hey guys and dolls,
How many names did you go through before settling on one? How long did it take you to decide on your legal name?
A lot. Chose Chris b/c thats the dude's version of my birth name ;) ;) ;)
Hi Nero,
My name isn't legal yet, but I settled on it more than 15 years ago. Prior to that, I didn't really have a female name, still trying to figure out what my "problem" was. I considered quite a few names, but always came back to Katherine. I wanted my name to be obviously fem with equally fem nicknames. Some of the names I considered had masculine nicknames, like Samantha. I decided I absolutely did not want a name that could be masculinized in any way.
By the way, did you finally settle on Nero? I voted yes for that because it is very masculine and unique...
One, for along time I was thinking about calling myself Ryan but I wasnt sure so when I came out me and mum sat down with a book with baby names in and picked Nathan, as we both liked it. :)
I tried not to overthink it.
I had maybe 5 names I considered, and kept the one that seemed to fit best. Though I don't like the shortened version of my name at all, but it seems that that's what I'm being called any way. The other names had other issues.
I wanted to keep my initials and a similar but masculine name. Kinda limits the options. Bottom line was I didn't dwell on it. I never liked my female name either.
Jay
I didn't go through many at all... to be honest, I don't remember considering other names than the one I chose.
I think I tried out two or three others. That was 10 or 15 years ago, and I really don't remember the process. I've had a number of people ask me how I came up with Kate (Katherine) and I don't remember. :embarrassed:
When I hit on it somehow, it just seemed to fit. :)
- Kate
Two. Sort of.
The "first" name I used was only on Facebook for about a week or two - it was just a male version of my birth name. It never really sat right with me. I'm using a version of that name while I study for the next 6 months, just so my academic records will link to my birth certificate without looking too weird.
And then there's the name I'll be changing to early next year, which has no resemblance to anything else :).
Heard that name many, many years ago. Loved it, got peeved I couldn't use it at the time. Used it online instead when I needed a fake real name.
10 years later (in other words, now) needed a name. Remembered the old name I loved and BAM. That was that. I'm still really happy with it (though my family hates it).
All in all, it took about a month or two to go from birth name, to male version of birth name, to decided name.
Much of that was sitting around thinking "Do I deserve to use the cool name I've wanted to use for so long? Am I good enough to pull it off?".
Quote from: Teknoir on August 09, 2009, 08:53:35 AM
Two. Sort of.
The "first" name I used was only on Facebook for about a week or two - it was just a male version of my birth name. It never really sat right with me. I'm using a version of that name while I study for the next 6 months, just so my academic records will link to my birth certificate without looking too weird.
And then there's the name I'll be changing to early next year, which has no resemblance to anything else :).
Heard that name many, many years ago. Loved it, got peeved I couldn't use it at the time. Used it online instead when I needed a fake real name.
10 years later (in other words, now) needed a name. Remembered the old name I loved and BAM. That was that. I'm still really happy with it (though my family hates it).
All in all, it took about a month or two to go from birth name, to male version of birth name, to decided name.
Much of that was sitting around thinking "Do I deserve to use the cool name I've wanted to use for so long? Am I good enough to pull it off?".
Okay, got to hear this cool name now! :)
Only used or thought of the one I have. It fit and its MINE!!
I went through three. The first two were way over the top.
1.) Kilee - after a girl I went to grade school with that I had a huge crush on.
2.) Ellieka - Toon name from World of Warcraf random name generator
3.) Cameron Elizabeth - Suggested by my ex wife. It was what she wanted to name her daughter if she had ever had one. It fit, and I love it.
I picked my first name pretty easily, the female version of my name is my brothers name so that was not an option. Picked it in a hour and have never changed it.
Cheers, Myles
Quote from: Nero on August 09, 2009, 02:05:34 AM
hey guys and dolls,
How many names did you go through before settling on one? How long did it take you to decide on your legal name?
And how many names did you go through, dude?
-Sandy(two for me)
I'm on my second . . . and having doubts. But I've already changed it on facebook, and I can't think of anything better.
I've gone through at least twenty. I'm trying to stick with Walter. Everyone on another forum though calls me "Vega". I might take that as a nickname and Walter will be my first name
when I was really young (like under 8 ) i had a cousin and friend that each named me Jennifer. that was sorta weird becuase i came to find out that had I been born a girl, my mom would have named me Jennifer (dad would have named me Renee).
