I really like boy names for girls… [name]Riley[/name], [name]Harper[/name], [name]Mason[/name]. However, I don’t like the idea of my children having popular names. So I was wondering, do you think [name]August[/name], [name]Sterling[/name], and [name]Lachlan[/name] are too far a stretch for girls? I would put super girly middles names with these to balance them out. I like…
I think these names are really cool. I like how you used uncommon boys names, so she would most likely not have a male [name]August[/name]/[name]Sterling[/name]/[name]Lachlan[/name] in the class with her, because that could be awkward for both of them. [name]August[/name] is my favorite because I think it would be the easiest for a girl to wear, but the other two are nice and definitely wearable for a girl as well.
I’m a woman with a male name, and I’ve never liked it. While the name itself is okay to me and it’s well-recognized as feminine, the fact that it’s linguistically male (including its meaning) has always bothered me. I do think [name]August[/name], [name]Sterling[/name], and [name]Lachlan[/name] are too masculine for girls. I think you may want to consider a name that sounds masculine, but isn’t. Here are some examples of those, along with the unisex names that I dislike the least:
[name]Noa[/name]- I really like this, and etymologically, it’s feminine without the h.
[name]Carys[/name]- Feminine, but sounds very strong to me.
[name]Auden[/name]- Unisex, a surname, and not used as a first name until very recently. This is one of the few names that I can see working on either sex.
[name]Quinn[/name]- Again, unisex, but I think it works on a girl, especially as a nickname.
[name]Manon[/name] (ma-NOHN)- I think this is both beautiful and strong.
[name]Rhiannon[/name]- I love this
[name]Micaiah[/name]- Unisex, but I really like it on a girl, plus it’s got great nickname options like [name]Cai[/name] and [name]Caia[/name].
[name]Maren[/name]- Feminine, but the two syllable, ends-in-n formula is quite popular for boys now.
[name]Willow[/name]- I think the o ending makes it sound a little more masculine than most female names.
[name]Juno[/name]- Like [name]Willow[/name], the o makes it feel more unisex than it is.
[name]Clio[/name]/[name]Cleo[/name]- another female o-ender
[name]Nico[/name]- Unisex nickname for the [name]Nic[/name]- family
[name]Harper[/name]- this is on your list, and it’s one of the few unisex names I don’t mind on a girl. I think [name]Harper[/name] [name]Lee[/name] makes it seem a bit easier for a girl to wear.
[name]Reese[/name]- This spelling is more feminine to me, and I think it works particularly well as a nickname for [name]Theresa[/name]
I just wanted to give you an opinion based on my experience. Best of luck!
[name]Sterling[/name] and [name]Lachlan[/name] are a little too much and masculine in my opinion. [name]August[/name] could probably pass as a girls name.
I agree with daisy451. I grew up with a name that wasn’t masculine at all, but sounded a bit masculine to those who’ve never heard it, and I had a masculine middle name. It’s something I’ve always hated, people used to point out the manliness of my name a lot. That was bad enough. If I’d been given a name like [name]Sterling[/name] or [name]Lachlan[/name], I would have despised it.
I don’t know. In my personal experience I’ve known multiple girls named [name]Taylor[/name] and [name]Sydney[/name], two named [name]Sloane[/name], one named [name]Logan[/name] and one named [name]Emerson[/name]. I never heard any of them complain about their names even the Taylors who had boys in their class with the same name. These are all girls that I danced with when I was younger, 13 - 18 years old. I spent a lot of time with them. It looks like to me it would have come up at least once. I have a name that ends with N and I was always glad for it. I’ve always felt sorry for all the Jessicas, Amandas, and Rebeccas out there. Course I was a tom boy and liked that my name wasn’t overly feminine. I just don’t feel like [name]Sterling[/name] and [name]Lachlan[/name] are any less feminine than [name]Emerson[/name] and [name]Logan[/name].
I am not a fan of boys’ names on girls for two reasons: (1) [name]Every[/name] time I meet a girl with a boy’s name, my reaction is to roll my eyes and assume that the parents were trying to be “different” or “cool” and neither seems positive to me. (2) As the soon-to-be mother of a son, I get so frustrated with boys’ names that are no longer usable because people have turned them into girls’ names. With more “daring” parents now-a-days, the list of uncommon but normal and masculine boys’ names seems to be dwindling quickly, and I have found it very frustrating.
[name]Just[/name] my two cents (apologies if it comes across strong – this has been a very frustrating issue for us in our son’s name search). There are so many unique and more masculine girls’ names out there. Maybe one of those will strike you as the perfect one. Doesn’t hurt to take a look. Good luck!
