Finding a new Name

[Scotty72]

So I've been messing around with a few different names for the past few months, trying to get a feel for one.  My girlfriend started calling me Kris about 6 months back, and I liked it, it was way better than my current name (which is girly... VERY girly!).  So, I went by Kris to most of my friends for a while, but I just prefered it as a nickname and I cant really see myself being called Kris my whole life.

I tried Reagan for a while as well, because I always have liked that name, but I didn't feel right with that one either.  They're both really nice names and I like the way they sound, but they're not me.

The only name I can see myself with is my current one, which wont work out too well when I transition.  Then I'll be this guy with this really girly name, and I don't want that.

I've played around with Terry and Kelly and Cody on and off, but I don't see those happening either.  I'm just stuck.  I hate my current name but its the only one that sounds like my name, ya know?  Has anyone else felt like they couldn't give up their birth given names?

I hear all these cool names around me and I think "Wow, that sounds better than the one I have now."  So I'll try it out and see if I I like the name, but all of them just feel weird and not me at all.  Its not this big humungo issue because I wont be changing my name for a while, but I'm a little worried that I won't be able to give up the name I have now.  I don't like it, not in the least, but it just sounds right.  Maybe if I get called something else for 17 years it will sound right...

Then there's the middle name... *twitches*

Scotty isn't an option for a name by the way, lol.

[Jamie-o]

I changed my last name when I was 13, and it took a few months before it stopped sounding weird.  My advice, is pick a name you really like, and give it a few months' trial.  If it still doesn't sound right, then back to the drawing board.

Another thought:  Is there a masculine form of your name, or something that sounds similar?  Even a masculine form that doesn't sound much like your name might have enough of a connection for you that it wouldn't seem so weird.  For instance, my birth name is a distant variant of Jane, which would give me the options of John, Ian, Sean, Shane, Ewan, Giovanni, Hans, Jock, Johan, Vanek, Zane, etc.

[Lutin]

Maybe go have a look at the thread "How did you choose your male name?" (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,38960.0.html) in the FTM transsexual section, it might be helpful. And as Jamie-O said, picking either the male version of your name, or just a name you really like, is probably the easiest way to go about it. As I said in aforementioned thread, I'm currently tossing up between Remus and William. I like both, but haven't definitively decided on one yet.

As for my birth name... it's a very girly name, but people who haven't heard it before (which is the majority of the population) don't actually know that, and so if there's nothing to indicate a female name, they automatically assume I'm male (which *is* rather cool ). If I had to give it up... it hasn't ever belonged to anyone in my family, so while I really do like it, and appreciate that my parents purposefully chose me a name which wouldn't apply to every second girl at school, I've often felt that it and I aren't *exactly* one and the same. I go by that name, I answer to it, but I don't intrinsically feel "at one" with it all the time. If that makes sense... As for my middle name, I'm named after my grandmother, but we were never close by any stretch of the imagination, and so again, while I *love* the name (Elizabeth) in its own right, it also isn't really *me*, and so I don't feel any great emotional opposition to losing it.

But yeah, go have a look at this thread, it might give you some ideas...

Lutin

[Walelia2]

Have you tried looking through baby naming books? I would recommend those, one with a larger selection so you have a chance to see more unique names. Everyone else had great suggestions. Good luck, and if you need someone to bounce ideas off I'm available almost anytime.

[Skymning]

I think baby name books and websites are a good place to start too. I'm currently looking around for a name. It's not that I dislike my birth name so much, but it certainly implies gender and I'd much rather get away from that.

[Elwood]

I'm continuously struggling with Daniel. I know the reaction from the rest of my family is going to be extraordinarily unpleasant. It seriously not my fault that Dan's momma picked a cool name for him. 

"Das gasp."


I was thinking Daniel Jeffrey [Last Name], but last night Daniel James [Last Name] popped into my head. Unfortunately, I got the idea of Jeffrey from Tom Hanks and I got the idea of James from John Belushi's brother. I get these ideas, but they're not directly "named after" them. That's what bugs me. If I tell someone, "the name James as a middle name sounds nice... and well, I got the idea from John's brother," then they'll think I aspire to be like Jim Belushi-- which I don't. He was a sour little biatch and when he joined The Blues Brothers I wanted to assassinate him... In the end, I still think Daniel Jeffrey [Last Name] sounds better.

