@kasie: The definition of ignorant is lacking knowledge, being uninformed. If a parent just picks a name they know nothing about and makes no effort to learn about it, then they are willfully ignorant. There is so much information out there, “It sounds girly” and “I thought…” are not excuses. We don’t have to go by sound and thought when you can easily look it up
[name]Artemis[/name] is listed as both a girls’ and boys’ name on nameberry, and from what I can tell it was used a lot on boys in the past. A dear friend of mine has a son with the middle name [name]Artemas[/name] (spelled this way because it honors several ancestors named [name]Artemas[/name]) and he absolutely loves his middle name. He even asks to be called by it at times and he’s 10 now. His parents are both bright, very successful people. They’re wonderful parents who put an incredible amount of thought into their children’s names. I understand that you don’t like the trend of boys’ names on girls, but I don’t think it’s very classy or considerate to bash the parents who have a different opinion than you.
If you like [name]Aubrey[/name] for a girl, look it up and find out it is a ‘boy’ name, that information does not change the fact that you like it for a girl.
Thanks you. My point exactly.
@kasie I didn’t say you,or anyone else was was ignorant, I just don’t like the trend.
I too do not like this trend, as I love really feminine & elegant names for girls. Some of my favorite boy names which are being overused on girls these days are [name]Emerson[/name], [name]Elliot[/name], [name]Finley[/name]/[name]Finn[/name] & [name]Rowan[/name]. I would never use these names for a girl.
Some of the surname first names I think are ok for a girl, particularly if the name has a well-known connection with a female (i.e., [name]Harper[/name] as in [name]Harper[/name] [name]Lee[/name] the novelist, [name]Harlow[/name] as in [name]Jean[/name] [name]Harlow[/name] the actress, [name]Winslet[/name] as in [name]Kate[/name] [name]Winslet[/name]). I wouldn’t name a boy Aniston, b/c I strongly associate the name with actress [name]Jennifer[/name] Aniston. But others like [name]Cooper[/name], [name]Sawyer[/name], etc., they’re all boy to me.
I guess I’m sensitive to this too because I have a girly name, but my nickname is the more unisex [name]Cris[/name]. Family members dubbed me [name]Cris[/name] (my dad really wanted a boy, only got daughters). Yet men often tell me they love my first name, they like that femininity (and I like that they like it!)
[name]Crystal[/name] aka [name]Cris[/name] 
@greyer [name]Bryn[/name] is also listed as a boys and girls name on nameberry. In the UK it is categorically a boys name,particularly in [name]Wales[/name] it’s country of origin.
So the unisex listings are influenced by American culture,nameberry being an American website.
I don’t think it is rude or not “classy” to express an opinion different to someone else’s.
I expressed my opinion,others have expressed their’s. In my original post I did ask if any fans could enlighten me,because I am interested in why the trend is so popular.
@greyer [name]Bryn[/name] is also listed as a boys and girls name on nameberry. In the UK it is categorically a boys name,particularly in [name]Wales[/name] it’s country of origin.
So the unisex listings are influenced by American culture,nameberry being an American website.
I don’t think it is rude or not “classy” to express an opinion different to someone else’s.
I expressed my opinion,others have expressed their’s. In my original post I did ask if any fans could enlighten me,because I am interested in why the trend is so popular.
@kasie I just noticed your “wishing for a welsh girl” comment and chuckled. I don’t tend to think “wished for a boy” to be honest,as I’ve said multiple times now,it’s just not a trend I’m a fan of.
The whole point of this post was for people for and against to discuss the reasons they do/n’t like the trend. And with the exception of my [name]Artemis[/name] comment it seems,have tried to avoid being inflammatory.
I honestly don’t see why it matters to people what gender names are assigned. Yes, there are names that are traditionally masculine and names that are traditionally feminine, but as long as a name isn’t offensive, I see no argument against using it on the other gender. [name]Artemis[/name] sounds masculine, despite the fact that it was a goddess. It has the nn of [name]Artie[/name], which is masculine.
The only reason not to use traditionally masculine or feminine names on different genders is to fit in to the gender binary system society has in place, and I see no problem with breaking it. What makes me upset is when people use masculine names on girls in an attempt to make them appear better suited on job applications and in the professional world.
I honestly don’t see why it matters to people what gender names are assigned. Yes, there are names that are traditionally masculine and names that are traditionally feminine, but as long as a name isn’t offensive, I see no argument against using it on the other gender. [name]Artemis[/name] sounds masculine, despite the fact that it was a goddess. It has the nn of [name]Artie[/name], which is masculine.
The only reason not to use traditionally masculine or feminine names on different genders is to fit in to the gender binary system society has in place, and I see no problem with breaking it. What makes me upset is when people use masculine names on girls in an attempt to make them appear better suited on job applications and in the professional world.
I hate the trend. I think it is especially confusing once you add in siblings. In highschool there were two new kids (siblings) named [name]Jordan[/name] and [name]Taylor[/name], one was a boy and one a girl, needless to say it took a long time for anyone to get their unisex names straight and they were being called by their brother/sister’s name constantly. I think that to balance out the masculenity of a boys name you have to be georgeous, if the child is average the name will make them look even plainer, and that just isn’t fair to the child.
