How did you get your name?

[Donna Joanne]

Mine isn't as complex as many. My birth name was Douglas John, Douglas because my grandmother liked the name and John after my mother's father who died when she was 6 months old. I always knew I wasn't a 'typical' boy, but didn't realize I was transgender until I was 14. We didn't have the benefit of the Internet back then, and the word transgender wasn't even in use. My first feminine name was Dominique, given to me by my french teacher in high school because there wasn't a french equivalent for Doug. I refer to Dominique as my 'stripper name' (no dispersions intended on anyone named Dominique).

But as I became older, Dominique just didn't fit. So I made-up a hybrid of my two names, Dominique and Douglas, and became DeeDee. Then five years ago when I finally made a long term plan to become me. And I decided on Donna Joanne.

The man who is listed on my birth certificate as my father (another story for another day) name was Donald. I would have hoped he would have been honored to have me named Donna after him if he were really my father.

The same with my middle name. Since John was my grandfather's name, I thought that Joanne would be to honor him.

So in a nutshell, I am named after two men that I never met, but have hoped that if I had a father and grandfather they would have loved me.

[Emma Beth]

That's a nice story, Donna.

I haven't changed my name yet.

But, when I do t will be Emma Janette.

At first I went with the Feminine of my birth name, which was James to Jamie.

After a while that didn't seem to fit. Then I liked and used Elizabeth, because I found out that was what I would have been named if I had been born a girl. But then again, after a while that didn't fit.

Then I thought hard and realized that my name had been with me all along. I realized that there was a Woman that had been in my life and influenced it more than I fully realized and that was my Grandmother. Her name as Emma.

Now don't ask me were I got Janette from.

I had been kicking around some ideas that sounded good and that was the one that stuck the most.

My Mom and my Aunt love my choice, and my Mom has even begun to use Emma. Even though I haven't legally changed my name yet.

[I Am Paula]

There's no cute story behind mine. Paul to Paula.
My middle name was Martin, but as I was filling out my name change, my lawyer said 'You're not really going to name yourself after the only woman on earth who has NEVER worn a dress' (Martina Navritalova). She then suggested Maria, my mothers middle name. Much better.

[Donnagirl]

I'm another Doug to Donna.... Wanted to keep initials the same and I really liked that name.

[GBJoker]

I was named after a goldfish. Seriously. Still debating a female name. Nothing's really hitting me right.

[KymberlyOct]

I think mine is a little interesting. Maybe not. LOL So in 2005 I went to a trans shop in suburban Chicago. bought a lot, had a makeover, spent weekend en femme. So they are entering my guy name in the computer as a new customer and ask if I would like to use a female name. So there was this woman that worked at the place I play poker. Absolutely gorgeous, but very tall and overweight but I used to look at her and think she's big but still gorgeous so why not me :-). So I said her name but spelled it with a 'Y'. hence Kymberly. Since then there are other female names I like better but the reason I stayed with Kymberly is that it just kind of happened. The same as when your parents name you - you just get stuck with it so that is why I have stayed with Kymberly.

[Mirya]

Back when my journey first started (when I thought I was a CD), I picked Mirya as my name. It's just a name I made up, but I later learned that it's actually a real name, and there are real women in the world with that name.

When I realized I'm a TS and started transitioning, I wanted a more common name to make things easier when introducing myself. At the same time, I wanted a name that none of my family, friends, or even acquaintances already have. As it turns out, nobody I know (or have known) has the name Emily.

When I did my legal name change, I took Emily as my first name and Mirya as my middle name. I like both names.

[tgirlamc]

Ashley was my father's middle name and my middle name at birth... I hated my first name and had used Ashley since right after high school so.. It still worked and I kept it....

I took my mother's middle name, Marie ...for my new middle name...I think she would have approved....

A

[grace7777]

When I started going out en femme, I decided to pick a name that had the same initial as my first name. When I change my name I will be Grace Naomi. Grace means goodness and generosity. Naomi is a Hebrew name meaning pleasantness. I like what the names mean and my initials will stay the same. Also, I have e-mail accounts involving my initials, so my new name will still reflect my initials in the email accounts. I have removed my first name from my e-mail accounts, but since I am not full time as a woman yet, I have not replaced it with Grace.

[Marcelle]

Hi Donna,

My name is a slight alteration of the gender spelling and changes to name. I was born Joseph Leslie Marcel (very Franco) I am now Marcelle Leslie Marie.

Cheers

Marcelle

[Starling]

When I joined this forum in 2009 I chose the name Lallie Singer because it seemed both feminine and eccentric, a fusion that appeals to me. But it's not a name for me to live with in real life. The first name I will adopt officially--and already use with my friends--is a gender-neutral diminutive of my born name, which many friends already called me as a nickname, before they really knew me. I'll use my born last name as well, and have been mulling over a new, female middle name. My actual middle name is also gender neutral, but it doesn't work with my first name.

I think it's interesting that so many women here wish to maintain a bit of continuity with their old selves. If I could go stealth, I might consider adopting a completely different name. It might be fun to start over with a bright and shiny new name.

Lallie

[BOBBI G.]

My screen name is Bobbi, but my legal name is E. Bobbi Gruetter. I wanted to have Erica, but there was so many dissensions in the extended family, I just changed it to E., still honoring her having been here on the Earth, and also my former middle name. Hence, E. Bobbi. The last name I kept.

