What's my name again?

July 23, 2014 12:21 AM

I am a transgender individual who has been unable to come up with a name for myself. I have tried numerous names over multiple years and feel completely adrift when it comes to a named identity. What names fit my (pickypicky) criteria?

Ever get stumped on the first question on a test? Stumbled when introducing yourself? Pause uncomfortably too long when asked your name? Forget who you were? That's me. I need a name.

My given name is Kathryn; at work and with family I've always gone by Kathy. I have tried to come up with another name from that and failed. I have been trying out new names (using them with partners & close friends and in situations that don't require a "real" name) for several years but usually after seven months or so, no longer feel any connection to the name and stop liking it.

My ideal name is:

gender neutral/gender ambiguous

two syllables (or has an easy two syllable nickname)

is not co-opted from a culture I have no claim to (I'm American and of European descent)

sounds good with a single syllable last name (rhymes with gull and null)

is generationally appropriate for a late 20s/early 30s person (i.e. no Jayden/Kayden/Aiden/Bradens)

I don't care if it's a real name, a name from literature, scientific names, or made up.

I'm not interested in the very common generic male or female neutral names like Chris, Sam, Jessie/Jesse (I know too many folks with these names) or Kat/Cat (associated way more with women than men nowadays).

posted by anonymous to Human Relations (94 answers total)

Dana
posted by John Cohen at 12:23 AM on July 23, 2014 [3 favorites]

Kerry
Cameron
Casey
Marley
Morgan
posted by Kerasia at 12:32 AM on July 23, 2014 [8 favorites]

Playing off the last syllable of "Kathryn", how about "Ren"?
posted by HoteDoge at 12:32 AM on July 23, 2014 [17 favorites]

The first one that came to mind for me was Dylan. Others include Schuyler, Devon, Jordan, and Adrian.
posted by katemonster at 12:33 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

Kit.
posted by kagredon at 12:38 AM on July 23, 2014 [25 favorites]

Kim
Robin/Robyn (I've met plenty of both genders who spell it either way)
Rin or Ren (from Kathryn)
posted by girlgenius at 12:38 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

Kelly, Alex, Tristan, Charlie, Jordan, Laurie, Merlin, Raven, Riley, Rowan, Sasha, Sandy, Terry.
posted by Mizu at 12:44 AM on July 23, 2014

Maybe Adren/Adryn? Similar in sound to Kathryn, works for your other criteria.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 12:48 AM on July 23, 2014

I found this list of gender-neutral names, sorted by popularity in a given year and with nice graphs.

I love the name Quinn, because it's gender-neutral and the name of a kickass character in Bujold's Vorkosigan series.

I'm also a fan of nature-derived names: River, Rowan, Raven
(On preview, jinx @Mizu)
posted by Metasyntactic at 12:49 AM on July 23, 2014 [7 favorites]

Leslie? Bobby/Bobbie?
posted by *becca* at 12:54 AM on July 23, 2014

Sascha
Rory
Harper
Ocean

Tree names are nice:
Rowan
Cedar
Linden
Juniper

So are birds:
Eider
Sparrow
Petrel
Linnet
Kite (lots of nicknames to make from this)
Falcon

The nerd in me likes Cesario because of Twelfth Night. But, too many syllables.
posted by Acheman at 12:54 AM on July 23, 2014 [4 favorites]

I don't think you'll find the "that's me!" name by reading suggestions by strangers who don't know you, your last name and your personality at all. You'll just run into the same problem again and again - not having a real connection to a name and realizing that after a few months. You need a name that has a meaning to you. If you find meaning in a long, uncommon or made up name, you can always adjust or shorten it to fit your last name and the culture you live in.

With European heritage, you could go through "popular babynames" of your birthyear from the country/countries your family is from to get a more diverse selection, and possibly a meaning behind a name you were not familiar with.
posted by MinusCelsius at 12:59 AM on July 23, 2014 [4 favorites]

Leslie
Ricki
Rowan
Robin
Jamie
Vivian
posted by andraste at 1:11 AM on July 23, 2014

I'd look at (not terribly uncommon) surnames as first names, since they have the benefit of being familiar and often gender neutral (like Quinn, mentioned above). I'd look first at your family tree to see if there is a surname there that works aesthetically and emotionally, and if not, begin looking at your favorite authors, artists, scientists, or other sources of personal inspiration for a name that works and has emotional resonance with you. If Ralph Ellison is a favorite author, maybe a name like "Ellis," Always been fascinated by Isaac Newton? "Newton Gull" makes a pretty great name.
posted by taz at 1:15 AM on July 23, 2014 [8 favorites]

If you have any particular cultural connection to a specific country in your European ancestry, you could consider a name originating from there? For example, some Nordic names could sound gender neutral to the English speaking ear: Claes, Dagmar, Einar, Eira, Finn, Inger, Kai, Kia, Lorens, Malin, Marit, Mikko, Rika, Ruben, Sander, Tekla, Tessan, Tyko, Vanja.

