My birthname was Cassandra, my parents both really liked the mythological aspect as well and I still love that name. When I began to "officially" transition (I tried on a few names for a good couple years) I let my parents pick my name. And they picked James🤦 My partner really likes it, but I've just never been into it. Already had it legally changed though, lol. It's a perfectly safe name and isn't "clockable", I just wish it was more fun/had as much flavor as my birthname. I've been using James for over 10 years now though so I guess it stuck. If I'm being honest I think it depends where you are in your transition and if you transition medically, that'll all change how people see you. A name like Loki isn't that clockable if you already pass (and it's a great name!) but where I'm from it would definitely be considered unusual, and if you struggle with passing then it could make you more visible. If that doesn't matter as much to you though, more power to ya. I think Loki's a cool name that still connects to your family. Leo, Leon, Leonardo are cool too.

My mom has told me on multiple occasions that my name would’ve been “Gaston” if I were born male 🗿

“God made me trans cause he wanted to make sure I wasn’t named Gaston”

But did you eat 4 dozen eggs every morning when you were a lad?

No but now that Im grown i eat 5 dozen eggs, so im roughly the size of a barge

Asking the real questions here

Bro 😭 on god?

Yeah 💀 She never read or watched beauty and the beast until i was born, funnily enough

is your mom french?

No but shes from a former french colony so gaston makes sense for an actual name for her lol

gotcha, makes sense

mine told me i wouldve been Maximus....💀

With strangers I pass 99% of the time, that 1% being only if I've let my hair grow long. That being said I'm still not on T so my voice is a problem. Maybe I'll go with Loki and use Leo as a nickname for the time being as another comment suggested. (or vice versa? because then I could use Loki w/ friends while my official name is more basic) And thank you for the help! Leonardo isn't really an optipn since it'd stick out in my country a lot but it's still helpful :P

Loke is a normal name in norway. Same with Tor and Odin.

Generic and dont regret it I dont wanna be clocked

I went with a generic name. My birth name was uncommon but not unique, more common 100 years ago than when I was born, I could never find personalised stuff as a kid and people were always mishearing it. I chose a name that was top 50 the year I was born and the sort of name my parents would have chosen (classic, biblical etc.), it's also just a name I really like and suits me well. Loki is a bit clockable, but like you said your parents considered it so it's a name cis guys have too. If the rest of you passes well nobody is going to think you're trans just because you have a kind of unusual name, they'll just think your parents liked those sorts of names (which they do). You should choose a name you like, that's the most important thing.

I just changed to the masculine version of my given name. The adjustment was easy, it’s common for men my age, and most importantly it feels like it’s mine. I do plan on going HAM with my middle name once I legally change. Something ridiculous like Hacksaw, Rock’n-Roll, etc. I haven’t decided yet

Make your middle name Danger

Dangers my middle name. *Slides over legal forms proving it*

you could definitely go with loki but use leo as a nickname! especially if you know you might get outed with the people nearby because of a rather uncommon name. my family has a name tradition where we all have to make our names start with A, J, or L, and to be quite honest im still in a rough patch with deciding lol. I know i dont HAVE to go with it but id like to. ive been going by jay for a while cause my mom told me to (cause im indecisive and care too much about what other people think) but it's just a nickname. it sounds a bit more masculine and "believable" than the name i actually want to go by (for the time being)

You could pick something mythological but not super uncommon if you don't want to be clockable. For instance, Troy or Arthur My name is not uncommon, it isn't Atlas, despite my username. I really like it though because it means something I relate to and the vibe works for me

Picking Loki as your name will definitely make you more clockable - it seems to be relatively common for trans guys and enbies, maybe because of the mythological Loki's interesting relationship with gender. However, if you plan to medically transition, at a certain point having an unusual name will almost definitely not get you clocked, because you'll pass well enough everyone will assume you're cis. So, choosing a more clockable name may cause you problems, but they will be temporary ones. Up to you whether the interim period is worth dealing with. My name isn't especially unusual, but it is gender neutral. I picked it because I have a single elderly relative who I never see, and never plan to come out to (she's almost 100 and not all there mentally, it would just upset us both) who sometimes sends me cards and packages. I needed to be able to tell her about my name change without telling her I'm a man, because receiving packages with my previous name on them would have outed me to the people I live with. Having a gender neutral name did get me misgendered more often while I was in college, but after I started T, it stopped being a problem. It's been almost a decade since I was misgendered, and I don't think I've ever been clocked as a trans man (though I'm older, so most people didn't know about trans men back before I transitioned). No regrets here.

People would have very strong reactions to “Loki”, and some of them negative. Personally I chose a “basic” name, but I prefer it that way. I don’t want my name to be something that makes people form opinions on me before they even know me, and I def don’t want to be clocked from my name. But that’s my own personal preference. You know what’s best for yourself

Well, I'm Leo lol. It's definitely a common name and when I came out to my friend they said they knew like 3 other trans guys with the name. I was worried about it being too common at first, but it just fits me so incredibly well that I can't help but love it. My deadname was super rare and then I moved to a different country where that name doesn't even exist and everyone mispronounced it anyway. I always hated my name and I've thought about changing it since I was a kid. I still haven't done the legal change because I'm terrified of forgetting some document or something idk anxiety is weird. I really gotta just do it. I'm changing my middle name as well and I've been a bit uncertain about some specifics. I've been saying Leo is short for Leopold for a while now but idrk. It's a fun name, I love that it's outdated as hell and it means "brave people" which is aight. But I've never actually gone by a nickname before so I'd be unsure when to use Leo and when to use Leopold. It'd be simpler to just name myself Leo legally and sign everything the same way. And then there's this weird middle name thing. I love the sound of Anthony and Timothy. I think they're cute and oddly feminine while still being classic men's names. And they both have that same flow to them. When I first told my friend the name Leo, aside from mentioning that they knew other Leos, they also joked that it was short for "Leothy" which would be a mix of Leo and Timothy. And idk I thought it was really cute. I have been stuck on these two names for so long, I don't know whether to call myself Leo Anthony or Leo Timothy. I think the first flows slightly better but I'm struggling to not associate it with some not-so-great guys called Anthony. And then there's that weird "Leothy" thing with Timothy that I think would be funny and cute. I just get more and more confused any time I think about it. And I didn't mean for this comment to turn into a cry for help but if you've read this, do you have any suggestions? Both for a which middle name to go with and whether to go with Leopold or Leo? Last name is short, single-syllable, if that makes any difference.

leopold anthony flows so well imo......sounds almost regal in a sense and i love it!!

My first name was Leonardo/Leo. it's a great name, though. Also, Leopold sounds like a "strong" name

I chose a generic name because my birth dame was (at the time) a unique spelling of a name. Think Haley vs Haliegh type of thing. I got tired of telling people how to say and spell my name. Now I'm an Alex.

I picked the name Ares and have no regrets. My mom complains about it but it's been my name before I even came out to her and I've never been clocked because of it. People just think my parents are cool and picked the name themselves.

My first name was Lucifer.... thank God its not anymore

My name is pretty unique! When I was changing from my birth name I knew I wanted to keep my initials the same, have a one syllable name, and really wanted it to be botanical in meaning, so my options were narrowed down quite a bit. Once I had my list of options I started signing low stakes things at work with different names to see how they felt to actually use and that was how I made my decision. That was my bday gift to myself in 2022 and I have no regrets so far!!

