Hi everyone I know that the topic of choosing a new name has been discussed here before but I still need your help on this. Since I consider myself non-binary and look rather androgynous, I have never felt comfortable with my very feminine name (Helena). I have spent years trying to find a name that would "fit" – a name that can be used for both genders or which is traditionally a bit more masculine but does not sound too awkward for a woman either. However, I am from the Czech Republic and Czech is a language which divides genders very strongly and there is not even a single name which could be used for both. I have been looking for a name in English but it is really hard choosing a name in a language that you know only from books. There are plenty of names I like but I can spend hours looking at websites with names, at statistics of their use and discussions at yahoo answers whether it is for a "boy" or a "girl" and how people feel about it but still it does not make me completely sure about it. I guess when you grow up surrounded by a certain language you become much more sensitive to names in this language and feel whether they are more feminine or masculine, trendy or old, unusual in a good way or if they just sound weird etc. They have various connotations for native speakers while for me they are nothing more than a group of letters which either sounds good or not. I have a list of names that I have been creating for quite a while. It seems to me that I cannot go too wrong with Sam or Alex but in the same time I would prefer a name which is somewhat less usual. I grew to really like the name Sidney and since it is not used very widely and might be a bit old fashioned, I was wondering what you think of it. I find it really nice but there is the never ending problem of how people from English-speaking countries actually perceive it (which does matter because although I am Czech and it sounds good in Czech, I often travel and meet people speaking different languages. Besides, I have no intentions of staying in my country for the rest of my life). This post is a bit lengthy but is about something that is very important to me. So, if you read this whole thing, thank you for your patience and any opinions about the name Sidney or how to choose a name which comes from a different language will be of great help to me!
I've known men that went by Sid/Sidney (usually Sid) and women named Sidney. Have you had others call you by this?
Sidney is a good name. Actually, both my great-grandmother and my great-grandfather were named Sidney, so it's definitely perceived as neutral.
Alex is very neutral, but it annoys me (Even thought it might just end up to be my name since my current name is Alexander) But Sidney sound great to me actually, can be shortet down by friends and families to Sid which sound very male and sounds feminine as Sidney
i think i know an equal number of girls and guys named sidney, so you'd definitely be set with that one! also my cat is named sid i like kerry/cari. but i'm a little biased
I like Aaron/Erin. Also, I've met two women named Evan so I think that's becoming more gender-neutral too.
Hi, there are gender neutral names, Knappova has a whole chapter dedicated to the problem. Just some of them: Vlasta, Robin, Nikola, Misa. Good luck I am not saying Sidney is bad Just check how difficult it would be to take the name in Czech R.
Go for it! I get this is important. Sidney sounds great to me! I am not from "English speaking world" though but I think it's gender neutral and I think it's easy to pronounce for everyone too. Lucky you that in your country you can take foreign names by the way! In here we can't. Not officially or even unofficially for social reasons. Are you changing it officially? There are some gender neutral(ish) names in here but they are very very new and they are constantly made to be either male or female names anyway so they won't even be gender neutral for long. We got this fashion now for unusual baby names in here now. :lol: Sorry for this ranting. I just got a little exited to see other one who has trouble with local names.
Sidney sounds great. Yeah, Czech language is far from non-binary friendly. Not only that my given name is feminine but I also don't fancy much the feminine suffix in my surname. :dry:
I've always liked Jamie. I chose my name because it just seemed to fit. Ultimately, it isn't something other people suggest, but what you dream up for yourself.
Thank you so much for the answers! Your suggestions are great. I have been thinking about Kerry and Marley as well so it is nice to see that some of you actually suggested these. And I also really like Kasey, Aaron, Gen and Jamie. So I guess I will start using Sidney and if it does not feel right, I now have some other great names that I can think about :icon_bigg Thanks! It seems some languages are beautiful but not very friendly towards people who do not fit in the binary :icon_sad: I am not planning to change it officially - at least not yet. First I want to find a name which I really like and which does not sound too ridiculous to others. However, if I was changing it, the surname would have to go as well, I cannot really imagine any English name combined with Czech surname. It is possible to officially change your name but if the person who decides these things does not like it they will refuse the change and you will have to keep your old name... Anyway, this reminds me of Mike Perry, who is probably our most famous trans man and thinking about it, I am not sure if this is his legal name but since everyone knows him as Mike, it probably does not matter Using foreign names unofficially is fine here. I study English Language and Literature at the university and there are some people who prefer the English form of their names to the Czech one and in general English is perceived as cool so English names are usually easily accepted - at least as unofficial names. Oh, I did not expect to meet anyone here suffering from exactly the same problem :icon_wink Yeah, the feminine suffix is horrible, you say your name and everyone immediately knows what gender you were officially ascribed. I guess marrying a foreigner could solve it but I am afraid I am not adventurous enough to marry someone just to get my surname changed :lol:
