What do you berries think? It’s not mine, a friend of mine is thinking about using this for her baby girl due in june. Wanting honest opinions. 
I should mention that she wants her middles name to be [name_f]Violet[/name_f]. nn possibilities are [name_f]Vivi[/name_f] and [name_m]Archie[/name_m].
[name_m]Archer[/name_m] is unmistakably male so… I really hate the thought of it being used on a girl. There are literally trillions of girls names ready and waiting to be used - why your friend would consider choosing one meant for boys is beyond me.
That’s a bit rich coming from someone who has [name_f]Laurel[/name_f] in their signature for a boy, no? There are literally trillions of boys names ready and waiting to be used - why you would consider choosing one meant for girls is beyond me.
First of all, @minxtruck threw perfect shade.
Second, a name is a name. It doesn’t have a gender aside from the one that you assign it. No name is technically a “boy” name or a “girl” name. You shouldn’t be turned off from using a name because of societal pressures.
Disagree that it’s equivalent - when names go from one sex to the other, it’s almost always from boy to girl, and rarely the other way around. [name_u]Courtney[/name_u], [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u], [name_u]Vivian[/name_u], [name_u]Ashley[/name_u], [name_u]Ashton[/name_u], [name_u]Whitney[/name_u], [name_u]Shannon[/name_u], [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u], [name_u]Leslie[/name_u], [name_u]Kelly[/name_u], and many, many others - including [name_u]Laurel[/name_u], even! - were originally boy names. And once names become associated with girls, they rarely go back. The inverse is not true. I think this is because of ingrained sexism that makes masculine names seem “cool” or “serious” and parents want that for their daughters, as opposed to feminine names that seem silly or unserious. But it backfires because of that same sexism, because eventually once those names become associated with girls they are seen as tainted for boys, too - so the pool of acceptable male names shrinks, and the pool of acceptable female names expands. [name_m]Hence[/name_m] it makes more sense to say that there are trillions of girl names, and there is no need to poach from boys’ names - it’s been done enough! The reverse is not true.
To the original question: I hate [name_m]Archer[/name_m], and especially hate it for a girl. [name_m]Archer[/name_m], [name_u]Parker[/name_u], [name_u]Carter[/name_u], [name_u]Hunter[/name_u], all those -er names are a reaction to the trend I described above: they’re meant to sound super-masculine to counter the boy names that seem “tainted” by femininity because of parents giving them to girls. So trying to pick one for girls just seems like the most extreme example of the dynamic above, trying to borrow the prestige of masculinity for girls, when really what needs to be addressed and countered is the assumption that girl names are not cool or serious, and that for a boy to have a name that could be seen as even slightly feminine is seen as degrading. Aside from that, all those -er names are the new -en as in [name_u]Aiden[/name_u] [name_u]Jayden[/name_u] [name_m]Caden[/name_m] [name_m]Braden[/name_m] of this decade - super trendy and will sound dated in a few years.
I’m sure some will think that’s reading into things too much, but I have thought about this a lot and I really think it’s true, and it’s my biggest name-related pet peeve!
No. [name_m]Archer[/name_m] is not a girl name and doesn’t even sound a little bit feminine. People would expect a boy for sure. A girl would get teased and have issues in life.
Names do have a gender according to their origin and history. It’s even more true for word names because they have a gender in many languages. Archer would be a masculine word in French or in German (English is a germanic language).
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f] was a boy name (latin) before it got changed into a girl name. Definitely not comparable.
Really, I just don’t like the sound of it on a girl. I like [name_m]Archer[/name_m] on a boy, and although you can technically name a girl [name_m]Archer[/name_m], I just prefer it on a boy.
Laurel was originally masculine. It’s generally considered to be a word name nowadays and has not been used consistently enough on the female side of the spectrum to be considered 100% feminine. Also, Laurel is listed under GP, as in, Guilty Pleasure, as in, I would not use it.
Clearly, you’re defensive, so I won’t bother pointing out how the rest of your comment was wrong (kristin of kerrytown already did it for me). But for the record, next time, don’t ask what people think if you aren’t interested in an honest opinion.
I do not like Archer for a girl. I like it on a boy. I’m a fan of unisex names, but most of the occupational names scream boy to me (other than Harper, Piper, and Page).
@kerrytown – I completely agree with you 100%! Well said!
I really dislike [name_m]Archer[/name_m] on both genders… It’s slightly better for a boy. [name_m]How[/name_m] about reversing the combo? [name_f]Violet[/name_f] [name_m]Archer[/name_m] sounds much better than [name_m]Archer[/name_m] [name_f]Violet[/name_f], in my opinion.
Yeah, I’m not a fan either, sorry. I’m not too keen on [name_m]Archer[/name_m] for a boy anyway, but on a girl it just feels wrong.
I don’t like [name_m]Archer[/name_m] for a girl.
Thanks for the replies guys. I don’t particularly like it either and she will constantly be confused for a boy, but it’s a friend of mine and I don’t have much say. I did manage to convince her [name_m]Archer[/name_m] was better than naming a little girl [name_m]Fox[/name_m], though. Thanks for the feedback.
I wonder if your friend has considered Archa?
I have a friend by that name (a girl) and I think it’s really cool. It has a very similar sound and looks a bit more feminine.
However, I am sensing your friend wants something unisex? Some other unisex names include [name_u]River[/name_u], [name_u]Logan[/name_u], [name_u]August[/name_u] and [name_u]Jude[/name_u], which could all work for a girl.
I suggest Archana nn [name_m]Archie[/name_m], like the actress [name_m]Archie[/name_m] Panjabi.