I love the name Kit and while I know it’s unquestionably accepted as a male name in the UK and perhaps other countries like Australia/New Zealand, I’m concerned that Kit might not have the same acceptance in the US.
Now, I don’t mind using a unisex name, but when I told my best friend that Kit’s one of my top names, she was shocked I was considering it as a boy name, saying (kindly) that Kit Kittredge was her only association.
What are your thoughts? I don’t think it’ll be big deal, but I must admit that when I first learned about Kit, Kit Kittredge was my first association as well. Will others constantly misgender my son when they first read his name? Will I get a lot of 
looks? I know times are changing and genderbending is a lot more accepted, so perhaps I don’t need to worry at all.
Thank you!
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I’m American and I consider it neutral but masculine leaning. I do know the [name_u]Kit[/name_u] doll, but I hardly think of her when I think of the name anymore. I had a male character named [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] “Kit”
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Me too, but I don’t think that’s universal at all. Most people in my life have probably never heard of miss Kitteridge!
I think Kit is a strapping name for a boy. It’s lovely! More masculine leaning than many names more popular-ranking for boys in the US, like Cameron, Arlo, Avery, Finley, and Emerson.
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[name_u]Kit[/name_u] the American [name_f]Girl[/name_f] [name_u]Doll[/name_u] is definitely my first association, but I loved those books when I was a child so my association might be stronger than other people’s. I think of [name_u]Kit[/name_u] as very neutral, though, and I don’t think anyone will see it as a “girl’s name” only.
I think the [name_u]Kit[/name_u] [name_m]Harrington[/name_m] association helps make it feel more masculine – Game of Thrones is huge culturally so many Americans might think of him. I also associate it with a [name_u]Wild[/name_u] [name_u]West[/name_u] type character, but I can’t place who that would be or what it’s from. Overall, I wouldn’t worry about [name_u]Kit[/name_u] being a teaseable or confusing name for a boy.
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I’ve known both boy and girl Kits in the US! It seems like a lot of people I know do think of it as a unisex name
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[name_u]Kit[/name_u] the American [name_f]Girl[/name_f] doll is definitely my association with the name. You could always try first name [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] and push for the nickname [name_u]Kit[/name_u]
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Oh gosh, Ameriberries is kinda cursed, at least compared to like Britberries 
So my immediate association before coming on Nameberry was [name_u]Kit[/name_u] Kittredge, and I remember being a bit surprised that it was seen as a masculine-leaning neutral name when I first joined the site. [name_u]Kit[/name_u] [name_m]Harrington[/name_m] hadn’t yet rose to his current fame level though, so I wonder if that association will help make it more neutral.
But also, while my association was a girl doll, I also knew enough about [name_u]Kit[/name_u] and her story to know that her name is a nickname that’s supposed to be tomboyish, because her real name just doesn’t fit her. So I already knew it to be unisex, I just would’ve said feminine-leaning. I wouldn’t have been shocked to meet a boy named [name_u]Kit[/name_u].
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What do you mean? 
It’s a tongue-twister, that’s for sure!
And thanks for the feedback! That’s important info about Kit Kittredge I had neglected.
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I think of [name_u]Kit[/name_u] as gender neutral.
We gave that name to one of our dolls so the children could play that it was a girl one day and a boy the next, just by changing its clothes.
When it’s a girl, its full name is [name_f]Katherine[/name_f]. When it’s a boy, it’s full name is [name_m]Christopher[/name_m].
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LOVE [name_u]Kit[/name_u] for a boy. I think of [name_u]Kit[/name_u] [name_m]Harrington[/name_m] before [name_u]Kit[/name_u] Kittredge. A handsome face will do that, I guess😆
Totally agree that [name_u]Kit[/name_u] on a girl = [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] and on a boy = [name_m]Christopher[/name_m]. I wouldn’t hesitate…
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I think [name_u]Kit[/name_u] is a gender neutral name, but I associate it more with girls. [name_f]My[/name_f] first associations are a girl I met named Kitra (nn Kit) and the American [name_f]Girl[/name_f] doll everyone else has mentioned.
That being said, [name_u]Kit[/name_u] itself is an uncommon enough name in the US that a boy with the name wouldn’t have a whole lot of confusion.
If you’re still worried, [name_u]Kit[/name_u] could be used as a nn for [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] or [name_u]Christian[/name_u].
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I think it’s usable. [name_f]My[/name_f] first and only association is [name_u]Kit[/name_u] Kittredge (one of the best American [name_f]Girl[/name_f] characters, you can’t change my mind), but I still think it’s fairly gender neutral, maybe leaning feminine.
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I’m British but my husband is Kit, nn for Christopher, so this is fascinating to learn about how it’s perceived elsewhere! I’ve always thought of it as a masculine name, as in Kit Marlowe or Harrington.
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i think it’s fine! i personally don’t have any associations with kit, but when i think of it i think totally neutral and i love the name!
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While I first think [name_u]Kit[/name_u] Kittredge as well, I also almost immediately think of [name_u]Kit[/name_u] [name_m]Harrington[/name_m]. I see it very gender neutral. There is also the cowboy image, mentioned above, in [name_u]Kit[/name_u] [name_u]Carson[/name_u].
As a teacher, if I saw [name_u]Kit[/name_u] on my class list, I would probably assume girl, just because that’s my preference for this name, but it would definitely be one of the names that I would wonder until I met the student. And I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised no matter which way it went, unlike some other unisex or gender neutral names that still surprise me no matter how many times I hear them in whichever direction.
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I would not blink an seeing a male [name_u]Kit[/name_u]! [name_f]My[/name_f] first association would be [name_u]Kit[/name_u] Kittredge (also my favorite American [name_f]Girl[/name_f] doll, so that’s a plus!), but I also read a book with a [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] nn [name_u]Kit[/name_u]. I would assume that [name_u]Kit[/name_u] is a nickname for [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] if I met a male [name_u]Kit[/name_u] in real life
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For girls who were elementary aged in the 90s in the US [name_u]Kit[/name_u] is an American [name_f]Girl[/name_f] dolls name. I don’t think its been as popular recently and now there are a ton of American [name_f]Girl[/name_f] doll names.
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I’m American and always think of [name_u]Kit[/name_u] being a masc name! I will say before Nameberry my only [name_u]Kit[/name_u] association was the doll, but now I would think of foxes and/or a few specific users who have used the name!
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I’m American and always viewed it as a masculine name.
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I think [name_u]Kit[/name_u] would work fine for a boy despite the association with the doll. I doubt that kids nowadays would associate [name_u]Kit[/name_u] with the doll nearly as much as those of us who were children when the doll was first released.
I think that using [name_u]Kit[/name_u] as a nickname for [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] could be a good choice, because it’d give him other choices if he eventually dislikes [name_u]Kit[/name_u].
I’m from Midwest USA
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