Call Me M

originally posted July 25 2019

I would like to start being referred to and addressed as 'M', rather than my first name. I would appreciate the effort by my friends and family to make this change. End of request; reading further is optional.

 

My History of Names

Marty - I was named after my godmother, my Aunt Marty (a nickname; her legal name was Martha too). As a little child, I went by the same nickname of Marty. As with all childhood nicknames, this was a name put upon me without my input. And it worked well for 'little Marty'; my aunts, uncles, and cousins all still tend to call me that.

Martha - When I changed schools for fourth grade, I asked to start going by Martha. That was the name on the role sheet, and it was a little more of a grown-up name. Interestingly, through school, I met several other Marthas. The middle-school librarian, the high-school french teacher, and my godmother, who worked at my school - all Marthas, all of the generation (or two) older than me. I've always thought the name very feminine, and indeed the name has biblical roots that give it a meaning of 'a good housewife' or 'lady'. A first reaction I've often gotten is a reference to Martha Stewart or Martha Washington, neither of whom can I identify with.

MM - Growing up, my mother and I had the same initials. So when we needed to sign off on something, I didn't use MG, because that was my mom. I used MM instead.

marthatori - As an adult, when I began to have an online presence, my handle was marthatori. That's still the name in my email, now, though Tori is all grown up and has her own separate online presence. She'll always be a part of mine, though, if only by name.

Meronym - When I began exploring and understanding my condition of multiple personalities, we decided on a group name, Meronym, to refer to us as a system, or as any individual one of us. So the name Meronym is one I use online and in person in many situations. But that refers to all of us, not me specifically. Also, Meronym is a mouthful for some people, difficult to understand and to pronounce on first run.

M - I've still been using Martha as my 'face name' to introduce myself to people and to be addressed and referred to. But it doesn't really feel like it refers to me. Increasingly, over the last few years, there's been an instant of disconnect for me to realize that this 'Martha' being mentioned is me. I'm much more comfortable as Meronym. So how do I specify me/this alter/not the group? So I'd like to try using just 'M'.

• Like M the letter. I've known several people that go by just a letter - Q, F, and another Q, and I always felt comfortable with that style.
• I don't know any other M's. It's a unique name.
• It's also a gender-neutral name that I'm much more comfortable with.
• M can be the initial for Martha or Meronym, or even Marty, or Mom.
• There's an association with M from the Bond series, played by Dame Judi Dench, who is an undeniable badass.

M Bechtel, author - As an author name, I think M Bechtel sounds better, more like me, than Martha Bechtel - it could also show for Meronym Bechtel, so it covers things that other alters might have written too, and doesn't make them have to use a name that isn't theirs in print. For instance, I've written a couple of stories in a Christmas Carol anthology that will be out by this Christmas, but Paul wrote one too, and if we credit them all to M Bechtel, then he's not having to hide himself as 'Martha'.