How did you choose your name? Open to everyone!!

[Taylor105]

I was just reading an old thread started by Lex about his name and thought about this. I'm curious how you chose your name and why. What does it stand for? Does it stand for anything or did you just like it? This is open for both the guys and the girls.

My first name was chosen really for a silly reason. haha When I finally came out as a guy I was living in an apartment on Taylor street. There ya go. I liked the name Taylor and chose it because I lived on Taylor street. Pretty simple and the name fits me. LOL

My two middle names were chosen more carefully. Allen is my favorite Uncle's middle name. And my other middle name Jon is several of the male members of my family's middle name and first name too! I have an Uncle with the first name John. Of course everyone calls him Butch but that's fine. And I have two cousins with the middle name John and Jon. I preferred the second spelling because it just seems more modern.


So there ya go, Taylor Allen Jon

Your turn now.

[Kieron Andrew]

both my names ive had in my head for years, I actually chose my middle name first..it was taken from the first name of a man that basically raised me as his child pretty much, although we were best friends, he did all those little things you would expect a father to do, he died in 1997, before his death i had not long come out as trans to him...and i said flippantly one day, 'yanno if you ever die before me, im taking your name as a mine'...he being the kind of man he was agreed that i should...when he died i couldnt bring myself to take his first name as my first name, as it weirded me out ALOT, so i chose to use it as my middle name....my first name i chose because of my celtic background and also i wanted a not very well used name, not common, it has been in my head since a child

[nikki47]

Mine came from somebody i had a crush on in school,she was called Nicola,but i loved it shortened.I always said if we had a girl i would name her Nicola but that never happened so i've taken it.

Nikki

[wanttobejoe]

Long before I even knew trans existed I used to have fantasies/daydreams (still do) about myself being a guy. His name as far as I remember always has been Joe, which is actually quite similar to my female name.

[ZenFrost]

In high school I got a nickname that just sort of stuck. Of course, my mother would turn out to hate it so I spent months struggling to find a name I was okay with that she didn't hate to change my name to... basically I'm keeping my nickname as a nickname and changing my name to something else entirely. :blink:

[Sharon]

"Sharon" was the name of the little girl I fell head over heels in love with in the first grade. It was the first name that popped into my head when I felt obliged to choose one for myself. "Michelle," my middle name, is my twin sister's name.

[Lisa Rose]

Took my initials, mixed them a bit then looked for names that fit the intials.

I know, too logical for a girl, huh.

[christid66]

Christi was the name of an ex girlfriend and I just loved the name....although don't love her so much now:heehee:

[Tamara Croft]

Well... I got my name due to always saying... cya tamara... meaning cya tomorrow... and I kinda liked the name ;) So when Tam and I joined this forum, choosing a name to use, that one cropped up and my SO Tammy, is short for Tamara ;) so we chose those :) My real name is nothing like my name here lol :bs:

[Deborah Jane]

After i came out to my mum, she told me that she and my dad were going to call me Deborah Jane if i,d been born a girl.
It just seemed right to use it as it would have been my name anyway.

[christinac]

I took the name of a very special friend of mine who died of breast cancer at 32years old. I could write a novel about her and how she never got the credit or recognition that she deserved in life and never got. Even on her death bed she was thinking of others more than herself.

[ZenFrost]

I know, too logical for a girl, huh.

Ehhh, what? :confused: Women can't/aren't supposed to be that logical? :raisedeyebrow:

[sabo10]

I wish I had an answer to this question. Unlike most(?) other people, my parents never had an alternate name thought up before I was born as they "always knew I was going to be a girl." *ahem* Also, as someone who writes sci-fi in his spare time, all my good names go towards my characters. If I ever got published, I don't want to be the author who named themselves after their characters. That would be... weird.

The fact that I chose Sabo10 for a CD/TG forum without thinking how it might sound to people who don't speak Japanese strongly suggests I shouldn't be allowed to decide on my own anyway! :doh:

I still haven't made a decision. I use my birth name in real life and my initials here.

KP.

