suggestions for a new name?

[sandra-leigh]

Back when I was chosing a femme name, I just sort of let names percolate through my mind until one "sounded right", and then I added a suffix name as a differentiation. A couple of weeks after I started to use it, I realized that the base name was one of the diminutive (that is, affectionate) forms of my sister's name -- not a form that was used often, but recognizable and still sometimes used by people who have known her a long time.

Now that I have come out to my sister (who has taken it all very very well), she is interested in reading up on some of the sites I have found, as gender issues happen to be of professional interest to her. But she is a bit uncomfortable with the name I chose. Quite understandably.

As 'Tess-Leigh" has been more of an identifier for me rather than being "my real name", although I have gotten rather accustomed to it, it isn't a big deal to me to change it... I just have to think of a new one now.

So I'm asking for suggestions, especially from people who have interacted with me and have a feeling for what I'm like.

The femme last name I use is McKay, which is my family tree; it is a Scottish name that also has Celtic meaning. I don't think I have the personality to adopt a Celtic name directly, but possibly one of the anglicized versions. McKay is derived from the name of a Celtic god whose name in term meant "bright".

I do not wish to use the female equivalent of my male name: privacy / trust issues there.

Thanks!

[Joni Marie Cruz]

Hi Tess-leigh,

Well, I don't know that I have any suggestions, though I am partial to Victoria. Victoria Leigh McKay...how does that sound? One of the nice things about being a tgirl is we can change our names to suit ourselves rather than being stuck with one our parents chose in the hopes of flattering some wealthy maiden aunt or something.

I've thought of changing my name, too, my first name sounds like a dimunitive, but I have used it so long and so many people know me by it that it seems more like my name than my real name does. Did that make sense at all?

Good luck choosing a new name, girl.

Hugs...Joni Mari

[Michelle S]

This site lists Irish girls names.

http://www.babynamesofireland.com/pages/girl-names-a-c.html

If you google, baby girls names, you will get all kinds of sites listing female names.

[Chrissie P]

That's gonna be almost as tough as changing your male name. A lot of people know me by Christine, Chris or Chrissie. It would take a while for a new name to stick.

Go with a name YOU like. I picked mine because it is a name both genders use.

[Hope]

Well I might not be the best one to answer - seeing as I have YET to really settle on a name (I have it narrowed down to 2 or 3) but I would say - pick something you like the sound of. pick something that starts with the same letter as your male name so all your monograms match, pick something that means something to you. DON'T pick an old girlfriends name.

Mix and match the above guidance until you find the right one, and try it on for a few weeks to see if it really fits, or if it is just a passing fancy.

[Carin]

Now that I have come out to my sister (who has taken it all very very well), she is interested in reading up on some of the sites I have found, as gender issues happen to be of professional interest to her. But she is a bit uncomfortable with the name I chose. Quite understandably.

Quite understandable.

It might make for an interesting connection with your sister, to ask her for an opinion or suggestion, particularly if you ask for her help to tie in the Celtic heritage.

[Angie G]

Hi Tess so you thinking of a new name. ow about Kathleen a fine Irish name meaning Pure, Virginal.:hugs:
Angie

[Chloe' Buffington]

Kaitlyn McKay Meanning Courage and Purity

[Aubrey Green]

Here are a couple I found;

Meghan- Irish form of Welsh Megan meaning "pearl"
Meghan Leigh McKay

Caitlin- Irish Gaelic form of old French Cateline meaning "pure"
Caitlin Leigh McKay

Noreen- Irish pet form of Nora meaning "honor, valor"
Noreen Leigh McKay


:daydreaming:

[trannie T]

I've always liked the names, Amoeba, Toxic and Lesion.

[Empress Lainie]

Quoting a song: Hey, hey Gordon McKay!

Krista McKay
Kristina McKay
Tina McKay

Melissa McKay
Rhonda McKay
Rhianna McKay

Scarlet McKay
Susan McKay

Siobhan Shiree McKay
(You do know correct pronunciation of Siobhan?)

