How did you get your name?

[Donna Joanne]

And knowing you the way I do I can't imagine any other name for you than Sue!

[Starling]

...Interestingly, my father's name was Shirley.

Trans life would be a whole lot easier if we all had given names like Shirley, Ashley, Lee, Chris, Robin, Joyce, Dana, Taylor, Pat, Sean or Frankie.

Lallie

[kristyk]

A true friend in grade school and high school had the first name of Kristy. When it came time to name my feminine side I went with the name associated with a beautiful person I knew growing up... Kristy.

[MarieTS]

The very short version is that I had always wanted the name Mary, but I came to believe that Marie is an even cuter French version of it.

[Kris Avery]

Well, see...after the whole Jenner thing......

Seriously, I am still Wendy internally in my mind but I'm also very much a realist.
I knew that name would never work in my blended life - trying to do what I'm doing...
If I insisted on it - I'd never be able to change it without losing everything. (Immediately)

Meanwhile - once I had been on injections for almost 2 years, things started to get VERY uncomfortable when I whipped out the male ID containing a very male name. Security, isle 3. Some woman has this guys wallet.

One day my lovely wife and I were talking about my plight and we decided to look for an androgynous name that also wouldn't change my present initials - since our full initials match. Kris immediately came to mind. It was only after further reflection we realized we were now a couple called Kim and Kris. (Bang head). No, the last name is *not* Jenner.

The middle name is a bit more interesting.
While my wife and I *also* had a middle name all picked out.... I also wanted to involve my supportive adoptive parents to honor them - so I asked them for a new middle name beginning with an "A". They REALLY got into it and after 2 weeks of waiting - I told them I would take whatever they came up with as I was going to an attorney in the next few days. (Gulp).

Mom rattled off 4-5 names and then said she had a favorite. (Avery was not listed in her rundown - so hopes were not high). We held our breath on the phone line. She said she and dad really loved 'Avery' and Kim and I screamed. Mom and dad also obviously got excited..I quickly explained that we immediately knew it was meant to be - as that was the name we had come up with - but wouldn't reveal to them before they decided. Woah...

I never felt the need to update the last name.

I remain happily married to my best friend and our full set of initials.....still match.

Kris

[whowhatwhen]

I stole mine.
I thought the one I picked was meant for me if I was born a girl, but as it turns out it was for if my brother was born a girl.
They didn't have a name for me until after I was born.

So.. by the time I realized I stole the name I had already been using it for several months.
Welp :P

[Tommie.]

This has been such a wonderful thread with amazing stories just like Kris'.... words 'like flowed' and 'feelings of felt right' to me proves the reality of the true soul emerging from the cocoon we lived in... this is all a really big deal and thank you all for sharing... i have benefited from you all... huggs... tommie

[Jmichelle60]

I don't know how many times in my life the Michael was pronounced Michelle.

[Amelie]

I was dumpster diving with a friend when a brick that was tossed at us hit me in the head. The ambulance guys arrived as I was coming to and one of the guys asked me what was my name. I was a bit dazed and looked to the left of me and there was an empty video box of the movie Amelie. So I told him Amelie and it's been my name since. But that was really my second choice, my first choice was Brick.

[misschris]

my name is Chris so it was easy, missChris

[Starling]

...my first choice was Brick.

Heh-heh.

Lallie

[Leanne2]

Wow Claudine! You were so lucky to have an aunt like that....................Leanne

[karenpayneoregon]

I was born Kevin Sean Gallagher, in my early childhood decided on Karen as it sounded like a good fit so Karen stuck with me for 50 years. Prior to gender reassignment surgery I decided to change my last name. Several weeks went by but no decision was made.

I then told my students (who know of my transition) that I was changing my last name but was undecided. One student made a suggestion, the others nodded their heads in agreement. The suggestion was Payne. History, I teach defensive tactics and when showing techniques will invoke pain to show the method works so Payne is equal to pain laugh out loud.

I decided to forgo a middle name, did not see any reason for one.

Photo is pre-surgery

[AmyGaleRT]

My full name, as a woman, is "Amy Gale Ruth Tapie."

