Should I hide my name/be ashamed of it, or be proud of it?

Question

I moved over to the US from England a few weeks ago with my mum and start High School in the autumn. In England Ashley is a guys name and not used much on girls.But over here I know its sort of the opposite. My mum spelt my name Ashlee to make it that bit different from the other boys with the same name in England, but here people keep assuming I am a girl before they know me.

So, should I just use Ash (which my friends usually call me anyway once they know me) and try to hide my real name. Or will that be worse if I get found out and it looks like I am ashamed of it. Or should I just stick by name and the way its spelt and be proud of it and not worry about how different names are used in different cultures.

Not sure what to do and would like opinons.

Thx

Ashlee

Answer 1

be proud!! you kidding? unique people who stand out are awesome..everyone who makes fun of you are just jealous..go ashlee

Answer 2

Hmm, a tough one. I'd like to say that by high school people will be understanding, but some of them probably won't be.

To complicate the situation, while "Ashley" can sometimes be a male name in the US (although mostly for old men), "Ashlee" absolutely never is a male name.

I say hiding your name would be pretty impossible, especially since during roll call on the first day of class your teachers will all call out your real name. Introduce yourself however you want people to call you. If most people call you Ash anyway, go with that. If most people call you Ashlee, go with that. I wouldn't worry about the cultural differences, some people will make fun of you at first, but just chalk it up to other people being idiots and make friends with people who don't care.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Ashley, Courtney, Whitney, and others were all boys names but now most people assume that these are girls' names. Scarlett's love in Gone with the Wind was Ashley.

Alternate spellings are very popular, and 100% of the people that see your name will think it is a girl's name. Many people spell girls' names with ee or ie or i just to be different than traditional spellings (Emilee, Lucie, Candi, etc).

Don't be ashamed of your name, but make sure people (teachers, etc.) just call you Ash. You will be "found out" because your legal name is printed on the school roll and yes, everyone will know and think it is unusual. When your first teacher calls roll, she or he will say, if ignorant, "Is your name on here misspelled, because it has "ee" instead of "ey"?" Just say, no, but I go by Ash. After an initial surprise, no one will care. If they do, they are shallow.
You will find there are tons of girls' names that are traditional boys names (or surnames) if you haven't already. Jordan, Taylor, Madison, and Tyler are very popular. There could be two Jordans in your class that are one girl and one boy.
Anyway, don't make a big deal out of it and no one else will either. It will be something that will come up more than you want it to, but it's nothing to worry too much about. What to say when they ask "why did your mom give you a girl's name?" Say, "in England it's a popular boy's name" and let it go.

Most people will say a LOT more about your "cool accent" and ask you how you say stuff in England and why do you drive on the "wrong" side of the road, etc. Just humor them and be yourself!

Answer 4

No, use Ashlee. In my opinion and most of my friends find guys with girl type names@ times can be extremely attractive and since you most likely have a GORGEOUS accent.USE IT!

And with all the stuff going on in the world if someone takes out the time to tease/annoy you about your name that tells you a little something about them...doesn't it?

..Ash is also a word for when your skin turns white and dry... stick with Ashlee.

Answer 5

Well, yea i don't think you should " hide" from your name... it is unique... haven't you ever heard of that singer guy named Ashley parker angel? hes a guy... although, in America everyone does pretty much see it as a girls name, dont know many male Ashlees... its kool though... but you know when you wrote, "or should i just go by Ash" i totally agreed... Ash is kool and fun.... just tell them your real name and explain the background to it if they they ask... Good Luck Ash :) i like it

Answer 6

I say stick by your name and do not be ashamed of it. I know plenty of Ashlee's and some of them are guys. Don't worry about what other people think of your name it's none of their business and if they say something tell them your mom picked your name not you and where you come from it is a popular name for guys.

Answer 7

Depends on your character. If you want to make things simple and avoid ignorant people and explain the whole thing hundreds of times then go with Ash. On the other hand, the name your mom chose for you is something special and is a part of who you are.

Answer 8

Yikes poor bloke you're in for a lot of culture shock in the next year!! I'd go with ASH and leave it at that, lord knows you don't need some dumb **** Americans beating you up after school for having a "girlie name". (Can you tell I'm not American? LOL) Good luck...and remember school is a very small part of your life. One great thing you do have going for you is that all the girls are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE your accents...which is probably gonna piss the insecure American boys off and lord knows they don't need another reason to beat yer butt after class LOL!!!

Answer 9

This won't help now, but if you stay in the States for college, definitely go with Ashlee. All the college girls will think you're really hot, just for being different.

Answer 10

I think it has to do with how you personally feel about it if it embarasses you then maybe yes but if not then just tell ppl your name is ash and let it go or even just lee which is more of a male name here if that is your concerns

Answer 11

Just use Ash. You can even use Ash officially for school records etc. I know somebody who doesn't use his first name, but his middle name and only his wife knows his first name.