In a conversation I had with my parents years ago, I was told that had I been born a girl I was going to be named Nancy. In fact they did not think of a boy name for me until it was time for me to leave the hospital. I was named after a mutual friend of theirs. Who's name begins with the letter B.
I wanted to keep my initials of BDT which my parents gave me. I choose Bethany because "Beth" from the band kiss was my favorite when I was a child. It was on the first album I ever owned and to this day I still love to listen to it.
My given middle name was Donald so this choice was pretty easy; Dawn is what I decided to go with. Not so much because they are a homonym, but because of the definition of dawn, which means "A new beginning"
So that's how I came up with my name. How did you come up with yours?
Hugs
Bethany
There's no interesting back story to mine, I'm afraid. The name Cassandra just felt so... right, somehow. I can't really describe it any other way...
My middle name was easy; I took the middle name of my late father. Plus it goes well with my first name.
My first name was more difficult. Initially, I chose Gareth; I'd always loved Wales, and it was such a Welsh name. And for a while, it seemed to fit. Then a lot of things changed, including a move to Canada, and I could be more open about myself. I also decided I wanted to keep the same initials. I stumbled upon Arthur, my love of Arthurian legends was reawakened, and (King) Arthur was born. :)
Victor was suggested to me by Madeline. I chose it for the definition, but I also think it's cool that it's the name of Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Doom. I'm keeping my former, unisex first name and changing it to my middle name. It means bright fame and is a name associated with Puck.
Mine happened is quite a strange way.
I was about 5 or 6, sent out the class for some reason.
There was this full length mirror in I think the bathroom. I stood in front, looking at the image back and hating it. That boy had gotten me into so much trouble, it had lost me all my freinds and made me seem so bad. (I'd figured out at about 4 that there was something terribly wrong, but obviously didn't understand it at all).
Anyway, I looked at the image and tried to see it as it should have been. It worked. I recall a voice asking me, 'Well young lady, what's your name?' I replied, without thinking, 'Jill'.
That's who I am. And I appreciate how utterly corny that sorry sounds, but it just happens to be the way it was.
Aaron = A version of the name "Arawn", which is the name of a Welsh god of Death. It brings in my ties to the British Isles while at the same time tying in my enjoyment of mythology.
Gabriel = The name of an angel, specifically an arch angel. I have always had an affinity for Gabriel and the name. It dates back to when I saw "The Prophecy" with Christopher Walken. I fell in love with the name then and I've been unable to shake it so it's becoming my middle name, which I will probably go by as I enjoy the nickname of "Gabe".
Me: ''Mom! I need to ask you something.''
Mom: ''What?''
Me: ''If I wasn't born with this medical condition, you would have picked a male name and that would have been it, obviously. But it
didn't happen like that and you know I want to live as ordinary as possible so can you pick my name like you would have normally
done? Please.''
Mom: ''Sure. No problem.''
Months Later.
Mom: ''Is J******* good?''
Me: ''Sounds good to me.''
The end.
I was originally going to use Dana Willow so I could keep my initials. But then I decided that I wanted something that was completely my own. I began researching what were common girl's names for my birth year, 1969, and I almost chose Monica.
But I always liked the name Constance and its diminutive Connie. So I chose that on a whim. I chose Anne as a middle name because it sounded good with both Constance and Connie. Then, I looked the names up. Constance means "steadfast" and Anne means "grace."
I thought that "steadfast grace" was a good omen.
Devon has been an important name in my life. When I was a kid one of my best friends had the name Devan, but a series of events ripped her out of my life. She left a huge impression on me, she accepted me for who I was. So when I was thinking about what my new name should be, I figured I should pay a little homage.
In addition, the name my mother would have given me if I was MAAB was Martin. Lets just say I'm not fond of it. -__-
Well, I have really poor understanding of English names, and I have no idea how to choose a right one for myself. But if I keep using the English version of my birth name (which is in Chinese) it should be fine, since its Latin transcript is completely gender-neutral or even sounds a little feminine in English. I think as I stay longer in Australia, I will have better understanding of English names.
Honestly? I'd always been drawn to "Aiden, but it didn't quite fit right, so I decided to change it up a bit and go with "Adrian".
It feels right and fits so well!
How I ended up as Sarah is a quite cute story I feel.
At a time where I had just about gathered the courage to try and start transitioning on some level, I had decided to go see a therapist about it, it was a start. A friend of mine at the time matched me with a friend of hers, and this friend of hers, Sofia would later become one of the most important persons in my life.
Anyways, shortly after being introduced and talking for about a day over Facebook, Sofia asked me out for a cup of coffee. We met and had a wonderful time, after the cup of coffee we walked down the street together and she told me how I had very good features for becoming more feminine, which was wonderful to hear. After we both got home, she continued the "praise" in a similar manner over facebook but went into even more details, details she wasen't sure I would be comfortable talking about in the middle of the street. And in the end she said "you'll turn into a nice little princess someday".
So that is where I got Sarah, meaning princess. And even though I'll never look like a princess (wouldn't want to.), in a way I still ended up a princess like she said.
Loved the name Cynthia.
Twin of Apallo, priested of the moon.
The moon and night is stelth and hiding. :)
Well, I like to use longbows. Diana is the Latin name of Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt, and Wonder Woman, an excellent Amazonian archer. Therefore, I chose Diana. :)
I like reading how everyone choose their names. It's very interesting.
I picked the name Julie over 30 years ago when I decided I needed a name for my alter ego but I don't remember why I chose that name. I think I just liked it and it seemed to fit me. As I was reading what some others had written about how they picked there names I realized I have never picked a middle name. I'll need one if I ever officially change my name.
Judging how my parents named their kids I think I would have been named after my grandmother if I were born female(I was name after my grandfather instead). I thought maybe I should use her name for my middle but Julie Carmela C.... doesn't work so well. Any suggestions?
