I thought I loved this name but when I suggested it to my mum she said it was too girly - like ‘gemstone’.
I guess since we’re from [name_f]England[/name_f] it would seem that way? But I disagree
It’s kinda like [name_m]Jim[/name_m] but a bit modern - I do like [name_m]Jim[/name_m] but I think it’s a bit old.
What do people think?
I think [name_u]Jem[/name_u] is great - it has a strong literary tie to To Kill a Mocking [name_u]Bird[/name_u], it’s sweet but not too cutesy and I like the softness of it.
I haven’t ever met a [name_u]Jem[/name_u], but I have met a [name_u]Clem[/name_u] in the UK and he wore it well
I love [name_u]Jem[/name_u]. One of my very favorites. If you’re worried about it being girly you can do [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_m]Jeremy[/name_m], [name_m]Jeremiah[/name_m], etc and use [name_u]Jem[/name_u] as a nickname. That way if he grows and finds it girly, he just stops using it.
I love [name_u]Jem[/name_u] as a NN for [name_m]Jasper[/name_m]. Considering it’s a male Gemstone name.
If I met a [name_u]Jem[/name_u] I would assume he was a [name_m]Jeremiah[/name_m] or a [name_u]James[/name_u] as those are the most popular names that are shortened to [name_u]Jem[/name_u]. However, I would be pleasantly surprised if I found out he was just a [name_u]Jem[/name_u] and it wasn’t a NN. I like it and think it wears well.
I like [name_u]Jem[/name_u] as a nickname. It doesn’t feel like a full name to me. Though to be fair, I very rarely like one syllable names.
[name_u]Love[/name_u] love live [name_u]Jem[/name_u] as a nickname for [name_u]James[/name_u]! I wouldn’t think it modern though - it’s a very old fashioned nickname! Go for it!!
I used to lead on summer camps with a guy called [name_u]Jem[/name_u] (just [name_u]Jem[/name_u]), he was one of the most manly-men I have ever met, so to me [name_u]Jem[/name_u] seems very masculine!
I think, like perhaps your mother, many people may not be accustomed to [name_u]Jem[/name_u] on a male, as it’s an older [name_u]James[/name_u] diminutive, replaced in use by [name_m]Jim[/name_m]/[name_m]Jimmy[/name_m], and therefore not often used today (which is funny that you see it the opposite way - I guess when something gets old enough, it feels new again?). In fact, I feel like [name_u]Jem[/name_u] is used more on fictional characters, old and new, than real people, nowadays. I suppose due to it sounding like gem/[name_f]Gemma[/name_f]/[name_f]Jemma[/name_f], many relate it to sparkly gemstones, and deem it too feminine for use on a male nowadays, which is extremely unfortunate (why should sparkles and gemstones be gendered anyway…ugh).
I think [name_u]Jem[/name_u] is brilliant, as either a nickname, or better yet, a stand-alone name in his own right. I love short, sweet and spunky names, and [name_u]Jem[/name_u] definitely fits that bill.
I love the name [name_u]Jem[/name_u] and agree with the previous poster that some people just aren’t accustomed to it as a full name on a male whereas those familiar with To Kill A Mockingbird and with newer, more contemporary names might understand and like it more. I taught a boy named [name_u]Jem[/name_u] (his full name) and he wore it well. It’s a name I’d consider if I have a boy next.
It’s all relative, isn’t it!
[name_u]Jem[/name_u] is extremely unisex to me; I know a [name_m]Jeremiah[/name_m] who goes by [name_u]Jem[/name_u] and there’s the To Kill a Mockingbird namesake, but I also know two Jemimas who go by [name_u]Jem[/name_u].
I adore [name_u]Jem[/name_u]. I’ve been trying forever to convince myself it works as a full fn. It’s not that I don’t think it does, as much as it’s probably the only one syllable name I really like, and I like having a diminutive to use. I suppose my name is four letters so it shouldn’t seem crazy to me.
Recently I thought up [name_u]Jem[/name_u] as a nn for [name_f]Garnet[/name_f] and I’m kinda digging it, especially since [name_f]Garnet[/name_f] doesn’t lend itself well to being shortened. Normally I don’t love nns that are such a stretch, but this doesn’t bother me much since I can make sense out of it.
As for sounding “girly”, I think it’s one of those names that will become attached to its user. As in, it sounds name-y and will before long evoke the person before a sparkly stone. I don’t find its sound femme, but my taste can lean androgynous. I would use it as a girl mn as well.