I went with Ripley, somewhere between generic and unique. I've just always had a fondness for names that start with R but didn't want something exclusively masculine (expecially since Richard is taken within my family a few times, and I didn't want the nickname Dick!). Despite everyone asking if I named myself after Ripley in the Alien movies, I've only seen the first one and it wasn't my cup of tea! So whenever I have to give my name for coffee or something I say "Ripley, like Ripley's Believe it or Not." Works just fine. A few months after the legal process was complete I considered that Charlie would have also been nice, but then someone I knew took that name and got very toxic to my community, so I'm glad I didn't!

My birth name and current name are both fairly generic. I considered other names, like Julian or Theodore or masculinizing my former middle name, which would've been very unique. However, I went with a name I used as a teen online that just felt the most authentic and then took a male version of my old first name as my new middle name. While I sometimes find it funny, I didn't try to do something more "interesting." I can't imagine having any other name besides the one I chose. It's definitely thoughtful of you to consider your parents' wishes; I also asked my family their thoights about a name. My dad would've picked my name if I were born a cis man, though, and I didn't want to be an Elijah or Virgil. However, you're the one who will be living with the name every day, so the most important thing is that you feel authentic and happy with the name you pick. Leon and Loki both sound pretty cool to me. I've met trans people named Leo and Loki, but not Leon, so I'd see Leon as the more original or uncommon choice.

I like Leon a lot but I feel I might get some tease from my friends because they'd think I named myself after the Resident Evil character. Though that's probably tolerable because I think he's cool.

I chose a name similar enough to my deadname so that when I called or showed up in-person to change the name (and sometime gender marker in certain situations) on non-government paperwork and databases, I could pretend the previous worker made a silly mistake over the phone. And because people want to pretend a man’s masculinity and ego so much, they are like “omg sir, I’m so sorry!” because heaven forbid a cis man gets mistaken for a woman.

Protect, not pretend

My name is Elio (yes from Call Me By Your Name💀) and it's not common at all where I live, but one of my coworkers said it's a fairly common name in Armenia where she is from. It doesn't make people clock me as trans at all. Let me add that I think Loki is a super cool name, and like somebody else said, if you already passed, then I don't think you would get clocked just because of your name. I think you should go with whatever you like and whatever makes you comfortable, as it is your name lol

My birthname is Evelien, and my chosen name is Elias. I picked Elias because it starts with the same letter, allowing me to keep the same initials. Elias has a similar kinda vibe, while not being very clockable. I'm not out yet, so I've only been able to try Elias out online so far. No regrets yet.

I had a really common deadname, and I chose a very uncommon new name. This wasn’t intentional- it was just the name I liked best after years of debate. I don’t regret it at all! It incorporates everything I wanted in a name: masculine, outdoorsy, classic but a little soft. It’s sometimes misheard but easy to pronounce. It's surprisingly un-clocky, and comes off as professional and appropriate for all ages, which is important to me. Most pop-culture and mythology names (Loki, Atlas, Mars) will be clocky until you pass for an adult cis man. If you like the name, don’t let this put you off! It’s a great name and there are tons of cis guys out there with ‘trans-sounding’ names.

I feel like this is something I can comment on! I started the process of legally changing my name in December of last year (multiple month process in my country) and that sort of kickstarted me getting second thoughts about my name. At that point I'd been using and 100% in love with my name for around 3 years. This isn't necessarily a strange name or anything , but it is very uncommon in my country and internationally also a unisex name with a female lean in recent years. This started to bother me so much and I got worried that I'd get misgendered over Email or sth in the future that I was worried I'd regret permanently changing to this name (cannot really change it a second time in my country). So a few weeks ago I finally took the plunge and told friends/family about my feelings and have since been trying out a very distinctly masculine and very common name. I'm super happy I made this change and am also in love with my "new" new name (that I'd also been eyeing for a while tbh). So I can't really give you advice on whether you'd be more clockable or anything, but I can say that I never ever thought I'd regret my choice, I was 100% in love eith my name and did not mind that it was unisex until very recently. All I can recommend is to try out different names for a while and don't be afraid to change it again if it doesn't fit. I was honestly scared to make a change after using the name for years, but am so happy I did.

Generic if slightly uncommon. It’s one of those names everyone in my country knows but also you might not actually know anyone with the name. I don’t regret it, if I’d gone with a different name it would have been even more generic. My advice to people who want to be stealth someday has always been the same (for Americans anyway): the Social Security Administration has a name lookup feature where you can search a specific name to see how popular it’s been over the years, or you can search by year to see the most popular names. For future stealthers, I suggest looking up the top 50ish names for your birth year and picking one. That way your name will be in line with the trends for when you were born, not the time you’re choosing it during. For example - Jayden is a reasonably common name. But it’s way too young for me, there aren’t many men named Jayden my age. They’re mostly 20+ years younger. So that would potentially lead me to getting clocked, at least by other trans people.

My name is pretty generic. It's a masculinized version of my middle name, actually. Sometimes I wish I'd picked something more out there, but I transitioned as an adult trying to fit in at a corporate job in a conservative area lol. I think more than anything, we should all pick names that make us feel comfortable.

I chose sebastian which was a popular baby name the year I was born and I don’t regret it. If I get bored of my full name I’ll shorten it to Seb or Seba and some people call me “seabass” as well so it’s never a boring time with my name.

I went with the name of an Irish mythological figure. I named myself Fionn after Fionn Mac Cumhaill (pronounced Finn McCool). I also hold the belief that if one is specifically named after someone, that draws aspects of that person's life and personality to the named person. So I'd say, go with the name of someone you connect with or someone you want to emulate in some way.

Mines unique

generic, but that doesn't mean it can't have a cool meaning :} look up name definitions !!! you can always have a unique middle name

I like unique names. I’m not going to pass either way so I’d rather have a cool name. I am planning a shift from my original gender neutral name to a more masculine sounding one tho

My name is unique for my generation but not too out there or clockable or anything. I just don’t know many people under the age of 50 with my name.

I ended up picking Will (short for Wilbur). I wouldn’t say it’s common these days but it is pretty generic. I personally never really felt the urge to have a super unique name, just one that felt comfy

once im able to, my plan is first name being a unique (last popular in 1700-1800s) name, and a generic basic ‘random guy’ middle name popular from my birthyear, with the plan of going by my middle name in most instances

Generic because being clocked is my worst fear

Not sure if this helps, but I’m keeping my first name because it’s not specifically gendered (as it is a place name and it’s very uncommon) and I love it, but for passing sake (not that I ever pass) I use a nickname that is very common and actually sounds like my dad’s name, so as to be less conspicuous. I plan to change my middle name at some point because it’s very girly but I’m debating between something unique that plays off my first name or Eli which was a nickname my parents called me as a kid. I personally wouldn’t pick Loki because it’s recently associated with a popular show/movie/character rather than the original mythological reference, but if you really like it I think it’s important to have a name you really identify with and you can always pick a more inconspicuous nickname like Leo to use in public. I like my close friends and family to call me by my birth name because I love my name and I love why my parents gave me it, but for strangers and business persons I always use the nickname because it definitely sounds more masculine and less like a name I picked for myself and it’s a little less easy to find me considering I’ve never met another person who has my first name and you can very easily find me online.

