Why Did We Chose The Name We Took?

[Guest Charlene_Leona]

The reason behind this is.

1. I'm just interested.

2. This might help some newbie.

With all the talk of name's and such I want to know why you took the name you took or what the name is your considering to take. This is such a personal thing to each of us and how many people in the world get to pick out a whole new name and persona to go with that name. I think we are fortunate in that capacity.

But the name I decide with was Charlene Leona My original name was Charles Patrick I could of gone with Charlene Patricia but up to the day I came out to my family the entire family would call me Patricia I hated that to the max, because I couldn't tell them what was going on in my mind with the GID. But I still answered to it. I was having a real hard time picking out a name for myself and a friend of mine who was my first true supporter who by the way has a MTF sister. Well Sugar helped me pick the name Charlene which I loved the first time I took it but by god I was not going to use Patricia. I had tentatively picked Patrice (Pat-Reese) but as I started to grow my hair out my second supporter who just happened to be my Step Mother commented how much i looked like my dear departed grandmother Leona and I knew from that moment on I was going to take her name as my middle name. I just needed to talk to my grand aunt to see if my grandmother would of been happy with my doing that, when she told me my grandmother most likely would of been honored with my choice I knew what my new name was and it's such a beautiful name. My mother didn't help me one bit either I had asked her what my name would of been had I been born a girl and to this day she refuses to tell me and she won't call me Charlene either it's still Pat now. Plus when I get a letter or a check from her it's C. Lastname.

So go ahead tell us all why you chose your name and what it means to you, please.

Love'

Charlene Leona

[Guest Donna Jean]

Well, it's no big stretch for me....

I've had Donna Jean in my head since I was a little girl....

I know that there is a train of thought that deems that you get as far away from the given male name as possible...

Well, that's their opinion...

My given male name is Donald Eugene...

My REAL name is .........Donna Jean...

Not too big a change, but, all the difference in the world!

That is what I will have it legally changed to....

Besides, it's warm and fuzzy.........

HUGGS!

Donna Jean

[Guest Kaitlyn88]

I wanted to be called Emily when I was two but I got that beat out of me and I hid until I was 20. Then I had an ex girlfriend turned friend named that so I made it my middle name. Now I don't talk to her anyways so I could change it back but I've been going by Kaitlyn to everyone since last year. I just like the name Kaitlyn and there are several things people can call me for short, plus it is a popular name. I don't want my name to bring attention to me.

[Guest Katrina Reann]

Well my given name is Robert Leon and for a long time my preferred name was Roberta Lyn for obvious reasons, it was similar. But I never felt a connection to that name and kind of hated it. So me and my wife were talking about it one night and bouncing girls names off each other. She said Katrina and I liked it. Knowing Katrina has become a more popular name I wanted an unusual middle name. I first said Leaan and all of a sudden Reann just popped into my head and I blurted out Katrina Reann and said that is it, that is who I am. My wife looked and me smiling and said, hi Katrina Reann, I am Deborah Marie and it is nice to meet you. She calls me Rob when I am in male mode and Katrina when I am in true mode.

[Sally]

I have never mentioned anything about any of my real names here on the forums but I will venture a bit and say that my middle name does come from one of my male names - I like the sound of Michelle but it was something that when people found out that one of my names was Michael - it just was used in such a derisive manner that I could not bare to use it as my first name - and then Sally popped into my head and would not let go of me so here I am Sally Michelle and the kast name is a very generic blend in name.

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest Jessica22450]

I've had Jessica in my head as a name since childhood, or around the end of it, and into early teen years...I chose it because the clear explanation is it's simple for my family to remember...Because my male name is Jesse and by addin' an I in front of the last E you have the abbreviated version of Jessica...you know just kinda doin' something easy...and Jessica is such a beautiful and quite popular, just look around for all of the jessicas here, but yeah that's me plain and simple, I don't think you must completely deviate from the male name, I didn't...my male name is actualy gender-neutral

[Guest Kellylee]

I chose Kellylee because I was originally going to change my name to Kelly Lee (Blank) which could pass as male for during transition, then eventually bring it together. The plan was divorce, disappear, change name, start life over. Then I saw a councellor who pointed all kinds of reasons that plan was a really, really, bad idea. Kelly these days is more common for a woman anyway. My male name is very masculine and although I have heard it feminized, it sounds, pardon the pun, forced feminized. Although this is not my name it would be like going from Barry to Barrida or Fred to Fredrica. I am not fortunate enough to go from Carl to Carley, or Michael to Michelle, or Paul to Paula, or even Henry to Henrietta. A friend who has helped me in the past with clothing styles suggested Jocelyn or Cassandra, which are high on my final list for when I transition. My 2 cents worth...

