How did you choose your male name?

[trapthavok]

You know, I feel bad that my first name was chosen just for me by my mom and my middle name by my grandmother...Even though I don't like either name, I felt like I should do something to honor that. I asked my mom what she would have named me had I been a boy and....it's my same name without the "a" at the end -.- It sounds almost exactly the same when you say it aloud. Pass.

[Elwood]

My middle name is my grandma's name. I might keep it, sort of. Daniel J [Last Name].

My mom was all sobby and said, "I did that for my mom." I don't want to take that away from them. Maybe I'll name my daughter after her. I don't know. But seriously. I don't mean to take away a tribute or tradition. I feel kind of bad but a man can't be named "Jeanne."

[Aiden]

Umm Jean Roddenbery was male


Ehh guess that was Gene but is close

[PolarBear]

Actually, Jean is a French male name. The difference is in the way you say it. Just food for thought.

[gravitysrainbow]

Like Jean-Luc Picard! Of the USS Enterprise! There are four lights! ..-cough- [/nerdattack]

[PolarBear]

Like Jean-Luc Picard! Of the USS Enterprise! There are four lights! ..-cough- [/nerdattack]

If you say there are five lights I will let you go... 

[gravitysrainbow]

But...truth is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based! (I could do this all day.) But back on topic...today I had an awesome reaffirmation that my name is right for me. I haven't been hanging around a lot of people who use my name, and my parents have been using my birth name more than usual, to spite me. But I was feeling a little silly, and randomly started singing a song in my head, in the third person, and referred to myself as Michael without even thinking about it. It was something I really needed, because not being able to bind as much lately had gotten me down.

[Aiden]

Yeh for me, it's that I haven't been going by this name real long but I automatically respond to it.  Here was thinking probably have times where someone couldn't get my atention with my male name and have to go to my female, but it's been the opposit.  They sometimes have trouble getting my attention using my female name and have to switch to my male one lol.  Even in waking me up.

[Patroklos]

That's why my name is going to be Leland Joseph "Apollo" Adama. 
Don't Google it. You'll regret it. 

Squee.

[Elwood]

Umm Jean Roddenbery was male


Ehh guess that was Gene but is close

Right. But I'd have to change the spelling. Not to mention I just plain don't like it as a middle name... :/

[trapthavok]

Yeh for me, it's that I haven't been going by this name real long but I automatically respond to it.  Here was thinking probably have times where someone couldn't get my atention with my male name and have to go to my female, but it's been the opposit.  They sometimes have trouble getting my attention using my female name and have to switch to my male one lol.  Even in waking me up.

Hah I thought I wouldn't be able to answer to my male name either! The first time I ever used it was a couple of weeks after I came out to myself and went to a GLBT support group.... I introduced myself as Nathan, and eventually later on they were asking how the new people heard about group... I'd totally spaced out when the question went to someone else and not me and my friend goes "oh, well Nathan brought me" and it brought me back to attention just as if she'd called me by my old name.

Sometimes it still feels weird that my friends are calling me Nate now but it makes me really happy so I'm not going to tell them to stop.

[Dev]

I went through a phase where I wanted to drop off the face of the earth so my first name change was so out of the norm. I felt it would have no reflection on my family which I felt would not ever accept me, so I could indeed disappear.  Years later I found out that was wrong when my mom told me she knew and and asked me about it.  I don't know if that was true because she only brought it up when she was trying to deposit money into an account and the teller said something to her.

Anyway, that was a short lived thing and luckly I lived in a state did not limit you to one name change like my birth state did.  I have always been very proud of my heritage and done research on where my linage came from so I felt I was short changing myself and betrayed the family name by trying to loose my idenity.  I sat down and researched some names and luckly I found a suitable name that adds one letter to my birth name (first name) and turns it male, but still is completely passable as a female name as its more common for females to have but if you google it, every instance of my spelling is 100% male.  So first name solved.  My middle name is male and changed completely from my birth name because I hated my middle name since the start.  My middle name was picked because it was Gaelic and my whole family is from the UK on both sides and I have never known anybody with the name who was male, only females with the alt. spelling and I always liked the name.  So I picked it and figured in my normal life (as a man) I am going to use my middle name and in my current job since I have not transitioned yet I will use my first name since it works for my situation.  My last name is back to the family name again so I am happy.

Hope I did not confuse anybody, but I don't want to give much detail since I have not transitioned and right now I can't or even hint about it.  Plus these forums can be read by anybody who pulls up the website and I don't need to draw any extra attention to myself or situation (cause we all know there are people out there that would take pleasure in making others lives bad).  In a few years I plan to be more open about things because the situation changes drastically and I am finally free.

[Ciarquin]

When I first started searching for a name I didn't really have any set criteria. I had decided to just find a name I liked even if it might seem a bit unusual given my heritage, though I did mainly look at Irish names at first. It took me quite some time to find it (I actually got it from a random name generator) and before I decided on it I'd been trying out some other names, though they just didn't feel right like the one I use now.

However, the name I'm going by now with family is very uncommon, so I've been considering choosing another name to use legally. I really like it and all, but perhaps it would be better for anonymity and safety reasons. I won't be changing my surname, though.

