In another posting Marq and Mia said

QuoteI hit a new level of balance when I actually gave them their own names, more specifically Mia who had been the silent partner for most of our life spreading influence without any of the credit. I gave her credit finally and everything connected suddently.

This got me thinking about my name Jillieann.
I also seemed to became more real when I gave myself a name.
But I also have a third name that I call myself. This name is the one I use to encompass both of us (Jillieann and JR). It can be either and male or a female name so it is approprate for both of us.

Jillieann is a combination of Jill and Ann two of my favorite people (family members names). My middle name is Rose named after my loving grandmother that I now realize I look allot like when dress as a female.
JR is my first and middle intitals of my birth name.

It has been said to know someones name is to have power over or to have influence on them.
But when I gave my female side a name she became a very large inflence on me and my future.
Go figure.

Jillieann and JR
 

I know it does seem like such a simple thing, a name. It doesn't usually seem like it means a lot but when you don't have one, its a big deal. I didn't really give my male name much more thought then just assuming the name I went by would be my male name, Marq. As for female name, I was going to settle on Nadia but thought it was just a little too exotic and Mia was short, simple, and beautiful.

We don't have a name to kind of collaborate us both, and in general we just use Marq unless the person knows us good enough to discern between us.

Marq and Mia

I think naming is a very powerful and honoring act. Although I like my birth name, it felt really great to create my own name that didn't have any specific gender attribution associated with it.

zythyra

I found it easier to explore my feminine side when I gave it/her a name: Shari Ann. Likewise, I felt a lot more natural exploring first my genderqueer identity and then my androgyne identity when I took on a new name: Casey Morgan. I like the two names together but Morgan reminds me of, uh,  Morgan Fairchild (yeah, that's it) and Morgan Freeman (how the heck did Easy Reader become an Oscar winner?). I went to school with a girl named Casey (we were at the same bus stop), and in what I'm sure will surprise no one Casey as a male name is for Casey (Kevin Spacey) from Outbreak.