  So, how do you traditionally spell my name?  I would say that there isn't just one way as it is a nickname of a longer name.  However, the typical ways to spell my name are:
Christi(e)
Christy
Kristy
Kristi(e)

These are the most common ways.  There are far more variations of this name that parents invent to make the name more creative.  For instance, there's:
Chrysty
Chrysti(e)
Crysty
Crysti(e)
Khristi(e)
Khristy
Krysti(e)
Krysty

The biggest difference: the 'y'.  For whatever reason, placing a 'y' for an 'i' is thought to make a name more creative.  My name is already close enough to crusty.  Using something like Crysty is just begging for grief!  And no, spelling a name differently does not make it more creative.  It just makes it confusing.  Stick with the originals and save yourself the grief.

If you'd like to explore some different spellings and what the traditional spelling is, check out this website: http://www.behindthename.com/.  If the name you type in doesn't come up or is a variant of something else, then it is most likely not the traditional spelling.

Note: Some names have non-traditional spellings but have been used for so long that they are now part of the spectrum of typical spellings for that name (like Steven instead of Stephen).