How did you choose your name?

[randall83]

Randall is actually my last name and sounds more masculine then my first name. I haven't decided on a new name yet as right now I'm just focusing on losing weight until January for top surgery and I've been on pins & needles waiting to hear from the pharmacy any day now that I can pick up my testosterone.

[CuriousCat94x]

@Julia1996 I wish my mom could give me advise lol unfortunately she does not like the idea of me being myself. Julia is a very nice name, in Spanish Julia would be the feminine version of Julio, which is my birth month. I don't think I look like a Julia though. 

@Mary T We can just say that we're time travelers and that is how we have names from the future lol 

@emma-f Ultimately I believe that I will end up using the name my mother was going to call me had I been born correctly. Another part of me tells me that I should be original and take control, but I don't know 

@AlexanderDS I hope to find my own name in such a way where I just feel it. Like I said in a previous post, I've been at this for months and can't pick a name lol I did manage to narrow my search a bit though 

@SallyChoasAura That is an interesting concept. I can definitely broaden my search for a new name, I can already think of several names

@Violet Sorry about your loss I know how it feels to lose loved ones, everyday just gets better as we try to move on and our loved ones will always live through us. My ex-girlfriend is by far the only person who I'm out with, slowly but surely I will eventually come out to the world. Step by step I will not fall, she has accepted me for who I am and I am very thankful to have her as a friend. I feel bad as I did break her heart, but she understands. I will definitely ask her for suggestions, soon I will post a new list with possible names  I just need to narrow it down a bit I'll definitely need to create a new thread for that though

@am3579 I will also need to ask a friend for help lol hopefully I can find a name that suits me well enough. 



Off topic: I've been replying with "@name" and combining several replies into one post. I feel like if I reply to everyone individually the thread will become extremely clustered, or that I'll have too many posts. Is replying to everyone individually (as I originally intended) better? Or is grouping several replies into one post good? Sorry I'm new to this world of forums haha 

[Lisa]

In choosing my own name, I don't like to stand out or be the center of attention, so I wanted a name that was fairly common.  I also didn't want it too similar to my old name as I didn't want to hear the new one but think about the old one.  So I went through the top 200 names from the year I was born and picked out around 10 in total that I liked, including the name my parents had planned for a girl, and Meg/Megan, which I'd also used before online and in video games because I happened to like it.

I tried making full names with them, signing them repeatedly, and pretending to introduce myself or be called by someone.  I did that with each of them for at least a couple days, and narrowed it down to 4 that felt better than the rest.  One of them I didn't really care for the origin/meaning of, and of the three left, Megan just felt like the best match for me.  I did like the name my parents had picked in general (it was one of the finalists), but it just didn't feel like as good of a match for who I am now.

I didn't have any sort of instant 'ah ha!' moment where I suddenly recognized the name for me, it was more just trying out a number of options that I liked or had used before and seeing what felt like the best match.


Some questions to think about that might help you narrow your choices:
Do you want to pick your own name?  Or do you want someone else to name you (parents, friends, etc.)?

Do you want something unusual that stands out?  Or do you want a common name that blends in?

Is it important to you to keep any connection to your old name?  Or do you want to avoid too much of a connection?

Do you want to take the name of someone you care about or admire?

Do you care about the origin or meaning of the name?  Do you want to choose a name based on meaning?


If you can narrow it down to a handful, then maybe just try each one out for a while and see if any seem to feel better than the others?  You can certainly do that here, but I found it helpful to have those I was out to in person call me by candidate names as well.

[lilcuddlymouse]

I originally spent ages trying to pick a name I liked but in the end, once I finally came out to my family, my mother suggested some names and I felt it would be better if I went with one of those. I still haven't picked a middle name. The whole name thing for me has been weird because, growing up in the military, all my friends just used last names and at work they just use my last name. My last name is Morgan, which would be perfectly feminine, but it would probably be silly to change my name to Morgan Morgan or just use a single name so I still haven't legally changed it and probably care less about my name than many who transition.

[RickiM]

There are millions of really nice names that's true though for me I just use my real first name and middle name, it's easier and obviously much more familiar to me and I genuinely really like it.

[OhAmanda]

My friend Monique gave me the name Amanda a little over a year ago and I went with it.  She was the first person to tell me I could pass and has transitioned herself.  Amanda is easy to spell, feminine, and works with my age/background/lifestyle.  It comes from Latin and means "Worthy of love" 

[Danielle Kristina]

I thought about my name for years before settling on Danielle. I didn't look for something cute or dainty.  I didn't just want to pick any name.  I wanted something that felt like me.  Danielle isn't exactly a feminine variant of my birth name, but it's close.  And it's not about coming close to my birth name.  It's all about feeling like me!

