Input conformation using generic table?

[eluser]erik.brannstrom[/eluser]
On the website I'm currently working on I let users input their own information which is then stored in a database. However, people have different ways to input this information, for example by using or not using a leading 'The' or perhaps adding ', The' at the end.

Instead of forcing people into a specific pattern, I would now like to implement some type of system that automatically links the different values to one single generic value.

My idea is to carry one table with an id, name and generic_id where the generic_id is linked to the id of a generic table with id, name and url_name (for SEO friendly urls). As the input form is posted I automatically check for some common differences like the ones in my example to see if I can find an existing generic row, otherwise I add a new one.

Any comments or suggestions on this approach?