Ah, makes sense now. I assumed you weren't the Duchess of York.
Yes, I've met few people in my life who could pronounce my last name. I've heard everything from "Cooo-Troe" to "Cottrux" to "Coat Racks" to "Kotex." And "Cockroach" of course.
My Great Great Great Grandfather was from France. He moved to New Orleans as a boy. Later in life, he started his own coffee company. Most people don't know this, but Cottraux Coffee was actually nationally famous in its time.
Dutchess is about the sweetest thing around & if she werent happily married, I would fix you two up... maybe she has a sister????
RE: your name. I had a very difficult slavic maiden name & married a gent with a diffiuclt German name. When I got divorced I decided I no longer wanted to spell, re-spell, pronounce & re-pronoune my last name again.
So I found a NICE easy name & changed it!