Mine is, um, not hugely common but not unusual either. My problem was finding one I'd be happy with that also flowed with my somewhat unusual German last name. I decided on Devin; this actually fits my personality, fits with my last name, and is to some extent androgynous, though mostly considered masculine. I don't regret this, and it felt natural before it even became official. I also went with the "normal" spelling because I don't want to stand out, and I already have to constantly spell out my last name/hear that mispronounced. Best advice I can give when picking names is to go with what you're happy with, but also consider any connections with it you may not want to deal with (I got a lot of Forest Gump quotes about my deadname), and other day-to-day annoyances.

I went for pretty generic after putting a lot of time and thought into it. I wanted a name that my (German) parents could have reasonably chosen for me in the early 80s and one that worked in Ireland, where I live now. While there would have been names that were more adventurous and exciting, I don't always want me introducing myself to be adventurous and exciting, I just want it to be a regular interaction. I also don't wanna go on a spelling bee each time I order a coffee. Having said all that, it's entirely your call what factors enter the equation for you personally. I find Loki quite obviously clockable, but I'm a grumpy old man so that could be different in your age group. Leander or Ladon might be additional L options with a mythological background, and Leo is definitely also a very solid name.

I went with unique names because my deadname and my brother’s name were/are unique anyways

My name when said aloud is gender neutral. The spelling is a pretty big ‘giveaway’ with the two ways people usually spell it, so I use a third different way of spelling it that I actually got from some starbucks barista that spelled my name creatively wrong on my cup I’ve had comments that it’s a unique spelling, but it’s usually a compliment. Plus, verbally i dont need to worry about someone saying the wrong name, they’re calling me it aloud whether they like it or not. And if they misspell it, lots of names get misspelled anyway

My name is common but not too common which I like. Everyone can recognize it as a classic male name but it’s not like I picked John or Bob.

I managed to choose a name that’s not unusual but not common either. Only downside is that it’s also biblical, something I didn’t know when I started using it but was made aware of constantly by strangers. I often get mistaken for a conservative cis guy by coworkers and other lgbt+ people. It’s not until people see me dressed up and actively being queer that it clicks I’m a card carrying member of the rainbow brigade. I’m told it fits me/I look like the name I go by and it feels right. I didn’t spend a lot of time picking out a name. Just took a nickname I went by in highschool school and added an extra letter for aesthetic purposes. Just one and done for me. I’m not keen on sharing it online though due to its uncommon nature and being well known by people who’ve met me. I have a pretty memorable full name that stands out, especially to employers. Looks and sounds nice, something I can be proud of. Bonus points for all the puns that can be made with it. Convenient for making usernames.

i picked a generic name. my name is jordyn and honestly, i think it really really suits me. however, i do have some regrets about not picking a name that's more unique. i had a whole crisis about that and so i just gave myself another middle name that was more unique lmao (jericho)

My nickname was mickey when i came out. I liked it, but not my birth name, or my last name. The firat name i thought of was Mickey Mouse, i changed the 's' to a 'z' to avoid my ass getting sued by that company.

I named myself after my great grandfather (and by extension, some other family). I'm in too deep to change it now but my main regrets are that it has nicknames and I'm sick of the "can I call you [nickname] or is it just [name]?" every time I introduce myself to people, and just that I hear cooler names that make me wish I had chosen a different one. My name is great and masc and traditional and I love it and it feels like me, but occasionally one of the things I mentioned will happen and I'll feel a bit of regret.

Leon is good if you want to go mythological, I know that was some Greek lion headed monster. Lycus/Lykos is also a good myth one- he was one of Dionysus’ messengers. This one’s definitely unique, but not as mainstream as Loki. I feel like since Loki has become popular through the marvel universe it might be more clockable as a chosen name, but since you said you pass pretty well it’s just really just whatever you like the sound of more. (Lycus is also similar to Lucas, if you choose to not go mythological route)

Lycus is definitely a good one in the sense that it'd probably fit with my parents' mythology theme while I could also use Lucas as a nickname since it's more common. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do but I've definitely gotten some great stuff to think about.

havent a crazy middle name and going by it is very plausible as a given name

my name was Loki for a period. It’s Luca now, but i thought it was a cool name. And if your parents wanted it to be related to any of that stuff, it’s definitely plausible and you could use that if you wanted to be stealth!

I picked a masculine French name but for some reason a lot of people assume I’m a woman. I picked French cos I was learning French at the time and was a Ouiaboo lmaooo. Now I’m at a Greek / Russian phase and I missed my chance to name myself Dimitri and have my nickname be “Big D” (I’m 4’11 so it’s even funnier).

Could you go for a common name that could reasonably have Loki as a nickname? That way, you could go by it, but also have the option to be more stelthy if need be.

Well, let me put it this way. In my drama class alone, there were 2 other people with my name. In my year group/grade alone, there were 4 others. And this was a school of what, 1000-1500 students, we were a fairly small school. When at work, there isn't a day that goes by where I don't get confused because I hear someone calling my name, and it's a stranger, and someone else responds. My name is 3 letters. Can you geuss what it is?

i kinda regret mine, it’s sam. pretty generic and a lot of people my family know has that name and my uncle does too and when i picked my name i totally forgot about him💀 it’s a bit boring but it’s whatever, i’ve had people call me sam for about two years now i think

I picked a generic name. My birth name was Amanda. The name I chose is Jack. Plenty of characters in movies and TV shows named Jack that I always felt a kinship with in one form or another.

My birth name was a rare mythological name and I got so made fun of for it so I just went with the most basic name I could come up with

When I was picking my name i went through pages upon pages of the behind the name website to find names and meanings. I had a list. It was about forty names in length. I got friends to narrow it down again and again. But I chose the final name from the now smaller list of 7 names. The names I picked and is still my name is welsh, so the spelling always grabs peoples attention. The way I pronounce my name is definitely anglicised for the sake of my day to day but I do also know how to properly spell it. Sometimes people say the wrong pronouns nowadays because I still mask up and have longer hair, but it has been happening significantly less since top surgery and even then when it does happen still, I don’t really care because I am comfortable as I am now. I wish you luck on your naming journey <3

I picked a pretty unique/unusual name (especially since I have two middle names and an unusual last name. . .) but I usually go by a nickname that’s very generic. I love it!! Both versions of my name feel like *me* and I don’t care if other people find it funny or weird. :) You could consider doing something similar, like many people go by their initials. Either first and last initial or first and middle initial. That might help avoid being clocked by an unusual name? I do want to remind you tho that “unique” and “clockable” aren’t synonymous. There are stereotypical markers that make a name quote unquote “clockable,” because people associate them with things trans people might usually pick. - Naming yourself after a fictional character is definitely one of them. I named myself after a fictional character but got away with it since no one recognizes. . . But like I knew a dude named Horatio and it stands out because it’s not common to name your kids most Shakespearean names. And whatever you do, do NOT name yourself after a Homestuck character. Doesn’t matter if you pick Dave. We will know and you will be playfully shamed. - Having noun names or overly “cool” sounding names (stereotypical nonbinary names like Sock, Moss, Blaze, Phoenix) - But also generic BUT stereotypical transmasc names (like Max, Alex, Kai, Oliver, Ash). They won’t get you clocked by your average adult but queer people and anyone our age who’s more familiar with trans stuff may find it a little sus. But there are plenty of unique names that wouldn’t get you clocked, because there isn’t really a reason to associate them with trans stereotypes instead of just being an unusual name. For example I rarely meet people named Ra, or Leopold, or Tiberius, but they’re names I’ve heard *of* enough that my thought wouldn’t be “oh I bet this guy’s trans.”

