trying to Decide weather or not i should Change my birth name?

[Midnightstar]

I'm having a hard time comprehending that my birth name can be male also probably because i'm in fear if i use my birth name then people will then automatically know my birth gender. So iv'e tried to change the name iv'e used several names but every time i hear them i find myself happy for a short time like its working then it stops and i keep wanting to go back to my old name. But i can't get myself to go back because i still fear it being seen as completely female, so i'm struggling with what i'm wanting. Has anyone else had a unisex birth name and got concerned if they continued to use it someone may see it as female? or male? basically the gender you're not? I feel stuck and lost
with this and i'm sick of name after name......i'm starting to think i need to just learn its okay as a male name.
But i'm not just scared about it being seen as female i'm also having a hard time seeing it as other wise because for so long i was attached to it in a female way if that makes sense. Even though growing up funny thing is i never used the full version however it still makes me think if i use it i'll be seen or think a certain way its dumb i know.

(Honestly, i didn't want to ask this question because nobody but me can know however i give up i don't know)

[Elis]

Well I had a very feminine female only birth name; but even though I've always disliked it; I sort of missed it once I changed my name. I guess I missed the familiarity with it. Also one of my previous middle names was Georgina and I grew up wishing that was my first name because it sounded more masculine. I considered changing my name to George briefly  but I never truly liked it.

So when it came to thinking up a male name I knew it was best to choose something that didn't sound too masculine or feminine; as my personality is a bit of both. Suprisingly Elis is now becoming a womens name as well so I also like the androgynous aspect of it. I also wanted something completely different from my birth name; partly because they were no good alternatives and partly because i wanted a clean break from how i used to be perceived.

I would say if you truly like your birth name then simply use it. Once your on T surely it won't matter that it can also be a female name. Or maybe simply keep it as a middle name and choose something 'fresh' for your first name. If I was in your situation I would think it would take me a long time to think of it as male because I would have yet no male experience with said name; so I would feel a lot of dysphoria. But that's just me.

Hope it works out for you

[Kylo]

I have a unisex name.

Where I live there seems to be an equal frequency of males and females with the same name, so it doesn't come off as a female name or "more of a female name". However, names fall in and out of favor for girls and boys over time, and that does concern me. It could get to a point in the future where women are being given the name far more and that might present issues if the climate is unfriendly to trans. Then again the exact same thing could happen to non-trans people and few of them change their names because of that.

[FTMax]

If I had had a unisex birth name, I think I would've been very conflicted about it and maybe would've only changed my middle name. My concern would definitely be that people familiar with me would have a harder time mentally making that switch to male if there isn't a new name prompting them to do so.

So if it were me, I think it would depend entirely on environment. Are you still living where you grew up, or with family/friends? Are they supportive of your transition and already using male pronouns? If you haven't come out to them yet, do you think they would be supportive and use the right pronouns?

My whole plan was and is to make a big geographic move after I'm 100% done medically transitioning. And if my birth name had been unisex, I wouldn't have worried so much about changing it because I would eventually be surrounded by people who had no idea that people used to use female pronouns with me. If that makes sense.

[Mariah]

It's your call and your call alone in the end, but I didn't give a second thought about changing mine. I knew I needed to. Yes the name itself was unisex, but when shortened well those were nothing but masculine. I never liked the shortened versions of the name at all. Now well I love the name I have and I'm glad I picked it and changed my name to it. In the end, follow your heart and what feels right to you. You are the one who will be living with the name you decide on so you need to be comfortable with it and not us. Nothing wrong with keeping your birth name if that is what feels right to you and that is what you want to do. Good luck on your decision. I'm sure in the end you will have the name that fits you best. Hugs
Mariah