I'm ready to come out to everyone and transition socially. The only thing holding me back are the doubts I have about my name. I'm looking for a name that sounds genderneutral with a slightly masculine ring both in English and in German. (German being a bit more important). My favorites so far are Quinn, Alex and Noah. I also like Robin and Fynn / Finn. Which one do you like best? (It's not a problem if you can't help with the German part. I'll ask some of my friends as well.)
You should decide, ultimately. I decided on my preferred name, Alex, because its a gender neutral name. Like i know both guys and girls with that name. And having a gender neutral name was what i wanted. But at the same time, i felt like i needed to pick out a common preferred name because my birth name is common. I felt like if i picked some cool sounding name, it would be a 'flavor of the month' sort of name. What solidified the feeling that my name is Alex is saying it aloud, pretending to introduce myself, and using it on here. It felt so right in a way i can't really describe. So much more right that when i hear people use my birth name, despite me not having told them this, it feels wrong and uncomfortable.
I really like Robin. Quinn is a favorite as well, but might be too "exotic" for most Germans, especially the ones who don't speak English. I don't exactly dislike the other names, but they are incredibly popular, especially Alex, so I'd only chose one of those if you'd be fine with being the fifth Alex in a room.
Alex is a very common name, no disrespect to it (it's a fine name - from which my own is derived) but most importantly your name should be something you are happy with. And also, something that you won't grow out of. I see a lot of trans people jumping on the opportunity to name themselves, so they go with something like Onyx which doesn't sound like, well, a real name. Think to yourself, will I be proud to introduce myself with this name? Is this something my friends and family can easily say or get accustomed to? For German/English names, I am fond of: -Anton -Hans -Jamie -Emmett -Matti -Ross (or Ros) Again though, it is your name. Best wishes, and feel free to try out different ones here. A lot of us have gone through several before landing one for the long run, and EC is probably one of the most accepting and forgiving places for test-driving new names.
Thanks to all of you for your replies. I know eventually I have to chose on my own. It's just helpful to get feedback on how others perceive the different names. What I'd really like to know is how masculine/feminine/androgynous you think the different names sound. I'd like a name which is considered neutral but leaning masculine. Something between 60/40 to 70/30 masculine/feminine, if it's possible to describe names that way. Which of Quinn, Alex and Noah fulfills that criteria best?
Alex is more neutral than Noah and Quinn. And for me, whenever I think of the name Alex, I think of it as a more masculine name. I'm also obsessed with the name Quinn, and I think that it's a great unique name.
Alex is probably the most neutral name. I have used it for both genders in writing and games. Its also a name I have considered going by myself. The other name I like that you mention is Robin which is also very neutral as I've seen it used for both genders,It's another name I have thought of using except spelt as Robyn. So either of those get my vote.
Alex and Quinn strike me as more neutral than Noah (Alex I've most often seen/heard used for shortening Alexander or Alexandra, so it works for both genders; and I've known a female Quinn and a male Quinn as well). But that's also my perspective as a non-native English or German person (I'm French) so I don't know if this perspective is correct or not. ...It doesn't help much, does it. ^^;
Alex fulfills the criteria best to me, it is slightly more masculine to me but I have seen it used for both males and females, so it could go either way. Quinn is more feminine to me, and Noah I have only seen used for guys.
I like Quinn or Noah. I am biased against Fynn as it is my trans* cousin's birth name. Robyn might bit too femme, just saying.