[name_m]Hi[/name_m], I’m transgender (female to male), and I want to put a lot of thought into choosing a name. I’m strongly considering keeping the same initials, so in this case that means names that start with A. My surname is [name_m]Price[/name_m] and I will probably use my original middle name, despite it being feminine ([name_u]Simone[/name_u]). I’m not going to reveal my birth first name for privacy reasons, but suffice it to say that it’s very uncommon. Both my siblings have names of writers/poets, and it would be neat if my new name could fit that theme. If you know any cool names along those lines, even if they don’t start with A, I’d love to hear them. I’d prefer names that are unambiguously masculine as opposed to androgynous, but if you think you have a really good one I’d love to hear it anyway. On my “no” list are [name_m]Atlas[/name_m], [name_m]Andrew[/name_m], and [name_u]Aidan[/name_u], because these are all the names of people I know.
Frontrunner A names:
[name_m]Arthur[/name_m]
[name_m]Anton[/name_m]
[name_m]Allen[/name_m]
Atwood
Other names I like:
[name_u]James[/name_u]
[name_m]Cormac[/name_m]
[name_u]Evan[/name_u]
[name_m]Kurt[/name_m]
(also, I’m a new Nameberry user, so please tell me if I’ve screwed anything up in the way I posted this)
From your list of ‘A’ names I like [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], and from your other names I like [name_u]James[/name_u]. I think keeping [name_u]Simone[/name_u] works for either of those, but you can also use [name_m]Simon[/name_m].
Other ‘A’ name ideas:
[name_m]Adrian[/name_m] (although there is the feminine [name_f]Adrienne[/name_f])
[name_m]Archer[/name_m]
[name_m]Anders[/name_m]
[name_m]Atticus[/name_m] (good literary name!)
[name_u]August[/name_u] nn “[name_u]Gus[/name_u]”
[name_u]Asa[/name_u]
[name_u]Avery[/name_u]
And everything looks great with your post. [name_f]Welcome[/name_f] to Nameberry!
I like [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], [name_m]Allen[/name_m], [name_m]Kurt[/name_m], and the previous posters’ suggestions of [name_m]Anders[/name_m], [name_u]August[/name_u], [name_m]Axel[/name_m], and [name_u]Arden[/name_u].
[name_m]Ambrose[/name_m]
[name_m]Augustin[/name_m]
[name_m]Albert[/name_m]
[name_m]Adler[/name_m]
Aslan
[name_m]Adam[/name_m]
My favorite would probably be [name_m]Augustin[/name_m], which I got from the literary scholar/poet, [name_m]Henry[/name_m] [name_m]Augustin[/name_m] Beers. It could also be spelled as [name_m]Augusten[/name_m]. Good luck!
I don’t think anyone has posted anything about [name_u]Auden[/name_u] yet! W H [name_u]Auden[/name_u] was a lovely poet and would make an literary excellent namesake. It is a little close to [name_u]Aidan[/name_u], though. From your proposed list I really love [name_m]Arthur[/name_m].
I hope you find something that feels like a good fit!
My son’s name is [name_m]Tennyson[/name_m] after [name_m]Alfred[/name_m] [name_m]Lord[/name_m] [name_m]Tennyson[/name_m]. I really like [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] and [name_m]Cormac[/name_m] from your list and [name_m]Atticus[/name_m], [name_m]Axel[/name_m], [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], [name_u]Auden[/name_u] and [name_m]Vincent[/name_m] from other people’s lists.
[name_u]Amory[/name_u]
[name_m]Augustus[/name_m]
[name_m]Anton[/name_m]
Aslan
[name_m]Amos[/name_m]
[name_m]Aramis[/name_m]
[name_u]Dorian[/name_u]
[name_u]Gray[/name_u] (or [name_u]Grey[/name_u] if the spelling doesn’t bother you)
[name_m]Edward[/name_m]
[name_m]Heathcliff[/name_m]
[name_m]Henry[/name_m]
[name_u]Jude[/name_u]
[name_u]Max[/name_u] (or use this name for [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m]/[name_m]Maximus[/name_m]/Mexen/[name_m]Maximillian[/name_m] and so on)
[name_m]Harry[/name_m]
[name_u]Noah[/name_u]
[name_m]Rhett[/name_m]
[name_m]Tom[/name_m] (maybe short for [name_m]Thomas[/name_m]?)