My birth name is Johnny, but my mom always told me that if I had been born a girl, I would have been Johnnie. That's one reason I'm just changing the spelling of my name from Johnny to Johnnie when I transition. Another reason I chose Johnnie is symbolic: I'm not becoming a 100% different person when I transition, just a better & happier one :)
I like the sound of that. "Julia Carmella C..."
Abbreviation would be JCC...not a problem there. Yeah, I approve.
;)
Oh, Julia instead of Julie. It does work better like that. Is Julie the informal version of Julia? Like James is to Jim. Or are they two different names? like James and Jamie. I guess I'll need to do some research.
I wanted a name that would be easy for my friends and family to remember, but preferred something french to go with my last name (kept that). Since I always liked the name Jen, and my friends growing up called me Gene, I started looking through french names and found Genevieve...voila, my name.
I'm FAAB, but my birth name has a male equivalent. So I took that. Now, a few years later, I very much regret it. I figured it would be easiest for other people if I simply took the male version of my birth name, but now I dislike the connection to my former name, so I usually go by my middle name instead.
When my Mum asked me what I'd be calling myself I told her the name I'd had in mind and been using. She said she didn't like that name and would never have called me that. So we tossed around a bunch of names and came up with my current name. When asked about a middle name I said I'd never even thought about one. She suggested my Grandmother's first name. I was touched.
I just thought it was cute, so I picked it and haven't looked back :P
I've always had a thing for Lydia. Probably started when I discovered a goth band called The Shroud, whose vocalist's name is Lydia Fortner. Being a musician, The Shroud has long been a major musical influence, having a full, smooth, yet gloomy and despaired sound. Lydia Fortner's gothy look often inspired my own. It was also the name of a crush I had in early high school, and the name of my friend who was the main force behind me coming out. So the name has an interestingly extensive connection to my life.
Originally, I wanted Austin because I was born in Austin, Texas. It was on a list of unisex names. My birth name is indisputably female and have bugged the hell out of me since I was very young. By high school, the only people who really used that name were instructors and strangers who were reading it off a form of some sort (or my dad when he got mad). My parents used a shortened version of that that wasn't as a bad at home. However, when I proposed Austin to my friends, they unanimously vetoed it into oblivion! They knew why I had picked it, but they all thought it very 'random', 'hard to say', 'hard to remember', 'unfitting', etc. I liked that they were supportive and tried to suggest names even. I went down the list of unisex names (consciously crossing out the ones leaned towards the feminine side). I also had a thing about how it looks and the spelling of it. Finally, I just decided to settle with Deven. Everyone liked it. They used it immediately and it stuck very quickly.
Now, when someone uses my birth name, it takes me about 5 seconds (sometimes longer!) to realize who they are talking about. It's weird, but funny. I've literally, asked "Who??" a few times—not as an attempt to correct them, but because I had genuinely forgotten! But there's an exception. My extended family still uses the birthname, but I rarely see them.
My boy name was kyle and I have always had a response to the name Kayla so just made sense to go with it.
I've decided on a middle name for when I legally change my name. From what I can tell Julie is just a less formal Julia. So it's Julia Antonietta C.......... I'll keep my last name. Antonietta was my mothers given name and I always loved it. She never used it instead using her middle name which I never understood. I'm sure she would approve if she were still alive.
You know, there was never any choice to make. When I first realized that I would need a new name the name Patricia came to mind. 'Don't know why, but no other name seemed to fit. It was the given name of a girl I had a crush on in high school and has several common diminutives such as Patty, Pat, Patsy, and a few others.
A baby name site said Patricia means "of noble birth", which is ironic given the less than noble circumstances of my early life.
My middle name was chosen for me by a girlfriend. Its a feminized form of my given birth name. John became Jean.
My last name came from my grandmother. The name used before had no meaning to me. It was the name of the guy who got my mother pregnant then left and went back to his family in Dallas. Instead I went as far back as I could on the female side of the family. It later proved to be a bad choice but by that time all documents were in that name.
I was at work in Feb 2012. I had been thinking about my life and myself. Well, in this meeting with some people I have worked with for almost 15 years, were looking at a power point presentation on some procedures and I mumbled something about a slide and one of my coworkers thought I said "My name is Jennifer" and started calling me Jennifer. Well, I corrected him but realised "That's it, that's me". I'm Jennifer - hence the J in the JLT1.
Thank you all who have posted their story behind their name. I find it fascinating.
Hugs
Bethany
I honestly was overwhelmed by the thought of actually picking a new name. It was so difficult to think of a name that I was 100% positive that I would forever love. In the end I googled the top girl names. I eventually narrowed it down between Sophia, Sophie, Erika, and Michelle. After a few months I finally settled on Sophie lol.
Mine means grateful or thankful in Arabic,and I am.
I picked Lucia, close to my boy name,and it was after some careful thought.
Lucia,
If you are a mature transitioner, please have regard for names that fit the era in which you were born otherwise you may inadvertently out yourself.
Alternatively, pick a "classic" name which are always in fashion.
Hence:
Caroline
Quote from: carolinejeo on January 28, 2013, 05:59:44 AM
If you are a mature transitioner, please have regard for names that fit the era in which you were born otherwise you may inadvertently out yourself.
Alternatively, pick a "classic" name which are always in fashion.
Hence:
Caroline
To think I almost went with Hashtag. :)
Quote from: kyh on January 28, 2013, 03:24:40 AM
Picking a Chinese name is really complicated though... My mom was sooo picky.
Hahaha!! Oh, Chinese moms!
I think my mom changed my Chinese name at least four times when I was a kid. Luckily, my official name is in English and my Chinese name was not documented on anything so she could do as she pleased given whatever her latest interpretation of fēng shuǐ was at that time. She'd always try and explain to me all the different elements too. I'm not sure what the fuss is in my situation since no one's ever called me by a formal Chinese name, but since my brother really loves his, I decided to keep one for fun—but choosing my own this. I picked [Surname]孔明 (Kǒngmíng), after the Strategist during the Three Kingdom Period.