Alex is another gender neutral name you didn't mention- granted a generic one, but a nice name all the same.

I've always thought if I wanted a more neutral name I would go for Cecil which could be the boy's name or be short for Cecilia/Cecily.
posted by mymbleth at 1:19 AM on July 23, 2014 [2 favorites]

Lesl(ey/ie), Kelsey, Rory and Lindsey are all gender-neutral, though recently I think they tend to be used more by women.

I thought of Bobb(y/ie) too, though that's usually short for Robert(a), which does tend to be gendered. Here are some more nicknames that tend to be gender neutral, but are usually nicknamed *from* gendered names: Izz(ie/i/y), Robb(ie/i/y), Oll(ie/i/y), Samm(ie/i/y), Shell(ie/i/y), Stev(ie/i/y), Theo, Ton(ie/i/y).

I wanted a gender-neutral/masculine name to go on job applications and started using Reed, which is actually my middle name but is a family surname. Do you have any of those you might like?
posted by NoraReed at 1:20 AM on July 23, 2014

Reading your post, what immediately came to mind was Casey as suggested by another poster.
posted by BostonTerrier at 1:30 AM on July 23, 2014 [4 favorites]

Kipp
posted by LaunchBox at 1:34 AM on July 23, 2014

Have you looked at other surnames in your family like your mother's or grandmother's maiden names? These can be gender neutral and are often given as first names in some American cultures.
posted by bleep at 1:36 AM on July 23, 2014 [5 favorites]

Carson.
posted by solotoro at 1:47 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

Ashley
posted by greenish at 1:53 AM on July 23, 2014

As a Nordic person living in an English speaking country, I would suggest looking at for example this list of actual gender neutral Swedish names rather than picking a name that "sounds" gender neutral. The chance of encountering someone who might have a really strong reaction of "But that's a granny name!" or similar are higher than you might think.
posted by harujion at 2:03 AM on July 23, 2014 [3 favorites]

Bronte
Shannon
Devon
Jody
Taylor
posted by Salamander at 2:22 AM on July 23, 2014

For some reason I'm stuck on 'B' names:

Brynen
Brinnen
Brennan
Bryce.
posted by freya_lamb at 2:32 AM on July 23, 2014

Sasha (this happens to be my daughter's nickname).
posted by amro at 2:34 AM on July 23, 2014

I like names ending in -ey, and think many sound great for either men or women or neither. Casey is one, but some others:

Ashley
Beckley
Harley
Hawley
Keeley
Kelsey
Kinsey
Lindley
Linley
Winsey

Indeed, you can just take any word or thing you like and add the ending to it.
posted by Thing at 2:36 AM on July 23, 2014

I know girls named Cameron, Ryan, and Dylan... Sort of the next generation of Ashley, Leslie, and Lindsey. Increasingly neutral...
posted by jrobin276 at 2:38 AM on July 23, 2014

Wheeler (from catherine wheel which is an old name for a cartwheel)
Matthew (which has the 'ath' sound from Kathy) but is totally not gender neutral, but Mattie is.
posted by sciencegeek at 3:25 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

thirding casey (in fact, i work w/2 caseys, one man and one woman). or cassidy (can shorten to cass).
posted by oh really at 3:34 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

Aubrey
Denim
Renny
Rene
posted by kjs4 at 3:42 AM on July 23, 2014

Have you played with this?
posted by kjs4 at 3:44 AM on July 23, 2014

Lesley
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 4:28 AM on July 23, 2014

Cody
Lindsay
Tracy
Presley
Adrian
Cory

(I know you want two-syllable names but just for luck: Drew, Shane, Bert, Kim.)
posted by gingerest at 4:30 AM on July 23, 2014

Tyson
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 4:50 AM on July 23, 2014

Since most of us work with names that were given to us at birth without our input and don't really question how much they fit us, picking out your own name can feel kind of awkward and forced and high-pressure, and it makes sense that everything you'd try on would fizzle after a few months. There's also this sort of expectation that names have to capture you perfectly and be wonderfully expressive, and as a result I've known a few people who, when picking out new identities for themselves, have chosen names like "Lyrissah" instead of "Anne." I go by a nickname that I chose half my life ago and that in my mind doesn't fit me quite right, but whatever. Don't worry too much about getting it perfect; get it close enough and allow yourself to grow into it.