[Lisa Rose]

Ehhh, what? :confused: Women can't/aren't supposed to be that logical? :raisedeyebrow:


That was tongue in cheek. Just a little tease, kind of like a blonde joke. :stirthepot::bg:

[Amy Hepker]

It is a song I liked

[Punkster]

Well I changed both my first name and my surname. My first name is Lewis which is just the masculine version of my given name ( Louise *rolls eyes*). I decided I neither wanted my married name nor my family name for many reasons so I named myself after my son's name Jacob to reflect that I "belong" to him....I am now officially Mr. Lewis Jacobs.

[SirTrey]

I chose Trey as My first name because it's a name I have always been comfortable with....My brother used to call Me that as a shortened version of My given name, which is Tracy...and, it was an attempt (albeit an unsuccessful one) to give a nod to My mother by not changing it to something completely different....I thought it might be an easier transition for her (not the case, but that's a different topic)....My middle name is Aidan, which I let toni choose....I thought since toni is such a great partner, it would be nice to give him an opportunity to be part of something so significant in My life.....he chose Aidan because he said it reminded him of someone who would be an artist in the village (Greenwich Village, that is)....and that it suited My personality....My last name, I just kept, didn't change that.....it's generic, LOL. :)

[CaptLex]

As most of you know, I haven't changed my name. It's my name . . . I like it . . . it's my history, reminds me where I came from. I use "Lex" which is a shortened version of my middle name, and that's enough for me.

But the problem arises when people (professional people, that is) want to call me by first name - it's my history, which I don't want to lose - but it's not my preferred way of being addressed. And apparently it's very hard for some people to get. :idontknow:

I suppose it's hard to live outside the norm of girls having girl names and boy having boy names. To me it's just a name. So I've tried to conform . . . tried to come up with a name I can live with so people don't automatically see me as female when they see it. But no other name feels like me. :sad:

[Sandra]

I'm boring my name is actually Sandra.

[CaptLex]

I'm boring my name is actually Sandra.
:heehee:

[Kieron Andrew]

I'm boring my name is actually Sandra.

wow really? i didnt know that lol:heehee:

[Felix]

Well my ex helped me pick my name after troughing through thousands I came across Felix and she said thats it that suits ya and I quite liked it and what it mean so it stuck :hugs: xx Felix

[Taylor105]

You guys and gals are so special. I hope you know that. It has been a treasure to read this thread!! I mean that whole-heartedly. I'm so glad I asked this question.

[metalguy639]

I always liked the name Damien. I had a friend named Damien in college, he was pretty cool. Then of course there's the EVIL MOVIE! LOL The middle name Jace I actually found on a web site in baby names. My sister & I poured through many names until we came upon that one. My last name is also gonna be changed to Darwick for personal reasons.

[Mariah]

Mariah, Compermise for my father. Stephanie, What my parent's were going to call me if I was born a gg. and keeping my last name Cole. *sigh* soo many stupid puns with that last name.


Mariah

[Syr_SwitchyGQ]

Also, as someone who writes sci-fi in his spare time, all my good names go towards my characters. If I ever got published, I don't want to be the author who named themselves after their characters. That would be... weird.

:D I write too.... and I totally get that. I have a hard time conceptualizing myself as a person without making myself into a character (who ends up ultimately different than me, and then I get bored with him later) ergo, I had a terrible time picking a name. I've stuck with Tobias Jay for awhile now, so I'm pretty sure I'm leaving it now. (Although just yesterday I came up with another one I liked and had to smack myself because I am NOT changing names again on people... guess I'll just have to use it on a special character :p)

To actually answer the question, I picked Tobias because it was German and/or English, but unusual for the States, and I just liked it. Also, I didn't personally know anyone by that name. I wanted to keep my initials, but just could not for the life of me find a male name that started with R that I liked and/or my mother and I could agree on. So I just picked Tobias. Jay is my father's nickname, and he's very special to me.


