I know [name]Ashley[/name] is now mostly used only for girls…but I have always had a deep love for it as a boys name. And I seem to keep coming back to it in my head (I haven’t told my fiance about it yet because I’m afraid he might just say “It’s a girls name, we are not using it on a boy!”).
I know that if my fiance did agree to [name]Ashley[/name] I would certainly be brave enough to use it (I’m not too hung up on what other people think if I really love something). I’m just afraid that, say 10 years from now, my son comes to me and says “Why couldn’t you have just named me [name]Jacob[/name] or [name]Benjamin[/name]?”…
I don’t want my son to hate me for naming him [name]Ashley[/name]…but it’s starting to become my #1 boy name.
I have thought about using it for a middle name but I just feel like “it’s either the first spot or nothing”. I’m stubborn that way I suppose. :rolleyes:
Although I still haven’t found out the gender of my baby yet so it is still likely I am having a girl (and won’t have to think about [name]Ashley[/name] again until I have another baby).
The worst part of it as that I have a very good reason for wanting to use [name]Ashley[/name]! It was my mother’s maiden name. She passed away when I was young so it would also be a good way to honor her…
I want you to use [name]Ashley[/name] for a boy. To me the name sounds way better for a boy than a girl but would never be brave enough to use it. =(
If your son does grow up and dislike his name because it’s a ‘girls name’ (which I doubt will happen) he can always fall back on the nickname [name]Ash[/name] which is very masculine to me.
If you decide agaisnt [name]Ashley[/name] what about the very similar [name]Asher[/name] which would still honour your mum.
Well, [name]Ashley[/name] IS originally a boy’s name. [name]Ever[/name] since my teen years when O-town and [name]Ashley[/name] [name]Parker[/name] [name]Angel[/name] (hides in shame) were around I’ve always liked it for a boy, I actually like it better for a guy than a girl. [name]Love[/name] [name]Ash[/name] as a nn.
I’m sorry, but I absolutely wouldn’t do it. I understand how much you love it and want to honor your mother, but I truly believe it would make your son’s life so much more difficult, and in the end that should be the deciding factor. He is the one who has to live with it every day and in this day and age it is such a girls name. [name]How[/name] it started originally doesn’t matter.
As a middle name, maybe. But as a first? For your son’s sake, don’t do it.
I could even see [name]Ashlyn[/name] possibly working.
But I dunno, the only connection I have for a boy [name]Ashley[/name] is Gone with the Wind.
I think if you really do love it you’ve got to be prepared to compromise, both with your DH and with your unborn son–who, I agree with you, could very well say “what were you thinking” in 15 years. So whether that compromise comes in the form of middle name or a variation, if you really love it, I think you should be willing to find a way to make it happen.
I would [name]LOVE[/name] to meet a little boy named [name]Ashley[/name]. I am an [name]Ashley[/name] and I love it, but I think [name]Ashley[/name] is so cool on a boy. The nn [name]Ash[/name] is so in-style right now, what with [name]Asher[/name]'s and [name]Ashton[/name]'s popularity. I’ve opted for [name]Asher[/name] on my list, but [name]Asher[/name]'s what I truly love. I love the meaning and the Biblical connection, and honestly, I don’t care to pass down my own name. But my uncle has [name]Ashley[/name] as a MN, and his BROTHER has [name]Ashley[/name] for a FN (lol, they’re [name]Bruce[/name] [name]Ashley[/name] and [name]Ashley[/name] [name]Bruce[/name]–I honestly cannot tell you what she was thinking when she named them!), so [name]Ashley[/name] runs in my family and I can see it on a boy as much as a girl. Besides, [name]Ashley[/name]'s going down in popularity for girls, so now seems like the prime time to take [name]Ashley[/name] back for the boys. My uncle’s brother goes by [name]Lee[/name], so technically, I would think an [name]Ashley[/name] could even go by [name]Leo[/name] if he really hated [name]Ashley[/name] (especially if he had an “O” mn, like [name]Ashley[/name] [name]Oscar[/name] or [name]Ashley[/name] [name]Oliver[/name]!).
I would love to see [name]Ashley[/name] on a boy! It’s sweet and soft, but not flimsy and not frilly in the least in my opinion. It would be one of my favourite boy’s names if I liked [name]Ashley[/name] [name]Wilkes[/name] from GWTW more (it’s one of my favourite books and movies). I’ve known a few female Ashleys and no male ones, but I still see it as unisex. Someone needs to start if it’s ever going to be used for boys again!
I’m not sure about where you live, but in my area, using the first name [name]Ashley[/name] for a boy would be sentencing him to a childhood of teasing. It could even lead to him being mercilessly ridiculed in his teenage years, unless he goes by the nn [name]Ash[/name] and never tells anyone his real name I suppose. [name]Every[/name] single [name]Ashley[/name] born where I live is a girl. For his sake, I really wouldn’t do it. Especially if he ended up in a classroom with a girl named [name]Ashley[/name] or two.