"Amy Gale" were the names my mother would have given me if I'd been born a girl. (Originally I used "Jaymie," a variant of my middle name, but, when I found out that fact from my mother, I became "Amy" then and forevermore. As her eldest, I have the best claim on the name; my other brothers acknowledge this.)

"Tapie" was my maternal grandmother's maiden name. However, if and when I legally change my name, I will drop "Tapie" and revert to my original last name. This will represent the final union of the two halves of my soul into a new, better person.

"Ruth" comes from the name of the original mesh avatar in Second Life, which is appropriate as SL turned out to have been very important to finding my feminine self. (There was a glitch for a long time where, when you teleported, sometimes your avatar shape wouldn't "catch up" with you right away, and you would have Ruth's shape for a short time. We called it "getting Ruthed." That glitch has long since been worked around, but Ruth's shape is still available in the system.)

- Amy

[Frances]

I picked a name that was not close to my original name. (My forum name is actually closer to my original than my current legal name.) I did not to use the feminine form of my original name, because I knew that people who knew me before would make a mistake while saying it. I also wanted a name that was bilingual (I'm French Canadian) and that did not have a cedilla (ç). Accents are confusing to people whose language does not have any. I did not want a name that was too exotic, too young or too old. Plus, it had to sound good with my last name.

[Peggie Lee]

Peggie Lee was the name my mother had chosen if I was born a girl.

[Heidi Stevens]

My given male name was Steven Merle. Since there are a boatload of Stephanies out there, I decided to use my favorite choice to name a daughter if we had one, Heidi. It also sounds a lot like the family surname. That lead me to my last name, Stevens. I thought my first name makes a good last name. So reversing my male name got me Heidi Stevens. It was after I started using it I discovered a Chicago newspaper reporter had the same name!
I don't know what I will use should I get it legally changed. I'll probably go with Stephanie Ann ****, but still call myself Heidi. The name is just part of me now!

[CDJoyce]

I just knew that Joyce was the right name for me. It came in an instant when dressed one day as a teenager. I'm Joyce!

[Miss Daisy]

Daisy is a feminine given name, commonly thought to be derived from the name of the flower. The flower name comes from the Old English word dægeseage, meaning "day's eye".[1] The name Daisy is therefore ultimately derived from this source. Daisy is also a nickname for Margaret, used because Marguerite, the French version of that name, is also a French name for the oxeye daisy.[2] It came into popular use in the late Victorian era along with other flower names. Authors Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Redmond Satran wrote in their 2007 book Baby Name Bible that Daisy has a "fresh, wholesome, and energetic" image.[2] The name has been used for literary characters such as Daisy Miller, the title character of the novella by Henry James, and for television characters such as Daisy Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard. Very short, form-fitting, denim cut-off jeans shorts are named Daisy Dukes after this character.

Daisy was the 166th most popular name for girls born in the United States in 2011. It was in steady use for American girls throughout the 20th century and was ranked among the top 200 names for girls between 1900 and 1940. It declined in popularity between 1960 and 1980, but has been climbing in popularity since the 1980s. It was the 294th most common name for all females during the 1990 United States census. Daisy was the 17th most popular name for girls born in England and Wales in 2010 and the 44th most popular name for girls born in Scotland in 2010.[3] It was among the top five names given to girls born in Guernsey in 2010.
Miss Daisy xx

[Christina Kay]

Given male name . The first pope ( or the greeter at the pearly gates) and I shared that name. Always liked the name Christina, remember first hearing it in 2nd or 3rd grade. And was fascinated with it. So I'm Christina K. K 1st initial of my last name hence Kay.

[Sarah V]

Friend of the family at church. It sounded modern and independent, and actually as it turns out it is old and biblical. But it works.

[Contessa]

Sorry haven't been around for abit, but have checked every now and then. So this is a good thread to reapply my words. My name comes from a 1969 TV show and is actually a title. The protectors had a character called Caroline De Contini. But her title was The Contessa. the widow of the count or the countess. Never having a daughter to have the name It was suggested by my soon to be ex to take or call me Contessa. I can Now view myself as my Mother and my Father and my daughter. I am also the woman that took my wife's husband from her.

[Charlotte1971]

I took my name from one of my favorite childhood shows. I always liked the sound of it.