Mine isn't too creative, though it is an inside joke among my family and friends. My father was so certain that I was going to be a boy, that was in 1972 way before sonograms. He and my mother decided to name me after my uncle Andrew "Andy" who passed away. He was one of my father's older brothers. After my birth in July of 1972, my parents decided to name me Andrea "Andi." I grew up as Andi.
When I was in senior in high school, I dated this guy that was sort of taboo in my family. His father worked with my father. In fact, my dad was his superior. They didn't like each other, and it was more so on the part of Bill's (my ex-boyfriend) father. We dated any way, and like many typical teenagers, we spent a lot of time on the phone. Bill usually called me, but I remember making a call that turned out to be awkward. Bill's father answered the phone, and I politely asked to speak with Bill. Mr. Hoffman wanted to know who was calling. I was already nervous enough, because I thought Mr. Hoffman was weird. I quickly blurted out, "Andi." He said, "Andi who?" Being nervous, I said, "Andi the girl." I guess weird Mr. Hoffman didn't need any further explanation, so Bill and I did our usual telephone time. This was in the summer of 1989, before cell phones. When I went to hang up the phone, my noisy mother said, "Who did you have to explain that you're a girl to?" She heard the beginning of the conversation. When I explained the situation to her, she laughed. She said, "Now you might have Mr. Hoffman wondering about his son." I've been AndiGirl ever since.