Artemis

See the results of this poll: Is Artemis a girl or a boy?

Respondents: 44 (This poll is closed)

  • Girl : 34 (77%)
  • Boy : 4 (9%)
  • Either: 6 (14%)

[name_u]Artemis[/name_u] is totally girly for me.

[name_u]Artemis[/name_u] is a Greek goddess, so I’m afraid it is all girl to me.

I love [name_u]Artemis[/name_u], especially on a boy. It can go either way though! I love it because of the [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] Fowl books, and I’ve used it in some boy combos. A great nickname would be [name_m]Artie[/name_m].

I think it could be seen as unisex because of [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] Fowl, so if you really wanted to use it on a boy you could.
That said, it’s all girl to me. I’m Greek and it seems pretty silly that people would name their sons after a goddess. Not offensive, but a bit weird, especially since it’s a name from a culture that’s not theirs.
If your husband thinks it sounds too masculine, what about nickames [name_f]Missy[/name_f], [name_f]Emmie[/name_f] and [name_u]Ari[/name_u]? They sound pretty feminine and could maybe convince him.

As it’s the name of a goddess, I’d say that puts it pretty solidly in the feminine and overrules pop culture quite significantly. However the (tangentially) related name [name_m]Artemas[/name_m] is masculine and the two sound almost identical in a lot of accents, which I think is where the confusion might be from.

Boy. It was popular on boys in Greece/[name_m]Roman[/name_m] times.

Usually I wouldn’t be too bothered with girls names on boys and vice versa, and just not pay much attention to the one I liked less. But [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] is the exception for me. I like to stick to close to originals and using a goddess’ name for a boy (or a gods’ name for a girl) isn’t something I’d be okay doing. I have read the [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] Fowl books, and I still don’t think that connection trumps the mythology one. To me [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] is strong, feisty, and feminine. There’s [name_m]Artemus[/name_m] and [name_m]Artemas[/name_m] variants for boys (both of which I also love), so I think it’d be nice to leave [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] for girls.

I voted girl because I strongly prefer it for a girl, but it’s usable for a boy.

I love [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] [name_f]Moon[/name_f] too! I grew up with that show, so I was surprised when I got older and found out that [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] was a female goddess, despite being the name of the male cat on the show. The “-is” ending also sounds a bit masculine, since that sound is so associated with masculine Latin words and names.

I think I would prefer it on a girl/woman because she was not only a goddess, but specifically a goddess of childbirth among other things. Her association with the wilderness and the moon were also distinctly feminine associations at the time. She has been associated with the ancient Amazons (who were all female obviously) and is still a patron goddess of contemporary pagans, who see her as an aspect of the divine feminine.

Knowing all that makes it difficult to endorse using the name for a boy, since historically and mythologically she represented (and for some still does represent) an aspect of the female experience and female divinity.

A few years ago I would have said that I love it on a boy, and I even considered using it as a middle name for a boy for a while. But knowing what I know now, I’d say it doesn’t work on a boy and it belongs on a girl. I think it would be an absolutely awesome name to have!

P.S. I feel like I say this every time you post a thread but seriously I love your style and your signature is gorgeous!

Thank you everybody!! I really do prefer [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] as a girls name, but I love the name so much that I’m half considering it for a boy - especially with my husband so staunchly anti-girl for it (what can I say, we don’t all grow up reading Greek mythology lol). [name_m]Artemas[/name_m] is a strong contender but I must admit I prefer [name_u]Artemis[/name_u]!!

@myosotis I am with you 99%!! I really think of [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] only as a girls name, even though there are prominent pop culture references to masculine usage. However… I also love [name_u]Zephyr[/name_u] equally on a boy or girl so I dunno! I’m a mess lol.

@silversky109 thank you :slight_smile: [name_u]Sailor[/name_u] [name_f]Moon[/name_f] forever! I actually had a cat (a boy) named [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] because of that show.