So, I ran across a post from this forum from years ago where the poster asked about Isaiah for a girl. The large consensus was no because it’s a strongly masculine biblical name… but, honestly, so is James and it’s lovely for a girl. Same for Micah. And Elisha.
So, here is a list of biblical boy names that I’ve seen used for girls, and (just out of curiosity-- I’m not considering any of these names) I’m just wondering where everyone stands on them as girl names nowadays:
Asher
Azriel
Elijah
Elisha
Ezra
Gabriel
Ira
Isaiah
James
Jesse
Joel
Jude (or Judah)
Levi
Micah
Noah
Uri
A couple of these have feminine alternatives that are pronounced exactly the same (or quite similar) that I much prefer (and actually quite enjoy). While I don’t like [name_u]Ezra[/name_u] or [name_u]Noah[/name_u] for girls, I don’t mind [name_u]Esra[/name_u], and I really like [name_u]Isra[/name_u], Asra, and [name_u]Noa[/name_u]. [name_u]Jesse[/name_u] vs [name_u]Jessie[/name_u] is the same, but I don’t like either tbh.
I like [name_u]Asher[/name_u] and [name_u]Micah[/name_u] for girls. I have [name_f]Maika[/name_f] on my list, pronounced the same as [name_u]Micah[/name_u] but more feminine and without the Biblical reference or meaning.
I like [name_u]Ira[/name_u] and [name_u]Jude[/name_u] on girls, though prefer the latter as a nickname. I like that [name_u]Ira[/name_u] has other origins which makes it more usable as a feminine name imo.
Really dislike [name_m]Azriel[/name_m] on anyone, and don’t find it appropriate at all.
On the one hand, I would like that things (toys, clothes, hobbies, jobs, etc.) in general were less gendered.
On the other hand, with naming I’m a bit more traditional and I usually prefer boy names for boys and girl names for girls.
I really don’t like boy names for girls (or girl names for boys). That’s a personal preference, obviously, as it is a major trend and many people do like this.
The only ones on your list I’d like for a girl are [name_u]Elisha[/name_u] and [name_u]Ezra[/name_u]. [name_u]Ira[/name_u] ends in an -a but it still seems so masculine to me. I’ve always loved [name_u]Ezra[/name_u] but didn’t want to use it for a boy because it sounds so feminine, with the -a ending.