The fact that I chose Sabo10 for a CD/TG forum without thinking how it might sound to people who don't speak Japanese strongly suggests I shouldn't be allowed to decide on my own anyway! :doh:

:heehee:

[jennifer easton]

Ever since I was little, I always wanted my name to be Jennifer, the Easton part came after I needed a name to mail order, it just seam to flow, it gave me an identity that fit, jennifer

[Sandra]

:heehee:


wow really? i didnt know that lol:heehee:

:slap:

[Kieron Andrew]

:slap:

Owie!!!!:sad::cry:

[ZenFrost]

(Although just yesterday I came up with another one I liked and had to smack myself because I am NOT changing names again on people... guess I'll just have to use it on a special character :p)

One thing nice about writing is that you can use pseudonyms, which means that you can have as many names for yourself as you want. :bg:

[Syr_SwitchyGQ]

One thing nice about writing is that you can use pseudonyms, which means that you can have as many names for yourself as you want. :bg:

Very true... I have my reasons for not using it in real life, but at least one of my pseudonyms is going to be Rhydian Elliot. So yeah... that IS a perk. :D

[sabo10]

Very true... I have my reasons for not using it in real life, but at least one of my pseudonyms is going to be Rhydian Elliot. So yeah... that IS a perk. :D

Rhydian? Ooh... you're good at this name thing! :)

[Wren]

Conrad was the english name of a character I created. He was a character based on the person I wanted to be. So instead of living vicariously through Conrad I became him.

[Fleur]

Its highly unusual, French, flower in meaning and is ultra girlie. That should do it :battingeyelashes:

[DemonicDaughter]

Though my screen name is Demonic Daughter, that actually comes from a family joke from when my parents broke up. My Male Parental Unit (he is neither a father nor a dad and sperm donor is still highly debatable) claimed that there was an "evil spirit" in the house that "drove [my] mom away from [him]". He then claimed that during an argument she stated none of us kids were his (something she would never say and I could only pray for). So jokingly I told my mom that obviously I wasn't his kid but then who's? Well if the only thing in the house was a demon... obviously I must be its daughter. :D Anything beats being the MPU's kid! LOL!

But the funny part of this is... DD is the nickname my male friends called me (never knowing the demonic thing) when a discussion regarding my well-endowment came to light... yes... they called me "Double D".

They both fit and I thought them funny. Thus... me, DD :D

[Kieron Andrew]

Though my screen name is Demonic Daughter, that actually comes from a family joke from when my parents broke up. My Male Parental Unit (he is neither a father nor a dad and sperm donor is still highly debatable) claimed that there was an "evil spirit" in the house that "drove [my] mom away from [him]". He then claimed that during an argument she stated none of us kids were his (something she would never say and I could only pray for). So jokingly I told my mom that obviously I wasn't his kid but then who's? Well if the only thing in the house was a demon... obviously I must be its daughter. :D Anything beats being the MPU's kid! LOL!

But the funny part of this is... DD is the nickname my male friends called me (never knowing the demonic thing) when a discussion regarding my well-endowment came to light... yes... they called me "Double D".

They both fit and I thought them funny. Thus... me, DD :D

I think DD suits, even though i know your birth name it isnt you, well i dont think so :bs:

[DemonicDaughter]

I think DD suits, even though i know your birth name it isnt you, well i dont think so :bs:

I love my given name. I think its pretty. Only my mom ever calls me it anymore. But I was actually suppose to be Jennifer Rebbecca (I'm so happy not to be) or Christopher (I don't remember the middle name they wanted if I was a boy) but the MPU heard the Allman Brothers song on the radio on the way to the hospital when my mom was delivering me. He took it as a sign and that is how I got my name. :)

[georgeous]

i used my name and my mom bought me a shirth that had georgeous. it reminds me of gorgeous which is how i feel when i dress.

[Taylor105]

Thanks so much for your replies everyone. This has been a fun post to read. My name at birth had a been born a genetic male was supposed to be Mark. I just didn't feel like a Mark though. So Taylor it is.

[Kieron Andrew]

I love my given name. I think its pretty. Only my mom ever calls me it anymore. But I was actually suppose to be Jennifer Rebbecca (I'm so happy not to be) or Christopher (I don't remember the middle name they wanted if I was a boy) but the MPU heard the Allman Brothers song on the radio on the way to the hospital when my mom was delivering me. He took it as a sign and that is how I got my name. :)I didnt say i dont like it, i do...its pretty i agree, but you are DD :heehee:

[Tina Dixon]

I'm glad this thread is open for all and I miss some of you guys:battingeyelashes:, but my first name is a bit like my real name Tim, ever since I first thought of being like a girl I said my name would be Tina as far as my last name it is the name I was born with, years latter I was adapted by my grand parents and my last name was changed.