That said, I like Corbin, Rory, Carey, Adrian, Morgan, Cooper, Cameron, Ellison. I love Kit but it doesn't meet your two-syllable requirement and "Kit Gull" sounds too much like "Pit Bull."
posted by Metroid Baby at 4:52 AM on July 23, 2014 [8 favorites]

Marlow -- I got there via Kathryn -> Kit -> Kit Marlowe, who was incidentally gay (gay-ish?) by modern standards -> Marlow

Unusual, not trendy, gender-neutral, ties a little bit back to your birth name, cool historical antecedents.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 4:53 AM on July 23, 2014 [7 favorites]

Came to say what Metroid Baby said, unless we LOATHE our given names, we just motor on with them throughout life. We don't give too much thought to it because our parents already did that.

I'm here to tell you, Ruth is just not a popular name any more, nor has it been popular in my lifetime, unless it's among Sister-Wives. But it's MY name and I'm used to it.

This is a problem when picking out a new name, because you feel that it must express something about you, and feel right and do all these other things for you. And actually names weren't meant to do that.

So my suggestion is to pick a traditional name. Perhaps you can ask your parents what they would have named you if you were born a boy. (I'm sorry if that wasn't PC, I'm not sure how that works.) My name, if I had been a boy, would have been Eric. Oddly enough that is so RANDOM. I was named after my mother's favorite aunt, but who the hell was Eric? Not really a Jewish name, is it?

Some other ideas are look at lists of popular baby names from the year you were born and select one of them.

Good Luck!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:03 AM on July 23, 2014 [2 favorites]

Metroid Baby: "Since most of us work with names that were given to us at birth without our input and don't really question how much they fit us, picking out your own name can feel kind of awkward and forced and high-pressure ... Don't worry too much about getting it perfect; get it close enough and allow yourself to grow into it."

Metroid Baby is wise; picking baby names is haaaaaard and fraught and babies don't even have a personality yet, and they grow into it.

That said, if you have supportive parents, maybe you could ask them what other things they thought of naming you, what your name would have been if you'd been born with boy parts*, etc. Like most parents we chose names for our kids that were very meaningful for our family, beautiful to us, and expressed things we wanted for our children (happy meanings and family connections, in our case) ... and that of course sound appropriate with our last name and are obviously temporally appropriate to when they were born. Your parents might have an easier time than you do coming up with ideas ... they've done it once before!

*I'm sorry, this doesn't seem like the right way to say this, but I'm not sure how else to say it without being weird or dismissive, since it doesn't seem right to say "born a boy" either. Forgive me if it's not quite right.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:04 AM on July 23, 2014 [4 favorites]

Brody
posted by WeekendJen at 5:04 AM on July 23, 2014

Rudy
posted by St. Peepsburg at 5:09 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

Alex.
posted by Gneisskate at 5:14 AM on July 23, 2014

I know girls named Cameron, Ryan, and Dylan...

I was going to suggest Ryan too. It's similar to the end of your given name and it can be gender-neutral (more common for men than women but not to the point where someone would blink either way).
posted by psoas at 5:17 AM on July 23, 2014

Kai
posted by k8t at 5:25 AM on July 23, 2014

Playing off the last syllable of "Kathryn", how about "Ren"?

or "Wren"
posted by mikepop at 5:27 AM on July 23, 2014 [4 favorites]

I came to you offer you my 2 syllable, gender-neutral, European, generationally appropriate name, but Metroid Baby already did.