I also just ran through your checklist.
#6) 22 Strokes - is that good or bad? Hahaha
#7) N/A, so I'm safe there.
Quote from: Patty_M on January 26, 2013, 06:34:38 PM
A baby name site said Patricia means "of noble birth", which is ironic given the less than noble circumstances of my early life.
Reminds me of one of the finest lessons I remember from growing up.
Nobility isn't your attitude to your origins, it's how you face up to your destiny.
I guess because I love Panties soo much and love wearing them,I love being a girl
Quote from: Miss_Panties on January 29, 2013, 01:07:58 PM
I guess because I love Panties soo much and love wearing them,I love being a girl
K... o_O
I had chosen the name "Gene" a long time ago. I originally came across it when I read 'A Separate Peace' in high school. It was the main character's name. I was also a fan of the actor Gene Wilder. One of my favorite shows, Star Trek, was created by Gene Roddenberry. I also knew this wonderfully kind biker named Gene. I adopted it originally as a nickname I used at art meets and other social outings. It was the natural choice when I decided I would eventually transition and needed a more masculine name.
As an homage to Gene Wilder, I was considering making my middle name Wild or the alternate spelling Wilde to honor Oscar Wilde too (I'd also been a little inspired when I met the facilitator for our local FTM support group and he changed his middle name to "Awesome"). I could tell people, "Wild? Wild's my middle name," all Austin Powers-style. I know, silly, but I thought it was amusing.
Quote from: Gene on January 29, 2013, 02:37:09 PM
I had chosen the name "Gene" a long time ago. I originally came across it when I read 'A Separate Peace' in high school. It was the main character's name.
I LOVE that book. For the longest time when choosing my middle name, I was totally set on "Phineas", but
everyone I know hated it, so I went with my second favourite, Gabriel.
I didn't want to completely disengage from my birth name completely. I am who I am. I haven't gone anywhere. Some, if they can tweek their birth names do and thats what I did. Well, my first name any how. I can't tell you how many people compliment me on my name. Where are you from? That's a cool name! I pass 100% so for a male to have the name Beck is unsual. I took my mothers maiden name for my middle and of course I have my fathers last name. Looking forward to making some new friends here.
At first I desperately wanted to keep my initials, and after perusing some sites which listed the popularity of names by birth year, I came down to Cassandra March, then Cathleen March, and after a while I decided I didn't like that name at all. Whenever I said it, it wasn't me.
Since I'm both Irish and Danish, I decided I wanted an Irish first name, and I came across Shannon (i.e. the Shannon River). There were a couple of girls at my high school named Shannon, so it's not a terribly out of place name, and I decided I wanted my mother's maiden name as my last. It's a wonderfully long, convoluted, and hard to spell Danish name and I just adore it. It took me until I was about 8 to learn how to pronounce it correctly. :D
I've always been attracted to girls named "Emily" simply because it's a nice sounding name and I keep coming back to it after considering other names. Now, my male name is 2 syllables but Emily is 3 so I may be willing to consider names with 2 syllables instead... My boy name is the uncommon spelling of a common name, so another goal I set for myself is to pick a name that won't make me correct everybody's spelling all the time.
As for middle name, my male middle name is my dad's first name. I was thinking I would keep the same pattern and go with my mom's first name.
I haven't picked a name yet. I'm just not sure. "Trixie" is not my intended future name (though I do really like it).
I'm very indecisive. I don't know HOW I'm going to end up actually settling on a name.
Quote from: Trixie on January 29, 2013, 09:55:32 PM
I haven't picked a name yet. I'm just not sure. "Trixie" is not my intended future name (though I do really like it).
I'm very indecisive. I don't know HOW I'm going to end up actually settling on a name.
I'm in the same boat. I've been using Tammy for a while- I chose it as a play on my legal name and I've always been partial to it. It's intended to be short for Tamara and is definitely in the running, but there are a few and I don't know how I'll ever decide!
I'm not out to my mom yet, but I really liked the idea mentioned of asking her what (if any) names she had considered had I been born a girl.
"Kris" is a shortened version of my legal first name. It's pretty androgynous, so I can use it without getting any weird looks/questions even with people I'm not outed to.
I picked out my name in an odd sort of way. I wanted to go with a femmier version of my birth name, but I couldn't find a good one since my birth name started with a "J." Jennifer or Jessica would be weird, since I had too many friends named Jennifer or Jessica. All the other names seemed so plain; Jane, Jolene, Jo, and I just didn't like them. So I was like "what comes after 'J'? 'K.' Kayla.... I like it."
I found out later, though before coming out, that it was Hebrew for "purity" and liked it even more, feeling it was a good metaphor for transitioning.
I just did, it's been in my head for years. I didn't think it out nor did I choose it randomly, it just came. I've already known for a long time what my kid's names are gonna be too... Well, if I have a son anyway. Have no fricken clue what to name my daughter, would've been the one I gave to myself had I not taken it. >.<
My dad wanted to name me Suzanne if I was gonna be a girl, ew.
I was 9 when my mother was pregnant with my middle brother, I overheard my parents discussing possible names. I realized that they were deciding on both a boy and a girl name to cover both possibilities. Later I had asked my mother that if I was born a girl what would they have named me? She told me I would have been named *******, I didn't want to forget that name ever and I went to my room and in my closet I scratched that name into the wood on the inside of the closet door near the floor. Years later after many struggles and self denials, while not in transition and not sure if I will or can, I still treasure that name as my own true name. It was only two years ago when I finally admitted to myself that I have been suffering with GID and my deepest secret was that I had always felt as though I should have been born XX. I still treasure that name.
If I do transition, or when I feel more confident about this, I'll tell you my treasure.
I didn't choose my name so much as it came back to me. :) I wore it from 1623 to 1645 and now I will wear it once more.