[Kieron Andrew]

I miss some of you guys:battingeyelashes:

well stick around and post more lol...maybe post us some threads lol

[Farrah]

I chose my name from a girlfriend I had when I was about 10 years old. Not to mention its close to my real name.

[jsoto81]

How i got my name... Ben I choose cause it's just one letter away from my legal name (jen) so i figured i'd be nice and just pick something similar for people. And I like the name benjamin, i don't hear it that often.

And david I let my wife/fiance pick my middle name. It was going to be gabriel but she said she didn't like the ring of it with benjamin so I let her choose my middle name. I want her to have a active role in my transition and this seemed like a perfect start.

[deja true]

Deja?

Well,it just keeps happening again and again, doesn't it?

[Sally1979ct]

To be honnest, Im not really sure why i choose " Sally " guess it was a name i liked at the time and have stuck with it . I even have a few necklaces with Sally on them aswell

Sally

[ethannoel]

I let my girlfriend help me out with picking my name. I wanted mine to mean something to me and I wanted a name that looked like me. ( you know when you look at someone and think, they look like a jim.?) So we came up with Ethan. I really liked Cole as my middle name but I also wanted to keep my birth name for my mom since it had a lot of meaning for her. So, now I am Ethan Noel (Noel as in the Christmas Noel).

Yeah so I was originally going to take the name that my mom picked had she had a boy, but Grant Andrew just wasn't me. Plus, my initials would have spelled GAG. haha

[Alan]

In deference to my parents, I might've actually gone with what they would've called me if I were born a guy... but they named my brother that.

Alan is very close to my female name (Anna), as in, it starts with A, it has two syllables, it's a clean, simple name. It's also a tip of the hat to Alan Turing, who was an AMAZING guy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_turing Turing is what I've chosen as my middle name (giving me the initials ATM).

I was never really creative with my name, choosing a bunch or anything like that. When I thought of 'Alan', it just... clicked.

[pediqr]

LOL! just seems to fit ya ,sis

[pediqr]

LOL! just seems to fit ya ,sis
I seem to have been cast into another world,,,temporarily?,, I hope.

[Abraxas]

Okay...
I've chosen (and I think this is the last time I'm gonna change my mind) Roderick Benjamin James T...

Roderick. Well, I really like the name Rory, which is the short form of Roderick. Also, my mom was originally gonna name me Aurora, short form of which is also Rory. So there's that one.

Benjamin. This one started when I was about 17 or 18-- I had just come out and was a big fan of Eddie Izzard (was? Am.) He does this bit about 'Baby Brother Benny,' and I'm sort of like everyone's baby brother. It just sort of stuck.

James... Hmmm. I like the name James. It's also sort of a nod to Hugh Laurie. And it seemed to fit.

So yeah, that's all.

[Alan]

/claps. I really wanted to hear that story. :D
Speaking of names and comedians, you SO should read George Carlin on names. It's hilarious.

[Jonianne]

Hi Taylor,

I chose Joni because it is a derivitive of my first name. I picked Anne because of how much I loved the character Anne (with an "e") in the book and PBS Wonderworks production of "Anne of Green Gables".

[Mydia]

It just came to me one day :3

I love it because it really represents who I am -

It's beautiful and unique, just like me x3

(This = a statement, NOT bragging >_>)

Also...100th Post FTW!!! xD

[CaptLex]

I seem to have been cast into another world,,,temporarily?,, I hope.
That depends on who you were referring to there . . . :confused:

[morgan pure]

i became morgan in the eighties when i knew two children with the name, a girl and a boy. i was going out in very poor drag-couldn't find shoes size 14. i became morgan pure when i met a queen in the city who was a homeopath, she said that morgan pure was a medicine invented by a psycho inventor who experimented with e-coli bacteria. morgan pure is medicinal in tiny amounts. in quantity it'll kill you quick. something like belladona. that would be a good name too.