Carey
posted by handybitesize at 5:29 AM on July 23, 2014 [3 favorites]

Give some thought to the very first suggestion of Dana. It's not in vogue and/or cutsey like many of the ones suggested, and no one will have trouble saying or spelling it. BTW, I'm a Kathryn as well, and that's the name I'd choose.
posted by Dolley at 5:38 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

Hayden

I feel like half of us are just giving you names we've picked out for our imaginary/unborn children, but this fits your criteria. This was a family surname in my Irish family tree, I like the above suggestions that that's a good place to go searching for gender neutral names.
posted by saffry at 5:44 AM on July 23, 2014

My name is Kathryn and if I was a boy I would want my name to be Alex. Not Alexander, just Alex.
posted by katypickle at 5:58 AM on July 23, 2014

I love the name Marlon.
posted by xingcat at 6:12 AM on July 23, 2014

Well, I have no idea if you'll like it but I'm just going to suggest my name, Kyle. You get to keep your initial. It's more common as a male name but not too unusual as a female name (or maybe I just feel that way because I'm a female Kyle).
posted by mskyle at 6:15 AM on July 23, 2014 [2 favorites]

Cameron. Gender neutral, sounds like Kathryn. Shortens to Cammy, Cam or Ronnie. Heck be avant-garde, spell it with a K and keep your initials.
posted by wwax at 6:44 AM on July 23, 2014 [3 favorites]

Corey, Lennon, Shannon.
posted by metasarah at 6:44 AM on July 23, 2014

Definitely ask your parents if they are supportive. I was supposed to be Matthew if I had come out a boy baby, and would probably choose that if I were trans and looking for a new name.

And I also like the name Kyle.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:48 AM on July 23, 2014

Inger from harujion's list has some things to recommend it. It's short for names starting with Ing, like Ingrid and Ingvar. There are a bunch of Swedish, Norwegian, US and Canadian Ingers. The Ing in Ing names refers to a Scandinavian fertility god-goddess pair, more commonly called Frey and Freya, "Lord" and "Lady". It's also the name of a runic character.

(Ing is only attested as a name for Frey, but Freya would likely have had a feminine form of the same name. Inger would probably be read as likely to be masculine by most English speakers, even though in Scandinavia it's more common as a woman's name.)
posted by nangar at 6:50 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

Tyler
posted by CharlieSue at 6:53 AM on July 23, 2014

I don't see any comment about initials. I have a feminine first name but go by TJ in a lot of contexts. Initials are gender neutral, two syllable, easy to remember but not super common, and generationally appropriate. From your context I'm not sure if you have a neutral or masculine gender identity, but initials also have the advantage of being able to stand for whatever you want them to. So if you go by, say, KB, if you legally change your name later you could be Kyle Brian without changing your name on a social level.

If you don't like your actual initials you could do something different that stands for something you like.
posted by tchemgrrl at 6:56 AM on July 23, 2014 [7 favorites]

Kivrin

I don't even know if it is a "real" name, but it was the given name of a character in a book* I recently read. She was a time traveler from the 21st century, but while on assignment in 14th century England, she goes by Katherine--so in my head, the two names are related.

Kivrin is gender ambiguous, can be shortened to "Kiv", sounds nice with a monosyllabic last name, is neither too "Jayden" nor too "Ethel", and originates in future England**, so no worries about inappropriate appropriation!

* The Doomsday Book, 1992, by Connie Willis.
** Hopefully choosing this name won't cause any major incongruities.
posted by General Tonic at 6:59 AM on July 23, 2014 [5 favorites]

Second choice for this Kathryn: Jesse. (First is Dana, upthread.)
posted by Dolley at 7:12 AM on July 23, 2014

Kay is a diminutive of Katherine that is also male.
posted by brujita at 7:13 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

I just want to throw out the idea of a word as a name. If there is a word that suits you, you could use that for your name. Regular words are usually pretty gender neutral. If there is a concept you like, check a thesaurus for something that is not in common use that means the same thing.

I have changed my name a couple times. Don't be afraid to keep using different names for a bit longer. Sometimes it takes awhile to find the one that fits (and sometimes the name finds you).
posted by AllieTessKipp at 7:42 AM on July 23, 2014

Do you like Star Trek? The character from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that I thought of upon reading your question was Odo - a shape shifter and one who is still working on his identity. Odo is pretty much my favorite character of all the Star Trek series. If you are older than me, you'd more likely recognize that actor from M*A*S*H. But his name is René (Auberjonois). Which can also be feminine sounding. So I would suggest René for you, as someone who is still working on your identity, can shift from one form to another in more of a fluid body state.

Also, René is similar to the ending of your Kathryn given name.
posted by jillithd at 7:51 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

+1 to finding something meaningful to you. Part of an old street name? Grandparent's middle name? Character in a book or movie? Favorite flower or type of vegetation from your favorite/originating area?


