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[–] 28 points 1 year ago (10 children)

Random question but how the hell do people choose a name. If it were me, not sure that I'd be able to choose. Too many options. Good ones, even. Choosing just one feels like it'd be hard. Deciding on a final answer

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  • [–] 18 points 1 year ago*

    Write down 5 of your major personality descriptors, at least two positive and at least one negative. Go on a writer's forum and ask for help coming up with names for your "character". Do it like three times with different genres of writers. Choose the one you liked the best, or the most common one across all tests. Ez pz. I've had one acquaintance that swears by this method and she pushes it on anyone she knows thinking of transitioning. Good luck.

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  • [–] 13 points 1 year ago

    Disclaimer, I am cis.

    Friend 1 chose a name, but later switched to a variation of her middle name.

    Friend 2 chose a masc name when they were first experimenting with their new identity. Switched between they/he/they over about 6 mo. Finally seems to have settled on a gender neutral name and pronouns.

    Friend 3 chose a variation of their given name and then eventually a different name entirely.

    Friend 4 I didn't know until after he was already comfortable in his identity. He uses a variation of his given name.

    Coworker 1 uses a word that isnt traditionally a name.

    All that to say, from what I've seen there's a lot of options, and none of them are wrong. You might find that your initial choice doesn't fit quite right, and it's okay to experiment.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago

    Also, you don't want to have the name of someone you already know. If you do a job that's client-facing you don't want a name similar to someone else who does the same job in the area.

    Disclaimer: I am an actual cis man (seriously, not like the character in the op), but I have a 2 month old child and picking a name for them was one of the most difficult things we ever did.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    I spent months at a deadlock with a temp name that was just kind of fine. Asked a few cis people how they felt about their name and got a resounding set of "meh!"

    Went with my temporary placeholder name. It doesn't have to be great. It just doesn't have to hurt.

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