[Tyoka]

I think my name's story is pretty neat. I'm technically a MtF, though I'm more of just a guy who likes being feminine. I'm also a virgin, and I value it greatly, which plays into my name.

My original name was Kevin(and sadly, most people still call me this despite my displeased reaction to it), and the name I chose was Liani. When I was about 14(I'm 22 now), I made a character named Aidlian. I've played as him in various games, including Dungeons and Dragons. He's become an important part of my life, as he portrays what I hope to be someday. Well, about a year ago I was looking up random names, and I came across the Hawaiian name Liani, which means "rare flower". I noticed how close Aid"lian" and "lian"i were, and how flower sometimes describes a virgin, not to mention a boy flower is pretty rare. It was almost like fate. The only thing I don't like about it is the name will lose some meaning if I ever dare have sex with someone. I don't see that happening ever though, so I'm probably in the clear.

[Taylor105]

Wow y'all!! I didn't expect to see so many answers. These were very interesting to read. Thanks so much for answering. :)

[halfman_halfamazing]

felt like joining in. this is a good one.

Ronald Weasley.
My favorite character probably ever in anything. He is most like me. When I would role play online I would always be him so a girl playing a guy that's a little weird so i lived online with that name as a guy.
It actually came out because someone asked is your name ron? and i said yeah sure.
Then I met my now girlfreind an a lot of other friends so i decided I need more. I changed it to Ronaldo cause I'm mexican and then I got Hector because of this boy I was crushing on and I had just started liking the name. It's also my dad's brother's name, but he traumatized me because he was scary when i was little lol.

And sometimes i like to say its Ronaldinho. Just cause it sounds cool especially when the announcer says it in spanish during a soccer game on tv :)

Ronaldo Ronaldinho Hector

[Wolfie]

I chose Ben cos its short and no nonsense name - I have never been able to cope with anything fussy so it suits me. My kids love it. Also being a teacher there were sooo many names I couldn't use cos they reminded me of kids I have taught but all the Bens I have been in my class have been lovely.
I play Warcraft and have only male characters (4 at top levels the rest getting there) - I tried once to have a female one but hated watching her run! Everyone in my guild thinks I'm male - but I join in voice conversations (just listen) as they might guess (and I'm an officer!) but its I feel so comfortable playing and joining in by typing comments. They accept me as the quiet green male orc - what more can I ask. I couldn't choose any of my character names as my real life name as they are just too odd!:devil:

[DanielMacBride]

I didn't choose My name - it chose Me :) When I cut off all My hair and looked in the mirror I just knew it was My name - I was like 'Oh, hello Daniel, so that's who you are and where you've been hiding!'

But since then I have come to realise that it is a rather appropriate name for Me - it is a Hebrew name that means "God is My judge" (in other words, anyone else can get stuffed because I answer to nobody but Myself and My Maker as I walk My path), and it is also the name of a character in Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" - Daniel is basically the new manifestation of the Dream, another aspect of it (which kinda suited Me to a T because I have a very strongly metaphysical point of view on life and hey, it just works LOL). In Irish, Daniel comes from the Gaelic name Domhnall (Donald) and means "attractive". It means the same in Welsh (I have a strong Welsh background) but is spelled Deiniol.

My middle name was just as easy, it chose Me and just seemed to flow from Daniel. It's a nod to My Irish heritage too, and means "little dark one" (kinda a nod to My inbuilt tendency to be the black sheep I suppose LOL!)

And being a Pagan and having Brighid as My Goddess, how could I have any other surname but MacBride (Scots for Son of Brighid) :D I used niBride as a girl (daughter of Brighid) so it was just a natural progression.

So I am now Daniel Ciaran MacBride :)

[Taylor105]

I didn't choose My name - it chose Me :) When I cut off all My hair and looked in the mirror I just knew it was My name - I was like 'Oh, hello Daniel, so that's who you are and where you've been hiding!'

But since then I have come to realise that it is a rather appropriate name for Me - it is a Hebrew name that means "God is My judge" (in other words, anyone else can get stuffed because I answer to nobody but Myself and My Maker as I walk My path), and it is also the name of a character in Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" - Daniel is basically the new manifestation of the Dream, another aspect of it (which kinda suited Me to a T because I have a very strongly metaphysical point of view on life and hey, it just works LOL). In Irish, Daniel comes from the Gaelic name Domhnall (Donald) and means "attractive". It means the same in Welsh (I have a strong Welsh background) but is spelled Deiniol.