Hah I thought I wouldn't be able to answer to my male name either! The first time I ever used it was a couple of weeks after I came out to myself and went to a GLBT support group.... I introduced myself as Nathan, and eventually later on they were asking how the new people heard about group... I'd totally spaced out when the question went to someone else and not me and my friend goes "oh, well Nathan brought me" and it brought me back to attention just as if she'd called me by my old name.

Sometimes it still feels weird that my friends are calling me Nate now but it makes me really happy so I'm not going to tell them to stop.

I haven't been going by my chosen name for very long but am already very accustomed to it and actually answer more readily when someone says it than I ever did with my old one.

[Lachlann]

I was joking around with my cousin last night, saying that I should name myself 'Jareth' after a movie character. And then we realized that it would probably fit me well... not that I'm like the character, but it seemed to fit with me I guess.

I don't know for sure. Jareth sounds like a cool name but my other choices sound pretty cool as well.

[Dante]

My friend told me something interesting in P.E. today. I haven't told anyone (but some teachers) that I'm transgendered yet, but still I have gotten many times from friends, and sometimes even people I don't know that I look like a guy. I've gotten 'mistaken' for a guy MANY times, I was surprised. But anyway, she told me that if I was a guy, my name should be Shane. It is a cool name, not my absolute favorite, but good. I think I'll add it to my list. If nothing else, I could use it as a middle name. (Also at some point she suggested [jokingly] that I should get a sex change because I look so much like a guy. If only she knew the half of it...)

Anyway, what do you guys think of the name Shane? (As middle or first name.)

Posted on: August 22, 2008, 11:13:20 PM

I don't know for sure. Jareth sounds like a cool name but my other choices sound pretty cool as well.

If all else fails, you could name yourself Jared, it's similar, and a bit more common.

[Rhye]

Am I the exception to the rule, here? I have had absolutely no conflict over my name. I feel no reason to change it if I go through transition.

My name is Lindsey. Lindsey is technically a unisex name (I know of a male senator called Lindsey, but I cannot for the life of me remember his last name), but by association it's largely a female name. But I don't care. Whether I'm a man or a woman, Lindsey is my name. It fits me like a glove, and I'm 100% totally comfortable with it.

Now, my middle name is Anne. I may have to do something about that. But my mom gave me her mother's middle name, and she passed away this spring. I miss her like hell and I would feel really bad about ditching her middle name. I could just keep my whole name and sign everything Lindsey A Surname. Besides, if I changed my middle name to be male, it'd be Alan, and there's already my dad and my brother with that middle name.

My last name can stay the same as well. It's a little awkward, pretty Germanic, and I always have to spell it for people. But once again.. it's my name.

I was joking around with my cousin last night, saying that I should name myself 'Jareth' after a movie character.

Dance, magic, dance!

But anyway, she told me that if I was a guy, my name should be Shane.

I love love love the name Shane. My favorite cousin's name is Shane. You sound like you could be a Shane, too. Even if just as a middle name.

[kestin]

My middle-name is the only one I want to change due to it being the only obviously 'female' one.

Sarah.

Never did like it.

I was going to change it to Philip, after my step-dad... but since their reaction wasn't very positive to my going on in my transition, I don't really want to anymore >_>

So I thought "What other people have been a big influence in my life?" and I settled on my fav tutors from my animation school. My first year tutor was Alanna, 2nd year was Brian and Amy, and 3rd year was Joseph.

I'm pretty keen to get my name changed to Kestin Alan Abrian Joseph Stewart. Abrian would be pronounced like Adrian.

Whaddya reckon? Okay yes, slightly epic having three middle-names... but I'd only ever use them all on official forms and such. Other places I'd just have it shortened to Kestin A.A.J Stewart or Kestin Stewart.

[Rhye]

That's pretty cool, Kes. As long as you're sure you really and truly like those names enough for them to be yours. I have a fantastic English teacher, and in a fit of love I could change my name to Lindsey Michael Taylor Surname to commemorate him, but I might look back in a few years and think "what the hell?"

I'm very deliberate and wary about big decisions like legal names. I love the idea of having two or three middle names. But I wouldn't be too sure about naming myself after tutors or teachers. If you love the names for what they are, then definitely do it. It's your name, after all.

[icontact]

Slightly? Hahah. That's a loooooong name. But then again my wonderfulwonderful father gave me five names too. Can't wait to get rid of them all. Not such a fan of Kestin, I always read it Kirsten, but anyways, if you like them all, and can deal with having a million names, go for it!

[kestin]

Not such a fan of Kestin, I always read it Kirsten....

>_>

I HATE when people call me Kirstin! Seriously, really, really do. It's pronounced Kes-tin., no R. Yet people in RL always assume I'm pronouncing my own name wrong!

GARGH! Bah humbug.

OK, I'm better now

RE: my middle-names, yeah I realize that it seems a bit odd to want to name myself after my teachers but they've all been a big part of my life and have been my only adult support during my transition when my own family hasn't. Not to mention its a speciality school and has only got limited places for students (bout 200) It feels more like a family to me than the one I grew up with.

Plus I like those names too, especially Abrian since its a little unusual.