Hello: My name is ...

Track. Bristol. Willow. Piper and Trig.

Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, gave her children five unusual names. Plenty of IU students can empathize.

Freshman Piper Hamlett, who shares the name of one of Palin’s daughters, said students with uncommon names encounter a range of experiences.

“Having an unusual name is fun because it stands out in a group,” she said. “People don’t forget it once they’ve met me.”

But not everyone is so upbeat. Students with one-of-a-kind names say they sometimes face discrimination, teasing or other problems.

Senior Sari Lynne Applebaum, for instance, could never find a mug, key chain, license plate or other novelty item with her name on it.

“When I was little and they had those toothbrushes with sparkles on them and your name ­– I couldn’t find those,” she said. “I’d always be so hopeful.”

But she takes pride in her unusual name, which originates from Israel. Applebaum’s mother chose it because she wanted her second daughter to have a more unique name than her older sister, Lauren.

Applebaum’s name has had such an impact on her life, in fact, that she wrote her college admissions essay on how it has accentuated her personality.

“Having a different name,” she said, “makes you different.”

Sociology professor William A. Corsaro said having an uncommon name can work to a person’s advantage if they have a personality that’s accepted by peers.

“If you’re cool, this name makes you cooler,” Corsaro said.

Hamlett agrees.

“Every person I meet says that I have an interesting or ‘cool’ name,” she said.

On the other hand, if people don’t fit in well with their peer group, their name could make them a target of teasing and bullying, Corsaro said.

Parents often choose to give their child a unique name because it holds some significant meaning.

Palin chose the name Track for her 18-year-old son, for instance, because she’s a runner, and he was born during track season, according to the New York Daily News.

The 4-month-old Trig’s name means “true” or “strength” in Norse, the newspaper reported.

Bristol, 17, is named after Bristol Bay, Alaska, one of the family’s favorite fishing spots.

Palin has not publicly explained the names of her other daughters.

But Corsaro said children can use the stories behind their names as “ammunition” against potential teasing. Parents also play a key role in explaining the significance of names, he said.

Junior Jori Eisenberg has not been teased but said she often has to repeat her name, pronounced JOR-ee, several times when introducing herself. She also often spells it out to ease confusion.

Sari Applebaum’s name is pronounced SAH-rye, but people tend to say it as “sorry.” Over time, that pronunciation has stuck.

“Once, I was introducing myself to someone and they thought I was apologizing because I didn’t want to give them my name,” she said.

Corsaro said while a name is bestowed at birth, a child can easily change it at some point later in life. Children, once old enough, can pick a nickname or use their middle name in everyday interactions, he said.

Sometimes, a name can lead to discrimination.

A 2003 study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago and Massachusetts Institute of Technology confirmed that name-based discrimination in hiring practices exists.

The study found that 50 percent of employers called individuals with names sounding “white” more often than those with “black-sounding” names.

Junior Salimata Seye, a black journalism student, takes her name from her godmother. She frequently goes by her nickname, “Sali,” but said she puts her full name on her resume.

“You either want me or you don’t,” she said. “But if it’s over my name, that’s not something I can control.”

Corsaro said name discrimination is a serious issue and one that might be difficult to resolve.

“It’s impossible to keep people from discriminating a name on a piece of paper,” he said. “This is racism at a level that’s hard to detect.”