I keep switching, or choosing a name someone in my family has. depending on how I feel I can think that I like different names. I originally went for a name that both sounded like and had etymological ties to my given name but I didn't like its association. There've been a few I like the sound of but for some reason I keep going for fairly rare names, and I think I'd rather have a less rare one. I've thought Richard, Brendan, David (uncle's name), and others. Plus, I can imagine feeling different being called - by people I know too - different names. Like I'd be a different person for each (sort of). I think different names can have different levels of "rightness" about them, and the righter a name for me, the more the real me will come out/be discovered. Maybe I should think about the ones I like more, try calling myself them, see how I feel. Filling out forms with those names can remind one of creating fake accounts. I know if I choose a name and decide later I don't like it I can change. What's in a name, eh? What should I do if I really like a name that a family member already has?
I have the same problem with picking names that family members already have. I've always wanted to call myself Lou but just last year a relative had a baby and named him Lou, and my last name is way too unique to get away with having the exact same name as him. I don't want someone in the future to try to look one of us up and get the other on accident. I still haven't settled on a name for myself yet but I've been told the best thing to do is write your name over and over and call yourself that name. If you are sure it's what you want to be called after that, then try to work up the courage to go by it regardless of whether or not it's already a name in your family. It's your name and whatever feels best is what you should go for. Going by a new name will feel weird, but after a while it'll become natural as if it was your name all along. I wish I could give you advice from personal experience, but to be honest I need advice on this myself as well.
I say explore, since there's a lot of names in the sea. For me, my parents were going to name me Joshua, and it honestly flows nicely with my name and my fiance's--so it works. But I chose not to go with that since I know a lot of people named Josh and it would be far too confusing. I stuck to people who inspired me, but for a while I wandered around name websites for ideas--one of them I stuck with for 6-12 months before I went with the middle name I have now.
i just picked one that i like and is relatively common. i just started introducing myself using that name, and now it's kind of stuck, since that's what everyone knows me as. :lol:
Have you considered names that are phoenetically similar to names that you like that are already taken? I noticed, in considering my own name, that there was a bit of a trend when it came to the letters I liked, or the sound the names had, or the syllable count. I like a lot of two and three syllable names the best. Considering little things like that might help you whittle down your list, and find alternates to names that are already taken by family members. Names definitely have different levels of rightness to them. That's part of what makes choosing one so hard I think. But the honest truth is that even names that feel really right on paper or in our minds can feel really weird in practice. It's ok to test names out online, or change your name occasionally until you find the one that seems to be the most right. I couldn't seem to find a name with any rightness for the first two years of trying to choose something. Within the last month or so I settled on Trevor. It feels right to me, and others have said it suits me. And it still feels weird in practice despite having more rightness than anything else I've considered. You'll probably have to give it some time before it feels natural, but if your new name feels right, it should eventually feel more natural. I think time is a big factor in that, honestly.
