Some Advice About Names.

[Guest insanitylives]

I definately agree with the PICK A NAME IN YOUR GENERATION. If you're picking a name common for babies now that didn't exist when you were born, I'm going to wonder.

that is *part* of why I picked Kyle, i also picked it because it fits me, it's not a major transition from my birthname(no my name wasn't kylee) and it. it works.

Picking your own name, you can make it fit you, you can choose your meaning, rather than hving it assigned to you. it's one of the few blessings w/being trans IMO

[Guest Christine Alexa]

Well the first name I picked was kinda classic, Christine. We had a blazer when I was a kid that my mom had named Christine, after the Steven King book, because of how many times we had saved it from the dead. My first boyfriend when I was 16, and I decided that was the name I should use. Figured it was appropriate for someone who wanted to transition some day.

The middle name I picked is Alexa. I picked it from a psychic reading I had done in a bar when I was 25 and pretending to be a boy still. She told me I had a gaurdian angel on my back named "Alex". So when I got my first tattoo last fall, of a dragon on half my back, I named her Alexa. I then decided I wanted to use that for my middle name, go figure.

What's really cool was when I realized (after I was dead set on using these names) that putting the names together like my username ChristiNEALexa, it spells my last name, Neal.

Gotta love a little irony

[Guest Julie T]

...well, my parents were behind the times anyway, my birth name hasn't been hip since the 50s...

i am a 60s kid at heart though

peace&love

If you are talking about Leigh That is my daughter's middle name. Named after Vivian Leigh of the movie GWTW, although my daughter's first name is not Vivian. My daughter was born in 1978.

Julie

[Guest ColinFarber]

"Alyxshand'ra Moonstarchild III"

I think that name might be so terrible that it circled back to awesome.

And you know that somewhere on the interwebs there must be at least one bad fanfic with a Mary Sue named that way

[Guest Jags]

I think I should reconsider "Jags" then. Jags just seems to be sticking with me. It's originally a character name for a table top RP I was playing. I played a eccentric male character (it was a modern time thing, not d+d it was called scion)

I'm 25 and Jags seems more of a nick name..... hmmmm

[Guest Atomic]

Hah, I choice a middle name that went out of date a good 60 or so years ago. Good thing my first name is pretty modern. Gabriel Monroe G.

[Guest Jenny_W]

Interestingly enough, in the 70s there was a HUGE spike in girls being named Jennifer. It slowly tapered off during the 80s and 90s and really dropped in the 00s. It was also rather low in the 60s.

Well, there you go. I was born in the 70's and I didn't even know my mname was so popular!

Jenny

[Guest vtphoenix]

My mom said she would've named me Monica if I was a girl. I really didn't like that name. I didn't want to go with a feminized version of my male name because then people might be like "oh so your name was x" and I didn't want a name that could be either-or because I didn't know how well I would pass in person or on the phone and I wanted to give people a good clue how to refer to me. I didn't want a name of an ex either, that would be creepy lol Anyway, my partner actually chose my name: Ashley. It's pretty and normal so I like it, though sometimes I think it is a little TOO common (3 girls at my work are named Ashley... lol)

I'm surprised nobody here warned people away from the name Amanda. Too easy for someone to be mean and say, "Look, it's A Man, Duh." I never realized that until I dated an Amanda years ago. She wasn't even trans and she said she got that a lot but I think it would be horrible to have people say that to a trans person.And I have known several trans Amandas. Maybe they didn't realize how their name sounded? Just didn't care? I don't know but I think it's good to point this out.

[Guest amanda_s]

my given name is 33 and the name i chose is 199 wow

amanda

[Sally]

I avoided the one that my parents had selected had I been correctly identified at birth and April Dawn while poetic seems a bit of a silly moniker to hang on a Virgo.

I had used a number of different names for myself over the years but I managed to avoid the task of selecting a name on January 2, 20008 - I decided to ask a few questions about transsexuality and SRS, HRT and other related topics, I did not want the answers coming back to my business Email or my personal one either.

I decided to open an account under a female name so I started typing on the form - First name, I typed Sally without even thinking, middle name, again Michelle just appeared on the screen and Sally Michelle just seemed to fit so well that it is my legal name.

In selecting names the first thing that you must decide is whether or not you want to draw a lot of attention to yourself - if so go with Voluptuous Flame or Heylook Overhere.

Me, I just want to blend in and be noticed for the person I am and not just for a bizarre name.

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest Luuceee]

I always seemed to like Lucy, i know it fits my age as i went to school with a Lucy.

[Guest amanda_s]

My mom said she would've named me Monica if I was a girl. I really didn't like that name. I didn't want to go with a feminized version of my male name because then people might be like "oh so your name was x" and I didn't want a name that could be either-or because I didn't know how well I would pass in person or on the phone and I wanted to give people a good clue how to refer to me. I didn't want a name of an ex either, that would be creepy lol Anyway, my partner actually chose my name: Ashley. It's pretty and normal so I like it, though sometimes I think it is a little TOO common (3 girls at my work are named Ashley... lol)

I'm surprised nobody here warned people away from the name Amanda. Too easy for someone to be mean and say, "Look, it's A Man, Duh." I never realized that until I dated an Amanda years ago. She wasn't even trans and she said she got that a lot but I think it would be horrible to have people say that to a trans person.And I have known several trans Amandas. Maybe they didn't realize how their name sounded? Just didn't care? I don't know but I think it's good to point this out.

just saw your post LOL i picked my name around 1990 saw a movie just like the name Amanda could be called mandy heard some are called that at times but yah "A man da" LOL i think the movie was SWITCH go figure

Amanda

[Guest Luuceee]

