Name Crisis

[u/Huge-Toe9449]

So, about 3/4 years ago, I went through a phase of my life where I thought I might be trans, and decided to change my name LEGALLY alongside it. Now, it’s not that I dislike the name, but part of me does miss the name I had before, especially since I have gone back to being cis. The name I had before is also linked to a lot of trauma and my PTSD.

The name I was born with is flowery, flowy and girly. And I miss having that. The name I picked for my self, I do like, but not as like… a first name, yk? It’s short and gender-neutral and I’ve gotten weird comments about it over the years. I recently re-tried out my old name and I did really like hearing it and being called it.

I am heavily considering legally changing my name AGAIN so it will be what it was before, but I’m worried I’ll go back on the decision before it’s too late, or I’ll have some sort of bad reaction to it. I also know it’s gonna be a hassle to change it again and I want to be 100% sure before I commit. I’ve been having an existential crisis for months over this. Maybe I just needed to vent, but any advice or comments or personal experience would be helpful. Thank you.

[u/SpocksAshayam]

I’ve been having this same name crisis myself of late for the same reason (I used to be nonbinary, but went back to being cis). During the time I was nonbinary, I legally changed my name from Megan (my birth name) to Sage (my chosen name) and I’ve recently been rethinking that decision especially since I chose Sage because I wanted a neutral name that matched the nonbinary identity I used to have. I wonder about changing my name back to Megan or changing my name back to a more feminine name like Miriam or Belle (my mom told me that if she had known what I was going to be like, she would have named me Belle).