My real name is very much gender-neutral, and I was wondering whether or not I should change it when I transition.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both, the main advantage would be that nobody would have to get used to calling me by another name, there would be no slip ups etc.

The only problem there is that people would still associate me with my "former life", relating me back to the "male" person I used to be.

So, if you had a gender-neutral name, would you change it?

Hmm, I don't think I would change it. At least not right away. If it was something like Jordan or Alex I wouldn't mind but since my name is really male sounding "Hunter" (There, I said it xD) I've decided to change it.

I don't think I would change mine if it was gender neutral.  That would save a LOT of work!

I can understand where you're coming from.

But it's really up to you.

One advantage of changing is that it marks a boundry between what you had and what you are going to gat from now.

One advantage of keeping is that you are not really changing as such. You are who you've always been. You've just had a few physical problems sorted.

No people still call me by my male name alot even tho my female name has nearly replaced everything.

Quote from: Dana Lane on November 13, 2010, 04:54:38 AM
I don't think I would change mine if it was gender neutral.  That would save a LOT of work!

I would agree with that, in my own case my former name was Paul, when I started transition my parents just add  ''ine'' Im Pauline every since, theres a lot to be said for having a gender neutral name, if I had been born a girl Id say Id have been called Pauline, btw I really hated being Paul but thats for another thread, having a gender neutral name as Dana says, saves a lot of work.
p

Although my male name was not gender neutral, I can understand your dilema, and it's something I've thought about. I would probably change my name. Because the name is tied to so much more, most importantly, it's tied to your old life and your old persona. It would be hard for people to change their perception of you while still calling you by the old name.

Quote from: SamanthaFLA on November 13, 2010, 09:33:20 AM
Although my male name was not gender neutral, I can understand your dilema, and it's something I've thought about. I would probably change my name. Because the name is tied to so much more, most importantly, it's tied to your old life and your old persona. It would be hard for people to change their perception of you while still calling you by the old name.

Yes that is exactly what I mean! Good and bad in both things really, I mean, I like my name, it's just that people will just assume I am still exactly the same person as I always have been.  This could be quite confusing as I would be reassuring close friends and family that I AM still the same, but on the other hand I am not?

Quote from: lightvi on November 13, 2010, 04:52:45 AM
Hmm, I don't think I would change it. At least not right away. If it was something like Jordan or Alex I wouldn't mind but since my name is really male sounding "Hunter" (There, I said it xD) I've decided to change it.

What?? Hunter's a gorgeous female name! 

I get the sense that I would change it.

It sends a clear message to myself and others that the old me was no more.

Certain people are ok with certain things, others are not.

For me it was a pretty clear choice. For one my old name meant beloved father, for another... it was a clear point where I could say that even legally things are different and my life is different from my old life.

My birth name was gender neutral but I still changed it. I would say to myself that I would keep it, but when I saw boys with that name I would get embarrassed and when Kyle came to mind, I just knew it wasn't going to work that way because it wasnt me.

My name is pretty feminine and girly. If I had a gender neutral name, it would depend on if I liked the name. If I didn't, I would change it.

Quote from: lightvi on November 13, 2010, 04:52:45 AM
Hmm, I don't think I would change it. At least not right away. If it was something like Jordan or Alex I wouldn't mind but since my name is really male sounding "Hunter" (There, I said it xD) I've decided to change it.

I don't consider Hunter a male-sounding name. My best friend's cousin's name is Hunter and she's female.

I definitely would. One cannot possily hope to maintain stealth with the same name. Plus, even if my name were gender-neutral, I would probably still see it as too male for me to feel okay for it, because of the life I have lived up until now.

I'm pretty sure I'd keep it the same if my birth name was gender neutral. Just easier I guess.

Samuel → Samantha, most people call me Sam or Sammy/Sammi anyways, or 'Princess' (bit of a story). I'm really really really glad my name is mostly gender neutral; it'd confuse me to no end if I had to change it.

Hmm, this is an issue I'll will be dealing with myself. My name is an English phonetic translation of my (country & language of birth) name, hence absolutely gender neutral in English. In fact, even in its original language, where there's a definitely feminine version, an internet search reveals plenty of female that uses its current form.

Having such a name has definitely made life easier so far. A change will give a clean and obvious break, and given how active I was as a university student among other things which has left a huge amount of internet trace, with the relatively unique (in English) name, even semi-stealth will be impossible without a change.

I don't know.

I think I would, It would depend on the actull name.

Changing your name is a big decision, I can understand what u are going through... But its all down to what I would associate with my name & what it represents to me .... if it were up to me on one hand it will be tough because I would be attached to the name if I had a good experiences while I was by that name but would change it if it was too painful ...  I really would not want to until the last possible moment as it is an important step imho.