How Did You Choose Your Name?

Many non-trans people find it interesting the names that we choose; most people don’t choose their names, their names are chosen for them. When I do an outreach at a college one of the most common questions are about choosing our names.

What’s in Choosing a Name for Trans People
For transgender people, choosing a new name is integral to understanding their true identity.
The Advocate
By Chris Godfrey
March 7, 2016

A lot of people ask, ‘Why do we need labels?’ ” says actor Rebecca Root, star of the BBC2 sitcom Boy Meets Girl. “But everybody calls themselves something. Some people describe themselves as gender-fluid or non-binary or gender variant or whatever — but they still have a name. It really is the ultimate label.”

Within just five hours of the Caitlyn Jenner Vanity Fair cover going public, the hashtag #CallMeCaitlyn had been featured in more than 150,000 tweets. Jenner’s physical appearance certainly caught the public’s eye, but it was her name that resonated around the world. And while the manner in which she introduced her new identity is pretty exceptional, the name-changing process for many trans people is one often carried out in the public eye, irrespective of intention.

“It is just a really personal thing, but of course in the curious world of the transitioning individual, the very personal often has to be very public,” says Root. “A lot of people don’t consider the name. People who are not trans think of possible surgeries…and they think about what’s beneath the visible physical changes. But it is a big deal. It’s that moment when you announce yourself to the world in your new identity.”

I chose my name way back in high school. I was doing a term paper on Greek Mythology and I remember reading that there was a Greek God who displeased the other Gods and Goddesses and they changed him into a woman (I never was able to find and references about that again). I thought that was so neat!

So when I went to a support group over forty years later that story I still remember when I was asked for my name and I said “Diana.” Not because of Princess Diana but from remembering that story all those years earlier.

Jett Chapman, an IT consultant in Nevada, also brought his family into the naming process. At a time when his mother in particular was anxious about his transition, it proved the perfect opportunity to reassure and educate them about his journey. 

My middle name was also chosen by a family council for the same reason, it got them involved with my transition. I wanted to keep my initials the same but the middle name that I liked was also my sister-in-law’s middle name and I wanted to check with her first. The result was we hashed out other names like Robin but I already knew many Robins so I didn’t want that, what we chose was a feminization of my middle name.

So how did you choose your name? I want to hear your stories.