I’m not a fan of unisex names or gender bending personally. I’m not particularly offended when someone else chooses to do this with their child (though sometimes it’s a bit pervasive, all these girl’s with boy names). I do love the name [name_f]Mirabeau[/name_f], and would totally use it on a boy if I could get away with it, but where I am it’s considered too feminine sounding, even though it’s a masculine name (it’s also my GP girl’s name). So in these situations we’re going off of sound rather than associations and that’s hard to contend with. Frustrating. I guess ultimately I don’t love the name enough to constantly defend it. If I did, that might be a different story.
I know a man named [name_f]Rose[/name_f]. He’s an older fellow (50s). He’s great and doesn’t have any issues with his name, never has. When I first met him I was like “hmm, [name_f]Rose[/name_f] on a man…” but as I got to know him the name almost seemed like a different one than the female [name_f]Rose[/name_f], if that makes any sense. I stopped associating it as gendered and just regard it as his name. He wears it well. I think it’d probably would have been a different story if his name had been [name_f]Rosa[/name_f], which has a more feminine sound overall to me, but with that said, in some cultures many masculine names end in “a” and when they hear a name ending in “a” that they are not familiar with they automatically think it is a man’s name (referencing where I lived in [name_f]Africa[/name_f] – gender confusion happened in what I felt were the least likely of circumstances because of foreigners’ names). Simply put these are all social constructs, that are often frustratingly biased, rigid and hypocritical. So it goes…
One could say that [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is technically unisex as it’s a nature/word name. If I were to be objective about [name_f]Rose[/name_f], and ignore history of use, current use, associations, etc., I’d say it has all the sounds of a unisex nature name. I guess since I know a male [name_f]Rose[/name_f] I can also easily imagine it on a man. Still I would be surprised to meet another male [name_f]Rose[/name_f]. I think it’s interesting that [name_m]Rhodes[/name_m] is acceptable sound-wise for a boy, but [name_f]Rose[/name_f] isn’t. They are just barely different sound-wise to my ears. So this shows just how much these reactions are based on associations, which is perfectly legitimate. [name_m]Just[/name_m] interesting. Which also makes me think of an earlier post on then name [name_u]Jude[/name_u] for a girl and the responses it got.
I also know a man named [name_u]Clare[/name_u], not short for [name_m]Clarence[/name_m], just [name_u]Clare[/name_u].
Also wanted to add that I’ve met more than one male Pearls. Not to say this is the norm or anything, but, while not as popular as boys names on girls, it does happen…though all these men are older, so hmm. Won’t get into all that. Interesting thread!
Some names that are generally feminine may work for boys but I’m not sure this is one. Roses are quite pretty and girly and it just would be unpleasant for the little boy.
I am not against giving Boys unisex names, or even girls names that have a slightly boyish feel to them. But [name_f]Rose[/name_f]??! Like the previous poster said, roses are pink and pretty and very feminine. It would be like calling a girl [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] or [name_m]William[/name_m] - so far embedded in the opposite gender camp that it would be cruel on the child.
Names ebb and flow and there will no doubt be names that we use now as single gender names that become common as unisex names in the future. But that doesn’t mean naming your son [name_f]Rose[/name_f] right now is a good idea! Kids in the playground can be cruel, and it would be a lot to put a kid through just to prove a point.
I personally like unisex names, but I think as a parent I would take care to avoid a boy named [name_f]Sue[/name_f] sort of situation. Life is hard enough already. It’s the same reason I wouldn’t name a kid something like [name_f]Jaunel[/name_f] or [name_f]Khaleesi[/name_f], these are names that are going to be with these people (probably) the rest of their lives, and should be usable in all stages of life, which includes (hopefully at least) 17 years of potential mispronunciations by teachers, and a lifetime of potential bullying from peers. At the end of the day, I’m not the one who has to live with my decision.
While I can like a name and have strong reasons for wanting it, if I think it’s going to cause grief to my child for whatever reason, I’m going to avoid it. No matter how lovely it is.
@opheliaflora, I CONSTANTLY get mail addressed to Mr. [name_u]Blaise[/name_u] ____. I love it, find it hilarious, and if I end up signing up for whatever service ads were for, it’s even better to hear the awkward apologies when I get to tell the company that I’m actually a girl. Definitely not something you should ever worry about for a kid; if anything, it’s a pro rather than a con
I love unisex names on boys, but wouldn’t use a full-out feminine name on a boy (just like I wouldn’t use a full-out masculine name on a girl. I wouldn’t even use a unisex name as a FN for a girl). I have a unisex name and hate how I feel like it limited my femininity, so I would prefer to give my child a name that helps identify with their gender, if they so desire. I love [name_u]Hadley[/name_u], [name_u]Harper[/name_u], [name_u]Addison[/name_u], [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], [name_u]Bailey[/name_u], and [name_u]Avery[/name_u] for boys (although, at this point, [name_u]Avery[/name_u] and [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] are the only ones I’d really use. Maybe [name_u]Hadley[/name_u]/[name_u]Harper[/name_u] as a MN.). I can’t think of any fully-feminine names I like for boys.
