My friend is ftm and wants to use a celebrities name as their new name with the unisex spelling . They don’t like any other names . Any advise for them and has anyone else named themself after a singer/actor/video game character etc
4 Likes
That is a super interesting question; thanks for posting it. Names drawn from celebrities, characters, legendary figures are becoming so much more widely used. I would definitely love to hear anyone’s experience with this.
1 Like
I haven’t done this but would say that if it’s a fairly commonly used name they would have a lower risk of people immediately associating them with the celebrity. I would advise that they consider that plus whether they really want people’s reaction to their name to be “Oh, like [Celebrity Lastname]!”
If they don’t love that idea for themselves I would suggest that they use the celebrity’s name as their middle name and something else as their first name.
I would also caution them that celebrities sometimes fall out of favour for various reasons and it could be awkward to go by one specific celebrity’s name for that reason.
1 Like
I think that sounds pretty cool! I don’t think I know anybody named specifically after a character or a celebrity, but I think it totally works. [name_f]Katniss[/name_f], [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f], [name_f]Beyoncé[/name_f] …why not! If you love a name for the name, it’s a good pick.
1 Like
Its common name ranked 904 on the site and the spelling my friend is using is the diminutive which is also commonly used @oregano7
Thanks @snowmaiden
1 Like
As a trans person, I can safely say that this is extremely commonplace within the community. Many people will pick chosen names related to pieces of media they enjoy, or name themselves after cultural icons they look up to or have a connection with. Singers, actors, book and film characters, etc.
I seriously considered the same thing while I was naming myself, and actually did in a way — choosing [name_m]Vincent[/name_m] for my middle name after van Gogh.
[name_f]My[/name_f] advice for them would be as with any name, try it out to make sure you love it before legally changing it. No shame in going through a bunch before one sticks! Also no shame in naming yourself after a piece of media you love, or a celebrity you look up to.
4 Likes
If it’s not a one-person-name type name (think maybe Beyonce), and if they have a different surname, I think it’s fine (and also fairly normal). Equally, it is their name and their choice so it is totally up to them -maybe recommend they try it out for a while, see how it goes before legally changing it
1 Like
Depends. Is an established name or a unique name that’s only associated with that particular celebrity? (Like [name_m]Tupac[/name_m] or [name_m]Kanye[/name_m], for example.) If it’s unique, I would probably recommend against it.
Is the surname the same as the celebrity’s? Being called, for example, [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] Johansson or [name_m]Leonardo[/name_m] DiCaprio would be strange because absolutely everyone is going to think of the celebrity. But [name_f]Scarlett[/name_f] or [name_m]Leonardo[/name_m] with a different surname would be fine in my opinion.
2 Likes
@the_common_fool Thanks thats really reassured them and i love [name_m]Vincent[/name_m] [name_u]Van[/name_u] Goghs art .
They’ll definitely try it out for a while to make sure its 100% their new name
1 Like
@Greyblue Its common name ranked 904 on the site and the spelling my friend is using is the diminutive which is also commonly used
@choupette Its a common name ranked 904 on the site and the spelling my friend is using is the diminutive which is also commonly used . They’ll be using a different surname to the celebrity
I’ve got some experience!
[name_f]My[/name_f] great grandmother’s name was [name_f]Adele[/name_f]. And even though she passed before I was born, whenever I heard a family member talk about her, it was always overwhelmingly positive. She was a well remembered and beloved family member. So when we were expecting our 2nd, and found out she was a girl, we chose the name [name_f]Adele[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f].
Well, just a few months before she was born, [name_f]Adele[/name_f] Adkins came out with the song “Hello”, and it was a huge hit, and she was back in the public’s consciousness. But we were already set on the name by then so. Oh well.
As a baby, people would greet her by singing the first line of “Hello”, which was genuinely pretty funny to me. But I was glad I had the justification of naming her after a relative.
As she grew up, she not only learned about the British pop singer, but also the “Adele Dazeem” incident when [name_u]John[/name_u] Travolta messed up [name_f]Idina[/name_f] Menzel’s name (classic 
). She loved both, and her face still lights up when she hears an [name_f]Adele[/name_f] song in the radio.
I’m just grateful [name_f]Adele[/name_f] has remained a respectable celebrity so far (knock on wood).
So yeah, there you go 
3 Likes
Am I understanding correctly that it’s [name_m]Theon[/name_m]? That ranks 904 on Nameberry, but isn’t common by any means. If that is the name in question, I’d recommend against it. I’ve not seen a single episode of Game of Thrones, but I know [name_m]Theon[/name_m] Greyjoy is known mostly for being graphically brutalised on-screen. If I’m misunderstanding and it’s a different name, then, well, it’s very difficult to pass judgement not knowing what name it is. I imagine it would probably be fine to anonymously share a name your friend is considering.
1 Like
@marysia the name isn’t [name_m]Theon[/name_m] . There are a few people who use nameberry that my friend knows and they don’t want them to find out the new name.
@bertha_bernard Thats a lovely story. Thanks for the reassurance for my friend I’ll tell them the story when I see them today 
1 Like