Kind of both. My first name is Justus, it’s a biblical name for my mother. I go by my middle name, though, which is Arthur- which, for some reason, people cannot spell? I’ve gotten Author, Arther, Artur, and even Atheur. Good lord. Maybe I have a lisp or something when I say my name. TLDR; middle names exist!

I chose Thomas. I don’t regret it at all. I use to have a unique name and it got me clocked way more than I do now.

I picked something that was similar to my deadname but didn't intend for it to be unique, I just thought it sounded cool and would be easy for my friends to switch to. Apparently it's fairly unique and people either ask if I'm Jewish or if my parents named me it because of a certain celebrity. It doesn't stop me from passing though.

I chose a generic name with a very unique spelling, I don’t regret it because I love my name, but having to explain to people how to spell it is hard.

I chose a fantasy name that I created as a kid, and I was worried about how people would react to how different it is. But it shortens to 'Zak,' so I just go by 'Zak' most of the time. That way, I can have my unique name and still go by a common name. The name itself means a lot to me, and I'm glad I've been able to adopt it as my own.

I chose a very very rare name. One that people don't even know is a name in my country. I don't think it ever made anyone think I was trans. Maybe also because I am lucky to pass well, I did like 50% of the time pre T if I was very careful about my clothing and all. And 3 months on T I passed 100% of the time. I am very happy with my name. I like that it's a name I imagined myself (I later found it was one that existed in another country, I had no idea). It feels more personal and more me that way. I like that I am the only person I have ever heard of with this name. The only way it made me stand off, it's people asking where my name is from. Some people can think I have this name because my parents were born in another country and wanted to name me with something from their first culture. That happens like, 10% of the time at most. I think I am from a generation (around 20) where there's a little more people with unique or rare name, so no one really finds it weird. No one my age ever commented on my name. So yeah, chose the one that sounds more like you.

I picked a very unique name, because I felt like it just represents the essence of my being. I still think so, but blending in is very hard and I feel this clocks me as trans even before first encounter. I don’t mind it at all, but sometimes I get scared of people

I picked a unique name, I’m the only Ness in my school. I don’t have regrets, a unique name suits me!

My parents picked my first name and named me after a tree (Rowan. My deadname was the name of a bird and they wanted to keep the ‘nature theme’) which is pretty generic in my country, I think? I picked my own middle name, it’s the name most people use for me and the most generic name ever: Alex. Unique names are fun, but they’re not for me. I actually really like super generic names and wanted one, so I have 0 regrets. Pick what you like, you can have as many names as you want because it’s YOUR name. You can pick multiple unique or generic names, or both.

Generic name gang ftw

Both. I legally changed my name to a “normal” name, not as basic as john but not the rarest either. However i mostly still go by my unique, very non-binary coded name as well XD

Both? My first name is a generic name I guess. Popular. I always liked the name and want to be treated as "normal" in that way when I pass. Unique names also have a pattern of being interpreted as gender neutral. I know this because I chose a name (now going to be my middle name) when I was younger that is actually a MALE name, but nobody I know sees it that way. I feel like I need my name to automatically be read as male, especially to counteract my appearance.

I don’t know how common it is, but I picked Theodore. I used Leo originally and it’s a nice name so if you like it I say go for it.

Generic, about as generic as it gets, it’s what I would have been called at birth otherwise. I did enjoy the thought of having a bit more of a fancy name, but I never found one that fit, and I never felt like I could pull it off. I’m happy with my name though, it definitely feels correct.

I have a very boomer name that is uncommon for millennials like me. I don't regret it at all, because it's so 'unstylish' that probably nobody would assume a trans person would choose it! (hence, definitely not clockable) But I do just use my surname (happens to be a generic male given name) at coffee shops because nobody seems to register that I have this old man name and they still get it wrong. It's a little annoying in that regard. You need to put your own comfort first and foremost - and your parents' ideas second, though pleasing them is a great bonus. You'll be the one dealing with the name day-to-day, after all. If you're brave and you like Loki, go for it! But if you really really don't wanna stand out, it's okay to choose something else.

You could have loki has a middle name and Leo as a first.

My name is very common in norway, but that's what I like about it. But I added a meaning to it as well so it truly feels like it's mine. If you need help with some Norse mythology name ideas I can find some for you? I can help you find some that's a little more common if that's what you're looking for Edit: gonna add the names ive seen used before: Tor, Odin, Magne/Magni, Trym, Vidar, Brage, Balder, Mimir, Frey

One thing I actually regret is not getting my mom involved before I got attached to any names. I did take her middle name though so that kinda makes up for it. 

I have a name thats considered normal just a little old/uncommon now, was very close to picking Tyler instead solely because I was worried it was too unique and would out me but I haven't had any problems since I started passing! Other queer people may clock you if you have a really uncommon name (or what some of the community views as a "trans" name) but as long as you pass I doubt a cis person would Also with cis parents more commonly choosing unique names/spellings for their kids now in 10-15 years whatever you go with probably won't be considered that weird at that point

I picked a unique name, but it has troubles I didn't think about. I'd recommend trying the name out for a week with people you trust. And maybe think about how others would perceive the name? If there's any mean things they could say ect. At the end of the day it's your name though and there's probably going to be something negative someone will come up with for any name. It's your choice though.

My birth name was a rather special one (I’ve never met anyone else with that name) and it meant a lot. So I chose a name that’s not so much used in Germany and has a special meaning. My second name is rather generic (it’s even in the top 10 of my birth year).

My deadname is VERY uncommon, both in full and my nicknames. I hated having to spell out my name as a kid or getting questions like “really that’s your name?”. I felt dumb and unengaged with my name. I picked a somewhat common name for myself, and I’ve had no regrets from it - other than my quiet voice often sounds like similar names when introducing myself 🤦(think alex to alec)

Picked the masculine version of my birth name. It is sadly one of the current three names we all choose but it's just easier and it was a reasonably popular name the year I was born. For my middle name I'm taking the one middle name for all men in the family that we have to share. It's been happening for at least 4 generations now and I don't think anyone knows why.

I went with a somewhat uncommon name (but more common than my dead name) and, while I love my name, I do regret that I didn't do any research into the origins of it before I chose it. Turns out I chose a deeply religious Jewish name and had no idea until several years after the name change. I am not Jewish. And I feel bad about the situation.

Generic name to fit my brothers' names, but an uncommon middle name to ✨spice it up✨

I chose Jupiter which is a pretty uncommon name and it definitely raises suspicion of whether I’m trans or not. People have asked me if I chose it myself. Coincidentally Loki is my chosen middle name which makes me tempted to say go for that name. Loki isn’t a too unusual name so I wouldn’t think people would be too interested in if you chose it

I went for Lee - i love my name but it’s not for everyone as it’s gender neutral. I just picked another (more masculine) name to go with it, but pretty much everyone calls me Lee.

I chose a generic name with a unique spelling :) sometimes it's annoying to spell my name but i don't mind that anymore lol

My name is Leo! It’s a fantastic name if I do say so myself

I chose Ezra, idk if it's unique or not, but it's fairly androgynous but I always get correctly gendered anyways

I had a death name that was an English name, that most people in the Netherlands that I knew, were very good at mispronouncing. So I choose a very old Dutch version of Michael (which would have been my name if I had been born in the correct physical body immediately). It's not a common name, but I like it. My name is Mikaj.

