“Is Amanda Lee your real name? Why is your name Amanda Lee and not just Amanda? Can I call you Amanda?”
Yes, Amanda Lee is my real name. That is what it says on my driver’s license and my birth certificate. I used to go by Amanda when I was younger and didn’t know as many people…but did you know that Amanda was the sixth most popular baby name in the year that I was born? And that there are approximately 75,310 (editor’s note: this is an exaggeration, albeit only a slight one) Amandas in New York at any given time? And that at one time, my immediate circle included two close friends, two cousins, and at least one coworker with Amanda as a first name? With stats like these, I was running into Amandas everywhere. I had to distinguish myself, even if only for workplace and social logistics. And I really don’t have to tell you that it was way easier to get AmandaLee.org than to get Amanda.org (or .com, or .net, or whatever).
As for whether you can call me Amanda…well, you can. My dad still slips up and does it, as do many of my Facebook friends who knew me in high school (when I was the only Amanda around). But I’ll probably correct you gently. After all, if someone introduced themself as Jennifer or Robert, you wouldn’t automatically start calling them Jen or Rob, would you?
Darling readers, what are the origins of your names? Do you use your real name as your online identity? Have you ever undergone a name change? How did it work out?
Related posts:
- On Gender and Friendships: Getting Along With Other Girls
- Sunday Survey: 1.31.2010 [Ask Amanda Lee!]
- Full Disclosure #001: In Which Amanda Lee Begins Speaking Her Mind About Fashion, Finance, and Writer’s Block
- Shameless Self-Promotion
- Amanda Lee’s Birthday Wish List, Part 2: The Immaterial (Read: The Important Stuff)
