Hello! So, I've never particularly loved my name. It doesn't make me uncomfortable, although I don't feel a strong connection to it and I just know I'd prefer a different name. Anyways, my questions are: 1) How do I choose a name? My family is no help when I asked them, they either say they like my name or their name suggestions are nothing i even remotely like. And 2) When should I ask them to call me by my preferred name? I feel like if I wait until I'm 17/18, they will be more hesitate to call me by a different name. At the same time, I think I'd feel weird asking them to call me a different name, and so I really wouldn't want to have that conversation now(or ever, but at some point it'll have to happen). So I'm unsure what to do.
I have spent a lot of time trying to pick a name. I still haven't decided but here are some good ways to pick one. Look through lists of baby names. If you like names with a certain feel or that start with a certain letter, you can sort them like that. If you like historical names or names from a certain country, do a google search for lists of them. Write down your favorites until you find one that clicks and seems like yours. Mostly, just go with a name that you love, regardless of how your family feels about it. They will come around and learn to call you by your chosen name. I think that you should wait to ask your family to use your chosen name until you're pretty certain of what you want it to be. It will probably be weird at first, but you will get used to it and so will they.
My birth name is on the top 10 charts for my birth year, so its a common name to say the least. For me, i knew that if i went with something unique it would be more of a 'flavor of the month' sort of name. So instead i looked up common boys' and unisex names and picked one i liked. Being able to write my initials the same mattered, too, so that was a factor in my decision. So i don't feel weird initialing things at work. I"m like you, back in mid elementary school i remember pouring over different names trying to pick one i liked because i just always hated my name. I never told my family either, they don't know anything. So yeah i think the whole asking situation would be weird, too.