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I'm trans and the name I chose is based off an old username of mine because I got more used to people calling me that.
Come to think of it a lot of my trans friends did something similar.
I did this
I feel like it's probably pretty common for trans folks who spend a lot of time online. The internet was where we got to explore ourselves.
That's pretty cool! I've wondered more than once what prompts trans people to choose the names they choose but I've never felt it was really a polite thing to ask. That is one possibility for choosing a name that makes a lot of sense to me, especially when you can be completely genderfluid in a game. You could be biologically XY but have played games as a woman named Miranda for 20 years, so when you finally transition, you call yourself Miranda. I like that.
I actually go by a different name now that has a different reason to it, but that's the logic a lot of other friends stuck with, a username or game character they connect with. One of my best friends is named Ikora because of the Destiny character for instance.
Gonna do my best to avoid doxxing myself, but the name I go by now I chose for a few reasons:
- It's a traditional Irish name, I've learned in the last couple years that I'm almost completely ethnically Irish.
- It's fairly gender neutral at least by American standards, so it doesn't necessarily out me as trans while I'm still pretty early in transitioning.
- I took it from an old folk song I grew up with, so there's also personal history and ties to my family with it.
Ultimately everyone is gonna have their own reasons for the name they choose, but I've tried a couple names over the years to see which ones fit. Sometimes I've had ones that I felt a real connection to, but it felt all wrong to get called it. It's one of those things that can be a journey while you transition.
Also speaking from personal experience, the trans folks I know are delighted to explain why they chose the name the did. It's not impolite at all to ask, just so long as it's not the very first thing you ask lol.
I can see that. You're trying out new ways to express yourself and you'll feel like you got it wrong sometimes, so you revise it. That could be your voice or the way your walk or the style you wear or your name. You're living as your true gender for the first time in your life, so there's bound to be plenty of trial and error.