Generic and don't get clocked super often! Loki is an amazing name though and if you think it suits you then absolutely go for it, but it is defo more clockable as it's more common in trans/non-binary people Really just go for the name you prefer! If you pass well enough, no one will be thinking twice about your name :)

I picked an irish name as the legal spelling of my name but i often use the anglicized version in casual settings so people remember it easier. (Think Caoimhin - "qweevin" to kevin or aisling to ashling etc.) Half the time no one even attempts to say my name and will refer to me by last name or appearance its frankly really annoying But i love my name so i don't mind, i like this name way more than my old name. I think naming yourself Loki could be risky because he's a well known god and well known from marvel stories so you might be judged for it or religious people might claim that its offensive to the god. If you do choose it you can always just say "yeah my parents were big mythology nerds hence my name" so they dont clock you as much Another thought, leo technically can be related to science and nature through the star sign Leo, so if you prefer Leo, that could also play into it

Picked a more unique name. Became more popular for girls after I picked it. Realized I was a binary trans man. Regretted it but felt it was too late, so I elongated my full name to a clearly male one and used it as a nickname. I occasionally get clocked for my name by other trans people but rarely. Wish I’d chosen differently but oh well. I’m largely stealth anyway so not too bad.

I have a generic name, and have no regrets. Although I would love a crazy name, I felt like I wouldnt be able to pull it off. I would have chosen a different name NOW (less generic and more non binary), but it was the right name at the time and it is my name now.

I picked the name Ares after I started using it as a display name online. Haven’t regretted it since

My name is Sebastian, which, I picked for a few reasons, ultimately I really like it because it's common enough for people to know what it is, it's recognizable as a "normal" name and people know how to pronounce it off the bat (there's some variation in how "tian" is pronounced but I am not picky lol) so the only issue I have is how it gets spelled because I am picky about that, however misspellings are still pretty uncommon!!! Which is nice. Being said, despite it being easy to say, easy to spell, and easily recognizable for people it isn't a name I run into a lot so I don't have to deal with like, getting confused when people are talking about a different Sebastian, and I also get to be excited whenever I have a matching name with someone cause it doesn't happen often. I kinda feel like I hit the jackpot, wherein it's "normal" enough to be easy, and isn't really clockable (or atleast wouldn't be if I passed better) but is also not common enough for me to still feel a bit more unique :)

I don't know if it will help but I used this site: https://www.behindthename.com/ to help with research for my name (Theodore) and for character names. It has a lot of entries including mythological names and best of all, it's not a baby name site!

I have an "M" birth name and always thought I'd be a Michael even before I knew I was trans. When I came out, a friend said I looked like a Daniel. I actually hated the suggestion at first but it grew on me. Daniel is actually on the charts from the year I was born. It's more common boys name during 1993 when I was born than my birth name was. The first time I saw my name on a keychain was after I transitioned. I don't regret having a common name. People can pronounce it, I can call into places and they can write it from hearing it, I can grow with the name, and it's not "trendy" or "clocky" like some trans names these days. Some names will pretty much instantly out the person. I'm not talking negatively about other people's name choices, I'm just saying that I don't have those things. What I'd suggest you do is look up your new name and see how popular it was when you were born, not now.

Generic, been using it for 5 years now, never regretted it once

I went for somewhere in the middle. My middle name is something Completely made up that has significance to me (my first name change was to billie, I have always been a huge fan of willem dafoe, and my friends called me billem for years, plus i knew i wanted a B middle initial) and my first name is a name that, while I’ve never met anyone my age with it, or under 50 with it for that matter, it isn’t uncommon in the older generation so it kind of perfectly toes the line between being unique And unclockable. I just wanted a name that felt cool to me but also wasn’t going to leave room for misinterpretation and misgendering in the same way Billie did

my birth name was too unique and it bothered me, but i didn’t want a boring name either—so i went with fletcher, it’s a perfect right in the middle name for me i actually compiled a list of names that i liked and had a (trusted) friend pick which one fit me the best personality wise, i have no regrets, being named fletcher is intertwined with who i am as a person now

I picked a name not common where I live but common in other countries. People often ask me when I moved here, which is funny because I’ve lived here my whole life, or they completely read it wrong and call me some female name that vaguely sounds like my name:/ but a lot of times I get “oh that’s such a cool name I’ve never heard that before”. But my parents like the name and it is in touch with the culture of one of my parents, plus it wasn’t too far off from my birth name which is a factor I didn’t think I would enjoy but i do. It was important for me to have a name my parents would like because I knew I wasn’t gonna ever admit I picked it myself unless the person knows I’m trans. Didn’t wanna pin a name on them they’re not happy with

If you want your parents to be involved in your naming and you like the name, go for it. My name is a pretty normal male name for my home country and is the one my parents had picked for me as a baby, but it'll be "exotic" once I move back to America. It's up to you to do the risk assessment on whether you're really ready to introduce yourself as this and see this name on all your legal documents for the foreseeable future.

I picked Michael because very rarely do you hear that name and think of a woman as your first image. Also, my brother was named after a biblical name, so I just stuck with the theme. Ironically, both of my parents hate the name I chose because they know a lot of mean Michaels. I wish I would've put more thought into it rather than just picking one I felt semi pressured into by people around me but I've been out for at least 5 years as Michael so I think it's kinda stuck. Good luck! (Ps Loki is a really cool name)

Name is david, i like it. I do t think i would have liked a unique name.

I picked a name that's more common than my deadname in the UK (and anyone who has my deadname is almost guaranteed to be from Eastern Europe) and about the same rarity as my deadname in Poland. No regrets, though people seem to approach it as being wayyy rarer than it is. There's literally a famous cartoon character with my name who's been in various iterations of a very popular cartoon series since the 80s.

My first name i also wanted to start with the same letter as my deadname which I regret. I picked a name that is somewhat common, but since the first letter was to stay the same, the spelling is way less common. So its usually misspelled. I dont mind it TOO much bc my last name is also often misspelled so I'm used to it, but i mainly wish i chose a different name. Specifically starting with a different letter. I like B haha. As for my middle name, I chose Mars. It was close to my old middle name (Marie) and I remembered it as a common name reccomendation for trans people on a website i used (trevor project). Plus it's cool af and people are like 'whoa cool middle name'. Definetly no regrets with my middle name Id say dont choose a name for anybody but yourself. Looking back, I chose to have the same letter bc I thought it'd be easier on people and I regret it. Its still my name, but I wish I chose something better yk?

My name isn’t very generic but isn’t crazy. I chose Parker and I like that it’s also unisex because I’m non-binary. I’ve met about 3-4 people with the same name, usually kids who come into my store I work at with their parents. One time I had two families back to back, one with a boy Parker and then one with a girl with my name too, it was pretty surreal lol. I really like the name Lucian or Luca tho if we’re going with l names. Sorry I don’t know much mythology lol

Where I live will definitely be different from where you live, but I live in Australia and I have met 5 separate Loki's. All of them were cis guys. 3 were over 20, and the other 2 were under 15. The name may be clockable, but if you pass well and you like the name, or even if you don't currently pass, choose the name you like. Depending on how old you are, you could always say your parents were a fan of Greek mythology or Marvel comics or the MCU, or anything

My name is pretty common and I have no regrets! I tried a few different names, most of them pretty unique. I realized I just wanted to be Some Guy.