[Guest daphene]

I chose Daphene because it is similar to David which is my male given name. Daphene is also not a very common name. I do not know any other women named Daphene. I have seen it spelled Daphne more so than the way I spell it Daphene. So since I am unusual, I picked an unusual name and spelling.

Hugs,

Daphene

[Guest ~Brenda~]

My nickname (bernii) has always been my nickname

My chosen first name came as a flash when I saw a receipt from a store that I frequent that had sort of garbled my "male" name.

I saw Brenda, and Brenda really stuck with me

I can tell you this... it is a wonderful feeling when your name finds you!!!

HUGS

Brenda

[Guest LottieZero]

As for me... I chose Charlotte when I was 15 (I can't believe how quickly time's gone since then!), but I'm not sure where I got it from - it just came out of nowhere and I thought it was a nice name. I used to want to be called Nicole or Heather when I was little, and then Misty (out of Pokemon ), followed by Chloe, Erika, Alice and various other names in my early teens. I decided to stick with Charlotte, though, because it just felt right...

Besides, I'm a bit of a

, so it's even more appropriate

[Guest SuperKali]

When I was 15 I started doing some online gaming and I met this other girl who ended up being a really good friend. Anyway, she asked me for my name and without thinking I just typed Sommara Leigh. I absolutely loved it. For the next several years anyone online that I met knew me as Mara.

[Guest Elizabeth K]

Strong women in my family.

I have always admired my family's female names, good, old fashion and uncommon. Octavia Francis, Minerva, Christinia, Flora Anne, Fanny Belle, Sallie, Lillian Augusta, and the reoccuring Elizabeth. Elizabeth was the great aunt who died of ovarian cancer (her two children were named for her, one as a middle name), the aunt I never knew who died in infancy, and a cousin who later was FTM. Anne was my beloved grandmother's middle name, the middle name of my sister, my deceased first wife's middle name and the middle name of my daughter.

The 'Eth" ending of my old male name and my female name echo each other.

I wasn't sure what would come from "Elizabeth" - Beth, Betty, Bess, Bessie, Lizzy or Liz.

Know you know

Lizzy - Ellizabeth Anne

[Guest Janessa]

I'm not sure why I chose my current name. However, I do know that about five years ago I decided I would convince people online I'm female and this would be impossible without a name to go by. So I chose the first name to come to mind, and that was Janessa. Five years later I am still using that as my name, despite most of my friends I used to know as Janessa no longer talking to me.

My mother told me they were going to name me Ashley if I had been born a girl. Not sure why I still chose Janessa, but I just prefer the name over Ashley.

[Guest Cris]

Mine was kinda easy.... My name at birth was Christopher. Everyone always calls me by my nickname Chris....Except for my mother when she was mad at me... haha.. I just dropped the h and shortened it to Cris. A bit more fem... and I dont have to remember to what name I am answering to ...Just kinda works for me.

Cris

[Guest N. Jane]

I chose my name (which isn't Jane!) when I was 5. It was the prettiest girl's name I ever heard and it has been mine every since, all 56 years.

[Guest]

I wanted names that fit with my Irish surname, as well as my age. Patricia was one that came to mind immediately, but I just didn't see myself as a "Patty".

Kathleen was the name of a cousin who passed away young, and Rose was my sister who only lived a few months.

I'd always liked the name Kat, writing her into several short stories along the way. Once I realized that Kat and Kathleen were one, I couldn't find anything else that worked.

Kat

[Guest RachaelAnn]

I didn't pick anything that was even close to my given male name. Jared Anderson (yes Anderson is my middle name). I used to love the sound of the name Jennifer Allison, but I asked my father one day what I would have been named had I been born female and he said I would have been named Rachael Ann. I have used Rachael Ann ever since.