Going to school in NJ, I had a teacher whose first name was "Dawn" and she hated it. I didn't understand, I thought it was a pretty name.

But then I grew up, left the state, and wondered why everyone referred to the morning as "don." That's when it all clicked (or, you could say, it dawned on me.) Other states don't pronounce the "aw" part, making "Dawn" and "Don" sound the same. In New Jersey, they are distinct. Now I see why having that name could be upsetting.