Bobbi

[Brooklyn]

Ashley was my father's middle name and my middle name at birth...

Likely story... Our parents had great foresight, no?

[ClaudineD]

After my Aunt who was first to embrace who I was at 16.... great advocate I my early years and instrumental in educating my Mother to accept......helped with many a battle with relatives (I'd say 75% who fully accept to this day)......the magic moment as I have posted on prior occasions is when my Aunt asked me to doll myself up as best I could and took me to NYC for extreme clothes shopping.......it is a memory that will never fade

[tgirlamc]

Likely story... Our parents had great foresight, no?

They did indeed!!! ... When I was existing in male form I was often caught off guard in stores hearing people exclaim "Ashley!"... Thinking someone I knew recognized me and then looking up and realizing they were talking to their daughter...

Onward We Go!!!

Ashley Marie

[Tommie.]

This thread is so personal and so sweet. Donna just know they did love you... All of us are tied together by design sweetie. My name was Thomas James and now Tommie Julianne. My mothers middle name was Ann. Thank you for sharing and leading us all to think about this.

[Eringirl]

Straight forward for me. Took Erin 18 years ago. In some cultures, it means Peace. That works for me, as I am at peace with who I am. I know it is also Gaelic for Ireland, but that has nothing to do with me or my heritage. Middle name Leeann, is what my parents would have named me if I was born physically a girl. Who am I to deny them that!!! Ha ha.

[Nigella]

Mine is just a feminisation of "his" name, made things a lot easier and no-one had to get used to a brand new name, just a few extra letters to add. His middle name was in honour of a friend of the family at the time, but I decided I didn't want to feminise "Henry" so just dropped the middle name.

[NewBrendaLee]

I choose the name that my mom wanted to name me had I been born a girl

[Suzanne F]

I just knew that was what it was supposed to be. My old name was given to me at 6 months when I was adopted. It always felt like a made up name. I picked Nicole because I felt it went with Suzanne and again it fits me. I kept my same last name
Suzanne

[Valerie Sparks]

My male first name is Richard and I was named after my mother's brother who died at 17 from congenital heart issues. Now he went by Dick which is what I've been called my whole life. However, that is a singularly inappropriate name for a person on the transgender spectrum.

But my last name starts with V and sounds a bit like Valerie. So when I went searching for a femme name I switched my first and last names and then did a riff on them to come up with Valerie Dix. However, that didn't sit that well with me. But since my mom recognize my proclivities early in life I decided to use her maiden name as my "maiden" name. Hence Valerie Sparks.

Should fate allow that I ever truly transition, I may use Dee as my first name and keep my given surname. Everyone in the US with my last name is a descendant of my grandfather so I would like to keep that.

[Georgette_USA]

I just feminized my 1st/mid name and kept last name. Went from George Paul Cornio to Georgette Paula Cornio.

When I came out to my mother/family, my mother would sing that old song "Georgy Girl", lyrics kind of fit at times. Will sing it for Karaoke sometimes, with a thank you to my mother, died in SEP 2013, she was my only female role model. Was always known by family as Georgy, and some still use that. I never use it, and correct others when they try to.

Never bothered with my confirmation name Robert. It has come in handy, as when relatives that I didn't even know would Google Cornio, they would find me. Plus it is uncommon so people remember me as few others around. Have never met any others yet. Not many references in the on-line word for old name, because I changed it back in 1976.

I have heard from some Georgia / Georgina. I tried out other names but none felt right.
A character on the old "Mary Tyler Moore" show had a Georgette played by Georgia Engel.

[CarlaWestin]

Carla is just a fem of Charles. Easy enough.

But, when I was in my early teens, a new girl moved into the big house behind ours. She was about 15 and well endowed. Her parents were world travelers and she was just intoxicatingly exotic and progressive. Once, she opened her terry cloth bathrobe and asked me what I thought. At her young age and fortunate endowment, she was the perfect image of a voluptuous young woman. We were friends and she just wanted to show off. I will never forget how breathtakingly sexy and feminine she was. They moved away shortly after.

Her last name was Westin.

[PretzelGirl]

When I finally decided to log in here, instead of lurking, I went to the login and Sue flowed right away (it was actually Sue_CD for a while). Somewhere in my mind it felt it had been there all along. When it was coming time to transition, I just naturally came up with Ann for a middle name and may be because my middle name was Andrew, who knows, but it also flowed out. I started wincing a little as Sue Ann sounded a little more country than I was looking for. When I came out to my oldest sister, she told me that if I was born a girl, I was suppose to be Susan. I don't consciously remember that, but maybe I was told many years back. So I switched to Susan Ann and kept being called Sue. Interestingly, my father's name was Shirley.

[Rianna Humble]

I was walking home around midnight one night and wondering what my name would be. Selfishly, I did want to continue using my monogrammed luggage, so I was wondering what my name was. Suddenly a thought occurred: "My name is Rianna Humble", so I came home and googled it and at the time it seemed to be unique. I have since discovered another Rianna Humble who is less than half my age and lives on the other side of the Atlantic to me.

Later, I needed a middle name and I asked a couple of friends to help me choose. Thus I became Rianna Joyce Humble.