[StealthStilettos]

I've been thinking about a name for a while, but nothing has really popped out at me. My birth name is Tyrone and to the surprise of most people when they hear that I'm white XD. So as unique as it is, doesn't give me much to work with, and my middle name is no better. So I've done as others suggested earlier and looked at top name charts for my birth year. There are a couple I like, such as Valerie or Heidi, but I'm not sure those names would be a fit to my personality, or like I said its not a" yes, hands down thats it" kinda feeling. The struggle is real lol.

[Dena]

I've been thinking about a name for a while, but nothing has really popped out at me. My birth name is Tyrone and to the surprise of most people when they hear that I'm white XD. So as unique as it is, doesn't give me much to work with, and my middle name is no better. So I've done as others suggested earlier and looked at top name charts for my birth year. There are a couple I like, such as Valerie or Heidi, but I'm not sure those names would be a fit to my personality, or like I said its not a" yes, hands down thats it" kinda feeling. The struggle is real lol.

You might want to look at this link for some ideas. I don't know how you feel about it but Tory kind of jumps out as a possibly for you. Starts with a T and isn't a real common name.

[KathyLauren]

You might want to look at this link for some ideas. I don't know how you feel about it but Tory kind of jumps out as a possibly for you. Starts with a T and isn't a real common name.

Just be aware that it has political connotations in some countries.

[LexieDragon]

To be perfectly honest: the name started out as Lexanta, a character that I would port to every role playing game I would play in if people didn't mind me playing a girl or if it was online and no one wanted voice chat (easier in the early days of online play). Essentially she, and still is, me.  She would always be essentially the same person, just in different settings.

In retrospect, I now know and realize that this was a part of me trying it's damnedest to get out and be expressed (bigender).

Back on topic: I would often go by Lexie or Alexandra while playing, which made the name sound derivative. I got so used to that being my female name that I can't think of it being anything else. Alexandra feels right.

As for just where Lexanta came from: it just popped into my head one day. Kinda like I was making a character and my brain told me "This is her, now and always." 


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[DawnOday]

I used to watch Rocky and Bullwinkle and as they say. "Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat" Actually it was not that difficult. My dead name is Don, my sisters name is Donna and so I chose Dawn. I chose Oday to go with it because it surely was the "Dawn of a new day"

[Sonja]

I used to watch Rocky and Bullwinkle and as they say. "Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat" Actually it was not that difficult. My dead name is Don, my sisters name is Donna and so I chose Dawn. I chose Oday to go with it because it surely was the "Dawn of a new day"

@DawnOday 
DawnOday - I love your name! I think it Rocks! 

Sonja.

[DawnOday]

Sonia...Thanks love. I like your name too. You are very kind.

[StealthStilettos]

You might want to look at this link for some ideas. I don't know how you feel about it but Tory kind of jumps out as a possibly for you. Starts with a T and isn't a real common name.

Thanks for the link, still can't decide though, and would probably have to pass on Tory, knew a few guys that had that name lol so seems masculine to me. Guess I want something not too common, but not to rare either. But it's hard cause lots of names I like I also associate with certain people. And doesn't need to start with a T.

[CuriousCat94x]

First off, a very big thank you to everyone who has replied and will reply! I really hope that this thread will help others as much as it has helped me.

I didn't reply to everyone, but please know that your reply is just as important as the rest that I did answer. I get overwhelmed and all jittery when there's a lot of people in a single place. Yes even on the internet

Everyday I get closer to discovering my true name. I would be most comfortable using a Spanish or Italian name. My birth name begins with the letter R and I am definitely curious about female names that begin with the same letter.

I found a website where you can type in your first name (I used my birth name) and it supposedly describes you, well I tried it and surprisingly enough, it described me pretty darn accurately. If y'all are interested and, of course, it's allowed, I can post the link to the website.

Anyways, here are a few names that I like, they are in no particular order. Please do give me more suggestions other than the ones below lol

Araceli
Lorena
Maria
Marisol
Zenaida
Sofia
Virginia
Sandra
Julia
Catalina (it has the word cat, I like cats lol)
Elena
Elvira
Erendira (Eren for short)
Julieta
Lucia
Luciana
Rocio
Vanesa



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[Sonja]

First off, a very big thank you to everyone who has replied and will reply! I really hope that this thread will help others as much as it has helped me.

