Where do I start? Feeling a little overwhelmed

Name Advice
1

[name_m]Trigger[/name_m] Warning: DV
Longtime lurker here finally trying to break out of my shell and engage a little bit here. [name_m]Little[/name_m] did I imagine that I would have a dilemma to pose to the berries. :wink:

I am a 19-year-old American who is finally breaking away from a traumatic past. I am leaving a cu1t and am finally getting therapy for a lot of @buse. One of the things that I have come to terms with is that I cannot completely move on until I change my name. The patriarchal culture I was steeped in growing up has made my surname feel more like a statement of ownership, and something that others have pointed to in order to validate that I don’t belong to myself, but that I am a possession of my biological father.

All of this background is just to say I am planning on changing my surname, but I am at a loss for ideas. [name_f]My[/name_f] surname is Simps0n, and my mother’s maiden name is Lym@n. So I need to avoid anything sounding like them. Genetically my family is Welsh, [name_m]Danish[/name_m], and Prussian. Culturally my family is still really [name_m]German[/name_m]. I would love a name with a strong, positive meaning and that has less teasing potential than Simps0n (thanks to a popular TV show the Simpson’s).

Thank you for reading my short essay. In summary, I am really just looking for name and meaning ideas and more of a jumping-off point. :heart:

4 Likes
2

I am so so sorry and I am so glad you came to us berries! We are here for you!

If you want to go literal with a [name_m]German[/name_m] positive meaning, Freudig literally means happiness and is beautiful.

Blumenthal literally means flower valley and is very pretty.

Walhberg means mountain and is easy pronounced, and very nice

Stargard is a very strong feeling name that is the name of one of the old towns in what used to be north Prussia I think. Its literal meaning is old town, but it feels nice and a beautiful name.

Blumenthal is probably my favorite for you! It feels special and I don’t see a way it could be bullied!

I hope this helps!! Good luck choosing a name and we are here for you!

1 Like
3

I’ll suggest:

[name_m]Conrad[/name_m] (brave counsel/advice - which I’m sure you’ve had to be for yourself)

Renatus/Rene (re-newed/revived/reborn)

Fritz/Friedrich/Frederik (peaceful ruler - finding peace and ruling your own life)

[name_m]Ferdinand[/name_m] (brave voyager)

[name_m]Huw[/name_m] (welsh form of [name_m]Hugh[/name_m], meaning mind/spirit/thought)

Rees/Rhys (enthusiasm, ardour)

[name_u]Seren[/name_u] (star)

1 Like
4

[name_u]Valentine[/name_u] - strong
[name_m]Marcus[/name_m] - [name_u]Warrior[/name_u]
[name_u]Harper[/name_u] - harp player
[name_u]Phoenix[/name_u] - rebirth imagery
[name_m]Brant[/name_m] - Sword
[name_u]George[/name_u] - freeman

1 Like
5

[name_u]Ive[/name_u] always had a soft spot for the german surname Morgenstern meaning [name_f]Morning[/name_f] star. Id envision that to mean the start of a new day

6

Just a heads up that Morgenstern is strongly associated with the Jewish community, which is something to keep in mind.

1 Like
7

I like several of the suggestions already but how about (the German):

Roth (just love the sound)
Beck or Becker (as above, just like sound)
Albrecht (noble)
Schroder (to cut, in the crafting sense but also cutting ties)
Lambert (bright land - future ahead)

Euro/French last names with beautiful meanings for someone bravely not starting anew:

Auclair
Auguste
Beaufort
Bellamy
Clair
Villeneuve

Some Welsh ones:

Blayney
Collins
Edwards
Ellis
Griffiths
Hopkins
Kemble
Pembroke

I love the sound of Danish names but most seem to be “son of” names and maybe too patriarchal.

Other last names I like (some with lovely meanings):

Knightley (though maybe too masculine)
Marlowe
Hartley
Verity
Beckett
Rose
Willoughby
Farrow

Wish you could use Poldark from the TV show - just love the sound but it’s completely imaginary so might attract comments.