The first name I chose for myself was Rachel (femme version of my birth name richard), but I didn't really like it. I also have a very weird last name, so I wanted to use that opportunity to change that as well. my first name became my last name and I took most of the letters in my last name to make a new first name (elizabeth).
but when I sat down with my mom, she was sort of taken back by that name becuase one of my aunts is named elizabeth. it never dawned on me since she has always been a betsy, but my mom would have never named me after that particular aunt.
so I'm torn, i've used beth for a while now, and i'm at the point where it's time for me to consider legal name changes and stuff. it might be a nice thing for me to honor my parents (the birth givers!) and go with the name Jennifer Renne <current last name>. i just feel like I know way too many Jennifers (it was the number 1 name in my birth year, as im sure it was in yours too).
so since I never chose jennifer, I have chosen 2. if you count jennifer then I have gone through 3 (so far!! ;) )
1
I chose mine at age 5 (and it isn't Jane! LOL!) so it has been with me 55 years now. Never even considered anything else.
I met my birth mother when I was 40 and she said she was going to name me Sheila. I told her I was glad she didn't keep me! :o I hate that name. If she had named me that, I would have changed it LOL!
One, but it wasn't because I changed my mind but because my mom finally told me she didn't like that name after I'd been using it for a year. I just changed my name legally a few weeks ago, and there's no way in hell I'm going through that again, so this name is gonna stick! :)
Two. Lester and Jay before settling on Lee as it was easier..
Jay
Quote from: Jay on August 09, 2009, 04:32:22 PM
Two. Lester and Jay before settling on Lee as it was easier..
Jay
Lester? :laugh:
Quote from: Nero on August 09, 2009, 05:38:30 PM
Lester? :laugh:
Yeah I kind of liked it till I wrote it down then.. it just came clear that its rubbish! :P
Jay
Quote from: Jay on August 09, 2009, 05:41:09 PM
Yeah I kind of liked it till I wrote it down then.. it just came clear that its rubbish! :P
Jay
it's actually kinda cool. specially with the avatar look.
One. Sometimes I like other names more but i think everyone doesnt like there name sometimes so Kyle it stays. It still feels weird being called it in person but it feels more me than my original name
Quote from: Nero on August 09, 2009, 05:45:25 PM
it's actually kinda cool. specially with the avatar look.
No it's a horrible name! Everyone would call him 'Lester the Molester'.
I thought on two or three different ones.
Roxanne. Jane ( feminine version of birth name ), Joanne. But my GG friend at the time like Jane, but changed it to Janet. I liked it because of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, my favorite.
And I took part of her name as my middle. It is funny, because we just divorsed and I don't think she even remembers it. ;D
Janet
Quote from: Janet Lynn on August 09, 2009, 06:43:35 PM
I liked it because of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, my favorite.
Janet
Dammit Janet!
-Sandy(one of my favorite songs from the show)
I'm fortunate on this, it took me no time.
I had it picked out years ago, expecting it to be given to a daughter, or at least that is what I told myself. When I decided to start picking a name it was first choice, but I did consider a few others. Mostly Victorian names, just to be thorough.
I narrowed it down to 3, and a asked a friend what he thought of them. By that point I guess I already was Leslie and it was only a matter of the middle name. I like what I picked and I can't imagine changing it.
I can see how some people fret over it though, we normally we grow into a name. Picking your own name is like trying to fill out a personal ad, it has to say something about you or it seems wrong. We spend more time describing someone to someone else, not describing ourselves, which makes it difficult.
Quote from: Leslie Ann on August 09, 2009, 07:05:34 PM
I had it picked out years ago, expecting it to be given to a daughter, or at least that is what I told myself.
I gave my favorite name to my current dog, so I was out of luck. ::)
Jay, who ideally would have been James Elliott (dog is Elliott James). Oh well. Though James with a one syllable last name is kinda like James Bond.
I haven't legally changed my name, but I've decided on Ryan.
I went through about 2-3 other names before deciding. My parents would have called me Ryan, and I like the name too :)
I had a sort of temporary name I kept in mind but I knew it wouldn't work. Then I got my screen name so I just used that until I settled on the one I use now.
1
I started with this one, and never changed.
I just feminized the spelling of my birth name because I am lazy and all the good ones were taken by aunts and cousins, damn them. It's pronounced the same and is one of those unisex Celtic names, though I've only met one female with the name.
Still don't know what I'll want to be called if/when I transition.
Quote from: Wendy1974 on August 09, 2009, 06:37:20 PM
No it's a horrible name! Everyone would call him 'Lester the Molester'.
That reminds me of my parents. We used to have a neighbor named Chester way back when and always used to call him Chester the Molester. It was funny until I blurted it out in front of him (ah the joys of childlike honesty.)
