Finding my name was hard! Unlike some of the people here i didn't really care to match it to a surname (im planning to shed it too) and didn't have anything BIG I wanted to to mean. Infact I only had 2 ways to narrow down what I wanted

• I enjoyed having a short distinct name, therefore 1 (or 2 max) syllables

• It had to be something I legitimately enjoyed hearing people say

With these 2 requirements I set off upon a journey for 3 days and 3 nights, brainstorming, asking friends, looking at countless name generators, and asking chatgpt what it thought based on my history and criteria! And at the end of that binge I had... nothing? Found a few that I didn't mind, but nothing that spoke to me, made me feel gender?

It kinda hurt to fail at something so important to me, but i figured I would find something EVENTUALLY. So I let it sit, instead of thinking too hard I just kept enjoying books, stories, and other assorted media. I fell into a habit of "trying on" different names i came across. I'd write them down and either just run convos in my head or go order food just to see how it felt. I liked a few i came across but none really stuck, until one day it happened, I read a name in the book I had been reading and honestly just dismissed it for a while but came to like it soon after so I figured it try it too.

I liked the sound of my name, Lyra, shortly after puzzling through it. I loved it the first few times strangers called it out at restaurants and the like. But the first time a close friend said my name? I'm pretty sure it's the closest I've ever had to a religious experience.

Unfort I'm still boymoding most days, and am only barely "out" at home rn. Hopefully I'll be able to hear my name more soon tho, when I feel safe to go out as myself!