[name_f]Rose[/name_f] for a boy sounds AMAZING! It’s a sibling’s middle name, so I couldn’t use it, but I adore the idea. As for other names, it depends on what exactly the name is. [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] was originally a guy’s name, now every other girl is named it. Would I name a boy [name_f]Amy[/name_f] or [name_f]Maya[/name_f]? No, but something else, sure.
I would never call a boy [name_f]ROSE[/name_f]. [name_m]Kiran[/name_m], [name_u]Shane[/name_u] or [name_u]Kim[/name_u] might be OK. I don’t even like [name_u]Kerry[/name_u] or [name_u]Lindsay[/name_u] for a boy. I’d find something more masculine
I love [name_u]Lindsay[/name_u] for boys, and would happily use it as a first, but also like [name_f]Eira[/name_f] and [name_u]Zola[/name_u] as middles for either sex. [name_m]Zakaria[/name_m] and [name_f]Jasmin[/name_f] are traditionally female names that I would use on a son if I liked them enough, and [name_m]Battista[/name_m], [name_m]Mads[/name_m] and Endika - names which share similar characteristics to some female ones (ends in -a, sounds like [name_f]Maddie[/name_f] etc.), though all are traditionally male - are all on my middles list. I love the idea of a boy called [name_f]Rose[/name_f].
I personally wouldn’t generally use a unisex name, but I don’t mind some.
However, [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is just a little too much for a boy I think- in the same way that [name_m]Richard[/name_m] is too much for a girl. Some unisex names seem to straddle the middle ground well, but I think they tend to be more modern or word names than the well used classics. I just think [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is so engrained into people’s minds as very feminine that it’s wouldn’t work in a modern boy.
Yeah, as it’s already been said, [name_f]Rose[/name_f] has a connection with [name_m]Axl[/name_m] [name_f]Rose[/name_f], well, for me at least, so I’d say it’s pretty masculine. Outweigh it with some classical strong boy name, like [name_f]Rose[/name_f] [name_u]James[/name_u], and it’ll be a bombshell. I personally have [name_f]Rose[/name_f] as a girls’ middle in my sig, but I would more likely than not use it on a boy. It’s not [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] or [name_f]Violet[/name_f], right?
I would do it, but that’s just me. Most of my favorites tend to lean more towards the “true masculine” but I also like names such as [name_u]Ashley[/name_u], [name_f]Jade[/name_f], [name_f]Holly[/name_f], and [name_f]Sapphire[/name_f] for a boy.
I also prefer most unisex names on boys, but that’s just me (i.e. [name_u]Avery[/name_u], [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u], [name_u]Kelsey[/name_u], [name_u]Jamie[/name_u], [name_u]Kelly[/name_u], [name_u]Sam[/name_u]). Most of my friends/family are not so open about it though. They like “boy names” on boys and any weaker/softer sounding names on girls.
I’m not opposed to unisex names; however, I feel giving such a “feminine stereotyped” name as [name_f]Rose[/name_f] would be imposing upon the child a life of condemnation. It’s not you, it’s not him…it would be society in a nutshell. I say, Please NO!
[name_u]Darcy[/name_u], [name_u]Madison[/name_u], [name_u]Taylor[/name_u], [name_u]Avery[/name_u], and [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] were all originally used exclusively for boys for hundreds of years. If you give your daughter one of these names, you are giving her a traditionally male name. Full stop.
Hmm well, I happen to think gender distinctions are still important and so I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving a boy a completely feminine name like [name_f]Mary[/name_f] or a girl a completely masculine name like [name_u]James[/name_u]. However, of course, the percieved gender of a name is flexible and often changes over time, so there are few names that I can’t imagine ever crossing that divide. I actually like a lot of unisex names that have become more feminine on boys- like [name_u]Ashley[/name_u], [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u], and [name_u]Sasha[/name_u]. [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is interesting, and I think I could almost buy it. Giving a boy a name with feminine qualities or a girl a name with masculine qualities can actually emphasize their own femininity or masculinity by the contrast. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though I said that I like to keep the distinction, if you take a broader view I think that it’s actually the person that makes the name and not the other way around. People see unisex names as masculine or feminine because the people they know with those names are girls or boys. If you met enough boys named [name_f]Rose[/name_f], you would start to perceive it as masculine. Likewise if you hate a name but meet an awesome person with that name, you may start to like it, and vice versa.
So I guess in principle I like boys to have boy names and girls to have girl names, but in practice it’s the people that wear the name that make it masculine or feminine. Make sense?
Outweigh it with some classical strong boy name, like [name_f]Rose[/name_f] [name_u]James[/name_u], and it’ll be a bombshell. I personally have [name_f]Rose[/name_f] as a girls’ middle in my sig, but I would more likely than not use it on a boy. It’s not [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] or [name_f]Violet[/name_f], right?