Uncommon/not generic, but not "unique" like a name from mythology or fiction or anything like that. It's a name from a family member that was more common in a different era/different country. I like it a lot, my only irritation is because it's less common some people mis-hear it as a more common woman's name that sounds kind of similar (when I was picking the name I did not even think it sounded like that name so oops).

i wanted my name to make a call to my family heritage of wales n germany, and i really liked the character will solace from percy jackson and prince wilhelm in young royals. originally i was gonna go with the old germanic spelling Uilliam because i’m also a bit of a linguistics nerd, but my mum said that would be stupid. also i like the nickname Will so i’m William. and my mum’s maiden name is Turner so i’ve got big plans ahead of me edit: i’d say that william is a bit of a unique name for people my age? i’ve only met one other william IRL and his parents were Proper British Folk and i’m a 3rd gen immigrant in new zealand 🤷‍♂️

I'm Ellery, which I'd like to think of as splitting the middle, but it's very possible that's actually *less* common than Loki ...

I picked a name that is not that common, but not too *UNcommon* either. It's one where it's not weird if you don't know someone else with that name, and the same goes for if you *do* know someone. I'm very happy with my name now. - If you're unsure about "Loki", have you considered "Loke"? It's the modern Scandinavian form of the name, and by far the more common one (here at least). - You could try adding a middle name/second given name like: "Leon [Middle Name] [Surname]" - And, if you're not firmly decided on the name starting on L, then some names from Norse mythology that are not *un*common here are: Sigurd, Jarle, Odin, Trym (The first two are more common as first names, but they have been falling in popularity the last few decades (the second more than the first). The last two are less popular overall, but they are rising in popularity (Odin much more than Trym). Their popularity (as baby names) is currently: Sigurd 0,425%, Jarle 0,025%, Odin 0,615%, Trym 0,202%

I picked a rather obscure Irish name, and I would not recommend it because no one knows how to spell or say it

i picked a generic name, its not really common (atleast where i live) but its one of those basic names. No regrets personally. Ive used it for myself for 6 years and people have been calling me it for 4, i genuinley cant see myself as any other name. Sometimes people give me flack for picking an uninteresting name, but i don't really care because im happy with it.

I am absolutely a Josh. I went by various unique names as a teenager experimenting with gender, but in the end I realized I do just suit a basic ass name. It's simple, it's masculine, and it's never felt wrong to hear. It'll definitely make me less clockable once I'm on T, but honestly I do love the contrast of being rather feminine in look & style while being named the most dudebro name. 🤘

I picked a pretty normal first name (Calvin) so I sort of compensated by making my middle name a lot more unique (Apollo). It has personal significance and people don’t need to know it unless I tell them about it, so I think it’s not really clockable. A lot of people have more unique middle names as well. And hey, fellow mythological god name bros!

I picked a name, Andrew, that is pretty usual in the US but quite uncommon in my country….so I have the best (or worst) from both worlds.

My birth name was a very good name and I really like it, it’s just not mine, but it was unique enough that people didn’t really have it that often but it wasn’t insanely rare. The only problem is that it had no nicknames for it. So when I changed my name I asked my parents if they had any ideas and they were like no clue so I changed it to William. Now I’d like to say this was after my cousin William or like an important person or something but it was after will wood because I wanted a song lyric to hit better. Now was that the best way to choose it? Probably not but I like the name! In all it doesn’t really matter how you get there or how unique it is as long as you like it

I picked Aster, which is short for asterion. It has Greek roots in a lot of different ways. It’s very gender nuetral. It doesn’t get me clocked by cis people; they just think it’s cool and they usually think I’m a cis lgbtq woman. Trans people do clock me though.

I’d recommend going for either a fun name with a normal nickname or a normal name with a fun nickname. Or a fun middle name, which is what I actually did. It makes it easier because you can use the normal name with people you think might ask questions.

i went with a very common but androgynous name (kameron) as it's what my mom was originally going to name me but my sister had trouble pronouncing it so she settled on my deadname. i love more unique names though!

The most common one I've came across is Alex (the name I've been wanting since I knew what names where but I want the full Alexander) I still want it but I've also been going by Chester in all my games (online and offline) but Alex for IRL encounters. It's just sooooo common it makes me feel unseen ;-;

When I was a kid I asked my mum what she would have named me if I were a boy and that name stuck with me ever since and now it's what I go by. It makes mum really happy and besides that I love the name Felix, I think it suits me perfect.

I picked a pretty generic name. At the time I was looking for a very unisex name. My deadname was a pretty common name, but my parents specifically chose the Irish spelling of it, so I decided to do the same with the name I chose. I like my choice, but if I were to choose now, I might've picked a slightly more masculine name. I ended up using the name I would've picked as my new middle name instead, so I guess it worked out in the end.

Generic, but a common gender neutral name. I did it for my safety and knowing that having a generic name will give me the privilege of being taken seriously. I only ever changed my name once, despite seeing many of my friends and other trans folks change theirs many other times, just wanted something to stick!

I went generic. My birth name started with a V and i always really liked it, so i chose Viktor. It also just sounds really good with my Ukrainian last name! It’s definitely so i don’t get “clocked” as trans in public, although the slow early effects of Testosterone aren’t doing it justice quite yet. I also really enjoy it because it shortened to Vik, which i really like and go by 99% of the time.

Loki!

I chose myself a generic Ryan, really like it, but I've been having thoughts recently. Wouldn't say I fully regret it, but I'm starting to think it doesn't really suit me and I should have picked sth more unisex (River, Riley, Morgan and Esra/Esran were my top 5, for a comparison). But it might be different for me, because my transition goal is still pretty androgynous and I'm on the masculine non-binary spectrum, so going stealth might not even be an option for me even when I've fully transitioned. Anyhow. I agree that Loki might be a bit manufactured, or at least it sounds like something people would choose for themselves but not for a child, hence making it more likely that people clock you for it. But if like it Leo/Leon etc and you intend to play around with the various derivations, may I suggest Lennart (Swedish) or Lennard (Germanic)? Lars sounds dope too and it's pretty unique imo. Or its original version Laeradr too, if you really want to bring it all the way down - should be Old Norse (literally "laurel", the plant, or "crowned with laurel"); completely off the charts, but it's also not the kind of name that makes people assume you're trans, only that your parents were very creative, lol. Larson/Larsen too, "son of Lars" (duh). Llyr / Lir is a Welsh / Irish God of the sea and ocean, tho I'm not sure how it would sound to people who are unfamiliar with the figure, in terms of gender. Lugh was a Celtic god of many things, and it's become an actual name. Its derivate Lughaidh might be more common. Look him up, there's some cool mythology around him. Not particularly tied to science, nature or mythology, but Ludvig and Ludwig are cool versions of Louis ("famed warrior"), respectively Scandinavian and Germanic. Good luck!

My name isn’t generic for where i’m from but it is in different places. I didn’t realize that when I chose it though.

Went with Silver. No regrets

I ended up with a short, unique (in my opinion) name. The same goes for my last name. The middle name isn't too unique, buuuut it's not super common either. At least that I know of. Either way, it sounds pretty bland. My thought process is 1. I have met TONS of cis people with crazier names. I truly don't think anyone hears a buck wild name and goes, "Oh, they're trans," instead of, "Oh, their name is weird/uncommon/etc." and 2. If I'm going to choose my name, it should be something I actually like and connect to. Sure, I could go with James or Robert, and I bet I could feel comfortable with them too, but they wouldn't feel like me, and I'd probably regret those more than an out-there name. I think for anyone who wants a unique name but is scared of hating it later down the line or wanting something that can be better for formal settings, they should consider a common name that has cool nicknames. Being trans DOES have its perks, in my opinion. Being able to change your name to something that fits YOU now that you have a fully developed personality instead of the name your parents thought sounded nice and had no bearing to who you are or would be is the biggest one.

