cool nickname?

my name is Ariel. I was born the same year the little mermaid movie came out(1989) But I was born in the month of May and the movie came out in December. my mom wasn't very happy because she figured my name would become over used. luckily the name didn't get super popular but I still have to explain it every time I meet someone new. my name is pronounced R-E-L NOT AIR-E-L

And half the people i meet can't say it correctly. so about half the people I know still call me air-e-l.

I tried to use the nickname, REL but it didn't really stick so I quit using it. is the name Ariel (pronounced ARE-E-L) really that hard of a name? I also found out that the name Uriel is common in other areas as well for men. The Hebrew meaning is Lion of God.