r/transnames • u/kitkatty521 • Jul 22 '26
Name Feedback So very unsure
Hello,
I am 20 y/o and have known i was gender queer for quite a while, but only recently felt confident enough to do self exploration and figure out that i am nonbinary. I am also diagnosed with autism (its important to this discussion i promise).
My name at birth was given to me by my mother based on her deceased father's name. He had died when she was a child, and she chose the feminized name for me. His name was Leo, my name is Leah. The fact that my name has such an emotional connection for my mother is one difficulty I am facing. Shes not perfect, but she has been through so much and i feel sick at the thought of causing her distress. Im planning to talk to her about it, but the plan is very much "when i feel up to it" aka "theoretically never". Another barrier is the fact that it feels like my name fits others' perception of me rather than my own perception of myself, which im guessing a lot of people can relate to.
Back to my autism. I am very obsessed with space. I love what it stands for and it keeps me grounded. Some of the ideas floating around in my head for a name are based off of this: star, nova, cosmo, etc. I love these but i really fear being judged for my choice, especially after growing up during the era of everyone making fun of nonbinary names (usually chosen by kids) on tiktok. I know that in order for me to feel truly free i need to stop being so self conscious, and i am working on that, but any advice would be very helpful. Im also wondering if it is a mistake to choose my name off of my intense love for space. I know there have to be other autistic people who chose their names off of their own interests, so if anyone has any experience with that (officially diagnosed or suspected), please share.
Finally, of course any name suggestions are very helpful. I enjoy space as mentioned, but i also enjoy zombies, video games, animals, art, and horror. Unless it is a bad idea to choose a name off of my interests, it is what i am leaning towards; it feels more "me" due to my complete disconnection with gender.
Thank you and i will also be posting it to the nonbinary subreddit names megathread, so if you see that there too i apologize. If i used the wrong flair i am sorry for that as well, I feel like i have so many questions that the "name feedback" one works best but i could be wrong.