SilverFang
Danny was the obvious choice seeing as I'd gone by Danni for years, but I hated that. Then I wanted Chester, but nobody would get on board with Chester. Then I wanted Jeatyn, which is awesome, but too weird for a real name :P I used Jeatyn for a while though and some people got used to calling me Jet and haven't switched over yet; but Jet's a cool nickname that I can easily live with. Nick was my sisters idea, she said if I went with Nick she could happily get on board with calling me Nicky. It's stuck now and feels natural to me. All legal too. She called me Nicky for like two days before she reverted back to calling me Danni and she doesn't even bother trying any more. A lot of my family did that actually. Pain :-\
Too many, and still working on the finished product. I'm settled with Sebastien Dean, though considering adding on a second middle name or something. I suppose I'm indecisive; currently I'm going by Bastien, and am just happy I gave myself plenty of nicknames from which to choose.
And I saw someone said their parents didn't like their chosen name, so they changed it... my mother told me the same thing, but refused to help me pick out an alternate. So whatever.
SD
Yeah, my mother told me she didn't like my name too.... but I figure since I'm the one who's gotta live with it, and she only ever calls me by a nickname anyway, then it's really only my opinion that matters.
I think some of the name dislike from parents may be due to some resistance over accepting the child is "changing into someone else" (we know we aren't, but hey - many of them think we are until it's demonstrated otherwise).
Also, I think they can sometimes take it as some sort of rejection of them and the major decision they made (which, again, we know it isn't...but you can't explain to someone who hasn't "been there").
Virginia was gifted upon me as a child by other peoples confusion. But I liked it :icon_chick: Marie is another name I like. I like the way the two names sound together
Hum...None. Just put boobs on my old middle name and called it good. actually my first name is mostly unchanged, still sounds the same anyway.
Gee Nero, How about Nathaniel, 'Nero" Smyth-Jones......OK I'm not helping I can see. ;-)
The name I'm going by, at least first name, was the first name I thought of and love it. I did try a whole bunch of other names but they just didn't resonate with me. I love Deanna. The middle name, I'm not loving, not hating. I may look into that later. BTW Deanna is not anywhere near legal yet.
I do love Deanna though. :D
I've only had one choice in mind and when I become 18, I'm going to use it for my legal name change. To me, I'm unique, strange, grotesque and my first name is already one-of-a-kind, so I wanted another rare name...So I ended up with Inphyy sounds like (In-Fee) and I love it!
Just wanted to post and say that that's a nice name, Inphyy. Nothin' like unique names
Quote from: Walter on August 16, 2009, 01:04:16 AM
Just wanted to post and say that that's a nice name, Inphyy. Nothin' like unique names
:3
Thanks! LOL! I love your name also...Some people like common names and some just love being unique! :]
Three. Dawn was the first at the beginning of my transition because it sounded similar to my old name. When I went full time, I briefly used Carrie because I liked the name and I liked Carrie Bradshaw from Sex in the City. The name got poor reviews from friends and family--that shouldn't matter of course, but evidently I wasn't really committed to that name. I settled on a third name which must remain nameless because it is uncommon and I want to limit Google references that could be traced back to me. For those of you who plan stealth, you might want to remember that before picking an unusual name to limit how visible it is to search engines.
One. It sort of picked itself, I don't know why I'd change it 'cause it fits fine. Short, easy for me to sign, and my name-sign ended up based on it rather than on my birth name and I'd be loathe to loose that.
A legal name doesn't mean much to me, since most people are arbitrarily assigned them at birth and they relate in no way to their personalities; but rather, to the desires and tastes of the parents; or occasionally to honor or disrespect other family members. Kinda dumb, if you ask me.
I'd be just as happy with a masculinization of my birth name, but it was used as a nickname for years, and still is sometimes. It'd be weird to be called a name I'm referred to while in 'girl-mode' while in 'guy-mode'.
I'd like to say one. But I guess it's two. Well, look at my name :laugh:
Only this one. It is a Franco-Irish polygloth pun on how my birth French name (Yves) sounds to English ears (Eve).
Yves ->Eve -> ma Eve (my Eve )-> Maeve ->Maebh
LL&R
Maebh
Actually it came to me in a flash. It is a feminine version of my middle name, but also my grandmother's name... so it fits.
I guess I'm one of the lucky ones in that I can use my birth name for either gender. I'm so thankful to be called 'Charlie' legally already, but I prefer to shorten it to 'Chaz' since it sounds more masculine to me.
Two. My wife used to call me Melissa and I didn't like it too much. Gene is my middle name by birth some Genevieve seemed appropriate.
