Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Here's the second part of my three-part survey on the names we've chosen (the first part, dealing with your last name, is here (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,131736)). To avoid the issue with the mods like last time (thinking I was trying to seek personal information), I am not asking anything about one's specific name but rather general info used statistically that may be of interest to future TSs deciding on a name.

The first part of this round asks about whether or not you matched your former initials when you chose your new name. I've heard some say that it helps in certain cases, while others don't care. The "partially the same" option means that either your first but not middle (or vice versa) initial match, or the initials match only via a nickname (e.g. if you were born Robert but called "Bobby/i" and transitioned to Barbara). For this question ignore your last name whether or not it was changed (that subject was covered previously). Vote for only one of those three options.

The second part asks some miscellaneous questions on how some of us frequently arrive to our chosen names. Vote for any options that are true in your case.

Participate in this poll only if you've either made the legal change or have made a final decision on what you want your name to be. If you're still deciding on a name then please abstain from voting.

I changing my first name but kept my middle name so my initials will change but by 1 letter.

My middle names unisexual so i have no reason to change it.

On 19 January 2011, I chose what would become my real name: Constance Anne. I had been named David William by my parents. My court date to make this my legal name is 25 January 2013, about 2 years after choosing it.

I had thought about choosing a name such as "Dana Winter" or "Dana Willow" so I could keep my initials and my email addresses wouldn't need to change. But the more I thought about it I wanted a name that would be completely mine from the beginning. So I went with something completely new.

What's in a name? (http://doubleinvert.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/whats-in-a-name/)

My old (current) initials are CSM; My new first initial is Z, but I don't know what to do with no. 2.

For some crazy reason I'm partial to "Irene" - maybe because I feel sometimes like I'm invading a space where I don't belong?

Umm... suggestions?

I actually had a unisex first name to start with (slightly more often a girl's name actually) which I always loved. I could have left it but I wanted people to remember to use new pronouns so I feminized it more. Also, when paired with my new last name it sounded kinda goofy so adding more to my first name made it less so.

My middle name was def male so I changed it and I chose my gramma's first name, which is also the feminine version of my late oldest brother's name - a kind of double tribute.

And then I changed my last name because I always hated the original and didn't like the man who gave it to me in the first place (altho to be fair he did give me life, hmmm). I chose the maiden name of my gramma, because her and her 3 sisters were raised by a single mom in the early 20th century and were all kick ass women who influenced me a LOT. :) 

I LOVE my new name!! And I made it legal in 2009. :)

I told my parents since I was 5 years old that I was really a boy and wanted to be known by a boy's name.

I kept saying it over the years, and eventually my mother admitted that she'd had a feeling during her pregnancy that I would be a boy so they'd originally planned to name me after my grandfathers. Unfortunately I was assigned female at birth, so they decided to name me after my grandmother instead.

I kept that little piece of info in mind... and when the time came to transition, I went back to the name they'd originally chosen for me if I'd been born a boy. It seemed poetic; it was a way of putting right a tiny bit of what went wrong when I was labelled incorrectly at birth.  :)

My grandfathers' names are nothing like my grandmother's name so it was a complete change, including my initials.

My first two initials (first and middle) are the same. I know for me, I simply was not comfortable with a first name that didn't start with my original initial. I had gone by another male name before transition, but it still didn't feel right because it started with another letter. The first name initial had to be the same in order for it to 'feel like me'. The middle name is simply a more formal, masculinized version of the original diminutive.

I've known all along what my parents would have called me if I had been born 'right'. (Incidentally, it also began with the same initial. I was destined for that letter of the alphabet one way or another!)
I've always identified with it, and was jealous of boys who had it when I was little. Somehow though, it just no longer fit when it came time to change my name. Which is kinda sad because after I came out to my dad with my name already changed, he told me he would have preferred it. I don't think it would have fit me though.

What's wrong with a male middle name??

Quote from: milktea on January 11, 2013, 12:27:07 PM
What's wrong with a male middle name??

Nothing. Why? Do you have one?