[name_u]Sawyer[/name_u]
[name_m]William[/name_m]
[name_m]Holden[/name_m]
[name_u]Micah[/name_u]
[name_u]Gale[/name_u]
[name_u]Darcy[/name_u]
[name_m]Oliver[/name_m]
[name_m]Cash[/name_m]
[name_m]Benvolio[/name_m] (or [name_m]Ben[/name_m] for short)
[name_m]Caesar[/name_m]
[name_m]Bram[/name_m]
[name_m]Edgar[/name_m]
[name_m]Gulliver[/name_m]
[name_m]Jarvis[/name_m]
[name_m]Sherman[/name_m]
[name_m]Alexei[/name_m]
[name_m]Jasper[/name_m]
[name_m]Magnus[/name_m]
[name_m]Orlando[/name_m]
[name_m]Phineas[/name_m] (maybe Phin for short?)
[name_u]Riley[/name_u]
[name_m]Romeo[/name_m]
[name_m]Samson[/name_m]
[name_m]Santiago[/name_m]
[name_m]Seamus[/name_m]
[name_m]Sebastian[/name_m]
[name_u]Tristan[/name_u]
[name_m]Wolf[/name_m]
[name_u]Auden[/name_u] (the poet) was the first name that came to mind, & then [name_m]Archer[/name_m] (name from a [name_m]Henry[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u] book, IIRC). [name_m]Alfred[/name_m], from [name_m]Lord[/name_m] [name_m]Tennyson[/name_m]. [name_m]Albus[/name_m] (Dumbledore). [name_u]Alcott[/name_u] ([name_f]Louisa[/name_f] [name_f]May[/name_f] [name_u]Alcott[/name_u]). [name_m]Ambrose[/name_m] (Bierce, satirist/short story writer). [name_m]Augustus[/name_m] (The Fault in Our Stars). [name_m]Anton[/name_m] (No Country for Old Men).
[name_f]Non[/name_f]-A names:
[name_m]Byron[/name_m] ([name_m]Lord[/name_m] [name_m]Byron[/name_m], poet)
[name_m]Colin[/name_m] (one of the male protagonists from The [name_f]Secret[/name_f] Garden)
[name_m]Holden[/name_m] (Caulfield, Catcher in the [name_m]Rye[/name_m])
Great name choices!
From your list I prefer:
[name_m]Anton[/name_m] [name_u]Simone[/name_u]
[name_m]Cormac[/name_m] [name_u]Simone[/name_u]
&
[name_m]Arthur[/name_m] [name_u]Simone[/name_u]
Personally I would suggest [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] ([name_m]Atticus[/name_m] [name_u]Simone[/name_u]) sounds so good to me!
Also [name_u]Arlo[/name_u], [name_u]August[/name_u], [name_m]Augustine[/name_m], [name_m]Austin[/name_m] ([name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u]), [name_u]Alfie[/name_u] & [name_u]Avery[/name_u]
I think [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] is a clear winner. It’s undeniably masculine, familiar but not necessarily popular, it has a great literary connection and [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] [name_u]Simone[/name_u] [name_m]Price[/name_m] sounds incredibly handsome. Another good option is [name_m]Allen[/name_m], though I’d spell it [name_m]Allan[/name_m] to keep the literary connection through [name_m]Edgar[/name_m] [name_m]Allan[/name_m] [name_u]Poe[/name_u].