I had the idea to have a name starting with a 'J'. I dont know why, but so i wrote down all the Names with 'J' what came in my mind. Ofc only the one what fits to me. And out of these Names i took Jaqueline.
I'm on my 2nd name. First was Savanna. Not sure if I like Jerica yet though.
Nero, you always post such interesting topics!
My name here is Bridgette and I chose that when I first started my discovery (ex-wife's name) and have since changed it to Dana Lane (on every other site except for this one). I sign my paintings I create "D Lane" Lane is my middle name. I use my First initial, middle name and last name for the most part so I figured it was more efficient to make my name 'fit' the current template. Besides, I like the name Dana. :)
So, who does a girl have to talk to about changing their name on here? I would feel so complete!
Post Merge: August 31, 2009, 09:13:45 AM
Well, I just figured out how to change my name! The display name is all I cared about. I feel complete now.
I first chose Tammy Renee because it is a close feminization of my
given name and as sort of a small tribute to a cousin of the same name.
It was always the name I used for my feminine self. When I started my transition
it is the one which I used at work and in my personal life. After my Mama became
willing to discuss my transition with me, the subject of what I had named myself
became the topic of the conversation. That is when I discovered that it distressed
her, that I had chosen the name of her favorite niece, my cousin, who had taken
her own life. I asked her what name she would have chosen if she had had
another girl and she said she had always loved the name Heather Rose.
LOL! Aha. Reading my above post and now is funny. I like the name Sheva and Inphyy. If your wondering how Sheva is sounded out, listen to how Sheva's name is sounded out in Resident Evil 5! I might take her last name...Alomar! ;)
Well, before I was out, I changed my name (non-legally) once, then changed it back. :P
I haven't
definitely decided on a name yet. But once I came out to myself, I experimented with Chris, (male version of my birth name) then my mom told me that if I'd been perceived as a male at birth they were going to name me Aaron. So I tried that, and I liked it a lot better. I might not stick with it, but I like it for now.
Post Merge: August 31, 2009, 07:36:11 PM
Quote from: Janet Lynn on August 09, 2009, 06:43:35 PM
I thought on two or three different ones.
Roxanne. Jane ( feminine version of birth name ), Joanne. But my GG friend at the time like Jane, but changed it to Janet. I liked it because of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, my favorite.
And I took part of her name as my middle. It is funny, because we just divorsed and I don't think she even remembers it. ;D
Janet
Jeez...actually my mind immediately jumped to RHPS when I saw your name... *hopes that's not insulting* >.<
when I first started transitioning, my sweetheart started calling me by my new name and it just sort of stuck. That's partly because I like the idea of having a name not chosen but given to you by someone who loves you, the same as my birth name was. I also took my SO's last name. I briefly toyed with the idea of using "Kimberly" which is what my mom told me was the female name she had originally chosen for me, but by then I was already too used to being called my new name to change it yet again. I merely feminized my birth name and stuck it in the middle. So how many? Maybe 1 and a half? lol
Most likely I'm sticking with Christian (male version of my birth name) to avoid confusion from my family. And so I don't look like an idiot and forget to answer to my own name. I just need to decide on a middle name, since my current middle (Rose) is very femmy.
i tried about... 15 or more since i could never find one that fit me. i would try them out but they would bore me! sometimes i like the name but someone would end up ruining it for me, comparing it to something i disliked or something that just didnt sound right haha.
so in the end i stuck with Jennifer. its been around 8 months now and im still liking my name very much! and so are the friends ^_^.
Uh...I think I started with David a few years ago, but that bares no resemblance to my real name, and I needed something not so different since I'm not yet out to my parents. Then I went on Kay, Kai, Kaydin, and others. I'm currently with Kade which is kind of the male version of my name, just with a D instead of a T, and I think I like it.
So far I've kept the one I chose. I took a few days to research names and their meanings so as to pick out names that described me. (Owl, hawk, horse, dragon, traveler, fierce, strong, warrior, foreigner, changeable, original, etc.) Then I switched them around until I got a name pleasing to the ear.
What I ended up with was G--- D--- Tripp.
G--- : Old German for Warrior
D--- : Scottish for Son of David
Tripp : Old English for Traveler
Not 101% sure it fits me though... ???
Quote from: DawnL on August 16, 2009, 01:46:51 AM
...I settled on a third name which must remain nameless because it is uncommon and I want to limit Google references that could be traced back to me. For those of you who plan stealth, you might want to remember that before picking an unusual name to limit how visible it is to search engines.
And This is why I don't spell out my whole name for y'all :P