The middle name I use is from best friend, Nikolai. My first name my ex helped me pick out. :)

Probably going to keep my name because my parents, by some odd coincidence, gave me a name appropriate for my identity. And it's just easier on everyone that way.

Hah, or change it to a woman's name... I mean, I spent the first half of my life saying "no, really, despite the name this girl here is who you're looking for" maybe I should spend the latter part doing the opposite? "Yup, this dude you're looking at is named Courtney."

My birth name is Alexandra. When I was a kid, I used to get called Alexander a lot, and it usually offended me because, well, it wasn't my name, and the other kids (and teachers!) were deliberately doing it to annoy me. For that reason, I won't change my first name to Alexander -- I don't want to give the f***ers the satisfaction. But I do really like the name Alex, so I'd keep it as a middle name, and change my first name to my parents' choice had I been born male.

Assuming I ever transition. *sigh*

When I chose my new name, I did not know it was a feminine version of my old name.  But my middle name is nothing like my old middle name.

I went with a completely different name then my initials, and nothing that's in the family. My birth initials for first and middle name are S. F. I was thinking of going with "Sean" and keeping my middle name since I heard that some guys have that name just without the "e" at the end (my female middle name is "Faye", I do really like that name, on women, and it's runs in my mom's side of the family), but I decided on going with Henry David after a writer I admire, because I just know way too many Seans that I felt like we really didn't need another one in our circle. My female first name can't be masculinized.

I thought: why not change all my name if I'm going to change it anyway! I mean it costs the same anyway.

my Old name was Thor,  And I changed it to Teela. Both Nordic backgrounds. Changed my middle name to Renee.  Old last name I kept.  So my intials are still the same.  My mother over the last 6 months has been very supportive and when I changed my name I kept her last name out of respect.

*derail a little sorry*

So Teela is this you?

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.finalfrontiertoys.com%2Fmedia%2Fcatalog%2Fproduct%2Fcache%2F1%2Fimage%2F5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d%2FM%2FO%2FMOTU_Teela_MOC_C-8_Brown_Boots.jpg&hash=03c6d0f461ab1a0df3e069826bae205d3472a2d7)

Oh I am changing my middle name only , from Edward to Sunshine, so my initials will be SSS

Quote from: Teela Renee on January 12, 2013, 05:03:55 PM
my Old name was Thor,  And I changed it to Teela. Both Nordic backgrounds. Changed my middle name to Renee.  Old last name I kept.  So my intials are still the same.  My mother over the last 6 months has been very supportive and when I changed my name I kept her last name out of respect.

Thor? Your old name was epic! But not very feminine, so I get it.

I kept my last name as I've always liked it :)  My first name went from Brett to Brittany, which is not quite the feminine form of my old name, but it is similar.  And if someone screws up and yells Brett out, I can pretend they said Brit...  ;D

My middle name I changed to my grandmothers first name (never met her, but it's a nice name).

Quote from: Fat Admin on January 13, 2013, 03:58:05 AM
Thor? Your old name was epic! But not very feminine, so I get it.

well actually the marvel Thor has been female a few times:

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ft0.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcSJKofcuLCQ-FpdB-4gO6A0aKiZWLbQ5o60pH93tcKfr-gUNSBnoRh1YRnK&hash=c750fe298399759e21384e9080be355a8e5c559d)

My old initials were KAB, my new initials are CLB. I picked Caleb because I liked it, and my middle name was picked rather on a whim, lol. In retrospect I wish I had chosen a different middle name but it isn't really a big deal at all.

My given name is really hard to pronounce so I'm a bit happy to be switching to a name people will recognize, no more having to explain to every person I meet how to pronounce my name.

I have not changed my name and I have yet to decided on a final name. I am between two options, Svea or Zeda. I would prefer the second, but the first is a variation of my birth name, so it may be easier for my family and friends to adjust to (though I am more concerned with my spouse's opinion).

EDIT: By the way, I did not vote, adhering to the guidelines provided :)

Quote from: Svea on January 14, 2013, 05:19:33 AM
I have not changed my name and I have yet to decided on a final name. I am between two options, Svea or Zeda. I would prefer the second, but the first is a variation of my birth name, so it may be easier for my family and friends to adjust to (though I am more concerned with my spouse's opinion).