My name then was Armand Olivier de Sillègue d'Autevielle d'Athos, and since I do not own Autevielle or Athos anymore (the sad part about dying >.<), I cannot wear these land names. Michel is what my mother chose because I asked her to give me a middle name, as she feels sorrowed that I am changing my name at all. Hence, Armand Olivier Michel de Sillègue. :D
Shannon was just a name i thought was nice sad thing is first time iheard it was on neighbours. :angel:
Quote from: Sam/Gabriel on January 29, 2013, 02:44:45 PM
I LOVE that book. For the longest time when choosing my middle name, I was totally set on "Phineas", but everyone I know hated it, so I went with my second favourite, Gabriel.
My family didn't like Gene. My sister said it sounded like a creeper name. She was joking, but that spurred a contest between us two to see how many people we could get to agree with our different viewpoints to determine if it did sound like one. We're tied, but I decided to go forward with it anyway.
If you had picked Phineas, you wouldn't have to worry about me jostling a tree branch from under you. But I'd have given you hell in Blitzball. XD
I picked Sky because it sounds sort of "freeing", and it's also a unisex name.
Quote from: Gene on February 07, 2013, 02:33:08 PM
My family didn't like Gene. My sister said it sounded like a creeper name. She was joking, but that spurred a contest between us two to see how many people we could get to agree with our different viewpoints to determine if it did sound like one. We're tied, but I decided to go forward with it anyway.
If you had picked Phineas, you wouldn't have to worry about me jostling a tree branch from under you. But I'd have given you hell in Blitzball. XD
Rofl, I caught that reference!
I think I chose Monica some 30 years ago so it's always been with me.
It's the name of a girl who was very good friends with me when I was small.
I often go by haze online, so adding an extra l to make it feminine just seemed like a natural progression.
Quote from: Gene on February 07, 2013, 02:33:08 PM
My family didn't like Gene. My sister said it sounded like a creeper name. She was joking, but that spurred a contest between us two to see how many people we could get to agree with our different viewpoints to determine if it did sound like one. We're tied, but I decided to go forward with it anyway.
If you had picked Phineas, you wouldn't have to worry about me jostling a tree branch from under you. But I'd have given you hell in Blitzball. XD
Haha I'm gonna watch out anyway :p
I don't know if I'll stick with Jennifer for the long run, but for now it's nice. I like my initials, so I needed something that started with J. The feminine form of my male name just didn't feel right, so I went looking for other female J names, and ultimately Jennifer seemed to be the best fit. I would have gone with Jessica, as I love that name, but I already have several friends named Jessica so I view it as taken.
Quote from: JenSquid on February 17, 2013, 05:51:01 AM
I don't know if I'll stick with Jennifer for the long run, but for now it's nice. I like my initials, so I needed something that started with J. The feminine form of my male name just didn't feel right, so I went looking for other female J names, and ultimately Jennifer seemed to be the best fit. I would have gone with Jessica, as I love that name, but I already have several friends named Jessica so I view it as taken.
I'm Jessica. ^_^
Ha, just decided on that name last night. I love the name.
Quote from: Tejas on January 28, 2013, 11:52:56 PM
Hahaha!! Oh, Chinese moms!
I think my mom changed my Chinese name at least four times when I was a kid. Luckily, my official name is in English and my Chinese name was not documented on anything so she could do as she pleased given whatever her latest interpretation of fēng shuǐ was at that time.
I think this may have been (slightly?) simpler in the past. Or maybe this is a bias I have from one of my Chinese teachers? He was a relative of Yuan Shikai (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuan_Shikai) (
袁世凱) so he was from one of those families with a book of names (or at least first characters for the 2-character given name) that were expected to be given to members of successive generations.
I have only considered a feminine Chinese name a few times, and would probably want to have it assigned by someone who was a mentor before I settle on one, especially considering I'm not completely fluent and could miss some unfortunate associations with anything I picked myself. Have had 2 slightly different ones given by language teachers, with the one I use having been tweaked by the aforementioned member of the Yuan family.
My male-associated one is Dai Borui (
戴柏瑞), so I'll definitely want to change it some day. At this point I'm leaning towards Eleanor as an English given name, with Ellie as preferred nickname. It's a reference to an ancestor I found in records during my teens, and also an allusion to Eleanor Roosevelt, something I'm sure my maternal grandmother, at least, would have approved of, and a reasonable reference considering my age and family background (though at the time maybe my father
might have objected). No one need to know, though, how much his politics have changed since I was born.
I chose Rebecca because it's what I would have been called if I had been born a girl. I found this out years ago and have always imagined myself as a girl being called Rebecca.
My male name has no shortened form so I also like using Bex.
Bex
Just the male variant of my birth name. I'm so-close-but-so-far in my head, always hiding there, so the name kind of reflects that, a natural growth or breakthrough from what I was given. Besides, I like to think the meaning is lucky.
I picked a male name beginning with the same letter as my original name. Oh, and I chose Harry because it's a common name, and my other name was really uncommon and I hated that.
If I'd been born avec a penis, my mother would have named me Angus. I didn't pick that because it doesn't really suit me. I thought about it but... Nope.
With me it was down to Kari Ann or Alexis Nicole. Alexis sounded too much like a party girls name to me so i figured i would go with the not so traditional spelling of Kari and the middle name Ann to honor my step mom Joanne who was more like a mother to me when i was younger. Sadly no exciting story there lol.
My story story isn't very interesting i have just always just loved kitten as a name and not as a reference to the cute furry little bundles of love that is the animal^^ Writing this also made me remember a guy i used to know whose name was kitty he always hated his name so we just used to call him kit. ;)
I've had a name for my alternate female persona ever since high school, even though I'm just now getting around to transitioning some 12 years later.
