hi I’m an 18 yr old ftm transguy and I’ve been going by [name_u]Theo[/name_u] for the longest time but just started using it irl a few months ago as I’ve built up the courage to come out to some of my friends and family. I do like the name but for some reason it doesn’t quite sound like me if that makes sense and people tend to hear my name incorrectly when I introduce myself which is frustrating. So I’m looking for names that are traditionally masculine and not too out there but somewhat unique. I like the name [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] because it’s very masculine and the nickname [name_u]Mattie[/name_u] is cute but I’m not sure if that’s too feminine, I also like names like [name_m]Levi[/name_m], [name_u]Aiden[/name_u], [name_u]Finn[/name_u], Forrest. Anyone have any other recommendations?
Of your choices, [name_u]Aiden[/name_u] seems to work best. I’m a few years older than you and know so many guys named [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] that i don’t think it’s unique at all- it seems to be one of the most common first names for teenage to 30-something guys where I live. [name_u]Aiden[/name_u] is very common among kids now but less so for older age groups. [name_u]Mattie[/name_u] does sound a bit feminine, all the guys I know named [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] have been [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] and/or [name_m]Matt[/name_m].
[name_m]Levi[/name_m], [name_u]Finn[/name_u] and [name_m]Forrest[/name_m] also sound very current, i.e. a baby born in the last 5 years or so. That’s not a bad thing, lots of people have names that don’t “fit” their generation, but it might be something you want to consider. People may expect you to be younger than you are.
I’m surprised people tend to hear [name_u]Theo[/name_u] incorrectly, it’s a pretty familiar name. But my name is [name_f]Lauren[/name_f] and people mishear it for [name_f]Laura[/name_f], etc. all the time, so I suppose it can happen with anything.
Some more suggestions:
[name_u]Finley[/name_u]/[name_u]Finlay[/name_u] (this is pretty unisex though, not sure if that’s an issue for you)
[name_u]Rory[/name_u]
[name_u]Max[/name_u]
[name_u]Leighton[/name_u] (also unisex)
[name_m]Leo[/name_m] (similar to [name_u]Theo[/name_u]… also quite popular among kids now though)
[name_m]Julian[/name_m]
[name_m]Scott[/name_m]
[name_m]Philip[/name_m]
[name_m]Luke[/name_m]
[name_m]Rhett[/name_m]
[name_u]Owen[/name_u] (also popular with young boys now)
[name_u]Charlie[/name_u] (increasingly popular with girls now, surprisingly, but still firmly boy and people would expect it to be a boy)
[name_m]Caleb[/name_m]
[name_m]Sean[/name_m]
[name_m]Ronan[/name_m]
[name_m]Zachary[/name_m]/[name_m]Zach[/name_m]
[name_m]Troy[/name_m]
Thanks for your suggestions, I appreciate it! I didn’t even think into the fact that some names may not fit my age very well and I already have quite an issue with people thinking I’m younger than I am as is. I do like [name_u]Charlie[/name_u] and [name_m]Phillip[/name_m] a lot. I also like the name [name_m]Luke[/name_m] but unfortunately I have a cousin with the name haha.
Good luck choosing a name! I’m glad it helped.
I see you’re new to Nameberry, do you know about the SSA popularity list (or relevant for your country)? You can enter the name you like into this site: http://www.behindthename.com/ and it’ll give you an idea of which age group it’s most popular for. The exact ranking isn’t necessarily important as the highest-ranked names are much less popular now than they were in past decades, but you can get a sense of what time period the name is associated with, if any (some names have been in steady use throughout generations and aren’t associated with any age, like [name_m]William[/name_m]).