How do I pick a new name for myself??

[Forri]

My name is Forrest (and I'm not sure if it's a gender neutral name, it's quiet a unusual name.) Forrest is the name my parents gave to me at birth, but at the time I had been assigned male. And so I was a boy. But in the last tree years I've realised that I'm a Trans girl. My parents know and are very supportive. (almost my entire family is weird, three Trans, one lesbian and one gay.) Every time I hear my real name I feel like it's being spoken to the old me, the me that was a boy.
What I'm trying to ask is how do I pick a new feminine name for myself? Does anyone have any suggestions??

[Logan W]

Hi Forri,

I think that's really wonderful that your family is so supportive and I also understand how that feels to not be aligned with the name you have. I started using a new name at the beginning of the year. I knew the name I was given at birth wasn't feeling good anymore but at the time I didn't know what name to choose! I started brainstorming with my partner and a couple close friends and tried out different names at the coffee shop to see what felt good. After awhile one name kinda stuck out for me and felt the best so I just went with it! It also is helpful to know that you can try a name out for awhile and change it down the road if a better name comes to you.

I don't mean to babble on about my experiences but thought maybe it would help inform how to approach choosing a name for yourself. Do you have some names that come to mind at all? Do you have people you would feel comfortable brainstorming names with?

[Forri]

I'm not sure... There are some names I like

[Nicole]

Hi Forri,

You are more than welcome to share them with us if you’d like!

[Forri]

I like the name "Mori" it's Japanese for forest but I'm not sure if that sounds feminine

[Sam W]

Hi Forri,

It certainly rings as feminine to me, but that may be due in part to my mind going to Rinko Kikuchi's character in Pacific Rim. It really can be tricky, because so many names can ultimately apply to gender, or are favored by a given gender in a certain culture but a totally different one in another culture.

Do you think it would help to do what Logan mentioned above and choose a few people to ask to refer to you as Mori, just to see how it feels?

[Forri]

Hmmm... Ok I'll try it