My birth name is Charlie, and I ALWAYS wrote transgender fiction on my computer to try and live out the dream, if only in fantasy worlds. So pretty much as soon as I started writing these stories, I started finding female versions of my current name. Cheryl was the first one that came to me, but I've never liked that name, so that didn't last long. And then the next one that I thought of was Carrie. And I don't know what it was about that name, but it just seemed to fit my personality so perfectly for some reason. And so ever since then, my female name has been Carrie. And even though I've discovered many more female versions of the name "Charlie" in the years since then (most notably Carly and Charlotte,) none of them feel like me as much as the name "Carrie."
I asked my mom a long time ago what my name would have been if I was born a girl, and it would have been "Sarah Elizabeth," named after my two grandmothers, and Mom says she would have called me "Liz" because she likes that name. So once I (hopefully) get to the point where I want a formal name change, I'm going to combine the two, and hopefully be Carrie Elizabeth [last name withheld.] I think it fits, especially since my mom always tells me that I have her mother's eyes. So taking on her name as a middle name really seems right.
My name doesn't really have a cool backstory. I've always liked the name Luke and hated my original name. Part of it is I wanted to get away from the beginning of the alphabet (the other name started with a B).
When I look in the mirror, I look more like a Luke than anything else. So here I am!
I'm actually still torn as to whether I want to change my name or not. My birth name is unisex and I'm quite pleased with it most days but it also ties me rather solidly to a past of shame, doubt and regret that I'd really like to leave behind, so at this moment I'm leaning toward changing it. When I was first thinking of names I thought I'd want to stick with an L name and debated about Lana, Laura, Lucia, or Lola (my nickname most of my life has been Lolo so it seemed an obvious contender). None of those felt like they fit though so I decided to branch out past L names. I've always liked the name Chloe, which was the name of my imaginary friend when I was a kid, and started using it on various websites and forums and it just seems right. When I looked it up I found it was a popular Irish name, as was my birth name, so I decided to go with it.
I've not found a middle name yet. I keep feeling that it should start with an A but really can't decide. The name I really want, Artemis, is just too much of a mouthful to throw between my short first and last names but I haven't found anything else I like as much. Alexandra has been steadily growing on me though.
I'm CTW, I wanted to keep my initials and also keep with a similar first name to reduce confusion around people I know, and am still in contact with. Christina is a derivative of my Male Name Christopher, and Tali, my middle name matched my initials ,but the name I adopted from one of my favorite character in one of my favorite games, Mass Effect, I know I'm a dork :)
-Christina
I've chose Ruby. For a variety of random reasons. Firstly my birth name began with R, so it felt more natural. Also, the very first time I ever passed in public was when I was wearing Ruby red lipstick and a red dress with red patent pumps with fake red gems on. It was a fancy dress party and I went with a Little Red Riding Hood theme. At this party not many people knew me, only about 3, and everyone I introduced myself to thought I was a girl (I didn't bother correcting them because in my mind they were correct), and they asked me what my name was, I stared down at my shoes and just said the first thing that came into my head "Ruby".
The second name is Olivia, but not many people know that yet. I picked it because I thought it sounded pretty, plus it's a dedication to Olivia Newton-John, and the fact I love olives.
Quote from: AnarchoChloe on February 23, 2013, 01:49:23 PM
The name I really want, Artemis, is just too much of a mouthful to throw between my short first and last names but I haven't found anything else I like as much.
How about the Roman equivalent, Dianna?
Hahahaha! I had no idea those names were linked. Dianna is my sister's name. What a great little coincidence.
My name's Hayley-Katherine.
Hayley because I'm a big fan of the band Paramore, and for a very long time, I felt it was wrong for me to listen to them while I was male, so when I came out as transgender, they were all I could listen to.
Katherine because of an old friend of mine who commited suicide three years ago, and also because it can be shortened to Kitty, which is a nickname of mine anyway.
My middle name was the same as my grandfather's name, Leslie. I guess I got lucky with that one.
My parents thought I was going to be a girl right up until I was born, and my mum's a huge Alice Cooper fan, so she wanted to name me after him, in the end she settled for Alex.
my names were both inside jokes. the first time around, i had to pick a name to go by because my friend wanted to start a podcast and i didnt wanna use my birth name. later that day we were in a store and i said "i wish my name was chip so that whenever someone asks for some chips, i could say, 'im right here!!'" and i put on a dumb goofy face and laughed and my friend suggested my name be chip. it grew on me so much i went by chip for a while (its still a nickname!!)
just a few months ago at starbucks, i ordered a drink and gave "chip" as my name. i was so frustrated that they would never write my name on the cup, and the first time they did, i realized they'd misheard it as "tim". i again joked about it with my friends and they jokingly called me tim. lo and behold, once again the more they said it the more it grew on me. now i'm tim or chip, usually my friends alternate. but my legal name would probably be tim. it's a more "serious" name.
i dont know lately tim doesnt feel exactly perfect, but if it sticks around, i'll always have a great story to tell people that starbucks picked my name. ha.
I feel like my birth name, which I got from my father... Well I always hated being named after somebody else. It's not that I hate him or the name Thomas itself, but I always wanted my own name. I haven't actually decided yet, but I feel like I want a name with a double entendre. or some higher meaning than the face value suggests so that people wondering about it might catch on as a certain little in joke. One Certain name I like is Ailis. it means the light of the sun in gaelic, and with that I feel like I can relate it to a new dawn in my life, or the ever changing molecular composition of a sun, just like as a person I'm always changing who I am.
but honestly I have a hundred names in my head right now. I figure it will just come to me, or me and some close friends will sit down and have a pow wow over it.
Seeing we have a lot of new people here, I thought I would try and revive this thread. I found the reasons how we choose our new names very interesting. If you feel inclined please tell your story as to how you came to pick your name.
Hugs
Bethany Dawn
I'm thinking of Ashley or Riley as they are both fairly neutral (I don't want an overly feminine name). Likely I'd go for Riley, because it is similar to my current name, and it is Irish like my family name.