Alex
Harper
Sacha (or Sasha)
Gunnar
Connor
Ryan (I know several Ryans of both genders!)
Charlie (ditto)
Andy (ditto)
Arlo (ditto)
Love the suggestion of Marlowe
Marley
Harley
Milo
Miko
Niko

For more common names, have you seen Nymbler or the Baby Name Wizard? They are both interesting in different ways. Nymbler - you suggest a bunch of names you like, and it spits out other options. You can refine (by adding or removing those suggestions) or click on a name you like and it'll suggest others from there. The Wizard is cool because you can see the popularity of a name over time. Then of course, check out the Social Security list of popular baby names for a given year.

For some reason Osa comes to mind (Bear) but obviously it's hard enough to choose your OWN name let alone strangers with no connection to you.

I've done this with a ton of friends though, so if you wanted to message me with a bunch of things you LOVE I'd be happy to post or reply a bunch of suggestions. Promise any kind of confidentiality you need.
posted by barnone at 7:54 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

Just thought of a few more:

Ryder
Austin
Alexi
Frances/Francis
Jade
Micah
Devon
Orrin
Elliott or Elias (shortened to Eli)
posted by barnone at 8:03 AM on July 23, 2014

I really like Sidney/Sydney.
posted by Kitty Cornered at 8:25 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

And also Quinn and Avery.
posted by Kitty Cornered at 8:31 AM on July 23, 2014

Calvin
posted by waving at 8:39 AM on July 23, 2014

I like Calvin and Kyle (both mentioned up thread) too.

But I'd also like to second the advice to run whatever name you pick by your friends and family. My FTM son picked his name out of the blue and I absolutely hate his new name. His sister and cousins aren't fond of it either... But he likes it, so that's what we call him. It makes me wince every time I utter it. We are all supportive of his change and lifestyle, but his name! Ugh! I weep.

I'll probably get used to it eventually, but yeah... If you have the option, please consult with family and friends.
posted by patheral at 8:49 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

How about place names -- places that you've visited, that you're from, or that simply call to you? For example,

Denver
Arcata
Rockland
posted by mochapickle at 8:50 AM on July 23, 2014

I vote for a variation on Kyle, i.e. Kiley. A version of it is a girl's name (Kylie), but the Kiley spelling is also a surname and more gender neutral.

(Also, a slight downvote on Inger. My mother's name was Inge, but she anglicized it later to Inga, because people in the U.S. kept pronouncing it Inj. If you pick Inger be prepared for possible pronunciation mistakes confusion of the "Injure" variety.)

Also, my sister's female best friend was a "Casey" growing up, but in her case it was originally a nickname that came from K.C.. So, maybe you can you play around with your current initials a bit and come up with a name, or look for family names/maiden names? That's how Treat Williams wound up with the name Treat - it's a family name that is actually his middle name. Same with Gore Vidal.
posted by gudrun at 8:52 AM on July 23, 2014

Laurie
Jamie
posted by a hat out of hell at 8:53 AM on July 23, 2014

Lee
posted by Dansaman at 9:02 AM on July 23, 2014

Nicky
posted by desjardins at 9:30 AM on July 23, 2014

Stacy (as in, Keach)

Dana

This, too. FWIW, I used to know two brothers named Dana and Stacy.
posted by Room 641-A at 9:41 AM on July 23, 2014

Keenan.
posted by tomboko at 9:46 AM on July 23, 2014

Came in to suggest Casey and Cameron, and see I've been beaten to the punch many times over. You could spell either of them with a K to keep a bit more connection to your given name (though there might be a slight Kardashian vibe).

I also like Kelsey.

Another thought is that I've known Catherines who have gone by Trina. Trina might be too girly, but it's a short jump from there to Tristan, which is a great unisex name that skews male.
posted by 256 at 9:59 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

KC is an alternative to Casey, if you're willing to change your middle name to start with C!
posted by Juliet Banana at 10:06 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

Keegan? It's mostly male but I think could pass as a female name, and I know two men in their 20s/30s named Keegan. Also, is has a similar sound to Kathryn.
posted by jabes at 10:54 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

Folks, the OP would prefer a name that's "two syllables." A lot of commenters seem to be forgetting that part...
posted by John Cohen at 10:55 AM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

I was trying to decide on a name to go by in a space that a lot of people use chosen names. I have since started using that as my primary (though not legal) name, and more people in my city know me by it than my legal name.

