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I think Shakespeare said (or some other wise soul)... so what's in a name?
When you are transgender it can be more important that the one that was attached with a white 3x5 sticker to your top as you wander through life. Names are meaningful when we attach them ourselves.
I was recently talking to someone who is 'on the fence' about transitioning and we got to talking about names. They wanted to explore 'androgynous' names and feel like they could change this aspect and move on. If they decided to stay androg it would not be such a problem. But a name is a name that should identify yourself.
We talked about Sam as a name and they said, lucidly "Well, that is a nickname. It could be Samuel or Samantha...", etc. That got the gears grinding as the "rubber hit the road." They were right.
We churned over a number of ideas, they were all shortened versions of other names. They wanted something full and unique.
We did a lot of 'soul-searching' and I came up with a name. They latched onto it right away (OK there were some initial reservations but I mentioned I knew boys and girls who had this name): Taylor
Maybe it's not the best choice but one they can at least work with. Now we're working on their middle name (for they want one as well, same idea). I suppose I could do a Google search or just invent something like 'Mountain' or 'Sky' or 'Ocean' but they want something a little more 'conventional.'
Darn it, choosing names is hard. It's one thing to name a baby in the womb because they have no choice. But when you have a myriad of choices and want a certain limitation it gets harder and harder. What's in a name, you ask?
A lot more than you might imagine!
