My biological name is Alisha which I find is inappropriate for me as I'm a pre ftm. When I finally do get to transition I'd have to change my first name. Would Ariel be suitable or would it be too feminine?
What do you think?
Well, given that the most well known usage of that name belongs to Disney's little mermaid, possibly.
But according to this site (http://www.behindthename.com/name/ariel) it can be either male or female and means "Lion of God", so I guess you make the name mean what you want it to and suit you as you see fit. :)
I've heard that in some countries (usually Latin countries), Ariel is still masculine. In the United States and a few other similar countries, it tends to be seen as more feminine. As Ms Grace said, The Little Mermaid movie is to blame (although I still love that movie). I dunno... I still think it would be cool to meet a guy named Ariel.
That being said, you should use whatever name you feel best identifies you. It's your name and you get to choose it this time. Nobody else can tell you what it should be.
I would say it was definitely too feminine while you're not passing entirely, and maybe even then you'd have issues with it.
Depending on what GIC you go to, if you go to one to medically transition, you may run into problems there with it as well.
I'm from a European country (not from an English-speaking one) and I would definitely read it as primarily masculine. Funny enough, the mermaid was called Arielle in my country - I'm not sure if that was because people here would have thought she was a guy otherwise?
I didn't know that Ariel is considered a mostly masculine name in some areas in the world. :o Personally, I've only known one Ariel - the Disney princess one.
But even if it's typically viewed as a "girl's" name where you live, I say it depends on how much patience you have + how much you like the name..
If you think you'd get frustrated really quick having to educate people that yes - Ariel can be a boy's name - then it might not be a good idea. (You're more likely to get impatient if you aren't basically 'in love' with the name, too)
Me, I've been going by Robin - which a lot of people see as mostly a girl's name. Many haven't even heard of a guy named Robin, so they assume that boy's can't have the name.
But, I really liked the name, so I went with it, even though I knew I'd have to explain it to a lot of people. :P In my opinion, names are like clothes - they don't have genders. People do. And people just tend to associate certain names with a specific gender, because of what they were taught the name is for. But, that doesn't mean a boy can't have a "girl" name or vice versa. (After all, many "unisex" or gender neutral names didn't start out that way)
Anywho, I like the name Ariel. :) It's a really uncommon name here, so that might have something to do with it. Hahaha
Quote from: Ms Grace on September 14, 2014, 04:14:15 AM
Well, given that the most well known usage of that name belongs to Disney's little mermaid, possibly.
But according to this site (http://www.behindthename.com/name/ariel) it can be either male or female and means "Lion of God", so I guess you make the name mean what you want it to and suit you as you see fit. :)
I never saw that movie. The only association I have with the name is Ariel Sharon, the former Prime Minister of Israel. Although it's pronounced differently.
To me, Ariel is more feminine than masculine.
I know it as both ways, but I am not a good example of the avg dweller of North America.
I'd say most would think female, because of the already mentioned animated movie.
Repeating the movie statement.
Also, I would think about how it looks on applications for...well, anything. Discrimination might be illegal, but they still do it anyway.
Lol, I feel I should point out - Ariel (the Little Mermaid that is) was trans*, or at least a metaphor for it. As such, you could take "her" as really being a "him" (or vice-versa, seeing as it's never made explicit it can be taken either way). With that in mind, even though they "seemed" female, they could have been male, making their name (Ariel) a guy's name in this case.
Food for thought ;) ♥︎