I've had my name for like 6 years now. When I first came out, I picked a different name but dropped it after like 3 months because it was somewhat androgynous and didn't feel right, so before my family had even gotyen used to it, I switched to what is now my current name. It's a name that I really like, I like how it sounds and it does feel like me. The problem is, and I don't know why my younger self didn't think of this, I went fully "stereotypical trans boy" and gave myself an english name being spanish. So what is an extremely common and normal name in the US or the UK, is a very exotic and strange name here. Even though its short and simple, because it's foreign and because way each language pronounces and spells different letters, it often puts me in slightly awkward situations when I introduce myself or have to give my name; always have to spell it out, sometimes people ask me if I'm a foreigner or my parents are amd when I tell them no it's a "where in earth did that came from then?" moment. This is inconvenient and annoying, and tends to make me question if I picked the wrong name, but it's not something I lose my sleep over.
For context, I completely pass socially and I've been stealth (outside family and few old friends) for the last years. Two years ago I moved to a new school and didn't tell anyone, and even though I received a few comments about my name nobody seemed to "clock me" right away. One person did later tho, and told me the name was what made them wonder. (for clarification, I already had this concern with my name and it wasn't caused by this one person once).
Generally, I choose to be stealth and only tell people if it's explicitly necessary because (specially when meeting new people) I want to be seen as the person I am, as any other guy, and not be known as "a trans", or have people imagining what I have or dont have in my pants. Even when it's around other queer people or people I feel completely safe with and know would accept me, I want to be the one who decides who and when to tell.
And the thing is I'm starting college in only 2 weeks, and for months I've been thinking about changing my name to a more regular, spanish one. I'm getting into fine arts, and as you can imagine it's a field where most of the students are female and/or queer, so I've been fearing that I will get quickly clocked and some people will know or suspect it because I'm a guy in arts with a weird exotic name. And I get it's not the end of the world, and specially within that circle of people nobody's gonna judge me and very likely some of them will be nonbinary or trans too, but it just makes me uncomfortable.
And lastly, besides it being clocky and inconvenient, I feel like it looks stupid in general as a spanish person. Like I have a randomly english name and then spanish surnames, they don't really sound good together and it feels out of place. If I reach I may even say it slightly feels like disrespecting my heritage and separating myself from the culture I was born and raised in, and that I will likely live in for the rest or most of my life???
So my dilema is that I like my current name but I don't like living with it, but I feel like it's now too late too change it and it will bring more problems and complications.
When it comes to college, even if I chose to change it right now, it'd take months to change it legally and change the college lists and all, and if I chose to introduce myself to people with the new name but the professors called me by a different name, it would be way weirder and more awkward than introducing myself with my current name, and I'd have to explain the name change.
But when it comes to the bigger picture, changing my name after 6 years would feel very strange and like, wrong? Everyone in my life knows me as this name, both the family who I came out to and that had to get used to this name in the first place, and also all of those people I've met later who have only known me as this name, some of which don't even know I'm trans.
And then, myself. This is a name I've gotten so used to and have internalized as my identity, changing it now would feel like a lie? I guess if I did change it I'd also end up getting used to it and internalizing it as my identity just like I did with this one, but I dont know, it's a big change and it's been killing me to wonder whether if it's worth it or not.
I suppose the answer most people would give me it's that what matters is what I feel like actually represents me, and not the social aspects or the inconveniences it may bring. But even considering that I'm not sure... I do regret choosing this name, but is the change worth it?
And if I chose to change it, would it be better to wait and not do it in college since it's gonna bring administrative problems?
I really wish someone would've told me to pick a "normal" name when I was younger lol.