I’ve never really understood moms of boys getting so upset over moms of girls using boy names. My son’s name is [name]Benton[/name] and I named him that knowing of a teenage girl whose name is [name]Benton[/name]. I refuse to consider even slightly popular names. I just can’t stand the idea of my kids having the same name as anyone in their class. I just don’t see [name]August[/name], [name]Sterling[/name], and [name]Lachlan[/name] meeting boys with these names. I think [name]August[/name] may be the only one with a slight chance because it does seem to be getting more popular for boys. It has family meaning for me though. [name]August[/name] and [name]Sterling[/name] are listed as girl names as well as boy names on NB. [name]Lachlan[/name] is listed as only boy, but there’s another baby naming site that lists it as both. I also don’t see me setting a trend unless someone from All My Children hears one of my kids names and decides to name a female character that name. lol I do want my childrens’ names to be different, but I don’t see anything wrong with that. As far as being cool that’s something I’ve never been and don’t expect to be. These are just names that my husband and I really like. Thanks for your opinion!
Maybe it’s different in the UK because it’s a very uncommon “trend” here, but peers frequently point out gender-bending names and tease about them. Obvious, in the US, there are a lot more names that defy gender expectations so I suppose that’s more widely accepted. I just know I’d hate it myself.
I understand the issues that catheyc is talking about aswell. [name]Benton[/name] isn’t really the best of examples because it’s not that common for boys or girls. But there are some names like [name]Addison[/name], [name]Morgan[/name], [name]Riley[/name], [name]Harper[/name] etc which I think are gorgeous for boys, but since I plan on moving to the US at some point I feel like I should avoid them because parents have turned them into girls names. I agree that [name]Sterling[/name] and [name]Lachlan[/name] aren’t any more masculine than names like [name]Emerson[/name], but I don’t see any of them as being remotely feminine either.
I’m usually not one for confining things to specific genders; I don’t agree with forcing boys to play with “boy” toys, or forcing girls to wear “girls” clothes if they don’t want to. I think way too much emphasis is put on gender restrictions in society today. But you have to think about the judgements other people will make. In an ideal all-accepting society, it would be fine to have boys named [name]Rose[/name] or [name]Elizabeth[/name] and girls named [name]Jacob[/name] and [name]David[/name] - but, our society isn’t all-accepting and children could be teased for such things. I know better than many that being an outcast isn’t nice at all.
It’s just something to think about. If you really love those names then I know nothing will stop you using them, and I guess that’s fine. [name]Just[/name] be prepared for any issues that may arise
In a perfect world, I’d say anyone could name their children anything – and I, for one, am a huge advocate of naming boys in [name]North[/name] [name]America[/name] [name]Ashley[/name], [name]Avery[/name], [name]Sidney[/name], etc, regardless of their current gender status. But I worry about why it is so popular to give girls boys names and never the other way around. I have been doing a little research and the reasons given are often that boys names “sound strong” or “look better on a resume”, both of which carry very unfortunate implications about femininity. I’d rather the world believe that [name]Thomasina[/name] can be a strong, hard worker than just give up, call little girls [name]Thomas[/name], and end up with another boys name people think of as “too girly.”
That said, it’s your choice – I just like to make sure people think about these things. An informed opinion is best after all! I do like the idea of using a very obviously feminine middle name if you’re going to use a male first name, although my preference would be to put them in the other order. [name]Sterling[/name] [name]Elizabeth[/name] sounds confused to me – [name]Elizabeth[/name] [name]Sterling[/name] sounds like a film star.
I am not a fan of this trend at all. Many parents I know who have given their daughters traditionally masculine names either wanted to be “unique” or wanted a “strong” name. The fact of the matter is that this trend is no longer unique and it leads to gender confusion. If you live in an area where [name]August[/name], [name]Sterling[/name], and [name]Lachlan[/name] are names that can be found on personalized items, they’re going to be for boys. If someone saw [name]August[/name], [name]Sterling[/name], or [name]Lachlan[/name] LastName on paper, they would assume your daughter was a boy. If you want to use a masculine name for your daughter, put it in the middle spot. As for wanting a “strong” name for your daughter (I don’t know if this is the case for you), going masculine is not the best choice. In my opinion this is sending the message that to be strong you have to be masculine. That totally isn’t true.
daisy451 made some wonderful suggestions. I think that [name]Rhiannon[/name] and [name]Maren[/name] in particular are two lovely examples of names that are feminine and strong.
People talk about unisex names, but the only boy I ever met with a girl’s name hated it ([name]Brandy[/name]) and his parents and changed his name to [name]Brian[/name] as soon as he turned 18, so there you go.
I agree that [name]August[/name], [name]Lachlan[/name], and [name]Sterling[/name] (unless they are family names and that’s different) are just too masculine.
I too grew up with a masculine name back when (besides the actress I was named for) the only Leslies I ever knew were guys. I got called Lezzie and Lezbo a lot and I hated it. Consequently, my daughter has a feminine name and my son a masculine one, and neither has complained about it.
I really don’t like the trend at all. For example, no one calls [name]Harper[/name] [name]Lee[/name] “[name]Harper[/name]”. Her name is [name]Nelle[/name], and that’s what she’s used for her entire life. She was named after her grandmother [name]Ellen[/name]. It just irks me to hear girls named [name]Michael[/name], [name]James[/name], and other traditional boys’ names that are boys’ names for a reason: [name]Michael[/name] the archangel, [name]James[/name] the brother of [name]Jesus[/name] and a traditional saint’s name, etc.
If you’re going to give her a super feminine middle name, just call her that.