EDIT: By the way, I did not vote, adhering to the guidelines provided :)

For some reason you made me think about Legend of Zelda  :P.

Anyway I think you should name yourself what you want and not anyone else. Names are personal and special and it might be harder for people to remember your name if it's a variation of your birth name.

I kept it simple (and could): from Emmanuel to Emmanuelle. People call me Emma (which started out as a joke years back, pre-anything) and continue doing so. Basically nothing changed :)
I also have two middle names, my godparents' and just switched them around. And by chance they both start with the same letter J...

I changed my name from Bryan Floyd to Bree Anne. Floyd was my Grandfathers' name but it just would not work with my new life. My Mother seemed fairly understanding and wasn't upset. She came with me to court when I went to petition my name change before a Judge. My new name is a feminine version  Bryan, sort of, Bree Anne. I've very happy with it since and have a new day to celebrate every May 17th!

Quote from: Sparrowhawke on January 15, 2013, 09:15:48 AM
For some reason you made me think about Legend of Zelda  :P.

As a programmer, I get that a bit. I have been tempted on several occasions to make a "Legends of Zeda" game XD

Quote from: Sparrowhawke on January 15, 2013, 09:15:48 AM
Anyway I think you should name yourself what you want and not anyone else. Names are personal and special and it might be harder for people to remember your name if it's a variation of your birth name.

That is an excellent point o.o I had not thought of that, but that makes much more sense as a plausible outcome if I use a name too similar to my birth name. After speaking to my husband last night about this, we came to no conclusions. However, this morning I decided that Zeda did sounds better to me, plus I have an established reputation under the name "Zeda" as it is.

As to the rest of my name, I have a cousin that I only recently met and her first name is one of my middle names, but I think I will simply change my middle name to 'E'. My spouse and I eventually want our last name changed, too, so my full name will be completely different and unrelated to my original name :)

Quote from: breezy on January 15, 2013, 05:57:17 PM
I've very happy with it since and have a new day to celebrate every May 17th!

A new birthday!

My name used to be very gender-bound, well both of them so there was really no way going around it if I had to show my IDs or something. Even so, I ended up choosing the male version of my old name with only the last letter changing. So yeah, Lauri is a male name in Finland. :D
My current middle name is Johannes which isn't anything like my old middle name but I've always liked it and it used to be my grandfather's middle name, too. Plus it's very much male-only name here so if someone hears my first name wrong and then I say my middle name it shouldn't leave anything unclear.

There's also kinda another reason behind my middle name. My Mom told me that if I had been born as a biological male, my first name would have been Jussi. It just so happens that my grandfather used to be called Jussi according to his middle name and now we share that same trait. :)

i once had an acquaintance who said that she was sort of bummed when she began to feel ambivalent about the name shed actually chosen for herself.  but eventually she sort of came to the realization that we all end up having mixed feelings about them eventually at least some of the time because of the fact that you have to keep it 24/7 for better or for worse

i sort of picked mine on a whim and sometimes i wish id been more culturally sensitive and picked a name that actually reflected my heritage

but to be honest it was easy and it sounded like my birth name so it wasnt a big deal

Quote from: Fat Admin on January 11, 2013, 12:45:01 PM
Nothing. Why? Do you have one?

Yes I just add a female first name to my old name. Easy.

I don't have second name, but considering to chose some

I was Ales (Aleš), for girl was prepared Anette
I want to stay at name beginning with A, after long, long, long thinking I choose
Andrea

So Im still AP

My middle name is Vincent. I thought Simon Vincent flowed well.

Quote from: Simon on January 16, 2013, 04:17:53 AM
My middle name is Vincent. I thought Simon Vincent flowed well.

It does.

Quote from: Teela Renee on January 12, 2013, 05:03:55 PM
my Old name was Thor,  And I changed it to Teela. Both Nordic backgrounds. Changed my middle name to Renee.  Old last name I kept.  So my intials are still the same.  My mother over the last 6 months has been very supportive and when I changed my name I kept her last name out of respect.