Can I please just ask one thing: why do parents always drop a boy’s name when it becomes too popular for girls? It’s still unisex; they’d still be a boy. It’s not going to compromise their masculinity. I’ve stated previously that I’m not a fan of the trend, but you can’t really blame the parents that gave the name to girls because you would the only one stopping yourself using the name on a boy, not them. I think this annoys me more than the trend itself. Why, when a name is given to a girl does it become practically poisonous for boys??? 
I love the name [name]Emery[/name], and I would give it to either gender regardless of which gender it’s more popular for.
This! I can understand when the name becomes ridiculously popular for a girl and people start seeing it as a girl name, it’s hard to use it as a boy name. I think of [name]Addison[/name] with this one. I never heard it until it was on a girl. So in my mind, it was a girl’s name, until I looked into it more and eventually met a boy [name]Addison[/name]. But now it’s SO popular for girls that it’s a really tough name for a boy to pull off.
On the other hand, there are names that have been used for girls that aren’t even super popular for girls ([name]Logan[/name], [name]Elliott[/name], [name]Evan[/name], etc). I hate when people say it’s turning into a girl name. No it’s not! It’s still [name]WAY[/name] more popular for boys. They’re still boy names. Avoiding a name because you know [name]ONE[/name] person who named their baby girl this is going to strike a LOT of names off your list.
And you were getting at the whole masculinity/femininity thing. I totally agree that I don’t get it. It’s “acceptable” to name a little girl a masculine name. It makes her “stronger” or a “tomboy” or something. But if you were to name a boy a girl’s name, it’s terrible. [name]Even[/name] if it was originally a boy’s name ([name]Shannon[/name], [name]Ashley[/name], names like that). Why the double standard?
The main reason I wouldn’t use a “girl’s” name on a boy is because of the confusion. I prefer people to know that my child is a boy from their name. No real reason, I just think it’s easier for everyone. But at the same time, this is why I won’t use a masculine name on a girl. She doesn’t need to be mistaken for a boy her whole life just because I wanted to be creative or loved a name and couldn’t wait to use it on a boy instead.
Honestly get over it…it is bound to happen… because not every kid can be an [name]Isabella[/name] or [name]Sophia[/name]… a lot of those name are unisex anyway and I like [name]Jasper[/name] for a girl …btw it is a stone sooo… it is gender neutral…
I don’t like [name]Maxwell[/name] for a girl though
@mollykat78 [name]Isabella[/name] and [name]Sophia[/name] are far from the only feminine names out there. I wouldn’t use either of them.
And re [name]Jasper[/name],well we’re all entitled to our own opinions.
Obviously you’re a boys names on girls fan,can I ask what is it in particular that makes you like one “boys” name on a girl and not another?
I mean there are girl Hunters etc but no girl [name]Williams[/name](well,not likely to be many),for example.
So is my name, but it’s not gender neutral. [name]Just[/name] wanted to point that out. Same goes for [name]Ruby[/name] and [name]Pearl[/name].
I personally love it, and I can’t quite explain why. My name is [name]Ashley[/name] and 100 years ago that was a boy name too!
I’m of two minds about this one. I personally don’t care for classical boys names on girls. However I personally think surnames, virtue names, nickname names, occupation names, nature names, made up names, and for that matter names that aren’t really being used by anyone are fair game for either sex. I don’t think it’s “stealing from the boys” if less than 5 people have used if for their sons anyways, or it’s never been in the top 1000.
The names that always get to me, are the ones with very masculine meanings. I really can’t see naming a daughter something hyper masculine. On the other hand, a number of traditionally feminine names are derived from masculine meanings too so this is obviously not an issue for everyone ([name]Julia[/name], for example means downy bearded.)
I actually think it’s interesting to look at which boys names are being used for girls. I doubt we’ll see many little girls named [name]Oscar[/name], [name]Rupert[/name], [name]Donald[/name] etc. The ones being used are names that share a lot of characteristics with a certain class of feminine names. I suspect they appeal to people who like simple, clean names as opposed to the more frilly, traditionally feminine names.
I sort of think it’s funny that this is considered a new trend too. For example [name]Pete[/name] was number 500 and some on the 1910 girls name list, proving that boys names for girls isn’t a new phenom
I also think, as a culture, we need to think long and hard about what we are teaching our sons if sharing a name with a girl is considered such a terrible thing.
I can’t stand it.
Girls are girls. Boys are boys.
This idea that giving a girl a unisex/male name will empower her, or strengthen her career is sexist in itself. It’s saying that there’s something wrong with being female.
There are girls names that are very strong, and powerful in sound, there’s no need to take boys names for girls. And in the long run, it just minimizes the options for boys. Once a name goes female, it rarely goes well for the boys.
I am vehemently against it.
Unisex names are one thing, or names that can go either way like [name]Avery[/name], [name]Aubrey[/name], [name]Leighton[/name], [name]Quinn[/name]. But names like [name]Edward[/name], [name]Michael[/name], [name]Harry[/name]. Ugh.