Ashley Tisdale Explains Why She's Officially Changing Her Name

Everyone who grew up in the 2000s knows the name Ashley Tisdale. Whether you would constantly rewatch the High School Musical movies, always had The Suite Life of Zack and Cody playing in the background, or had the timeless bop “He Said She Said” on repeat, Tisdale’s impact on a whole generation is undeniable. But now, the actor is officially ready to leave that legacy in the rearview.

Though Tisdale had been going by her married name Ashley French in her personal life for over a decade, she was still Ashley Tisdale to the general public. But she’s changing that. Tisdale explained her decision to change her name to Ashley French across social media and encourage her fans to refer to her by her marital surname in a Nov. 17 Instagram video.

“I’ve been Ashley French for so long at home, but I really never changed publicly, because everybody knows me as Ashley Tisdale,” the actor said. “But I just felt it was time for people to know me for me, and not just like a character or a celebrity.”

Tisdale, who married singer Christopher French in 2014, continued by saying the public name change represents a shift in how she wants to interact with fans online. “For so long I have shared so much of my life on social media. I just think Instagram has changed a lot,” she said. “At this point you don’t know what’s real, what’s a bot, and everyone has something to say, and it might not be positive. Not that I want to block out the negativity, but I felt like in order to protect my peace, I didn’t want to keep sharing in that way.”

The new moniker is also tied to Tisdale’s new lifestyle site, By Ashley French, which launched on Oct. 14. On the personal blog, the creator wrote about the specific name choice. “As for the name? When I got married, I took my husband’s last name,” the site reads. “This project felt like the perfect moment to embrace this version of myself and celebrate everything that’s come with it.”