My original name had a gender neutral nickname that I thought about turning into the male version of the name. I was pretty sure I had settled on it completely, but then I had a moment where I realized hearing it would always make me think of the female name, so I decided it was not to be.
Then - I was sitting around thinking about changing my name and my roommate was watching one of the Star Trek series on TV. Star Trek is fine, though I am not really that into it and haven't seen anywhere near enough of any of it to be a super fan, but I heard a name (normal, traditional name) of one of the characters and decided that was it, hah - so my name is from a Star Trek character, but only as inspiration, not as a namesake --
My therapist asked everyone in a group what our names should be, I thought and it took a while, I was walking down the street about 3 days later and it simply came to me what my name actually was both a First and Middle name, then about 3 years later the middle one was changed by a friend to a different one she was the wife of his ( a guy a knew quite well) she had been supposed to name her daughter this, then my parents told me that I was not allowed to keep their last name so I had to change it (that was their level of rejection).
My birthname starts with N and my parents would've called me Nathan if I was a boy. So I wanted to try Nathan for a while even though I didn't really like it. After a couple of weeks I ended up loving the name and with my best friend I made it into Nathaniel because we both like fantasy and names that are a bit more... special. The name also means gift (of god but I'm ignoring that part) which I kind of like as well. I'll probably end up putting Nathaniel on the ID and being called Nathan most of the time. I haven't thought about middle names, I have two and they are very feminine.
I chose Amy as my name so long ago I honestly don't remember why. That must have been ... 16 years ago now? I didn't know anything about being trans, or even really much about LGBT people in general at the time. I was in high school and was talking to a very close friend about how I really wish I had been born a girl. She asked me what my name I would have liked and I just said "Amy" without hesitation.
I haven't thought of a middle name yet. When I come out to my parents, and if they don't flat out reject me, I'll probably try to find out what name my step mother would have named a girl and go with that as my middle name.
My last name is my last name. I see little reason to change that even if my entire family decides to have nothing to do with me.
an friend I had back when I was in Houston who got hit by a bus right before I moved away (also the first person I really told I was trans) showed up in a dream a year or so later. We were riding a horse together and she kept calling me Alice. I hadn't really decided on a name before that, and came to the conclusion that one that came in a dream was meant to be.
Shortly after that, I adopted the middle name Oriah as a feminized version of the name Orion (the constelation) for a more personal reason.
Quote from: Oriah on August 06, 2013, 09:21:42 PM
an friend I had back when I was in Houston who got hit by a bus right before I moved away (also the first person I really told I was trans) showed up in a dream a year or so later. We were riding a horse together and she kept calling me Alice. I hadn't really decided on a name before that, and came to the conclusion that one that came in a dream was meant to be.
Shortly after that, I adopted the middle name Oriah as a feminized version of the name Orion (the constelation) for a more personal reason.
That's so cool! I can't recall ever having a name in any of my dreams male or female
I grew up with a family friend named Madeleine. She went by Maddy and I was called Matty. This led to a lot of amusing confusion as they sound virtually indistinguishable. I referred to her as my namesake for years. And now she is.
Maddy
I asked my mom what she and my dad were gonna name me if i were born a boy. my mom said it was a three way tie between Kai, Grey and Eric. she said she always liked grey.
I always use that name when i have to make up a male name for say a character or in MMOs when you name your avatar. so grey is what stuck to me.
my mom was actually expecting me to be a boy. she had to think up a name while at the hospital when they found out i was a girl XD
she always used to let me know that i could change my name if i didn't like it when i got older. and turns out that's probably what im gonna do. XD
My first name I honestly have NEVER liked. It's a nice name for others but it is NOT for me. Most of the time I don't even acknowledge it's existence nor think about it. I would like to someday change it to something else. Still haven't decided but may go with a name I go by else where online. My Middle name was given to me by my mother. It is the PERFECT name and I love it, it's what I go by so I won't be changing it ever. (Thank God my Mama won the battle argument to call me by my middle name vs my first name) My middle name can be for either gender, so ironic how it goes with my situation but my first name is a boy's name. -_- My last name is, well it's a last name so what can you say? It's alright though if I ever get married I might change it to my wife's last name if I like it more than my last name.
So yeah, haven't really decided what to name myself. (I suck at naming anyone/anything) But have a few ideas. :)
Truth be told, I didn't ever think of needing a name. My wife wanted a name to distinguish this dual personality thing I've got going on :icon_yes:. So I started looking for names and I could feel "Allie" was the choice, simple and sexy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was drawn to the name Jennifer for a long time. I was thinking that i might use that as my name but then I also thought I want to honour my mother with my name.
Jennifer doesn't really correlate with my given name in any way so I thought, I can use Jennifer as my middle name and ask people to call me by that and then as my first name choose something that correlates.
My given name is Neil, this is a Celtic name meaning 'champion'. I searched through Celtic names and considered their origins. I settled eventually on a welsh name.
Aeronwy. it is derived from the Celtic goddess of war.
seems appropriate. I'm Welsh. I'm a goddess who will battle to get what I want.
I picked my name from a grade school friend named Stephanie. I just always really liked the name.
Steph70
How I came to picking my name is a very long story to tell but you can read about it here (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,145957.0.html) if you'd like. ;)
To sum it up, I basically picked my names from Geek culture that I'm a fan of, generally something sci-fi, and thought about each name and if I felt any really fit me and my personality.
Eventually, I came to Amelia Rose. ;D
Amy
I'm Tia. It just fit.
I didn't find out until after I was using it that it means "aunt" in Spanish. I use it in its Slavic meaning as "Princess." And Nadiezja - my middle name - is "Hope."
Well for me... The way that I came up with my name was simple. I took the meaning of my birth name ("Supplanter," which I always found to be applicable to my personality), popped it in a Baby Name search engine, and looked specifically for the unisex version of it (oh, and I set it for nationalities from my heritage, which in this case was Irish.) I purposely picked a unisex one since I do plan to play with people's minds sometimes, getting them try and guess what I am (hey, might as well have fun, lol) and also be a performer of sorts.