If you like Leigh: Kaleigh Anne McKay

And YOU are one to decide, we are so lucky that WE are the only people (except maybe for adopteds) that get to choose our own name.

Lainie Anne Alynne Nelson

You may even guess my original birth name from it.

[Marisa_M]

If I should think in a new feminine name I would choose one with no masculine equivalent like Christine/Christian, Joan/John and so on.

There are hundreds of beautiful and onkly feminine names!:battingeyelashes:

[Princess Chantal]

I heard of a name today that I thought was quite unique
"Nevaeh"

[Joni Marie Cruz]

I've always liked the names, Amoeba, Toxic and Lesion.

I've always liked Urethra and Aereola. Sorry, Tess-Leigh, not hijacking the thread just having a little fun.<g>

Hugs...Joni Mari

[cdbethany]

how about yunaleska(you-na-less-ka) kairi(ki-ree), a combination of 2 squire inix r.p.g charactures.

love and kisses
bethany xxxxxxxx

[Vicky_Scot]

I appreciate you are looking for ideas for your new name but the only person choosing your new name is you.

Love and respect.

Xx Vicky xX

[Chrissie P]

[QUOTE=Joni Marie Cruz;1782910]I've always liked Urethra and Aereola. Sorry, Tess-Leigh, not hijacking the thread just having a little fun.<g>

Vaggie ???

[sandra-leigh]

Thanks for the various suggestions.

Of course the only person to choose my name is me, but some names don't suit some personalities, and I thought perhaps someone might happen to have a feeling for what would work for me -- perhaps I should also have asked about what names I am not :)

Virginal... Umm, I think I'm disqualified from that.

I like the idea of talking to my sister about the possibilities; unfortunately for now she has more serious and urgent things to deal with.

Nevaeh - I've run across that before, somewhere, but it would imply an ethnicity that I have no link to at all.

The various McKay names... nice suggestions, but I know women with most of those names and I don't want to be seen as taking their name.

'Anne' occurs too many places in my family tree and would weird out too many people :(

And I should probably have indicated a bit more strongly that although my father's side of the family -probably- immigrated to Scotland from Ireland (e.g., around 1200), the branch I'm borrowing is decidedly Scot and not Irish.

My mother's side, the names have no true history and the original names are pretty much lost. When the immigration officers couldn't spell even do a reasonable approximation of your name, they took a English name with some of the same sounds and said arbitrarily "This is your name from now on." :(

[Nicole Erin]

I don't know, maybe ask your parents, if they are still around, what your name would have been if you were born a girl.

I would have been nicole

[MissConstrued]

Why not a little tranny orginality for a change? How 'bout Fred? Boris? Adolf?

Or why not, since you're not actually a woman (sorry to break that to you), but a guy in drag... do what the drag queens do, and invent a ridiculous double entrendre, like Hedda Lettuce? LaBrea Pitts?

I mean, really... this makes about as much sense as changing my name to Hans when I wear a white t-shirt instead of a black one. Cuz like, I have this totally different personality when I wear different colors.

It's this kind of shit that gives people the idea that we're all freaks.

[sandra-leigh]

Why not a little tranny orginality for a change? How 'bout Fred? Boris? Adolf?


I did not find your suggestions to be helpful.




Or why not, since you're not actually a woman (sorry to break that to you), but a guy in drag..


Are you a qualified gender therapist? Are you familiar with the details of my medical history? Have I been in treatment with you that you have enough facts to make that a professional diagnosis? If not, then for you to make a factual-sounding statement about my gender is ill informed at the very least.

In future, MissConstrued, you will not make statements in the form of facts about what my gender is or is not, or I will consider it a point of deliberate disrespect.



I mean, really... this makes about as much sense as changing my name to Hans when I wear a white t-shirt instead of a black one. Cuz like, I have this totally different personality when I wear different colors.

It's this kind of shit that gives people the idea that we're all freaks.

I need a handle to protect my privacy. If you were to google my legal name, you would find over 35,000 references to me (and I don't mean to people who happens to have the same name as me.) I have no idea what you do in life (and don't care), but people actively search out my publications and watch-list them. Those people don't need to know about my private life.