Other names that might work (from literature, that start with A or both), sorry for any repeats
[name_m]Wells[/name_m] (HG [name_m]Wells[/name_m])
[name_m]Anthony[/name_m]
[name_m]Adrian[/name_m]
[name_m]Anderson[/name_m]/[name_m]Andersen[/name_m]/[name_m]Anders[/name_m] ([name_m]Hans[/name_m] [name_m]Christian[/name_m] [name_m]Andersen[/name_m])
[name_m]Alexander[/name_m] ([name_m]Hamilton[/name_m] wasn’t a literary writer but he did write a lot)
[name_u]Ray[/name_u] ([name_m]Bradbury[/name_m])
[name_m]Adler[/name_m] ([name_f]Irene[/name_f] [name_m]Adler[/name_m] from [name_m]Sherlock[/name_m] [name_m]Holmes[/name_m])
[name_m]Miller[/name_m] ([name_m]Hemingway[/name_m]'s middle)
[name_m]Branwell[/name_m] (Brontë, brother to [name_f]Anne[/name_f], [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] and [name_f]Emily[/name_f]. Not a writer himself but related)
[name_m]Jacob[/name_m] (Grimm)
[name_m]Christian[/name_m] ([name_f]Agatha[/name_f] [name_u]Christie[/name_u])
[name_f]Welcome[/name_f] to nameberry and best of luck!
[name_m]Hi[/name_m] there! Nice to see another trans person on here (I’m genderfluid, but close enough).
I can understand your concern about changing your first initial. I was really hesitant to do it at first, but I did last year, and I can tell you that you get used to it after a while. So if you feel you’re really attached to a name that doesn’t start with A, go for it!
Of the ‘A’ names you posted, Atwood really stuck out to me because I’ve never heard it used as a first name. That being said, it seems to have a more masculine feel. You might want to be careful with that though, because other people might feel differently. Otherwise, I think it’s a great sounding name.
I think [name_m]Allen[/name_m] is always a safe bet too. It’s a classic that would definitely go with your family’s theme.
In the end, just make sure that you choose the name that feels right to you, not what you think your name should be or what other people want. You’re changing your name for you, so you should feel at home in it.
If you have any questions or just want to chat, feel free to send me a message any time. And welcome to Nameberry!
There have been a lot of wonderful suggestions, one name that sprang to mind and I didn’t see:
[name_m]Aldous[/name_m], as in [name_m]Aldous[/name_m] [name_m]Huxley[/name_m]. It fits all the criteria of beginning with an A, being an author, being unusual and pretty unambiguous.
Maybe also [name_m]Oscar[/name_m] (Wilde), [name_m]Salinger[/name_m] (lovely nn [name_u]Sal[/name_u]) or [name_u]Wallace[/name_u] (as in [name_m]David[/name_m] [name_m]Foster[/name_m] [name_u]Wallace[/name_u], if contemporary literature counts too).
[name_m]Don[/name_m]'t think anyone has suggested [name_m]Alfred[/name_m] yet, which is surprising! [name_m]Alfred[/name_m], [name_m]Lord[/name_m] [name_m]Tennyson[/name_m] is a big literary name. It shortens into [name_u]Alfie[/name_u] as well - as you’re in the US, both are likely relatively uncommon, like your birth name. [name_m]Archie[/name_m] ([name_m]Archibald[/name_m] technically) is another literary A-name; [name_m]Archibald[/name_m] MacLeish was a Pulitzer-winning poet. From your original list, [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] is a great name and has the [name_m]Arthur[/name_m] [name_m]Conan[/name_m] [name_m]Doyle[/name_m] literary link as well. Of the suggested names, [name_u]Auden[/name_u], [name_u]Austen[/name_u], and [name_m]Oscar[/name_m] are very cool and apart from [name_u]Austen[/name_u]/[name_m]Austin[/name_m], fairly uncommon as well. All six flow well with [name_u]Simone[/name_u].
[name_u]Auden[/name_u] (after poet W.H [name_u]Auden[/name_u])
[name_m]Angelo[/name_m] (perhaps a nod to [name_f]Maya[/name_f] [name_f]Angelou[/name_f])
[name_m]Author[/name_m] (modern and would work with your family theme)
[name_u]August[/name_u] (after [name_u]August[/name_u] [name_m]Wilson[/name_m])
[name_m]Amis[/name_m] (after [name_u]Kingsley[/name_u] [name_m]Amis[/name_m] and his son [name_m]Martin[/name_m])
[name_u]Austen[/name_u] (after [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u])