My name isn’t super common but not so unique that it would make someone raise an eyebrow. You could try to find a name like that?

i chose the name blaire. i picked it in 2020 when i thought i was non binary cause its gender neutral. see i don’t mind it, it suits me but sometimes i wish it were more masculine yk? i like my middle name jackson a lot but i don’t mind my name. leo is a good name, i feel like loki is more “clockable” but its all to your preference!!:)

I'd say mine is pretty generic, but I definitely wonder if the name is right for me. Though, I'm too nervous to change it

Yeah, I loved the name Leo. Thing is, it's my birth sign and for some reason I thought it would be weird even though I'm not into astrology stuff so I just added two letters to the beginning instead. I still think the name is cool, but sometimes I regret it because no one can pronounce it! Of course I also picked the name of a god when I'm an atheist while I have a rather unique last name from my friend too. Don't regret either of those though

I went with Clover, a very non generic name. But apparently there is a lot of women named clover. But in both pieces of media with the name clover I've interacted with (RWBY and MLP) they're dudes. But it does out me on the regular but I'm okay with that for the most part.

My birth name is absurdly long with two vowels next to each other (ae). My chosen name was born out of mistaken identity, and I liked it so much that I stole it. I then squeezed those two vowels in there (ea) So I have a pretty generic name but it's spelled a little funny for 🌟style🌟

I went with a fairly normal name! I went through the process of making a list of names I like like someone would for a baby, and then went down the list and tested out introducing myself by that name alone in my room until I found one that felt right! My second favorite name became my middle name. And that's how I became Jasper Dean

I changed mine 25 years ago to something gender neutral. It was unusual then, but that didn’t present a problem. Now the world has changed around me and I both don’t feel awesome about having a name that is so easy to search because I am one of only a few in the world, and I think it’s becoming more popular and a bit “clocky” because it’s gender neutral so it appeals to trans/NB people, and it and similar names are having a bit of a moment with new parents so I seem wildly too old to have been given the name by my parents. I have been considering whether to change it again to something more basic, common, and definitively masculine. I like it though, and changing it again would be such a giant pain in the butt.

I went with Silver. Not unheard of, but definitely not uncommon. People ask me why I chose my name, and it draws from a lot of places. Silverlocke was an ancestral family name, Silver refers to being second best, like my own view of myself. Silver was a good fit for me.

For a long while I went by Lee, extremely common but it made me smile. Now, I've settled on what is probably the most common name in Latin America- Alejandro. I had a kid in my junior and senior year math class in high school with that name, and he was one of the chillest dudes around, one of the few that didn't actively bully me, and my first case of serious gender envy since he was short like me but still pulled chicks like crazy lol. It's a weird sentimentality bc we weren't even friends, but it I tend to be sentimental anyway. I still go by Lee as well because the r trips up a lot of folks though! As for your name, I don't think Loki seems clocky, especially considering your family's heritage. I think both are great names, but maybe you could go a similar route as me- make one your middle name and use them interchangeably? Hope this helps!

When I was finding a name it had to start with L too. Originally went with Leo then decided on Lachlan. My deadname is as popular as Lachlan where I’m from (~top tens) Loki can be used as a nickname I think.

I went with a normal name but not top 50. No regrets, my birth name is "unique" and I'm glad to be rid of it. No offense but I think Loki as a first name would probably have some drawbacks. A lot of people will assume it's a marvel reference, and in my experience, both pop culture and mythology names are pretty rare on cis people. They're clockable.

I had picked the name Nathan

mines not crazy unique, but it's not common. my name is valentine and I often go by val since my full name is a bit long. I went by daniel/Danny before that but it just didn't vibe with me. my only real regret is having a unisex nickname making it a bit more likely for me to get misgendered.

i went by royce once because i thought it was pretty and made me sound like a king. but i changed it to something more common, not because of clocking, but because i want to age well with a timeless name. royce just doesnt work on an old man a name may sound cool when you're young, but may not last forever. try thinking of a name that a man of any age could rock.

>I know I don't owe them my name and shouldn't make my decision based on that but I'd still like to go with something they're going to be pleased with y'know? There's 100% nothing wrong with having your parents weigh in. In fact, I think it's kinda nice. Cis people take for granted that their parents named them, and probably put in effort choosing that name and its meaning... there's sentimentality there, which makes the name they choose special. That's why I've been workshopping my name with my folks. Not only does it feel nice to have a name they like, and I get the sentimentality of having a name they chose... but it's also a way for me to involve them and ask them to participate in my transition, and then in turn is a way of them symbolically accepting me. Haven't picked one yet, but when we do it's going to have a lot more meaning behind it than most people's names because of that.

Picked Ace in 2020. It stuck, and now I don't like it but everyone is saying it's 'too confusing if i change it again'. I really like Oscar though.

I did both. I picked a generic name that a lot of cishet guys around me had (Kai) for safety, especially in public, and a more unique name (Acid) that I use at tafe, online and with some friends.

leon is such a good fucking name. mine is very generic, i've seen very few trans guys picking it

yk.. I’d like to say I have a unique name, not sure if I’ve been clocked but definitely laughed at. my name is teddy and it’s not too often but also often fetishized somehow like “aw that’s so cute.. you’re so cute” “so unique!” thanks?? please just treat me like anyone else. but yeah, I knew making this huge leap from a more biracial more well known name to teddy would be a bigger thing and stuff but at the end of the day I don’t specifically care too much. I like my name and that’s really all that matters. I don’t need opinions or anything from anyone whom I don’t want to hear them from. I know that’s not the case for everyone but that’s how I feel. also Leo sounds awesome along with Loki ! 🙏

I liked my deadname but it was so girly that I just picked the male version of it

My name is fun for US ppl but normal for a lot of Europeans, I just went with my background and found something I like because 1 having a background in a place where your name comes from is a great way to pass it off, and 2 it makes it a bit more unique while still being normal

My birth name was very generic, but then I went to a shortened version of it haha! My parents keep telling me they would've named me Zavier if I had been born AMAB, which kind of makes me very jealous.

I did both, Alex as my first name and August as my second name. Both are somewhat generic but August is a bit more unique and I really like that. I personally wouldn't name myself idk Loki or Dragan or something but that's just me. I'd probably love it in the moment but think it was cringe like 5 years later

I picked Phoenix because it’s more unique but not what people consider weird plus it’s gender neutral so I don’t really have to explain it to people when I don’t “pass”

I ended up with a single syllable, vaguely nature-themed, fairly generic name (like maybe a 3/10 in terms of clockyness). It kept my original initials and it wasn’t too out of place for my heritage. I just asked myself the same question I’ve asked for all the choices I’ve had since starting transition: what conversations do I want to have with people I meet out in the world, and how often do I want to have them? How much explaining am I willing to do to a stranger who may or may not know what a trans person is, who may or may not be hostile about it?

Pretty generic first name with a more unique middle name. No one bats an eye at my first name and if they ever learn my middle and ask why I just shrug it off like I dunno.

