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name help please?

Started by greenxdrew, March 06, 2015, 06:43:59 PM

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greenxdrew

hi all (:
(sorry if this is in the wrong place, I'm new to this)

I'm FtM, going to change my name this year, and have been through a few names so far but nothing has stuck. I'm struggling to find one since I look very feminine, so I thought I would go online and ask? I have a couple recent photos, sorry about the quality. Thanks everyone ^.^

http://s16.postimg.org/wa94ywbj9/2015_03_04_16_02_33_096_2.jpg
http://s17.postimg.org/4tpssh61r/IMG_20150225_074417_2.jpg
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Algernon

Dude, you don't look feminine at all, in my opinion. And even if you did, it shouldn't restrict your name choice. If you don't want to be too radical in your choice of name then go for the masculine version of your birth name, if there is one. If there isn't then pick something that sounds similar, that begins with the same letter or has the same vowel sounds. Something that you can associate with yourself.  You could think of a person, real or fictional, whom you identify with strongly, and take their name. There are gender neutral names too like Alex, but they tend to be quite common especially amongst trans people.
That said, my name has nothing in common with my birth name, and is obscenely outdated besides. It stuck before I could ask it to leave.
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Tripdistrans

I'm with Algernon, you definitely don't look feminine to me. You are however, cute af. Crushes aside, something I would suggest is legit getting yourself a list of names and just finding the ones you like at first and going 'Hi, I'm [Insert first and last name]' out loud to yourself. It's uncanny and quite odd if you do it in public, but when you find something that rolls of your tongue like heaven juice and it just feels right, then you'll know.
Expectations in life are only useless without passion. Be passionate about yourself, and love yourself.
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Ayden

Hey there.

I'm not sure of your age, but I don't think you look exceptionally feminine at all. You look a bit like my younger brother, actually.

For names there's a lot you can do. If you don't want something that seems out of place you can try looking up the statistics in the year you were born and check out what the popular names were. I did and for a while I was leaning toward a very different name from what I have now. You can also try looking at family lineage and choose a name based on where your family comes from or from family names. Or, you can take a name you're fond of. You can always ask and see what your name would have been if you were assigned male and try that out. I did, but I wasn't too fond of James and we already have three in my immediate family so I wasn't looking to add a fourth and give my dad a bigger head.

Obviously, I did not do the above. I actually used my indecision on a name as an excuse to hide from myself for a while. Finally, I asked my partner to pick a name for me. He did, and it stuck. Yep, my name's really Ayden. We found out afterward that it's like, the most common trans guy name ever and I felt a little strange about that at first. But, it was chosen simply because my partner liked it as it was the name of his first actor crush and it just moved in and made itself at home before I could object.

Do you have any names you are leaning toward?

Don't worry about posting something in the wrong area, the site is pretty big and can take some time to get used to. I've been here for a while now and I still find myself in new areas. Here's a list of links you can check out that can make the site a bit more user friendly. 

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greenxdrew

Hey Algernon,
thank you I've always thought I look too fem
I have a birth name that can't be masculine at all, but I'll try to find something similar and maybe try to keep it starting with 'M'
I was thinking to go for neutral but I agree there are a lot of common ones.
I really like your name :) I haven't heard it before.
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greenxdrew

Hi Tripdistrans (:
thats really nice to hear, I'm feeling a lot better now. Oh wow haha ^.^ I wouldn't say I'm cute but thanks. I really like your style btw, looks awesome. I have a new list of names now so I'll give it a go and see if anything sounds right. I'll make sure to do it at home :P
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greenxdrew

Hi Ayden,

I forgot to mention that I'm 18, most people think I'm 15/16 though. Haha I have been mistaken for a friends brother before.

That's a good idea I haven't thought of, and I think I'll ask my parents what they would of called me.

That's cool (: I don't think your name is common, I don't hear it a lot. I have been through a few names. I've already tried Zai, Mat, Jasper and Benjamin. I'm just struggling for something I feel comfortable with. I have a new list of names now, so I'm going to try and say them out loud/write them down.

Thank you for the links as well :)
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PageOfD

When I was choosing my name I spent a long time looking at baby name sites, not only to get ideas but also because a lot of name sites give the meanings and origins of names which isn't necessarily something everyone cares about, but I do.
Then I tried putting a few names together and saying them out loud so I could hear what they sounded like together and with my surname after them.
I ended up with a first name that is nothing like my birth name and a middle name that has the same origin and starting letter as my current one.
Other than that it was just a matter of really thinking about it and trying out a few names that you like before settling on just one.
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Bran

I've seen a few strategies for names-- honestly, naming yourself is a lot like naming a child.  You can masculinize your birth name, if you like it OK, or find a male name with the same sound or meaning.  You can focus on something that'll keep your initials the same, if that'll matter.  You can find out what your parents "would" have named you if you'd been assigned male at birth.  You can follow the same logic your parents used to name you, and pick the same "kind" of name-- family names, popular names, etc.  You can look at what's more and less common for folks your age, from your area, and either pick something that will be "normal" or something that'll make you stand out from the crowd.  You can base a name on something really meaningful to you, like a culture, an ideal, a hobby, a religion, or a book.  You can buy a book of baby names and randomly open it to a page, pick the first thing you like.  You can do a bunch of different methods, and see if anything comes up more than once, or really jumps out at you. 

