LostGryphon said:
Hm... Julius has the benefit of historical reverence. You can use 'Et tu, [Name]' whenever someone betrays you too.
Alex can be used for either gender, so it may not be the best if you're going for a more masculine vibe.
Never liked the name "Duncan" as it just sounds like what you do when you play basketball...not when I play, mind, as I am white and jumping is not one of my race's strong suits, at least according to media and my personal life experience.
Arthur makes me think of King or that bipedal aardvark with the glasses.
Take your time with this decision, m8. It'll be with ya for a good while after all, so it's best to take as much time as is necessary for you to come to a comfortable decision. Just remember to base it on what YOU want, rather than letting other people influence the decision.
Mm, yeah, that's what scares me. It's such a ginormous change and it's sort-of permanent, unless I want to go through the heartache of going back into the choosing yet another name phase. All the other permanent changes, I'm more than delighted with. My old name, however, is one of the parts of me I've never had as much of an issue with. I mean, I dislike that it's a name used for women and thus don't want to associate myself with it, but I don't dislike the name itself. If it were a name used for men as well, I' absolutely continue using it. Anything else still feels strange.
I keep waiting for a name to "click", but I've spent countless hours pouring over baby name websites and forums, looked over thousands upon thousands of names, and none of them have triggered that instantaneous "Yes! That's the perfect name for me!" effect. I think there's no use in continuing to look, I've just got to pick one I've already considered so far, even with the drawbacks of that choice. There aren't any names out there without one pitfall or another.
So, on that note, here are my reasons for liking and not-liking these names as a permanent-forever-name-for-myself:
Julius: The classic. I like it because it's European. Roman, technically, but I read somewhere it can also be linked to Greek lexicon (which is cool, because I have a Greek parent. Not great at speaking it, though.) It's intellectual to a certain degree, and I feel like if I met someone called Julius, I'd want to talk to them more. I feel like it doesn't gel with a more laid-back personality, though, which is a drawback.
Alex: Cool name. Generic. I know probably four or five Alexes. Also, a typical trans name. Seriously, in ftm spaces, "Alex" is the number one choice for trans guys. Afraid of seeming predictable if I go with this one.
Duncan: With this name, I associate it with two specific fictional characters (well, one of them not fictional, technically): Shakespeare's King Duncan, and Professor Ian Duncan from Community. Also, a friend's dad back in primary school had this name. He was pretty personable and a bit of a goofball. I like this name for its understated humbleness, but maybe it's a little too simple for an academic setting. I dunno, there's just something about this name that I keep coming back for.
Arthur: This one was more a wildcard. Feels very British.
Bonus that I added on later (Declan): Got to thinking about this one after mulling over Duncan a bit. I dunno about this one yet, I'm still putting together my thoughts.
Gah, choosing a name is a huge decision, yo.
dude, I think this situation is kind of like tattoos.