Thor? That sounds like a rather rare name. You don't hear that many kids named "Thor". Huh.. We have the same middle name.

Anyway, for me the initials are still the same. My name is Gaelic and starts with a "S" so I went with a male Gaelic name that starts with a "S".

I kept my middle name, as I really like it, though honestly I've had thoughts of changing my last name. My dad was a deadbeat but I have his surname. I'm not very fond of my last name these days. I think I'll change it to fit my parents..

My first name (Beth) is my own. I chose it prior to looking at any list(s) for girl names. (at the time of my naming, my daughter had been born 18 years earlier...and we looked at names for her. It's possible that one stuck in my head, but I don't consciously remember "Beth" being in even the top 10 possibles)

My middle name (Andrea) is the feminized version of my former self's middle name. When he first disappeared, I thought a lot about him...and realized he'd just been through 45+ years of hell, yet had gone quite far in spite of all the odds. He deserves respect...so my middle name was a deliberate choice to honor his memory. (He has since shattered, and the pieces are slowly being integrated and/or absorbed into Our being).

Last name is classified, for security reasons. It is original, and has a very personal meaning. My original last names (I was adopted through several step fathers) had absolutely no meaning or "energy" for me.

:-X

I have a very feminine name, unfortunately, and one without masculine or even neutral nicknames or versions. For some reason the name Jaymes has been perfect, a common name spelled differently, like my old name. I've decided on the name about five years ago and i haven't regretted the choice. My middle name, Nicholas, is just a masculine version of the given one.

Ever since I started coming out, I have been laboring under the delusion that I would keep as much of my previous identity as possible. It was just another attempt to mitigate and attempt to negotiate the change on my terms. For a while, I attempted to cling to a feminized version of my name as it was. But as time went on, I felt like I was gaining the power to choose my identity more and more. And then, I feel like, my name chose me!

Interesting survey.  Same initials, middle name is a feminisation of my current name, my last name is one people have always confused with my actual last name.  Since I've been called the other last name most of my life I thought it would be appropriate for my new identity:)

Names have been an interesting matter for me.  Since I was young I always wanted to go by a different names, Aladdin being an example haha.

I tried going by my middle name, which I like, but it just didn't fit me.  I have always loved the name Jonas, but I figured people wouldn't call me something that was as masculine as that if I didn't really present that way completely yet.  So, I chose AJ, A from the initial of my first name and J from Jonas.  People usually assume my middle name starts with a J, but it starts with a C.  Then people start asking why AJ.  I usually just say it's because it's a unisex name, which is a reason why I chose it.

However, when I finally do legally change my name, whenever that may be (hopefully in the near-ish future), I will either go with Adrian or Jaye as a first name, I believe.  I like Adrian because it's still unisex and it starts with the same letter as my current legal first name.  I like Jaye because it's unisex as well and it resembles AJ, but is just simpler.  I think I'll keep my middle name because it's unisex and I actually dolike it. 

So that will make it either ACS or JCS.

The name my parents were going to give me ended up being given to my brother.
So I just asked my mom to pick another name for me.

That option wasn't available though so I picked:
I chose the name my parents would've gave me had I been born "correctly"
because it was the closest.

I chose the name that my mom so luckily revealed to me had I been born genetically female. My chosen middle name is the same.

When I joined this forum I originally went by Victoria/Tori. I have to say that choice fits into the last category of the poll. Although it wasn't so much that I admired the individual (I did), I just really liked the name. I thought it was beautiful, and I was going through a phase... I was a teenager... where for whatever reason I wanted to go by something else other than Emily.

However, in the last five years it has been Emily/Emma for me. Emma is a name I chose to go by with my first friend that I came out to because she had another very close friend that was named Emily. Say that's an incredibly poor reason for me to have to change my name or not, but it caught on and for everybody else I came out to I just decided to go with it. Although they all know that Emily is my real chosen name.

Probably doesn't need to be said, but initials never had anything to do with it. I could come up with many combinations to keep to the same initials, but I just don't care. I think it's more 'respectful' to go by the names I would have been given.