If you're really having a hard time deciding, see if some of your friends will help you "try on" names, by using one for a few days or a couple weeks.  That'll help you know if it'll work, or be something that grates on your nerves.  But, also, try not to stress too much-- nobody gets any choice in their first name, and most people live with it OK.

For me, when I realized I was going to have to transition, the name was already there (not my username, that's a pun on my family name).  I looked at a few others, but knew which one was right.  I went with a traditional guy name with a gender-neutral nickname, not too many religious connotations, about the same level of popularity in my birth year as my original name.  My birth name is a family name, but there's an unfortunate lack of decent guys with decent names on either side of my family, so even my parents agree that's not an option.
***
Light is the left hand of darkness
and darkness the right hand of light.

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sam1234

I think you could pass as a very young male. I've seen cis guys that look more feminine than you do.

When I changed my name, I did it in two steps. First I changed it to an androgynous form, then after I started to transition, I made a slight change in that name to a masculine form. Both the androgynous form and the masculine form were the same shortened, so people had already started calling me by the shortened version. That made the transition of names go smoothly for not only others, but for myself as well.

sam1234
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pianoforte

If you're thinking of starting with the letter M, I think Mick might suit you.

But in the end it comes to what feels right. If you can't get comfortable with a name, it's probably not Your Name.

I picked my name (first, middle, and last) based on 3 criteria: fits my appearance, sounds pleasant to hear, and has a giod meaning (I'm a huge name meanings nerd). My name pays homage to my trans experience in a subtle way that only makes sense if you know my story and the meaning of each name. So that made me feel a much deeper connection with it. I still wonder if it's right for me sometimes, but then I think about the meaning and love it again. Plus, I remind myself that if my parents had picked a boys name for me, I probably wouldn't ever even have the opportunity to change it because it would never have been an issue... So that helps any time second thoughts start to cone up.
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greenxdrew

Thank you so much for the help guys (: I've been thinking about it a lot and have decided to go with Benijah. It actually has the same syllable count as my birth name and sounds quite similar even though it doesn't start with M. I'm very happy with it and so are my friends. I'm also having the middle name Lane, which keeps it as an 'L'. I think they both go well with my last name too. ^~^
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adrian

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lewis

Glad you've found something you liked. Trying to pick a name was really hard for me. I had a list of quite a few, then changed my mind at the very last minute!

Wouldn't say you looked feminine either :)
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LoriLorenz

Hey, I have to agree, you look relatively masculine to me. As to names, I'm horrid at naming others, but I will quickly share my name choice journey:

First, I wanted to honour my German roots, so narrowed my choices to German names.
Second, I am not overtly grossed out by my birth name and wanted to keep my initials the same for several reasons.
Finally, I researched for meanings that reflected who I am and that sounded correct.
As a bonus, the alternate first name I am using (not official yet) meshes with my birthname becoming a "nickname" that I am happy to let people continue to use, as long as the gender me properly!

As long as you are happy with your choice, whatever you want that works will work. :)

Cheers
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Tripdistrans

Quote from: greenxdrew on March 08, 2015, 09:45:03 AM
Thank you so much for the help guys (: I've been thinking about it a lot and have decided to go with Benijah. It actually has the same syllable count as my birth name and sounds quite similar even though it doesn't start with M. I'm very happy with it and so are my friends. I'm also having the middle name Lane, which keeps it as an 'L'. I think they both go well with my last name too. ^~^
I don't mean to sound rude, but how do you pronounce that? Australians have a very halfa--ed way of pronouncing things so I'm probably hearing it all wrong.
Expectations in life are only useless without passion. Be passionate about yourself, and love yourself.
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greenxdrew

Quote from: Tripdistrans on March 09, 2015, 04:47:34 AM
I don't mean to sound rude, but how do you pronounce that? Australians have a very halfa--ed way of pronouncing things so I'm probably hearing it all wrong.

Haha, no that's fine (: its Ben-eye-ah
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greenxdrew

Quote from: lewis on March 08, 2015, 05:10:58 PM
Glad you've found something you liked. Trying to pick a name was really hard for me. I had a list of quite a few, then changed my mind at the very last minute!

Wouldn't say you looked feminine either :)

Thanks c: I feel much better knowing I've got it sorted out and happy with it. It is really tough, I've had a few lists too. I never thought I would have a B name.
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