I am looking for a name for myself–ideally something that is solidly gender-neutral, but I am considering other names if they feel right, and I might balance them out with a middle that leans a bit the other way. A while back I was set on Arlo; it really, really felt like the right name. But I’ve found that while in theory I see it as gender-neutral, in practice it felt too masc. To be fair, I only tried it out online and with one in-person friend, so it’s still on the list, but I’m thinking about alternatives.
When I tried out [name_u]Arlo[/name_u], I also used the nickname [name_u]Ari[/name_u], and I really love it. I think that for myself I prefer it as a nickname, so I’m looking for full names to use.
Here are some of my ideas and my concerns about them:
[name_u]Arden[/name_u] - I like the soft sound and the [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] connection, but it’s the name of a close friend’s grade 1 best friend. They don’t know that [name_u]Arden[/name_u] at all anymore, and it’s probably not an issue, but would it be kinda weird?
[name_u]Artemis[/name_u] - super cool vibes, but it is weird to change my name bc I want something more neutral (as opposed to my traditionally feminine name) and choose the name of a goddess?
[name_u]Kiari[/name_u] - feels a little trendy/invented (and the origin seems to be unclear), but I still think it’s kinda cool. [name_u]Will[/name_u] it always be misunderstood as [name_f]Kiara[/name_f] though? And is [name_u]Ari[/name_u] intuitive?
[name_u]Arbor[/name_u] - cool, but I usually prefer word names in the middle
[name_u]Ariel[/name_u] - would almost certainly be considered 100% feminine here
[name_u]Arlen[/name_u] - not sure how I feel about it; is it just me, or does it feel like it’s missing something?
[name_u]Amari[/name_u] - cool name and meaning, but not sure about using it personally because I am a white person of mainly German/Scandinavian ancestry
[name_u]Azariah[/name_u] - I like the sound and the meaning, but I’m not sure if [name_u]Ari[/name_u] comes naturally as a nickname. I also like [name_u]Amariah[/name_u], but I prefer [name_u]Azariah[/name_u]
Any thoughts or suggestions?