Hope this helps!

1 Like
8

I’d suggest Behind The Name - Surnames for more options! You can search for surnames of any origin or meaning that you like.

Eichel - “acorn”
[name_f]Sommer[/name_f] - “summer”
Kästner - “chest maker”
Rosenberg - “mountain of roses”
[name_m]Voss[/name_m] - “fox”
Sonnen - “sun”
Apfelbaum - “apple tree”
Blumel / [name_f]Blume[/name_f] - “flower”
Goldstern - “gold star”
Hier - “long, tall”
Melyn - “yellow”
Bontrager - “water carrier”
[name_u]Penrose[/name_u] - “highest part of the heath or moorland”
Gravenor - “great hunter”
Edevane - *"spring in the valley; “little happiness”
[name_m]Falk[/name_m] - “falcon”
Nordskov - “north woods”
Vestergaard - “west yard”
Rosendahl / Rosenthal - “rose valley”

I’ve stuck to your given ancestry for the selection of names, but let me know if you want names of other origins or specific meanings.

12

I think you got a lot of good suggestions already but I’d like to chime in

Some names from the [name_m]Danish[/name_m] top 350 surnames:
Blom - “flower”. Because your new life is about to blossom.

Frahm - means “forwards”

Friis - sounds like free, though it technically means Friesian (as in someone from there)

[name_u]Lind[/name_u] or Lindh (both are common spellings) - name of a tree with heart shaped leaves

[name_f]Lykke[/name_f] - means happiness, joy. (Is the spelling too close? The pronounciation is different.) Also common as a girls’ first name.

Solberg - meaning “sunny mountain”

I saw someone suggest [name_m]Frey[/name_m] for “free” and while that meaning is good, you might want to be aware that [name_m]Frey[/name_m] is a god kn Norse mythology. Like, he’s one of the three most imporant gods (the other two being [name_m]Thor[/name_m] and Odin) and his whole deal is that he’s a fertility god. Depending on what your cult were like, I suppose this could be a disqualifier.

Generally, I wish you all luck in finding a way that works for you going forwards!

1 Like
13

[name_m]Jones[/name_m]
[name_m]Black[/name_m]
[name_m]Beale[/name_m]
[name_u]Wynn[/name_u]
[name_u]Dawson[/name_u]

1 Like
14

i’m sorry you’re going through this… after a bit of research, what do you think of [name_u]Beck[/name_u]? It’s a [name_m]German[/name_m] name with a beautiful nature meaning <3

i wish you a swift recovery!!

1 Like
17

@Zoeyroo I really like the vibes of Blumenthal. It is longer than my previous surname but I will have to hear it throughout the day and see if I could get used to something longer.

@Greyblue [name_m]Conrad[/name_m] - [name_m]Ferdinand[/name_m] all sound too similar first names of people close to me. However, I really like [name_m]Huw[/name_m]. It is simple, short, and has a really nice meaning. [name_u]Rhys[/name_u] is a really close second, it also has a soft sound.

@EloiseT I really like the softness of [name_m]Roth[/name_m], I just wonder if it sounds too similar to [name_m]Ross[/name_m]. [name_f]My[/name_f] first name is Dian@, and [name_f]Diana[/name_f] [name_m]Ross[/name_m] is a singer. Auclair, [name_u]Bellamy[/name_u], [name_u]Ellis[/name_u], and Griffiths also embody the vibe I am attracted to.

@AStudyIn_Scarlet Thanks for the BTN suggestion, I’ll definitely take a look.

@Kitfox I think a couple of the names would have pronunciation issues but I really like [name_m]Frey[/name_m], [name_m]Dahl[/name_m], Holm, Skov, and Rosendahl.

@Foulbaubleofmansvani I really like the meanings you found. Especially, Blom, [name_f]Lykke[/name_f], and Solberg.

@mea.ola I do really like it however that is already a last name in my family.

Thank you all for the suggestions. I am definitely having fun researching all of your ideas :heavy_heart_exclamation:

4 Likes