"I guess my name's a relatively common name," says David W. Bell '86. "It's not that common, not like John Smith."

Wrong. Although there are two David Bells at Harvard, there is no John Smith.

But David Bell is certainly not the only name which appears twice in the student directory. More than 30 names, including David Lee, Jennifer Hall, and Manuel Lopez are shared by more than one student.

While at first such duplications seem mere coincidences, they can often end up being a comedy of errors for the students who receive each other's mail, phone calls or identities.

Jonathan F. Fernandez '88 was eating lunch at the Union when the two freshmen across from him introduced themselves and asked him if he lived in Wigglesworth. He replied yes, since he had lived there last year. The two giggled, describing his roommates. Fernandez had no idea what they were talking about.

And he shouldn't have. After all, he isn't really Jonathan Fernandez '89, a Wigglesworth resident, or at least Jonathan D. Fernandez, the Jonathan, Fernandez they were talking about.

The freshman Jonathan Fernandez says that he was surprised to discover another Jonathan Fernandez, "I thought that was a pretty interesting combination."

Perhaps, but not unique. Certainly not like Maria Cigarroa. Yet, there are two at the college--and they're sisters. Maria Elena '88 explains that they never get mixed up because she is called "Mari-elena" and her freshman sister is "Marisa."

Things are not as easy for David William Bell '86. When he was a sophomore, he went to University Health Services (UHS) and was kept waiting while they told him he didn't go to Harvard anymore. If UHS hadn't figured out that there was another David Bell in their records, he might still be waiting.

The following year, Bell received a letter from President Bok congratulating him on winning a prestigious scholarship. "I hadn't applied for any; I didn't know what was going on," Bell says. He told Bok's office, so that it could then send the letter to the right David Bell, a graduate student.

"I thought my problems were over. Now there's another David Bell," he says. "I guess my problems will be haunting him. Maybe he'll get my overdue library fines."

Or maybe he'll get W. Bell's financial aid forms or term bill--a prospect which is not unlikely, as many students know.

Freshman year, Robert M. Fox '87 was "red-dotted" at registration. He thought his mother had sent a check, and when he went to the registrar's office, they said they had received his check. It was really that of another Robert Fox, though. "I came within a few hours of having to take the semester off," says Fox.

Jonathan Cohen '86 was on the other side, when he received his term bill, after he had already paid the bill. The University acknowledged receiving $200, but asked for the rest.

The University's accounting also puzzled Adam L. Epstein '86, when it detracted $2000 from his financial aid form. At first he accepted it, but then he realized the University had been sending him the financial aid package of another Adam Epstein. Certainly, the Postal Service is mysterious enough without the added confusion that can come from receiving someone else's mail addressed to you.