(Specifically I plan on going into dramatic reading, public speaking, singing and voice acting. I mean, I've already been doing the first three and I recently got asked to do the last, which has always been my dream. When I chose a name, I thought of the possibility of me doing the later, so I realized that a unisex name would open up more opportunities for me to do female and male voices, and not look weird on credits. Haha. So it works.)
End result was that I came up with the name Shae, and I just love how simply and sweet it is in comparison to the other. Fits me like SO much better. But yeah, I've been using it for like, hmm... Seven years? Before that, I used a variation of the name that my parents would have given me if I started as a girl, but it didn't feel right and I just hated signing the letter T, since I was used to not having to pick up the tip of my pen. Either way, I wanted to honor my parents somehow.
But the point is... There are many sites that can help and over at your library or local book store you'll find books of baby names for expecting parents. The main advantage of this is that you can pick a name that you actually like. One that fits you as a person. It is in a way a rebirth. Also, some cultures believe that our name defines us, which is why you should choose wisely. Ultimately it is your say, though, and what your personal preference is that matters the most.
Oh Gawd! I knew I've been forgetting something! A middle name! Hmmm... What goes with Shae? What goes with Shae? Can't think of it. I'll have to get back to you on that. Or maybe I don't need one? I'm used to having one. Guess I have to think more. Heh.
I chose my name to honor a girl I almost married while in high school.
For me I wanted to keep my initials, as a way of respecting my past and I've always had a name at the top of the alphabet, but I really did not want to use the feminine equivalent of my male name. I looked at the top 50 girl's names for my birth year and picked Amy because of a girl who was always very nice to me and a friend through difficult elementary and high school years. She had a very impressive personality, what I can only describe as a edgy sweet.
I also picked my name because Amy is a good short from Amelia, in tribute to the famous aviatrix. Amy fits because aviation has always been a big part of my life. It helps remind me that as I embark on my gender exploration, I can still be apart of the flying community.
Love and Hugs,
Amy
I happen to love The Big Bang Theory, I was watching that episode where Penny met Kripke.
When Kripke learned Penny's name, he goes, "Penny? That isn't a vewy hot name.. Youw new name is Woxanne!"<3
And I just really love the sound of the name Roxanne(: Roxie for short. It's fiesty sounding, cute, and feminine.
The last name I chose, Burste, is the last name of my dad's biological parents. My dad was adopted, so my family has his adoptive parents' last name.
Still working on the middle name! I'm thinking maybe Mallorie.
Roxanne Mallorie Burste. That has a really nice ring to it(:
I went through the list of the most popular names for the decade. Had about thirty initially, whittled it down to twelve, wound up adding about ten more. The entire time I kept coming back to one name, and my ex (now a good friend) told me that I really ought to just stick with it instead of yo-yo-ing. Guess I'm just worried that if I don't see them all, there'll be one out there that's absolutely perfect that I skip over. I have stuck with the name for a few months now, and I dig my middle and last names, I'm just keeping my options open in case I change my mind. >.>
Quote from: airamyb on August 13, 2013, 03:22:15 PM
For me I wanted to keep my initials, as a way of respecting my past and I've always had a name at the top of the alphabet, but I really did not want to use the feminine equivalent of my male name. I looked at the top 50 girl's names for my birth year and picked Amy because of a girl who was always very nice to me and a friend through difficult elementary and high school years. She had a very impressive personality, what I can only describe as a edgy sweet.
I also picked my name because Amy is a good short from Amelia, in tribute to the famous aviatrix. Amy fits because aviation has always been a big part of my life. It helps remind me that as I embark on my gender exploration, I can still be apart of the flying community.
Love and Hugs,
Amy
I am just the opposite - I have done everything to distance myself from the past - pretty much everything is burned
I have two black and white photos one from each parent of them as children - a painting by my stepfathers mother - and books I bought (books are precious things of course, knowledge is power)
Lately I've been tossing up between sticking with Luke or changing to Liam. The issues with Liam are that it doesn't sound too great with Andrew, and that my last name starts with M and might not go great with Liam. I think I like both equally, so I'm having a slight name crisis.
I decided, initially, to go with something that would use my old initials . . . then, put it to my Facebook friends to suggest names. I certainly learned a lot about their senses of humor, lol. But I told them I wanted it to be based off my old initials. Eventually, the names "Rycroft" and "Ethan" (my first and middle initials are R. E.). Unfortunately, or maybe not, I like "Ethan" so much, that'll probably be my first name, whether I keep "Rycroft" or not.
Still taking suggestions, however, just in case someone comes up with something really cool :D
MaybeJake/Probably Ethan
After exhaustive research I discovered my real last name (I was adopted) and Used the first name of a trauma patient I worked hard to save, but couldn't who I found out was involved in several charity organizations. I just couldn't let her name die and wanted to remember her for the rest of my life.
Sophia Hawke is the alias I play games as. I chose Sophia because I wanted a name that fit my rather proper personality. I picked Hawke from the dragon age 2 character because I thought it fit well with person I want to let out on the inside since I've been suppressing it for years.(although truth be told, I'm very feminine weather I want to be or not, there really isn't much of a guy mode for me). I also want to change last name to put closure on this part of my life.
On a side note, many of my friends unknowingly call me by the female version of my name.
I don't know if my name has settled yet. I'm trying to match initials. There are a lot of T names I can't use and many I don't like.
I tried Téa for a while... but thought it was too confusing and a bit too exotic (though it's Spanish, as am I).
I've settled more firmly (though will it last...? I think it might) on Tarah (pronounced TAH-rah). My middle, Emily - at least for now.
I am not consulting my parents on this - the way they've treated this stage in my life (twice... once 20 years ago), they don't get the chance.