And if I am going to use a handle, I might as well use one that "blends in" and reduces tensions (unlike the double entendres you propose) -- and which doesn't lead taxi-drivers to think that the call to pick up "Boris" was a prank call because the only person around is a woman, not a guy.

[sandra-leigh]

I've found one that I kind of like, and will be considering further: either

Sandra-Leigh McKay or
Sandra Leigh McKay

I'm also considering variations on Sandra such as Sandy
(which has the advantage of also being a male name)

Sandra is derived from the Greek "Cassandra", and means "defender of humankind". I suppose I could also consider names such as Cassie (another derivation of Cassandra). Not "Caz", though, as that is a slavic name that means "famous destroyer (of peace)", the opposite meaning.

I kind of like Sandra as the formal name, possibly with Sandy as the "familiar" version.

I checked the user list; there are around 20 Sandra's already listed, but only about 3-4 of those are "active".

Opinions?


McKay is, by the way, the last name of my favorite first cousin. *If* I were to legally change my name at some point, I'm not sure whether I would keep my current legal last name or not: I am inclined to at the moment, but it will depend on how things lead... if at some point I wanted Him to "disappear", then changing my last name would make it easier, as my last name is somewhat uncommon... and if someone with a different first name but the same last name as me were to start posting to the technical forums, given my well-known verbosity, it would only take a few messages for people to connect Him and Her.

[Empress Lainie]

Good for you on your name search. As to keeping the last name the same, I didn't.

Strangely enough I learned later that my new last name was a derivative of my old one anyway.

I haven't had any problems of any kind caused by a change of all my names. I kept one in a feminine form as my 3rd name of four.

I never had any doubt about my name, I had set up my now name email about six months before I even knew I was TS consciously. And someone asked what to call me and I immediately said Lainie without any thought whatsoever.

Many of us TS's have said that the name chooses us, or that they just "know" what their name is, like I did.

[sandra-leigh]

I haven't had any names look at me with puppy eyes and say "Take me home" yet :heehee:

I've just done a bit of checking, and I have found that
"Sandra-Leigh" as a single first name is indeed actually in use in the world. A famous astrologer, a poet, a psychologist, amongst others.

[Ralph]

I'd suggest "Ralph", but that's already taken. "Ed" would work, though.

[sherryleigh]

AS sherryleigh I don't know what to say....other than Sherry Leigh is the name I am. Sherry Leigh is what I wish and want to be. Why I chose my name is another story and I guess the story is Sherry is my name. I've called myself Sherry since I was a youngster, gurlster, tg, ts whatever label is convenient. I'm just wierd I suppose but I am Sherry....at least today anyway! :)
Sherry

[MichelleP]

Hi Tess,

Good luck to you with your name search. There are as you probably know, several internet sites that list female names and the frequency with which they are used in the population (popularity). Perhaps looking at one of those lists and narrowing it down by removing those that don't appeal to you or "fit" your feminine personality will help.

One more thing, I firmly believe that one must be at peace with themselves and their situation to effectively find a name because your name beyond anything else is the short descriptor of who you are. For me, my given name and my nickname have always been with me and I consider myself extremely fortunate that they describe my nature better than my living relatives and most friends could ever imagine. I'm Michelle because Michelle is me (always has been, always will be).

Find some respite from the everyday troubles we all encounter, unclutter your mind from worry and your name will find you.

Michelle

[TGMarla]

"Keiva" means "angel" in old gaelic.

[restricted]

I let women chose my name. I have a name according to how I am dressed. As a tart, I am Raven Nympho. As a nurse, it is Sally Prince. As a gypsy it is Romana. As a Secretary it is Miss Smith. :D

I don't now what is my favourite character though!

[Kathy Ann]

I just want to be Kathy Ann.

Love to All

[sandra-leigh]

I have now gone ahead and renamed,
Tess-Leigh <lastname> (username tess-leigh)
is now
Sandra Leigh <lastname> (username sandra-leigh)

I've been busy creating new email accounts, editing names on existing ones, etc., etc..

Thanks to people for their input!