US woman forced to change name because of meaning in Australia
The 22-year-old isn't the first to take on a new name while living Down Under.
It's not uncommon for Aussies to abbreviate words, including names, with tourists often surprised by the new moniker they take on while living Down Under.
But an American woman living in Sydney was forced to change her own name after learning what it means in Australia, highlighting the major differences between the two cultures.
Devyn Hales, 22, from California, revealed in a video on TikTok she now introduces herself as Dev, sharing the reasons why with her followers.
"My name is Devyn but I go by Dev now because apparently my name means packaged meat in Australian," she said.
In Australia, devon is a sliced meat made from sausages and typically enjoyed on a sandwich with sauce. "It’s similar to baloney so I introduce myself as Dev now," she added.
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Social media stunned by name revelation
The revelation left some in stitches, with others who share her name also chiming in.
"Tell me the name thing isn't true," a woman called Devon wrote. "Wait, omg my name is Devin and that happened to me too," said another.
"Wait, my name is Devin! I didn’t know that’s what they called a type of lunch meat," a third revealed.
However, another woman said, "My name’s actually spelt the same as the packaged meat and I grew up here, haven’t changed my name".
Americans baffled by abbreviated names
Americans have long been perplexed by Australians' habit of abbreviating words. Another woman named Cheyenne Rae admitted her new nickname is "Rayza" while visiting Down Under.
"In Australia, you get designated a new name," she said in a video on the social media platform. "Not by any government official or anything but by a swarm of Australians that have decided to accept you as one of their own".
She noted that "Australian names" always end in "ah" or "o", for example, Sharon becomes "Shazza".
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