My sister liked it, though she doesn't understand why I care about initials - I don't go by my 1st name with family & friends.
Came up with mine after a tv person and ex model and Middle name after the icon and my idol Marilyn Monroe.
I had it right there in my hands. A whole list of boys' names my parents thought up, with only one girls' name down at the bottom: the name my parents gave me. Talk about bad luck. I was a really young kid at the time though, so I don't remember what the names were and no matter how hard I search I can't find the list again. I tried asking my parents what they would have named me if I were a boy of course, but there were so many options they didn't remember either.
So what was I to do? Well, the list was lost but our family tree was intact; it was from there I received my middle name Lawrence to keep up with the naming convention of my family. First there's James Garfield, my great granddad, Lawrence Garfield, granddad, James Laurence, my dad, and ? Lawrence, myself.
I decided to pick my first name from baby books and name websites since there's no way in hell I was naming myself after a cat from the funny pages. I had very strict criteria when it came to my first name: it couldn't be the name of anyone I already knew since that would be awkward, it couldn't be a 'big shoes' name like Abraham or-god forbid-Elvis, and it had to be conventional for the decade I was born in and mesh well with my middle and last names. Eventually I happened upon one name that leaped out at me, so I've been tossing it around in my mind and on paper to see if it will stick.
I'm not sure if it will yet, so you guys can just call me Zambie. :P
I was given a gender neutral name at birth, so for a long time I didn't plan on changing it. Now that I'm starting HRT I think I want to, though - Jamie will always be a girl's name to me!
After a lot of googling, I think I've settled on Felix. I had a lot of names that I liked, but didn't feel like me - they all felt a little too glamorous, a little fake on me. Felix was on the list of most popular names the year I was born but still not too common. And the best part is that it means 'happy'!
I haven't told anyone yet, because I'm just not the type to until I'm sure. But I've been practicing writing it, and like someone else said, it's the name I give at starbucks. I though about keeping Jamie as a middle name, but hearing it right before my last name was bothering me. So I think I'll squish my first and middle initials together and be Felix J.M.
Not too long ago my parents said they named me and my sister after M & M's the candy. They wanted to have two kids that had names that started with an M haha! Even before I first learned what being TG was when I was in 7th grade back in the 90's I had always called myself Megan in my mind.
Well I knew that if I'd been born a girl my parents would have named me Rebecca, but that's the name of my best friend. Actually she helped me pick my name, she seemed to be under the impression that I should go with something that resembled my boy name, so I ended up going with Mikayla because of the similarity as well as that it's not cliched and it seemed modern and trendy. I came up with my Middle name Shakti when I was chilling at home a few weeks later, I just knew it was the natural choice and was totally right. Later I found myself slightly disturbed my the similarity of Mikayla to my old name so I often shorten it to Kayla which quite a few people seemed to do anyways. I'm still ok with Mikayla though, and I don't regret making it my legal name, I just like the option of using Kayla too.
When I was young I use to put a long yellow sheet on my head as a wig. And i used to pretend I was sailor moon(Moon Princess). When I was older I kept telling my mom I was a princess! She said prince not princess you're a boy! I ended online looking for a name and came across the Arabic name Amir which meant prince. It sounded nice to me so I search for the Arabic word for Princess, it was Amira! I smiled and took it as my new name.
I didn't pick this name, it just sort of happened. I had in the past picked out female names that I found to sound feminine that I like, but I also like Sandi. It was given to me by my wife one night we were goofy off and I called her by a boy's name and she in return called me Sandi. It's just sort of stuck. The middle name is her given middle name, that is also shared by her olderst daughter.
Not much thought went into this name, but the spontanaity was great.
Well let's see... When I was a teenager I asked my mom what my name would be if I was born a girl. She said she was going to name me Penelope and call me Penny for short. She was filling a big jar full of pennies to give to me. She had not even picked a boy's name, and instead my brother named me David. It's a nice name, and I always liked it.
So all throughout high school I wrote Penelope on everything. My friends thought I was weird. :) But that's not the name I'm using. It just doesn't feel like me.
About 20 years ago I came up with the name Raven Moon. I do not know where I got it from. It just popped in my head one day. I knew I was Raven Moon. (I've been into the occult since I was about 12, and that's my witch name.) I've used that name in conjunction with my birth name online for a long time. When I recently made the firm decision to transition, I dropped my birth name from it in many places. Two of my close friends now call me Raven.
So Raven it is. Was there anyone born in the late 50s with that name? I really doubt it. Do I care? Not one tiny bit. When I looked at popular names from the 50s I only saw two I would even remotely consider. And one of them was the same as an ex girlfriend, and that's kind of creepy because we are still friends. lol Some people do change their names after all. It's also similar to my birth name sound wise. It's a cool sounding name, and it fits my personality.
Plus, I've always stuck out like a sore thumb, so it's fitting. I'm artistically a non conformist. People see me and know I'm either an artist or musician. Just last week my ex wife told me that someone from our daughter's school said to her that he saw her daughter with a man at the school, and was that OK? (my ex is black, so that might have been why he asked, but out daughter does look mixed). She said "Did he have blue hair? That's her dad!" lol
Also, I'm a musician, and plan to continue to perform until I can't. I play in an alternative grunge/punk band in NYC, so the name and my future persona will fit right in. :) I'll be a cool middle aged rock goddess. lol I have come up with an elaborate last name too, but I'm not sure I'm going to change my last name. But it will be my stage name. Middle name? What the heck, might as well be Moon. ;) But I might use Penelope to honor my mom. She was the coolest, and also a singer back in the big band era. And we look alike.
I have no qualms about losing my initials or anything else. I'm putting that person to rest. I will always remember who I was, and I will soon become a different person. In a lot of ways we are free to invent our new persona, so I wanted to invent something memorable. :) It might even give my musical career one last big boost. it also makes up for missing out on growing up super cute. ;D