Naming your child after something you love is an adorable idea – except in one woman’s case.
When Tequilla Shian Jones was born, her mom couldn’t decide between the name of her favorite cocktail – a Tequila Sunrise – or Shaylee Shian.
Instead the now 23-year-old, who revealed she doesn’t even drink alcohol, was named a unique combination of both names: Tequilla Shian.
‘Growing up, I would be taunted for my name,’ the cosmetologist, from Georgia, said, admitting she’s ‘heard the same jokes over and over again.’
‘Kids would ask if my parents were alcoholics or if they were drunk naming me,’ she added.
After Tequilla was born she says her mom was feeling a little ‘hazy’ so her dad signed the birth papers naming her Tequilla Shian.
Growing up, Tequilla said she would often get in trouble with teachers who thought she was making her name up, which led to her change her to just Shian when she was 11 to stop the bullying.
‘I started telling people I wanted to go by Shian, I was very insistent about it,’ she recalled.
When Tequilla Shian Jones was born, her mom couldn’t decide between the name of her favorite cocktail – a Tequila Sunrise – or Shaylee Shian
‘Everyone now calls me Shian, I only get called by my first name if I am in trouble,’ she reflected.
However, as an adult, Tequilla has decided to embrace her unique and liquor inspired moniker – despite never having a drop of alcohol.
‘I don’t have that middle school taunting anymore,’ she pointed out.
‘I, myself, don’t drink – people find that very funny, that the girl named Tequilla doesn’t drink,’ she quipped.
Tequilla explained her parents always liked the name, but had a son first and chose a different name.
While she was growing up, Tequilla didn’t realize that her name was unique until she was in fifth grade, and she says people started laughing at it.
‘When people started noticing my name, it was a little embarrassing,’ she admitted.
‘Once I had a teacher tell me that my name was fake, and she had to look at the federal attendance sheet to make sure I wasn’t making it up,’ the booze-free cosmetologist said.
Instead the now 23-year-old, who revealed she doesn’t even drink alcohol, was named a unique combination of both names: Tequilla Shian
As an adult, Tequilla has decided to embrace her unique and liquor inspired moniker – despite never having a drop of alcohol
Tequilla said she would often get in trouble with teachers who thought she was making her name up, which led to her change her to just Shian when she was 11 to stop the bullying
‘When we would have a substitute teacher and they said my name, everyone would turn to look at me.’
Now Tequilla said she has started to love her name again and wants to embrace it, debating about going by her first name rather than her middle name.
‘Now I feel okay with it, I have debated starting to go by it again,’ she shared. ‘People tell me that if you take away the meaning it is a really pretty name.’
Despite the unusual origins, Tequilla said she feels ‘so much’ better about her name as she gets older.
‘What can be a little embarrassing is if I am out and someone mentions the word tequila I will turn my head when I hear it,’ she joked.