I'm Benjamin Jacob. I adopted that name when I was a preteen while pretending to be a guy. Now that I know I'm trans and I'm doing something about it, Ben or Jake seem to fit me. It's also a family name - my grandfather was Jacob and my great uncle was Benjamin. Both were great men.

Quote from: iconoclast on December 15, 2013, 08:15:41 PM
No. Common trans names are: Aiden, Jayden, Kaden, Kade, Jace. I wouldn't pick those.

Well according to this I have a common trans name but I've never run into someone else named Jace. I see a lot of common names like Jacob, Ben, Sam, etc. Common names are just that, common. They're popular but that doesn't mean they're anything less. So if you like it, go for it. It's your name, you have to live with it. So pick something you like, even if it's popular.

Quote from: Nikotinic on December 16, 2013, 12:42:36 AM
I think that when you spend a lot of time in trans communities and talking to trans people it's easy to notice trends, but out in the general public I really don't think anyone will hear any name and think 'Oh that's a trans name''. I've seen estimates that there are anywhere from 1 in 25,000 to 1 in 100,000 FTMs in the general population so for most cis people you meet you may be the only trans person they have met.

Somewhat off topic, but I think you're off by a few orders of magnitude there. More recent estimates of trans demographics are around 1:500. I think you're right on the main point though--most people aren't going to recognize a name as stereotypically trans.

For reference:
http://web.hku.hk/~sjwinter/TransgenderASIA/paper-how-many-trans-people-are-there.htm
http://transequality.org/Resources/NCTE_UnderstandingTrans.pdf

Declan is a weird name, but it's older and very uncommon. Not so uncommon that it sounds particularly unique/unusual/unreal, though. I'm Irish, so it suits me.

I went with an unusual name without realizing how unusual it is--rather than a new name, it's a classic name, very old, but few people have it. It was my alter ego name from high school on, so it was kind of the natural choice. Unfortunately, the name is connected with my past life (I changed my name more than a decade before I transitioned). Also, this name tends to be overwhelmingly favored by one particular group of which I am not a part. I was getting tired of telling people that I'm not a member of X group, but I haven't had to do it recently. Perhaps the dust is finally settling. I guess what I'm saying is that you should carefully think through any name that you choose, but what matters is that you be happy with it. Most people seem to have some complaint about their name, so why should trans people be any different?

Quote from: Nikotinic on December 16, 2013, 12:42:36 AM
I think that when you spend a lot of time in trans communities and talking to trans people it's easy to notice trends, but out in the general public I really don't think anyone will hear any name and think 'Oh that's a trans name''.

I'm going to have to second this.  Honestly, even after reading this type of thread a million times, I don't see myself ever being in a department store and thinking, "oh, that saleman is named Aiden.  I should insinuate the secret trans* handshake into our conversation. "  But I have been accused of being oblivious once or twice, I suppose.

I see a lot of Jays online. But I don't know any Jay IRL, except me of course.
I've seen a lot of Aidens online as well, and maybe know one.
I don't think people would recognize it as a common name for trans guys.


--Jay

Quote from: iconoclast on December 15, 2013, 08:15:41 PM
No. Common trans names are: Aiden, Jayden, Kaden, Kade, Jace. I wouldn't pick those.

I picked the name Jace because it's the coolest name in existence. I was aware that it's pretty popular among trans men and worried about this type of thing myself. But I quickly realized how dumb that is. No one has suspected I'm trans because of my name. 99% of the population has no clue what names are popular for trans guys cos they don't know of any or care. So my advice would be to pick whichever name you like best.

As a side note, I've met 2 cis guys named Jace who were around my age.

I know a couple of Jays IRL and they are not trans.  Jay is my online name and not my name IRL.  I assume a lot of Jays online are pseudonyms.


Jay

Aiden is quite stereotypical. Like the others I don't think someone is going to clock you because of it but I also think it is nice to not have a stereotypical name. I really wish I had some interesting ethnic roots and could have picked something unusual but ethnically appropriate, but alas I have none.

I spent ages trying to think of something individual that fit me, but then I realized that name probably didn't exist. I went straight for the name my parents wanted to call me and picked an old fashioned but unusual name as a middle name (because otherwise my full name would have seemed either very bible-themed or very generic).

As for personal advice on picking names, I'd say think of a name you like, test it, and if it passes just go with it. As for the testing part: firstly does it have any secondary meanings (donald glover style)? Then think about where you want to go in life. Can you imagine introducing yourself at a business meeting in 20 years time with said name? Also, does it have a more formal version? Even if you like a shortened version of a name like Zander, make Alexander your legal name and introduce yourself as Zander; you will be much less limited if you want to switch things up later for whatever reason.

If you want a name that blends into the woodwork, check the Social Security Baby Names website:
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/

Select "Baby Names by Birth Year", and see what was popular the year you were born.

As an alternative, pick the name of one of your school classmates.

For Example, Ethan was the 3rd most popular boys name in 2012, but in 1992 it was the 92nd most popular name.  In 1973 it was the 330th most popular name.

If you are 30 year old and most people with that name are in elementary school, it starts to sound fishy.


Randi

Quote from: sneakersjay on December 19, 2013, 04:05:10 PM
I know a couple of Jays IRL and they are not trans.  Jay is my online name and not my name IRL.  I assume a lot of Jays online are pseudonyms.


Jay

Well I was talking about FB and youtube. I know that some people use Jay as a pseudonym. I don't worry about the name Jay as it is common enough. If I had an usual name starting with J, I might use it.


--Jay

Personally, I'm an uncommon man with a very common name.

Thanks for the input, everybody. I know about the millionth transguy asking about names here. You've given me a lot to consider.

Edit: I forgot to add this. I think I'm going to keep Adrian because I really like. But it does sound a lot like Aiden. I'm either going to make it the first or middle name and have the other name be something strong, unarguably masculine, fitting for my birth-year and go by that name. Thank you for all your help.