Chosen name
A name a person uses in place of one assigned or previously used. It may reflect personal identity, preference, or a change in circumstances.
Preferred name: A name someone asks others to use instead of a legal or previously used name. This common term emphasizes everyday use, though it can be narrower than chosen name.
Gender identity: A person's internal sense of their gender, which may or may not match sex assigned at birth. For many transgender and nonbinary people, a chosen name expresses gender identity.
Legal name: The name recognized in official records under the law of a jurisdiction. A chosen name does not automatically replace the name held in legal records.
Chosen name policy: An institutional rule allowing people to use a name different from their legal name in specified settings. Such policies determine where a chosen name appears in school, work, or service records.
Social transition: The process of living and presenting in ways that align with a person's gender identity. A chosen name can be part of how someone expresses a gender transition socially.
Naming: The act or practice of assigning or selecting names for people, places, or things. A chosen name is an act of self-naming rather than an assignment by others.
Birth name: A name given to a person at birth, often recorded on a birth certificate. It is one possible name that a person may later choose to replace.
Misgendering: Referring to someone using language that does not align with their gender identity. Using an unwanted former name can accompany or reinforce misgendering.
Legal name change: A formal process that changes the name recorded in government or other official documents. A chosen name may be adopted socially before, after, or without this formal step.
Self-determination: The ability of individuals or groups to make decisions about their own lives and futures. Selecting one's name is one personal exercise of self-determination.