Could you please tell me if [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] is stil usable on a boy? We asked ourselves the same thing with our second son, but we feel [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] might be further gone than [name_u]Avery[/name_u].
Here are the problems we see with [name_u]Ariel[/name_u]:
People might assume that he is a girl when they hear/see his name on i.e. a rollcall. (This also happens with [name_u]Avery[/name_u], so this isn’t the worst thing for us)
People might pronounce it like the little mermaid (air-e-el), but we are going for (aa-ree-el)
(I really suck at giving pronunciations, but I hope you get what I mean)
People might tease him with the little mermaid connection.
What do you think? Is it a good idea to use [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] on a boy?
Would it be better middle name material? (we have thought of [name_m]Harvey[/name_m] [name_u]Ariel[/name_u], [name_m]Jonah[/name_m] [name_u]Ariel[/name_u], [name_u]Rowan[/name_u]/[name_m]Roman[/name_m] [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] or [name_m]Callum[/name_m]/[name_m]Callan[/name_m] [name_u]Ariel[/name_u])
I much prefer [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] on a boy. It’s really handsome. [name_u]August[/name_u], [name_u]Avery[/name_u] and [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] would make a beautiful sibset
I think it is very handsome on a boy. Yes, you may initially get some people who think he is a girl before meeting him (why, Disney?! I mean, I love Disney, but WHY [name_u]Ariel[/name_u]?) , but I think it is well worth the effort. It has a lovely Shakespearian origin and I think that the image of [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] is ready to return to that (I love The [name_f]Tempest[/name_f]). I say it ah-ree-el, and the nn [name_u]Ari[/name_u] helps certify the masculine origin of the name. As renrose said, [name_u]August[/name_u], [name_u]Avery[/name_u] and [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] would make a lovely sibset.
I would be most worried about schoolyard teasing, even though I do like [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] as a boy’s name. It’s handsome and strong, even with the connection to Disney. The thing is, there are so many names that were originally more common for girls being used for boys, and vice versa, that it’s hardly a shock when you come across a boy named [name_u]Madison[/name_u] or a girl named [name_u]Ryan[/name_u]. If you think the name won’t pose a problem for your little boy, go with it!
I really love the name, for a boy. I would consider using it.
I pronounce it pretty much like the letters R-E-L. I expect some people will hear/say air-e-el no matter how much you try, but people wreck up perfectly common names like [name_m]Aaron[/name_m] too.
It’s one of my three A unisex names I’d really try to save for the boys (along with [name_f]Azaria[/name_f] and [name_u]Angel[/name_u]). I do think it might do better in the middle though.
The way I’d combat any teasing is to make it a double barrel name, and make the other name completely masculine.
For example, on my list I have [name_u]Ariel[/name_u]-[name_m]John[/name_m].
“- People might tease him with the little mermaid connection.”
[name_m]Don[/name_m]'t let Disney scare you away from a name you really love. If you really love it, use it. People will give you their opinions (good & bad) but then they’ll move on. The only way to change peoples perception on a name is by using it and using it well! For example, I would use a name like [name_f]Ursula[/name_f] in a heartbeat. I love it. [name_m]Just[/name_m] about anything is usable if you’re “in love” and totally confident in your choice.
I know a male [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] in his early twenties. He’s gotten a few mermaid jokes, but he’s never been relentlessly harassed for it. Kids are usually much more open-minded about names than adults. The [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] I know is Jewish and grew up in a big city, so that might be something to keep in mind. This one is hard to call. I want to say yes because names like [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m] and [name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m] and [name_m]Raphael[/name_m] populate the boys’ chart. But then again, none of those have been used for a Disney princess. For what it’s worth, I think [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] is fiery and striking on a boy.
I also second this! I am pro unisex names (on either gender) but I think the cons outweigh the pros. I think it sounds nice in the middle spot. I especially like your [name_m]Callum[/name_m] [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] combo.
I think this is so sad [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] is a boy’s name that was used on a girl by Disney, it’s not really unisex, there’s [name_f]Arielle[/name_f] and [name_f]Ariella[/name_f] for feminine forms. But either way, that shouldn’t stop people using it as it was originally intended to be used.
*Not picking on you Rylane, I just chose your comment as an example.
Personally, I think naming your boy [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] will actually help him. It could help the boy mature faster, and it has been proven that the first letter of a child’s name can effect they’re grades and future. Plus, many people might actually associate it with fond memories-most everyone loves Disney movies, right? And it’s always sounded rather masculine to me. [name_f]Do[/name_f] what you want!
If people want to name their boys [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] or [name_u]Kelly[/name_u] or [name_u]Mackenzie[/name_u] (just examples of names that have “gone girl”)…go for it. In this case though, the Disney connection is very obvious…and kids can be mean. And [name_f]Arielle[/name_f] and [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] can be pronounced the exact same way.
Please don’t!!! [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] is really girly now!!! It’s the freaking little mermaid!!! [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t name your son after a Disney princess!!! To little kids nowadays (and to me, as a 15 year old Disney-obsessed girl), a boy named [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] would be like a boy named [name_f]Cinderella[/name_f]!!! It would make a fine middle name but please don’t use it as a first. It shocked me to learn [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] was a boy’s name, it seems so girly to me after The [name_m]Little[/name_m] Mermaid.
It’s semi-common in both Jewish and Latino communities. It’s not anything like [name_f]Cinderella[/name_f] in that regard. It’s more like [name_u]River[/name_u], which is well-used on boys but on TV tends to go girl, and is in fact a unisex name.
Or like [name_u]Elliott[/name_u], which has a long history as a boy’s name - but some want to claim it for the girls because of some of its sounds and how it was a girl’s name on Scrubs - which still doesn’t make it wrong to name a boy [name_u]Elliott[/name_u].
[name_u]Ariel[/name_u] is a boy’s name that was used on a girl by Disney, it’s not really unisex, there’s [name_f]Arielle[/name_f] and [name_f]Ariella[/name_f] for feminine forms. But either way, that shouldn’t stop people using it as it was originally intended to be used.