I also like Ray, which could be a first or middle name. It's inspired by THE Ray:


But my mom thinks it's inspired by the Ghostbusters Ray:


Her growing suspicion... because I want to be a comedian, she thinks my whole life is about Dan Aykroyd. To be honest, I am far more inspired by Steve Martin's work... I admit; I love Dan's work, but I am not trying to be him. Seriously. He already used his gigs. I can't use those. They're already taken. To use them would make me a sad imitation. I have to be my own comedian. So I pretty much avoid his style like the black plague, especially since so many people think I "vaguely resemble him." I don't see it. I'm 10 inches too short and many years younger.

I struggle with Daniel. But I really like the name. What sucks is when I was originally making my name, I came up with Daniel Edward [Last Name]. Then later I found that Aykroyd's full name is Daniel Edward Aykroyd. That coincidence made my spine freeze, and I decided to completely avoid that combination.

To be honest, I've always loved the name Peter, and I will proudly and wholeheartedly admit it is inspired by Bill Murray's Peter Venkman.



But the name doesn't really suit me. People say I'm a Dan. A Dapper Dan. 

[Scotty72]

I'm not sure what a masculine form of my name would be... Kris comes pretty darn close to being the only one I can think of.  (Just think of that old show called 'Clarissa Explains it All' and you've basically got my name.)  I'm not sure how masculine you can make that...
My girlfriend started calling me Kris for some unknown reason.  She just started one day and I never bothered to tell her I didn't like it because it was a huge improvement on my actual name.  There's a down side to that however, because now she's a little peeved that I don't want Kris to be my new name.

I'm actually doing the whole *face palm* thing because I really never thought of going on baby name sites to look for one.  Still, even now as I look through all the J names I'm thinking "These are freaking awesome, but I don't think I'm a Jose` or a Jamal..."  I wont lie though, I've found a couple of favorites already.  I've started a list of names I want to try out, so that'll probably help speed up the process  . 

Lutin, I have my grandma's name for a middle name as well.  Unfortunatly I am very close to her and I don't want to chuck it out the window, but Faye isn't something most men have for middle names, so I'm in a bit of turmoil about what I am going to do with that.

And Elwood, your pictures from Ghost Busters made me laugh.  Good times, good times, lol.

Thanks for helping me out everyone, it was very cool of you.

[Elwood]

My mom thinks I'm naming myself after a RETARDED BEE.



SEE? HIS ANTENNA IS BENT. DURRR.

ARGH.

[Nicky]

Has anyone gotten their parents to rename them?

I always thought that if I was a transexual I would ask my folks what they would have called me if I was a woman. Not that I would nessesaraly take their suggestion, but perhaps some parents would appreciate it.

Nicky

[Elwood]

I was thinking of doing that, but my mom is too offended by the idea.

And my dad is fine with Daniel. He knows I'm not naming myself after a male prostitute.

[Adam]

I thought of asking my mom what I would have been named if I were a boy at birth, but wasn't able to bring it up. I remember her telling me a long time ago and I forgot what it was, but I think it was a bit on the corny side anyways. I do remeber though about the bet between my dad and aunt. Something about if I were a boy, she'd have to get dad a bottle of something (forgot what, but it was alcoholic), and if I was a girl dad would have to buy her a bottle. When I transition, I'm planning on making her buy dad two bottles.

[Elwood]

Man, another name I love is Elliot. Or Eliot. But it's practically the same name. Lol.

[Scotty72]

If my parents were accepting and did wish to rename me then I would be Sven, and I'm not fond of that name, lol.  But it would still be a cool idea.  I know one girl who didn't like the name her parents gave her so she asked them to change it and they did.  Not for any gender related reason but just because she didn't like it and didn't feel like it was her name.

... Iunno... I think it would be cool to be named after a male prostitute so long as their name wasn't "Hot Rod" Or something in that general sence.  Lol.

[Elwood]

... Iunno... I think it would be cool to be named after a male prostitute so long as their name wasn't "Hot Rod" Or something in that general sence.  Lol.

His name's Fred Garvin. The first male prostitute on TV!  (For serious; it was controversial back then in the 70's) It's a fictional character played by Dan Aykroyd, the actor my mom thinks I'm naming myself after.

[Scotty72]

... Iunno... I think it would be cool to be named after a male prostitute so long as their name wasn't "Hot Rod" Or something in that general sence.  Lol.

His name's Fred Garvin. The first male prostitute on TV!  (For serious; it was controversial back then in the 70's) It's a fictional character played by Dan Aykroyd, the actor my mom thinks I'm naming myself after.

