Last Updated: March 4, 2026
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Maitreyi Ramakrishnan reveals the unexpected fake name she uses at coffee shops
Last Updated: March 4, 2026
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Maitreyi Ramakrishnan has the kind of name people remember. The problem is, they do not always say it the way it is meant to be said. If you have ever watched someone hesitate over a name tag, or you have had to repeat your own name three times in a row, you will probably relate to what she shared in a recent conversation with PEOPLE.
And honestly, her solution is both practical and pretty funny. In a PEOPLE interview tied to her appearance in Pokémon’s Super Bowl LX campaign, Ramakrishnan talked about how often people mispronounce her name.
She also talked about something bigger that many of us wrestle with. Letting go of control and choosing the right people to keep close.
When your name turns into a daily puzzle
Ramakrishnan told PEOPLE that people routinely struggle with her first name. It is not just an occasional mix-up. It is a regular part of her day-to-day life. “One hundred percent story of my life, especially with my first name,” she said. “I had a couple of viral tweets when I like first got famous. Just spelling out my name, like, My-Tray-Yee, as a pronunciation.”
If you have never had to coach someone through your name, that might sound exhausting. But if you have, you know it can become this weird little moment where you decide whether to correct someone, ignore it, or turn it into a joke. Ramakrishnan seems to have done a bit of all three.
And it is not just her first name. She explained that her last name surprises people, too, because they see something that looks long and assume it must be tricky. In her mind, it is actually straightforward. “But then, see, my thing is with my last name, I didn’t feel like I ever needed to do that. ‘Cause my last name is just said like it’s read, Ramakrishnan. But then I get a lot of people saying Rama-Chrishtian, like Christianity. And I’m like, there’s no ‘T.’ This is yet again a reading comprehension issue.”
That is the thing about mispronunciations. Sometimes it is an honest mistake. Sometimes it is someone guessing with confidence and getting it wildly wrong. And sometimes it is a reminder that people rush through what is right in front of them. Ramakrishnan summed it up with a quick punch line that also felt like a real point. “This is why we need to invest in education,” she quipped.
The coffee shop shortcut, just call me Blue
If you have ever been in a crowded coffee shop, you know the situation. Music is playing, someone is steaming milk, and the barista is trying to get through a line that is out the door. It is not exactly the ideal place for a careful pronunciation lesson.
So Ramakrishnan decided to remove the friction altogether. Instead of repeating her name, spelling it, then correcting it again when it is called out, she just gives a different name. “I usually just say my name is Blue at a coffee shop. I’ll just say Blue,” she revealed.
It is simple, clear, and hard to mess up. It also makes the coffee run feel easier. And there is something relatable about choosing peace in a tiny everyday moment. Not everything needs to become a conversation. Sometimes you just want your drink and to move on with your day.
At the same time, there is a little sting behind the humor. When someone changes their name for convenience, it is often because their real name keeps getting treated like a burden. Ramakrishnan does not dwell on that here, but you can feel why she would pick a shortcut.
Getting comfortable with what you cannot control
Later, PEOPLE asked Ramakrishnan about her goals for the coming year. Her answer moved from coffee orders to something that hits a lot closer to home for many of us. The mental tug of war between what we can control and what we cannot.
“My brain doesn’t like to know that it’s not in control of everything, you know?” she explained. “Like, I understand that there’s many things in my life that are out of my control completely, but my brain doesn’t like to know that, and keeps fighting, even though logically I understand that as a concept.”
That is such a real description of anxiety and ambition living in the same space. You can understand a truth intellectually and still feel your mind push back emotionally. It is like knowing you cannot control the weather, but still checking the forecast every ten minutes and hoping you can somehow will it to change.
For Ramakrishnan, the goal is not perfection. It is progress. It is learning to narrow her focus to what she can actually shape.
Fun Fact: Maitreyi was picked to play Devi on Never Have I Ever after responding to an open call that drew about 15,000 hopefuls, making it one of the more unlikely “found on the internet” casting stories in recent Netflix history.
The part she can control is the people around her
There is one area where Ramakrishnan feels steady. The circle she keeps. She said that while many things are unpredictable, choosing who you let into your life is something you can be intentional about. “I know that I have good people around me. That’s like super, super important,” she said, adding, “I don’t like to put myself in a social circle that makes me feel like I’m second-guessing myself. Not that I need a bunch of yes men, I need people that are real.”
That balance is hard to find, but it matters. Real support is not constant praise. It is honesty without cruelty. It is people who want you to win, and who tell you the truth in a way you can hear.
She wrapped it up with a line that feels like something you could say to a friend over dinner when the conversation gets a little deeper. “I mean, life is short, it’s a blip. Gotta make it count. Might as well have a good cast of people, you know?” she added.
She can’t control how strangers say her name, but she can control how she reacts and who she surrounds herself with.
TL;DR
- Maitreyi Ramakrishnan says people regularly mispronounce her name, especially her first name.
- She has even spelled it out online to help with pronunciation, like “My-Tray-Yee.”
- Her last name gets misread too, including mix-ups like ‘Rama-Chrishtian, like Christianity,’ which she jokes is a reading comprehension problem.
- To avoid the hassle at coffee shops, she sometimes gives a fake name instead.
- Her go-to coffee order name is “Blue.”
- Looking ahead, she wants to get better at accepting what is out of her control.
- She focuses on what she can influence, especially surrounding herself with good, honest people who keep it real.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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