I've only ever heard one story of how a friend came up with her new name. She used to be a Steven, but now she's a Kelly, and I asked "Why not Stephanie" and she said, "Oh no, waaay to close to the original. I wanted something new and different, Kelly just made sense. I think it's bubbly, like ME!" So, I'm curious, where did you come up with your name?

Mine was a, "Well, it's always been that" thing. It just felt 'right', even though it's completely 180 from my old name. So, Ladies and Gents (and everyone inbetween ) where did you discover your name? Was it just meant to be or did you grow into it? Did you stay by your original or branch out with zeal! GO!

Janet - I took the name from my favorite movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Lynn - I stole it from part of my ex's name.
O'Brien - Because I am part Irish.

Funny thing is, at the time that I took my first name, I did not realize it is a feminized version of my old name.

i chose Tristan really quickly actually. then i decided that i wanted to keep my middle initial "M" so i chose Markus, i guess i wanted a strong middle name. it was one of those things that just felt right. I wasn't thinking about it at the time but people have commented that it it relates well to me ironically because i do metal fabrication and casting work.

A feminine/androgynous version of my old name.I went through an androgynous phase as I started electrolysis & hormones I didn't want someone shouting out Hey Vanessa!at me

I just knew I was Rita....I dont know how...I just knew

I also knew my middle name was Irene...I didnt choose names or know anyone by that, it just was

my "new" last name I did choose, I always loved a certain car and the way the name was scripted out on the side

it was Bel Air

as far as the "chans" part...my ex was half asian and she used to refer to everything cute by adding a -chans to the end

thats how I picked my username

I was ordained as a Buddhist 15 years ago, and the name I was given then is gender-neutral (how convenient...) so I'm sticking with it .

I simply told my eldest daughter, then 16, 'go pick me two new names but keep the initials the same'. She then consulted "Names for baby girls" or some such on the net and presented me with two lists. I struck out all the Disney princess names and the modern trendy ones was left with one choice for my first name and three variations of a name for my second.

Job done.

I was going to class and there was this nameplate with "Paige" on it.  I just took a shine to the name, especialy after being called by it a few times.  I began to have this feeling of ownership which was and remains quite wonderful.

Still working on a middle name.  Though I must be careful.  If I pick a middle name that begins with 'B' my initials would become PBR.

Quote from: Misato33 on October 23, 2012, 07:27:45 AM
Still working on a middle name.  Though I must be careful.  If I pick a middle name that begins with 'B' my initials would become PBR.

Is that bad? Actually, those are my initials, just in a different order...

It's a name I've always thought was a pretty feminine (but not too feminine) name, since I was a kid. It was a natural choice.

I wanted to have a name with the same first initial. I tried out several different "B" names. Eventually, Brooke seemed to fit. I ran it by a few friends, and they all agreed I am a Brooke. As for my middle name, it is a family name, and my son has the same middle name. So I am just changing the spelling to the feminine version. I will be keeping my last name as is. Recently, I had an interview for a new job. As I have not legally changed my name, my resume and other documents had my male name on them. When I went to the interview I told them I am trans. They asked if I was going to change my name, and I told them it will be Brooke. They told me that Brooke suited me much better than my male name and requested they be able to call me that. So, I guess I chose well. 

Mmm. What can I do? I am reaching the moment where I need to start thinking about a name, since inside the associations they are starting to gender me... Differently. I won't say "correctly" since my mind still not fully accepting. I have gone for "Noel" for  more than ten years on the net and when I meet online friends in real life they believe it is my real name. It has a female version, Noelia, but... Not that I don't like it very much, and there is already a "Noelia" at the workplace.

Quote from: bev2 on October 23, 2012, 07:40:10 AM
Is that bad? Actually, those are my initials, just in a different order...

Pabst
Blue
Ribbon

Don't know if I want the same initials as a beer.  Could give, "PBR me ASAP" an uncomfortable meaning.

My birth name is David William, so I was considering Dana Willow (or Winter) so I could keep my initials and email addresses. But, I decided I didn't want that as a name and that I didn't want to keep my initials. I decided I wanted a name completely of my own choosing.

I began to look for common female names from my birth year (1969) and I almost settled on Monica. But, I've always liked the name "Constance" and its diminutive "Connie." I then randomly chose "Anne" as a middle name because I thought it sounded good when coupled with both Constance and Connie.

But before settling on these names, I looked them both up. "Constance" means "steadfast" and "Anne" means "grace." My new name means "steadfast grace." To me, this seemed somewhat prophetic, as I'd need some steadfast grace to get through transition.

I didn't want my name to be a female variation of my old one, not that there is a female variation of "Doug" that I know of.
Autumn just felt right. Like my time as Doug was the summer and now I had to shed my old leaves in the cheesiest way possibly, to change myself for a new and much harsher season before settling into the beautiful peaceful spring. Its an analogy as sad as an obsession with butterflies. But its just something I thought about.

So why "Autumn?" Its a nice, sweet, uncommon name with some cheesy meaning behind it. Plus I'm ginger and it suited that very well!

Peky is: Pe are the first two letter of my legal female name, K is the beginning letter of my last name, Y is a letter that happens in my last name.

However, my legal female name was given to me by my Mom when I was 4 years old, as nick name. i was called that name by most of my relatives (sans Papa) until I was about 10. Thereafter, only my younger sisters would call me Pe......., and only when nobody else was around.

My youngest daughter calls me Papa Pe....... 

Welcome to the forums, Autumn!

  I think I mentioned somewhere before that my username is not really a name but more a description of what I hope to achieve through my transition.  It also represents my favorite color in a more 'poetic' way.  (It is pure coincidence that purple is frequently associated with the community.)  For the sake of embracing my identity and having something to tie it to I'm going by Violet on this site and whenever else it seems appropriate.  I don't know that I would keep it in the end, but as I become more comfortable using that name to represent my identity and my personal challenges the prospect is growing on me.  My birthname could be taken as male or female though so I wouldn't have to change it unless is becomes a legal requirement.

Quote from: Violet Bloom on October 23, 2012, 05:55:36 PM
Welcome to the forums, Autumn!

  I think I mentioned somewhere before that my username is not really a name but more a description of what I hope to achieve through my transition.  It also represents my favourite colour in a more 'poetic' way.  (It is pure coincidence that purple is frequently associated with the community.)  For the sake of embracing my identity and having something to tie it to I'm going by Violet on this site and whenever else it seems appropriate.  I don't know that I would keep it in the end, but as I become more comfortable using that name to represent my identity and my personal challenges the prospect is growing on me.  My birthname could be taken as male or female though so I wouldn't have to change it unless is becomes a legal requirement.

Thank-you for the welcome! I think that your name should be something you are comfortable with in the long run. I mean for me that's the whole point of this, to appear as normal and comfortable as you can possibly feel! (I'm new to this world :S) So whether you change your name to Violet or not, these things should just come to us in time.

I haven't thought of a middle name yet possibilities are:
Janet
Sapphire
Arwena
Gyda

(Also if you don't mind can you talk me through how to use this site :S I'm a little confused!)

Quote from: Lady Autumn on October 23, 2012, 05:17:16 PM
Autumn just felt right.

I had thought about Autumn, September, and even Virgo as names.

Quote from: Constance on October 23, 2012, 06:17:03 PM
I had thought about Autumn, September, and even Virgo as names.

...Damn Virgo is a good name. If I was a Virgo I'd so go for that.
The name Constance is one of my favourites. I know this won't mean much to you but that was the name of my first Monarch in the Sims Medieval!