I don't understand why your mom thinks you're naming yourself after Dan Aykroyd, do you have a mini shrine to him or you're just a big fan of his?

[Elwood]

I don't understand why your mom thinks you're naming yourself after Dan Aykroyd, do you have a mini shrine to him or you're just a big fan of his?

Lol. I'm a huge fan of his work. I was Elwood Blues for Halloween, one of his original characters. I've also seen... well over half of his films, and I'm still trying to catch up and see the others.

I do impersonations of some of his characters so she thinks I want to be him. Sure, I'd give to have a hot blond wife, and I'd love to have a body like his (was, before he got fat), but don't want to actually be HIM. He's just kind of the sort of person I aspire to be like; a comedian. But there are TONS of comedians out there... Dan's just the only one that people say my impersonations are any good of.

My mom's freaked that I think he's some magical person or something but... I don't know. Dan's almost never fun solo. He always needs a wing man. Then he's funny as all Hell. The extreme contrast makes comedy genius brew. But if there's nothing to compare him to, he just seems so... ordinary. Which is what I like about him.

Bill Murray.


John Belushi.


Tom Hanks.


So I am a bit obsessed with Aykroyd's work. Because I'm a fanboy, my mom thinks I want to be just like him. But really. I don't want to be a fat pothead has-been who likes wine tasting and STILL wishes he was a cop. Yuck. Lol.

[Scotty72]

Lol, that makes more sense than your mom just randomly picking a guy with the name you like.

I understand what you mean by not wanting to be them but still idolizing them.  I'm more of a John Wayne fan myself, he's kind of always been the guy that is pretty amazing in my eyes.  I think if I grew up to be an 1/8th of the man he was, I would be doing pretty good.

Love your new picture too, its a good style on you.

[Elwood]

Lol, that makes more sense than your mom just randomly picking a guy with the name you like.

I understand what you mean by not wanting to be them but still idolizing them.  I'm more of a John Wayne fan myself, he's kind of always been the guy that is pretty amazing in my eyes.  I think if I grew up to be an 1/8th of the man he was, I would be doing pretty good.

Love your new picture too, its a good style on you.

Lol, no, she's not that crazy. She has her reasons. For serious, I love a lot of his ugly wardrobe. But I also love Chevy Chase's ugly wardrobe. I pretty much love all that ugly ->-bleeped-<- from the 70's and 80's.

Heheh. Thanks. My mom would say I'm trying to look like Dan, haha. I mean, the hat was Elwood inspired, and Dan used to wear glasses like those. But I swear, that was a coincidence. I got those glasses because they made me think of Poindexter from Revenge of the Nerds.

And that toothpick? Redneck inspired.

[Scotty72]

Lol, that makes more sense than your mom just randomly picking a guy with the name you like.

I understand what you mean by not wanting to be them but still idolizing them.  I'm more of a John Wayne fan myself, he's kind of always been the guy that is pretty amazing in my eyes.  I think if I grew up to be an 1/8th of the man he was, I would be doing pretty good.

Love your new picture too, its a good style on you.

Lol, no, she's not that crazy. She has her reasons. For serious, I love a lot of his ugly wardrobe. But I also love Chevy Chase's ugly wardrobe. I pretty much love all that ugly ->-bleeped-<- from the 70's and 80's.

Heheh. Thanks. My mom would say I'm trying to look like Dan, haha. I mean, the hat was Elwood inspired, and Dan used to wear glasses like those. But I swear, that was a coincidence. I got those glasses because they made me think of Poindexter from Revenge of the Nerds.

And that toothpick? Redneck inspired.

The 70's and 80's were times of change so stuff had to look kinda crazy every now and then.  Its all coming back though, pretty soon everyone's going to be wearing fedora's and blazers again with big black framed sun glasses.

Do rednecks even use toothpicks anymore?  I always thought they couldn't be bothered with dental hygiene...
kind makes you look like you're trying to be a tough guy.  It all works out in the end, lol.

[Lukas-H]

Do rednecks even use toothpicks anymore?  I always thought they couldn't be bothered with dental hygiene...
kind makes you look like you're trying to be a tough guy.  It all works out in the end, lol.

If it's not a toothpick it's a stalk of grain! Just kidding, I really don't know if they do. I live in Southern Virginia which has a pretty good share of 'rednecks' and I've spent some time in Kentucky, which can be even worse than where I live sometimes. Gotta agree about the new pic for you Dan, looks great. When I first saw it I went "Whoa..that's kinda hot." 

But, back on topic, what names have you been considering? Care to post them?