My mom said she would've named me Monica if I was a girl. I really didn't like that name. I didn't want to go with a feminized version of my male name because then people might be like "oh so your name was x" and I didn't want a name that could be either-or because I didn't know how well I would pass in person or on the phone and I wanted to give people a good clue how to refer to me. I didn't want a name of an ex either, that would be creepy lol Anyway, my partner actually chose my name: Ashley. It's pretty and normal so I like it, though sometimes I think it is a little TOO common (3 girls at my work are named Ashley... lol)

I'm surprised nobody here warned people away from the name Amanda. Too easy for someone to be mean and say, "Look, it's A Man, Duh." I never realized that until I dated an Amanda years ago. She wasn't even trans and she said she got that a lot but I think it would be horrible to have people say that to a trans person.And I have known several trans Amandas. Maybe they didn't realize how their name sounded? Just didn't care? I don't know but I think it's good to point this out.

just saw your post LOL i picked my name around 1990 saw a movie just like the name Amanda could be called mandy heard some are called that at times but yah "A man da" LOL i think the movie was SWITCH go figure

Amanda

Rachel in Friends also says that to someone, i forget which episode though. One of my friends gets called Manda all the time.

[Guest ~DeeDee~]

Good advice, Lightsider (or whatever your name really is ).

Carolyn Marie

LOL...yeah....I wouldn't want to be standing in line at the bank and have the teller call out.."You're next, Missy.."...lol

Yeah, age appropriate is the way to go.....

Actually ...I've always known that this was my name and that everyone was just getting it wrong....

See?

Birth Name: Donald Eugene.

Real Name: Donna Jean

See how they screwed it up?

Huggs

Donna Jean

I can totally see it, honest mistake I bet.

Yeah I kinda feel like I need to stick with somewhat of the pattern my parents started.

Birth name: Derik Dennis

New name : Dee Denise

My siblings all have names that start with D so I gotta keep it in the family.

My last name starts with a D also, yes I know, 3D.

I originally picked Jessica, and I am glad I changed that as it is the #1 name given out in the 80's.

[Guest Juniper Blue]

Thanks for saying this .. I have noticed that some names among trans people are quite exotic and very unusual and I wonder if this causes additional difficulty. I am not hugely attached to my birth name and have considered changing it but nothing has yet sounded right. So, I am sticking with it. But for T men birth with the name Helen or Vivian .. this is not an option!

[Guest LauraJen]

I've experimented several names on here in the time I've been on, although for me it's a very close contest between Laura, Lily and Lucy. The problem is Laura is something I'm established with so any change now is hard.

[Guest Luuceee]

I always had a gut feeling that im Lucy at heart, there are so many names that i like but i always end up back on Lucy. When i play games online im usually Charlena or Elena but Lucy is what i want to be known as.

[Guest Heather C E]

I've been thinking names over using a variety of sources and chose Danika just yesterday... it's not traditional and it is as close to my current/old name as a feminine name is going to get. I really like it, but reading this thread makes me question if it's really the right choice. Do you think it would work?

[Guest Juniper Blue]

Dang .. so maybe I shouldn't change my name to Androlfo??

[Guest LauraJen]

I've been thinking names over using a variety of sources and chose Danika just yesterday... it's not traditional and it is as close to my current/old name as a feminine name is going to get. I really like it, but reading this thread makes me question if it's really the right choice. Do you think it would work?

I'm not sure really - it sounds like a foreign name (we both live in the UK) and not one you'd normally find here. Obviously go with it if you truly identify with it, but also bear in mind the same time how much it may make you stand out. Generally we don't want to stand out and just blend in with the crowd.

Obviously I'm not asking you to reveal your birth name, neither do I want to know what it is (it's not my right to know) but if your old name begins with "Dan" then have you considered Daniell(e/a)? It's just a suggestion.

[Guest Heather C E]

Well... my birth name begins with a "Du", so it's super awkward. I've considered Danielle a few times but I don't really feel it works for me. If only there was a site devoted to helping people like us find new names. x_x

[Guest vtphoenix]

Danika is an awesome name and though it's a bit unusual, it seems perfectly fine. My name is Ashley and, though it's a pretty name, it is very very common, so I almost wish I had gone with something at least a little bit less so. The American race car driver, Danica Patrick, spells her name a bit differently but is one association some people might make. You'll almost certainly be asked constantly if it's spelled with a C or a K, or they'll just assume it's spelled with a C, but that's not really that big of a deal. People do that sometimes even with really common names. If you're visibly trans then people might assume your name used to be Dan. For myself it was very important that people not be able to connect my new name with my old at all.

[Guest Heather C E]

Hmm, maybe I'll stick with it then. I've never heard of Danica Patrick before and having looked her up she sounds awesome! My parents are actually big racing fanatics, so I reckon this'll let me slot this name into my life almost perfectly (even if Danica Patrick was 12 when I was born, but oh well). Thank you for your help, both. I actually feel pretty confident about my name now, though I may decide to spell it with a C after all. Who knows? I'll keep my options open at least. I know there are a lot of people who regret names they've chosen.

[Guest LauraJen]

Actually, on second thoughts I don't think Danika is bad at all! I don't know which spelling i would choose but it is of course up to you. If you choose to spell it with a c then if you get fed up of telling people how it's spelled you could make your last name "Withersey" so it reads as Danica with a c!

I'm just kidding :-) you don't sound as if you'll regret your name, although just remember nothing is definite until you change it officially. Experimentation is the key when it comes to names, so maybe try Danika for a while and see how it makes you feel.

And yes, Du is a bit awkward - I looked on a big website about names and searched for feminine names beginning with D and there really wasn't much of a selection for names beginning with Du :-/

[Guest Heather C E]

Yes, "Du" sucks, haha. But I'm feeling content with my name for now at least.