For a long time I’ve considered going by a different name than my first name. But the idea of making a “jump” to a new name kinda scares me. Feels like such a big change that other people won’t really understand.
I’d considered my middle name because it’s more of an obvious change as a part of my legal name already, but it sounds way different from my first name. I feel like people would ask more questions than I would feel comfortable answering, and like I said it just sounds so different than what I’m being called right now. It would be a big adjustment for other people and for myself.
I recently thought up the idea of going by [name_f]May[/name_f] (or [name_f]Mae[/name_f]). [name_f]May[/name_f] is the first syllable of my current first name so it could potentially even be a nickname for my current name, even though I’ve never gone by any nicknames. It would feel more familiar to me if people started calling me that since I’m already used to responding to that sound at the beginning of my name. And moving from my name to [name_f]May[/name_f] would be an easy, simple transition. Current name to [name_f]May[/name_f] feels more comfortable than current name to middle name. The transition time period and the fear of answering people’s questions has been a huge factor for me, it’s what has stopped me from making the change for years. So the more similar first name choice is really appealing to me and it would kind of remove the obstacle of the fear of people’s reactions, in making the change.
So I want advice - what do you think of [name_f]May[/name_f]? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you like the spelling [name_f]Mae[/name_f] or [name_f]May[/name_f]? [name_f]May[/name_f] feels like more of a first name and [name_f]Mae[/name_f] feels a little childish to me. Would you pick [name_f]May[/name_f] or middle name?
I’d also love any advice from people who have been through something like this, choosing a name for yourself in your mid-twenties. Did you get weird reactions from friends and family? Were your parents upset that you changed from the name they gave you?
I know it’s a lot of information but this has been a long, long time coming. Any advice or input is appreciated. 