100% completely totally agree. Whether it began originally as a boy’s name doesn’t negate the fact that it was the number 1 or at least top 5 girl name for most of the 80s and all of the 90s.
There’s always [name]Ash[/name], [name]Asher[/name], Ashton, etc. for a similar sound. I also like the idea of having a ‘lee’ sound in the middle name, ie. Asher Liam.
Honestly, this will depend entirely on what sort of person he turns out to be. I know a male [name]Lindsey[/name] who rocks his name, but he’s confident, creative and doesn’t seem to give a crap what anyone thinks of him. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee you’ll have that sort of son. I want to say yes, absolutely go for it because I love “girl” names on boys… but what if you have the sort of son who cares deeply what others think of him? I’d go for one of the other [name]Ash[/name] names, because chances are as an [name]Ashley[/name] he’d go by [name]Ash[/name] anyway.
Sigh.
Why do we live in a world where people mock others for a name?? Especially a legitimate one. It’s not fair in the slightest, but it is the world we live in.
If you want to, it could work and be wonderful. I don’t know where you are, but there are number of English male soccer players named [name]Ashley[/name] right now, and I think it’s rather refreshing (and sexy, and I don’t even like GWTW). To me, [name]Ashley[/name] is only a slightly majority-female name, with actual, legitimate manly men who are also named [name]Ashley[/name]. But I live in the South and know male Shannons, Tracys, Stacys, Shelbys and Aubreys, so…
Anyway, it’s a nice name if you like it, and what’s the worst that someone could say–that it’s a girl’s name? I personally don’t think that’s a problem, and I actually think that it’s liberating to give a boy a “soft” name. Girls shouldn’t be the only ones to have to deal with gender ambiguity.
(And yes, I do have a lot of feelings about the topic )
Very interesting to hear everyone’s thoughts! I really appreciate it!
I think I will try and bring it up to [name]Theo[/name] and just see what he thinks…
^This is exactly what I was thinking!
In the end I guess I will have to decide whether I want to take a chance on my son not liking his name or not…but when I think about it…that’s kind of how it is with any name! Hmmm…that’s something to think about.
By the way ashthedreamer, I love your idea of using a middle name that starts with O and calling him [name]Leo[/name]… (I’m really liking [name]Ashley[/name] [name]Oliver[/name]!!)
I’m glad you liked it! [name]Bailey[/name] [name]Oscar[/name] nn [name]Leo[/name] is on my own list. Most Berries didn’t seem to appreciate it when I asked if they thought it could work, but I think it’s pretty awesome!
Honestly, I’d skip it because it’s like the “it girl” name, kind of. I think it’d be a lot of a boy to carry in [name]North[/name] [name]America[/name].
Then again, I’m in love with [name]Eden[/name] on a boy. I don’t know…I think it might be best to skip it because of the issues it can cause down the road.
[name]Ashley[/name] is my #2 boy name and I’m using it come Hell or high water (or if I only have one boy!). The only compromise I would make is putting it in the middle but calling him [name]Ashley[/name], never by his first name.
With the recent rise of softer boy names, a little guy named [name]Ashley[/name] will fit right in. I don’t know any [name]Ashley[/name]'s under 25. It’s a very 80s name so parents of girls don’t use it around here. I’m Southern so even at the height of its popularity for girls it was still considered a boyish choice. In elementary school I remember the girl [name]Ashley[/name]'s, [name]Shannon[/name]'s, [name]Courtney[/name]'s, and [name]Stacy[/name]'s getting teased (playfully) for having boy names. None of the boys with “girl” names ever had any troubles back then so boys with those names today will be more than fine.
I told Theo about the name Ashley. And although he did ask at first “For a boy?!”…after that he went on to say “Hmmm…I kind of like it”. I swear my jaw dropped to the floor. My fiance is known for his not-so-secretive dislike for unisex names. I’m still recovering from the shock.
It’s nice to know that he stands behind me on Ashley.
I think what I might do if I do decide to use Ashley is give him two very obviously masculine middle names. That way he can have multiple options to choose from.
Haha, that was my reaction to my SO liking [name]Eden[/name] on a boy. (btw his middle name is [name]Theodore[/name] too)
We have [name]Eden[/name] [name]Lysander[/name] picked out atm.
[name]Ashley[/name] [name]Edward[/name] strikes me as handsome. [name]Ashley[/name] [name]Kenneth[/name] as well.
I am an [name]Ashley[/name] and I 
Most Berries didn’t seem to appreciate it when I asked if they thought it could work, but I think it’s pretty awesome!