ACR X RECEIVED DESCENT ALT OF ACR Y ON XING COURSE; BUT CTLR CORRECTED ERROR BEFORE LOSS OF SEPARATION. OPERATIONAL DEVIATION.

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WE ACR X WERE DSNDING TO 11000' TRACKING DIRECT TO SFO VOR. AT APPROX 10 MI NW WE WERE ISSUED CLRNC TO FLY HDG 120 AND DSND TO 6000'. THE CAPT ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC AND WE COMPLIED WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS. WHILE DSNDING OUT OF 8600' THE CTLR ISSUED US A 090 DEG HDG AND ASKED IF WE WERE AT 11000'. THE CAPT TOLD HIM WE WERE DSNDING OUT OF 8600' TO 6000' AS CLRD. HE ISSUED AN IMMEDIATE LEVEL OFF AT 8000' AS THERE WAS MLG ACR Y AT 7000' IN OUR 11 O'CLOCK POSITION; AND CONVERGING. WE LEVELED AT 8000' AS INSTRUCTED AND PASSED CLEAR OF ACY Y. THERE WAS SOME MISUNDERSTANDING BY THE CTLR. I BELIEVE HE WAS BUSY AND ISSUED US THE CLRNC WHICH WAS MEANT FOR ANOTHER ACFT. HAVING NOT BEEN IN THE ROOM WITH THE CTLR I CANNOT SAY WHY HE ERRED; HOWEVER HE DID CATCH THE MISTAKE IN TIME. WE ALSO SAW MLG Y; AND OBVIOUSLY WOULD NOT HAVE HIT HIM. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR SAID THAT HE HAS NOT HEARD ANY MORE REF INCIDENT AND THAT HIS PIC DID NOT WANT TO MAKE A BIG ISSUE OF IT AS THE ATC SUPVR HAD TOLD HIM THAT THE CTLR INVOLVED WAS PRETTY UPSET AFTER INCIDENT AND IT WOULD SERVE AS A GOOD EXPERIENCE FOR LEARNING ON THE PART OF THE CTLR. ALL 3 FLT CREW MEMBERS ARE POSITIVE THAT CTLR USED THEIR CALL SIGN WHEN ISSUING DSCNT CLRNC TO 6000. THERE WAS NO DANGER OF COLLISION AS THEY HAD MLG Y IN SIGHT FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME AND HAD AT LEAST 1000' VERT SEP WHEN XING TRACKS.