I thought about books or stories that I liked and resonated with me, and searched among those for names or characters that felt like a good fit. The name I chose ends in -a, which tends to be a feminine ending, but it suits me. I present and identify in the genderqueer/neutral/ambiguous area.

I am not going to share the name here, but if you memail me I am happy to share and discuss. I also have a few suggestions that are actual names of people I know locally but am somewhat uncomfortable talking about on the open internet because I'm not sure how many of them are out there in the world.

I'd suggest looking for inspiration in works or other things that resonate with you. There will be that feeling of "oh yeah, I have a strong connection". If f there are animals or places that you feel strongly toward, you can find/create variations there.

My name came from the Redwall series of books, which is actually a pretty great resource for uncommon but potentially neutral names. One that just came to mind is Lutra, ends in -a, but is a male character. It does get fun trying to explain "wellll, my namesake is an anthropomorphic animal", but Lutra is also an actual genus of otters.
posted by HermitDog at 11:39 AM on July 23, 2014

I always wanted to use the name Crosby which was a last name in my family- a widow who brought her children over here in the 1620's. You can borrow it if you want.

I've always liked last names for first names. If you'd like I can do a quicky family tree for you... find some family names. If interested PM me.
posted by beccaj at 1:05 PM on July 23, 2014

Avery
posted by Laura_J at 1:32 PM on July 23, 2014

Hey, here's a two-fer for you!

Carroll and Shelby

The nice thing about Shelby is that I think the current* first-name usage may skew female, but the name is still mostly associated with the very masculine Mustang cars.

*I'm 49. I don't know if people in their 20s even know who Carroll O'Connor is and when I was growing up I had one friend named Shelby, a boy. I think both names are out of Jayden range.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:07 PM on July 23, 2014

I was going to say Kameron. Or Kamryn.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 2:51 PM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

Keegan? It's mostly male but I think could pass as a female name, and I know two men in their 20s/30s named Keegan. Also, is has a similar sound to Kathryn.

Absolutely. I went to school with a girl named Keegan. It's a nice match for Kathryn.
posted by mochapickle at 3:04 PM on July 23, 2014

Dallas
August
Kipling
posted by bile and syntax at 3:29 PM on July 23, 2014

> Hayden

My daughter, who is eight, has gone to school with -- so far -- Hayden, Jayden, Kayden, and Vaden. Unless you want to be the oldest Hayden on the block, I'd suggest not that one.
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:21 PM on July 23, 2014

I think it's incredibly difficult to ask people for name suggestions and not get a bunch of names that sound like 2014 baby names, and to that end, a lot of the suggestions here sound pretty playgroundy to me. I would look at birth records and popularity indices from the year you were born, and mine those for inspiration.
posted by threeants at 6:59 PM on July 23, 2014 [4 favorites]

I know someone named Kyla. I like Griffin, Shannon, and Kelsey
posted by lunastellasol at 9:34 PM on July 23, 2014

Two initials that are pronounceable as a name (K.C./Casey, D.D./DeeDee), or just two that have a nice rhythm like J.P.? You could choose whatever names are meaningful to you regardless of gender and then just use their initials, or you could just pick initials that yield a pronunciation you like and leave it a mystery what they stand for.
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:54 PM on July 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

Ariel (not quite two syllables, but close).
posted by redlines at 8:56 AM on July 24, 2014

Once you have some names you like the sound of, I'd highly suggest typing them into the baby name voyager (linked upthread) to see where the name peak is. You'll ideally want something that peaks in the 1980's (for 24-34 year olds) or possibly a little before or after if you don't mind skewing a bit older or younger. Casey peaks in the '80's, but Cameron not until 2010, Cody is '90's, which might be okay. "Ke" names in general peak in the 1960's, "Ka" in the 1950's and 1990's (and are overwhelmingly listed as female names).

If you want something with more meaning, see if you can find a family name -- in particular, see if anyone in your family is into genealogy so that you can go way back on the family tree looking for a name that might work.
posted by Margalo Epps at 12:05 PM on July 24, 2014 [1 favorite]

Remy
posted by Anitanola at 7:27 PM on July 24, 2014

Rudy.
posted by Kerasia at 1:44 AM on July 25, 2014

Ari
posted by sciencegeek at 11:53 AM on July 25, 2014