If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me if my name was a boy's name, I would be rich by now. Growing up with a name that a lot of people consider to be a boy's name, you run into the same annoying instances over and over again. My name is not a boy's name. It can be used for a boy or a girl, obviously. Girls that have names that people usually consider to be boy's name or names that are unisex probably encounter the same things I do. Here are a few things we struggle with and encounter often.
People ask you all the time if your name is a boy's name
First of all, I don't know you and that was rude of you to ask me that. Second of all, no, it's not. Just because 'Friends' made my name a popular boy's name doesn't mean that it is only a boy's name. My mom named me before that show came out and she had only seen it on girls before that.
You get emails and mail that say Sir/Mr. on them
It is really awkward when you have to politely reply to an email telling them that you are a girl and not a guy. I've had to do that on multiple occasions because everyone just assumes I'm a boy.
When your mom makes your doctors appointments, they always assume you're a boy
Receptionist: "OK, what symptoms does he have?" Mom: "Well, he is actually a she."
People try to come up with nicknames for you
Usually, when they do come up with a nickname, it is boyish. Do not call me ChanMan or Chan the Man or whatever else just because it rhymes. There are a few of my friends that I let it slide for, but for the most part, no. Just no.
People always ask why your parents named you what they did
I don't know. My mom just really liked the name. No, it's not a family name. No, my parents didn't think I was going to be a boy.
Even with all of these annoying instances with my name, I really do love my name. I don't care if people think it is a boy's name or not. I love boy's names for girls and when I have a daughter in the future, she will probably have a "boy's" name as well. Girls (and guys) can be named whatever they (their parents) want. Here's to all of us with names that people believe are for the opposite gender!
