How many names did y'all go through?

[Alora]

Hey ladies,

So lately I've been thinking about names. I meet with a friend that suggested I think about a name that starts with the letter of the name I use now.

Currently, I go by Clark. Right now I have been going by Alora. However, when she mentioned this to me it sorta made sense. The more I thought about it the more I've been thinking Alora isn't really supposed to be my new name.

My birth name was Joshua. The only thing I've liked about it is that it could be shortened. There really isn't a way to shorten Alora. I have been think about going with Kaylin Alora Clarke.

With Kaylin as a first name I could also go by Kay to my very close intimate friends or partner.

Has anyone else gone through this kind of name dilemma?

Loves [emoji182][emoji173][emoji182]


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[cej]

I have a boy name I use when I'm at work, my friends call me by my last name, and a girl name that I only use in trans healthcare contexts. Once I go full time at work I hope to use the girl name everywhere.

[Harley Quinn]

My friend just named me... I went back and forth with it and eventually nothing else made sense. And 4 separate friends separated by time zones all called me by the same name without any prompting or knowledge of what anyone else said... so I kept it.

And not much I can do on a variation of my birth name... or middle name. Or with the first letter of my name/middle name. Having a large family, I would have an issue taking someone else's name in the family. Other than my sir name, I had to start from scratch...

[Michelle_P]

My friend just named me... I went back and forth with it and eventually nothing else made sense. And 4 separate friends separated by time zones all called me by the same name without any prompting or knowledge of what anyone else said... so I kept it.

Now that is really cool.  They all must have seen something in you that demanded that name.  Impressive.

I was lazy.  I dropped from using my name on everything to my initials a while ago.  This may have been in the back of my mind.

When I came out, the feminized version of my old florist name just sounded right.  I used some of those 'meanings of names' web sites to explore a variety of first and middle names with the same initials, stuck with Michelle for the first name, and picked a middle name that I liked the meaning of, and how it sounded in my new full name.

[FTMax]

Not a lady, but my only criteria was that I wanted to keep my first and middle initials the same. So I went on one of the baby name websites, sorted by my birth year, and just looked at those letters. Made a list of all the names I liked and variations of them, then played with combinations. It was at most I think a dozen first names and a dozen middle names that I was playing around with. I didn't ask anybody to use a new name until I settled on one.

[kaitylynn]

Went through one to get to mine...the name my parents gave me to Kaity.  Legally, Katherine and I usually go by Kat at work.

[Inarasarah]

I never liked the feminized version of my boy name, so I went with a name that fit me and had personal meaning for me.  I figure it is the one and only time I can actually do it, so I had better make it good.  I think I did alright.

-Sarah

[izzy]

I basically created my name what felt  right to me and sounded like it would fit my personality. The womens version of my male name sounds too european to me.

[flytrap]

It's worth considering the names that were popular when you were born. Everybody wants to be a Kaitlyn or Addysen but Mary or Ann may be more appropriate depending on your age.

[stephaniec]

just used my birth name

[KathyLauren]

I didn't have a feminine name in mind when I signed up, so I chose my username as variations on my male names.  My wife kept suggesting girl names for me, some of them fairly outlandish, but none of them resonated with me.  The more of her suggestions I rejected, the more I felt like a Kathy. 

It has the advantage of being age-appropriate for my generation.  And it keeps my initials the same.

So I guess I went with my first choice.

[SarahElizabeth1981]

I had a really easy time.... the Moment I had the thought I should have a girls name Sarah popped into my head. I have always liked girls names that start with S. Then same thing for middle name I thought "oh maybe I should have a middle name too" And I thought Elizabeth.  At that point I wasn't sure I would be transitioning. It was just to go with my Feminine persona I was beginning to explore. I tried to think it over but it stuck. I think deep down I knew and all it took was for me to realize it.

[Inarasarah]

the Moment I had the thought I should have a girls name Sarah popped into my head.

Good choice

[cheryl reeves]

I was blessed my mom named me a boys name that interchanges with a girls name I loved..my wife prefers to use my middle name.

[Codia]

I've been going by Terra for 3 or 4 years now.  It was the name my parents had chosen for me prior to my birth, having been expecting a daughter.  When I finally got around to having my name / gender legally changed this past summer I decided to make Terra my middle name and Keyli my first name.  I like the name Keyli and it starts with the same letter as my former name.  I had also been considering Kira or Karen, but Keyli pulled through because to sign it, it's almost identical to writing my former name.

[Janes Groove]

I wanted to have a name that was associated with my x chromosome which is Irish.
I like the name Siobahn which is pronounced shevahn. But it sounded more feminine than I thought I could pull off at the time.  Then while researching I discovered that it's English equivalent is Jane.  That had enough of an androgynous sound to it that I figured it would work.  Jane Emily is merely my nom de plume.

As an aside, my nickname in college was Junior.  Looking back it was a pretty clear way for the other males to emasculate me.  I never fit in as a male and that was just more evidence of that.

[Dayta]

I hadn't really given it a lot of thought until I started taking positive actions toward my transition in the last year or so.  I juggled 3 or 4, settling on "Elle," which I was starting to use up until my wife visited her family and reminded me that her brother goes by "El."  So I decided on "Erin," which hadn't even been on the original short list.  In response to your original question, I guess two. 

Erin

[bluepaint]

Im from a french family and I didn't mind my birth name, it had the same phonetics in either gender in french but not in english plus their were those english speaking folks that liked using the short version which was clearly male otherwise I think I would've kept it but change the spelling so it couldn't be mispronounced in either language! I chose Julie , it was bilingual, I still prefer it pronounced in the proper french though opposed to the english pronunciation!   


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[Sophia Sage]

I needed a name that wasn't related to my birth name.  Couldn't bear having any form of it invoked ever again.

Funny thing about names... they aren't real.  Oh sure, there are legal rituals involved, but they're just rituals.  We just use names to distinguish people.  Names are just stories.  So pick a good one.  Pick a name that's like a promise to yourself. 

I've always had a thing for names. I have now gone by... five, no, six different names -- no, wait, is that right?  (Counts on fingers).  Depends on whether variations count.  Okay, let's see... oh, and then there's that one, too... lemme get the toes out... okay eleven (nope, twelve) different names (three before transition, three during, and six afterwards) and of the back nine at least two have had at least three additional variations.  That's not including names used during play, I'm talking about names I've either introduced myself as, or names bequeathed to me in person for purposes of repeated identification. 

And that's not counting middle names.

I guess I have a lot of promises to keep.

[Inarasarah]

Sophia, your post made me think a bit, I too am known by so many names ( or have been known by many).

I went to my 30th high school reunion this past summer.  It is my second I had attended post transition.  And it is still weird hearing my old name, since now the only people who really remember me before were the people that I went to school with and my family.  And only those who just learned of my transition ask me about it and would occasionally use my old name.  Not in a bad or mean way, but more of that "I am trying to understand" way.  Then there are those who still use my old nickname, which admittedly I still occasionally use, as it is a variant on my last name.  It is still one of my favorite nicknames, although I rarely use it anymore.  Which brings me to by derby name.  If you all were not aware, most people who play roller derby adopt a skater name. Mine is Bad Wolf, and pretty much everyone knows me as Wolfie or just Wolf. 

So are names can be fluid and can change over time.  When I get back from Yeson, I am thinking of posting some YouTube videos, sort of like what a few others have done.  Again with this, I will probably not use my everyday name, but yet other name only a few people know me as.  I like the ritual aspect of a name, but I also like the fluidic nature they have throughout our lives. 

-Sarah (yeah, really my name)

p.s. - InaraSarah was one of my gamer tags, still kinda is.