I didn't reply to everyone, but please know that your reply is just as important as the rest that I did answer. I get overwhelmed and all jittery when there's a lot of people in a single place. Yes even on the internet

Everyday I get closer to discovering my true name. I would be most comfortable using a Spanish or Italian name. My birth name begins with the letter R and I am definitely curious about female names that begin with the same letter.

I found a website where you can type in your first name (I used my birth name) and it supposedly describes you, well I tried it and surprisingly enough, it described me pretty darn accurately. If y'all are interested and, of course, it's allowed, I can post the link to the website.

Anyways, here are a few names that I like, they are in no particular order. Please do give me more suggestions other than the ones below lol

Araceli
Lorena
Maria
Marisol
Zenaida
Sofia
Virginia
Sandra
Julia
Catalina (it has the word cat, I like cats lol)
Elena
Elvira
Erendira (Eren for short)
Julieta
Lucia
Luciana
Rocio
Vanesa



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@CuriousCat94x 
For some reason the name Marisol stuck with me after reading that list. Plus it has an R in it.
I now a girl called 'Mari' ( Maa Ree (Maa as in baa baa black sheep))I don't actually know if thats her full name or not, but its a possible shortened nickname for Marisol too... 
Would it be pronounced marry-sol  or mary-sol  or maa-ree-sol ?

anyway thats my 2 cents... 

Sonja.

[Lisa]

Everyday I get closer to discovering my true name. I would be most comfortable using a Spanish or Italian name. My birth name begins with the letter R and I am definitely curious about female names that begin with the same letter.

A few more Spanish and Italian R names if you're interested:  Rosa, Rosalina, Ramona

Anyways, here are a few names that I like, they are in no particular order. Please do give me more suggestions other than the ones below lol

Araceli
Lorena
Maria
Marisol
Zenaida
Sofia
Virginia
Sandra
Julia
Catalina (it has the word cat, I like cats lol)
Elena
Elvira
Erendira (Eren for short)
Julieta
Lucia
Luciana
Rocio
Vanesa

In case it helps, I really like Catalina, and I'm also fond of Maria, Marisol, Julia, and Elena.

I still keep second-guessing my own name choices, and I don't want to add too many more options to an already hard decision for you, but you did ask, so here's a few other name ideas:  Adriana, Alejandra/Alessandra, Carolina, Giana, Mercedes, Valentia/Valentina, Violetta.

[kaitylynn]

I chose my real name (instead of the one my parents chose for me) when I was like 15.  I had always known about me, earliest memories of anything amiss with my gender was around 5 and I was openly talking about my feelings with my mom when I was around 10.  I never really thought too much about names then, just whether I was a sin or crazy or something.  An incident with my dad caused me to bury myself and any expression of my real gender ceased to be displayed.

As I entered high school, I started to express myself a little here and there.  My friends maybe thought I was gay or something, but I never really discussed my GD issues.  I had a close friend, Wendy, with whom chit chatting was totally normal...then one day while we are bantering about a movie, she stops what she is doing and suddenly exclaims, "OMG, I just figured it out...you're a chick!".  I was stunned!  How did she figure it out?  Am I that obvious?  Who else knows?  What should I do?

In that moment I decided there is no reason to hide from her...I feel safe to tell her my deepest and darkest secret.  She listened and after I finished off what I needed to say, she called to order a meeting of the chick clique.  We all agreed if I am a girl, I need a girl name.  We set out to find one that fit me.  After many hundreds of rejected proposals, I finally uttered Katie.  All of us mulled it for a few seconds and then it became obvious that name was ME. 

That name was from a distant memory, when my family lived in Costa Mesa...so I have to have been under 6 years old.  A family friend (still so to this day) was brushing my hair and had me in a dress in the guest room.  She felt like a big sister as she was a few years older than me.  Her name was Katie and the memory was pretty vivid to me.  I remember thinking that I was actually her little sister.

Anyway, at 15 my name was chosen and for a year or so I used it a lot among my close friends.  Even when I was deep cover as a guy, the name stuck (just spelled it different).  I even started my own small business in the mid 90's utilizing it, though on the surface it was just initials.

I guess my point is, sometimes we have our name the whole time and when it is presented outwardly...the right one will often just click with not only ourselves but our peers as well.

[KathyLauren]

"OMG, I just figured it out...you're a chick!".

Wow!  Just wow!  I wish I had met someone that intuitive when I was young. :')