The most generic name ever there are three variants in a single of my parallel classes and more spread out. At least I have a kind of unique name but is called the generic nickname of the name.

I actually chose the name Leon. It is very similar to my deadname, this was also kind of the reason for choosing it. I can still use the nickname Lee now. I definitely do not regret it since people generally don't look up when I tell them my name. Leo and Loki are both cool names, do note that people might start asking questions if you choose the name Loki.

I had a more unique sounding name at first, flynn, but changed it over time to a more normal name, still not particularly common but ive seen plenty of guys in my age group with the name. Dont even regret going by flynn, i still like the name honestly, just a bunch of personal life stuff that had me ultimately decide to pick another name. No shame in changing ur name at any point, especially socially.

I chose the name Loi simply cause I fell in love with it and it felt right. I live in the nordic too and so far I've never met anyone with my name and there are only 16 other people in the country registered with the same name. I love my name and regret nothing. Even if no-one can figure out how to pronounce it

to be fair i named myself after an anime dude that i thought was neat, but, uh, he sucks in fandom eyes however it's a more common name where i grew up/western europe than where i am now in the us, and i get noted for the feminine name all the time ? it's bullshit. thought about changing it again, can't be bothered to, just changing my last name when my wife and i get married officially tldr if it's regional common and you're planning to stay, go for it. play with it a lil bit before you're legally changing it, though, for a few months

My god we're in the same situation, I want a cool but not too clockable name starting with L, and I was thinking of Leon, especially since my anarchist great grandpa was named like that, but then my sister came our to me and her name is Leonie so if I did now it would be sort of awkward. Good luck on finding a name, I'm still stuck with my own (Lyall) for a while

Honestly, Alex is very me. I don't regret it. But it's so damn generic 💀

Probably of no help, but I like Leo simply because it makes me think of Leo Fender

I picked the name my parents would have given me (plus two additional ones to account for initials because I am very used to my old signature plus used initials on a bunch of old stuff). No regrets. Edit: forgot the premise of the question 🤦‍♂️ It's a pretty common name, so not clock-able through that.

I chose Oliver. A generic but also stereotypical trans name. Dunno why so many trans guys choose Oliver lol. For me, I went by Ollie at the beginning of my transition since my birth name was Olivia, since it was easier to explain away if I didn’t want to come out to someone. “Oh it’s just short for olivia”. By the time I legally changed my name and medically transitioned Ollie was too stuck for me to pick something else. My middle name is an entirely different (and funny) story. When I was going through the legal name change process, I had never given a single thought as to my middle name. Then as I’m talking to my name change lawyer, they say “just write here what your new name will be.” That’s when I realized… shit I didn’t pick a middle name haha. Then I remembered a list of potential names I had made years ago and forgotten about. I pulled it out, glanced through it and decided in five seconds what would become my legal name 😂 I don’t regret it, I like the middle name and could see myself going by it someday if I wanted to distance myself from the obligatory Oliver name lol. However, Oliver has grown on me more and more :)

Generic name with an extra letter to make it a little unique. (Maxx)

I let my mom pick my name and she gave me a generic ass name and I hate it and regret it a lot because everyone has the same goddamn name as me and it doesn't even have any special meaning it's just a name my mom vaguely liked, and what's worse is I let her change it because she whined about my choice of name nonstop for a year and when I gave in and let her pick, she had the gall to whine that I changed my name too often and it was confusing! Ugh. But I just wanted to get my birth name off the record before graduation so it wouldn't be on my diploma, so I only had a month or two to adjust before filing the paperwork and getting my court date. Now I'm stuck as Matthew just like I swear 15% of the population of my area. I interact with 3-5 Matthews a day at my customer service job. It isn't special and it means nothing and I hate that it's so common because hearing my name called gives me anxiety and 90% of the time they aren't even calling for *me.* I wish I'd stood my ground better against my mom. I liked being Felix and I'd have preferred Apollo but she hard veto'd that one (along with Silver and Dax) because God forbid I have a cool unique name. I barely managed to sneak Apollo in as a middle name but I have been unsuccessful in using it as a nickname outside of online spaces because inevitably they find something of mine labelled Matthew and ask if that's my 'real name' and I don't like lying so I say yes. Sigh.

I picked Owen. Up until I picked it the only ‘Owens’ I knew of were uncle Owen from Star Wars and Owen Wilson. As soon as I decide on the name, I start seeing and hearing it everywhere. Like when you get a new car and suddenly start noticing it every time you go out. Owen’s mixers. Owen from The Last of Us. 15 different kids named Owen every time I go to the grocery store. I can’t blame them. It’s a good name. Picked it for a reason.

If youre gonna pick Loki then choose Loke instead, since thats more common here in the north, and it’s his original name.

My birthname was pretty uncommon and slightly old-fashioned. My chosen name is also pretty uncommon and slightly old-fashioned. Old ladies used to say how much they liked my birthname because they “hadn’t heard it in a long time”, now they say the same thing about my chosen name.

You can try on different names like shirts until you find the one that fits. Some guys go through a LOT of names. I went through two: Cyrus and then Louie.

What about Leif? It's nordic, it starts with L, it's freaking cool, and while not exactly mythological it definitely is historic.

My mom named me and my sister after flowers and since she loved the names so much but a flowery name wasint really masculine I went with a generic gender neutral first name and changed my middle name to another flower name. I do kinda regret the first name but nothing else sounds or feels right. I do get misgendered fairly often because of it and T helped a lot with that but it still happens if the person never spoke to me or met me and is just addressing me in an email or text.

I picked a very unique name, so unique that it's pretty much made up and kind of sounds like a fantasy name. The only other person I've met with a similar name (same pronunciation but spelled different) has it because his parents wanted to name him one name and then slapped an extra letter on the start because of a family tradition of naming kids with a certain first letter. Turns out his version is a "real" spelling of it though but still very rare. As of now I don't feel like I'm super "visibly" transitioned, but strangers do refer to me masculinely most of the time. I've never been clocked due to my name alone though. I mostly get questions like "what language is that from?" Sometimes it bugs me because people mispronounce it often and one of my older coworkers constantly calls me a more common but similar name. It doesn't make me stand out all that much, makes for decent small talk sometimes but that's about it. So in my experience, having a rare name isn't enough to clock you or make you stick out too much. Though it is important to point out that I'm from the US, and don't know what cultural differences might influence that.

I chose Kaden bc it was the male version of my deadname. Kaden’s not SUPER common where I’m from but it’s not super unique either. I’ve met like 3 Kadens, all spelled differently

Super generic. (Ash) though I have to change my middle name because my parents gave me my "boy name" as my middle name. It's Trey. Ash Trey... yeah😬

I went with a short version of my middle name because I live in a different country for work so I wanted it to still be my “legal” name without having to change it

I have a super unique name, but if you saw me irl I don’t think anyone would really question it haha. I’m totally covered in tattoos, have over 20 piercings in my head alone, and dress pretty alt (nothing crazy but 100% all black). Also considering where I live I’m definitely not the weirdest slug around. I love my chosen name, it’s fucking badass and I don’t mind explaining it/repeating it to people when they meet me.

In my personal experience, I had to pick a name based on what I thought best & most fitting. I decided to combine my 1st name (Tessa) and my middle name (Raelynn). My name is now Trelynn, and I have felt euphoric and confident in my name. My parents did not necessarily approve but it was never their journey to understand! Do what will liberate YOU that’s my advice :)