My middle name was just as easy, it chose Me and just seemed to flow from Daniel. It's a nod to My Irish heritage too, and means "little dark one" (kinda a nod to My inbuilt tendency to be the black sheep I suppose LOL!)

And being a Pagan and having Brighid as My Goddess, how could I have any other surname but MacBride (Scots for Son of Brighid) :D I used niBride as a girl (daughter of Brighid) so it was just a natural progression.

So I am now Daniel Ciaran MacBride :)


Daniel...I love how you say your name chose you! I feel that way too. I have known of lots of trans guys who have changed their names many times. And I have no problem with that. That's cool if that's what they need to do. Like try on different names and stuff. But for me my names also came to me and I have never changed them. Taylor Allen Jon is mine. It fits perfect. I love your middle name by the way.

[Kimberly Marie Kelly]

Back in my early 20's I became friends with a girl, her name was Kimberly, she was dating a good friend of mine and was engaged to him. On many occasions we had lunch together and discussed many things, we respected each other. When I chose my name there wasn't a question in my mind which name I would take.

We are no longer in contact, but the feminity, sensitivity and wisdom she had is what I seek, thus I have adopted her name and will bear it with pride. :battingeyelashes: :battingeyelashes: Kim

[Kimberley]

Funny, but I never really chose it. It has been with me forever and the odd part is that I never new anyone by that name when growing up. So where it came from I am not quite sure. Still it suits me and I can always tell if the Capn is ticked by how he shortens it...:tongueout Just kidding cuz he never gets ticked with me... at least that he has said.

:hugs:
Kimberley

[CaptLex]

I can always tell if the Capn is ticked by how he shortens it...:tongueout Just kidding cuz he never gets ticked with me... at least that he has said.
Goofy Kimmie :tongueout

[Alan]

I didn't choose My name - it chose Me :) When I cut off all My hair and looked in the mirror I just knew it was My name - I was like 'Oh, hello Daniel, so that's who you are and where you've been hiding!'

But since then I have come to realise that it is a rather appropriate name for Me - it is a Hebrew name that means "God is My judge" (in other words, anyone else can get stuffed because I answer to nobody but Myself and My Maker as I walk My path), and it is also the name of a character in Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" - Daniel is basically the new manifestation of the Dream, another aspect of it (which kinda suited Me to a T because I have a very strongly metaphysical point of view on life and hey, it just works LOL). In Irish, Daniel comes from the Gaelic name Domhnall (Donald) and means "attractive". It means the same in Welsh (I have a strong Welsh background) but is spelled Deiniol.

My middle name was just as easy, it chose Me and just seemed to flow from Daniel. It's a nod to My Irish heritage too, and means "little dark one" (kinda a nod to My inbuilt tendency to be the black sheep I suppose LOL!)

And being a Pagan and having Brighid as My Goddess, how could I have any other surname but MacBride (Scots for Son of Brighid) :D I used niBride as a girl (daughter of Brighid) so it was just a natural progression.

So I am now Daniel Ciaran MacBride :)

That's how I felt about Alan. I had been skimming 'A' names in the baby book (well, my female name started with one, and my initials were too great to pass up (AM)), and Alan just jumped out at me. Like... OMG, that's my NAME, how did I not know this?

My initials have changed, since I pay homage to one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century, and say Alan Turing M. (ATM, though :D). Funnily, his initials were AMT

[valenstein]

I picked mine from a character in a video game. She's tall, quite onery and a bit androgynous. It was a bonus later on that I could find jewelry or clothing that was "Ivy" in nature.

[Carroll]

I was going to use a female version of my real name, Chris, but after my wife saw me dressed she said I just looked like a Carroll

[gennee]

I've always liked the name and was originally going to call myself Genevieve. I found out that there were other girls here named Genevieve. I created 'Gennee' (pronounced JENNY). Thus far there's only one of me. :D

Gennee