And names that have masculine means/-son endings! ARGH.
I can’t stand it.
I whole heartedly agree.
We could also flip that around and ask what’s wrong with being feminine? Girl names are “frilly” so if you want a strong name for your daughter it has to be a man’s name? So feminine/woman = weak?
[name]Catherine[/name] and [name]Victoria[/name] sound a lot stronger than [name]Emerson[/name] and [name]Jasper[/name]
I don’t have a problem with other people expressing their opinions, I would just hope that we could all be a little kinder about it. I wasn’t trying to be rude in my comment and I apologize if it came off that way. I just don’t think it’s fair to say someone is “none too bright” for giving their child a certain name, or to call someone ignorant for choosing a name for its sound rather than it’s meaning as I saw someone else do in this thread. [name]How[/name] often is someone going to ask what your name means? Take [name]Helga[/name], it means “prosperous, successful” which is something any parent would want for their child, but no one is going to care what it means if it sounds unattractive.
Names are different in different parts of the world. Using your example of [name]Bryn[/name], I’m an American and have only ever met girls named [name]Bryn[/name]. Regardless that it’s a boys’ name, in this part of the world a male [name]Bryn[/name] would probably be teased. I love [name]Aubrey[/name] on a boy, and it is an established male name, but that doesn’t mean I’d try to use it on a son. Here that would be the equivalent of a boy named [name]Sue[/name].
Again I apologize if anything I’ve said is offensive or inflammatory to anyone. I just don’t think it’s fair to belittle others for their choice of names – it’s their child, not yours, and we should all respect each other’s preferences.
I don’t think [name]Aubrey[/name] is seen to be male AT ALL these days, so you might want to let that one go. I love the names [name]Emerson[/name], [name]Avery[/name] and [name]Leighton[/name] on girls. They sound feminine. However, I think [name]Jaden[/name] is just bad either way. And the others do sound masculine to me. I’d use [name]Blake[/name] maybe as a middle name. Oh and I love [name]Riley[/name] for a boy, and it doesn’t bother me if girls use the name. [name]Just[/name] because you like a name doesn’t mean you own it, get over it.
I agree! I think that if someone likes [name]Aubrey[/name] on a girl because they just like the sound/style then that’s fine. But if they think it will aid her career and make her appear stronger then it’s just kind of sexist, as if we’re saying, ‘If you can’t beat them, join them…’ [name]Just[/name] because something is masculine doesn’t make it strong and clever and empowering, and just because something is feminine doesn’t mean it’s weak and unsuccessful and submissive. A name gives little guarantee of the personality of the bearer.
It links to a pretty sickening stereotype when you think about it. I have never understood this argument in favour of boys names on girls… while I don’t like the trend, if you like [name]Aubrey[/name] on a girl because of the sound/style then realistically you shouldn’t have to justify it with this bull.
I’ll clarify: Whichever gender you like [name]Aubrey[/name] on - it doesn’t matter since it’s unisex. Use it on the gender of your choice, but don’t justify it with stupid reasons. If you like it enough, there should be no need to.
People who use definitions in arguments always end up sounding really arrogant and obnoxious. People who use a name because they like it ARE NOT IGNORANT. Some names have terrible meanings but they don’t get attacked because of that NEARLY as often.
I didn’t read the whole thread - but I am actually one of the people who like boys names for girl. A couple of my favorites are [name]Noa[/name], [name]Codi[/name], and [name]Carson[/name] for girls. A lot of names that I think are overused for boys (and wouldn’t use) seem adorable for girls.
Well, I was once corrected on the meaning of “ignorant” on this site and I welcomed the correction. If I misuse a word, I want to know about it. Not saying I agree 100% with nat108’s comment, but still.
I agree with you (chloe_belle) that if they look up the name, see it is masculine and use it on a girl then they wouldn’t be ignorant since they would know - using it on a girl would just be a demonstration of personal preference. I hope, anyway.
And some names do have terrible meanings, but they sound good. Depends how hardline you are regarding meanings.
Spelled the way you have it, [name]Noa[/name] is a completely separate girls name. It’s not a feminization of [name]Noah[/name]. I actually like that one, because it’s a legitimate girls name with a nice meaning.
The other two are all boys to me.
I don’t recall ever saying that frilly = weak. [name]Nor[/name] for that matter that boys names sound “stronger.” And, unless I missed something, I dont think anyone else did either.
I think that it’s a huge mistake to assume that parents are using these types of names due to their strong, masculine image. It seems to be the opponents of this style of naming that jump to that conclusion. The names that tend to cross over are the ones that mirror the sounds and patterns of a certain style of currently popular girls’ names. They tend to be simple and clean sounding, not particularly strong. They also tend to be the least “strong” sounding of the boys names. I mean seriously, I don’t think anyone is picking a name like [name]Emery[/name] for boys or girls because it sounds particularly strong. The whole trend makes far more sense if you view it as a stylistic choice rather than a philosophical one.
That still leaves the question of why it is at all emasculating for a boy to share his name with a girl, whether that name was traditionally male, female, unisex, or a modern invention such as [name]Jayden[/name]?
this has been shocking for me to read.i never new people had hatred towards these names. i love it… my neirces name is robert grace. i also teach little girls in my preschool class named harley, finnleys, wolf, and buster. i think its very pretty
Actually, there have been a number of posts on this site that have cited that very reason for their choosing a male name for their daughters. Also, some posts have suggested that a woman with a male name would have an advantage in the business world over a woman with a traditional feminine name. While I don’t think that’s the reason that all people choose boys names for their girls, it does factor into the decision of some parents. So it’s certainly not our imagination.
I should have said “In general” that’s not the appeal of masculine names. If it was we’d be seeing a lot more little girls named [name]Otto[/name], [name]Oscar[/name], [name]Doug[/name], etc. I’m not saying that it is never the case. Of course, there are a number of different motivations as to why any given person chooses the name they do, but I think that generally that is not the main reason certain boys names appeal to a fairly large segment of the population. If it is, people would quit using these names for their daughters once they begin to shift towards the feminine, and if you look at the popularity charts of a selection of these names, that tends not to be the case.
I suspect there’s also a difference in motivation between the rare parents who choose a very masculine name for their girl - such as the [name]Robert[/name] mentioned above, and those who choose the more typical boy’s name on a girl type name (like [name]Emery[/name], [name]Avery[/name], [name]Jordan[/name].) [name]One[/name] might be a real reflection of their world view (or not, maybe they just really like the name) and the other is a style choice.
I basically think the trend is much easier to understand if it’s viewed as a styalistic trend rather than a philosophical statement on the value of men vs women. That doesn’t mean I have to like it, but I can understand where it comes from.
As the wearer of a fairly unisex name, I can attest that unfortunately it occassionally is an advantage when working in a traditionally male dominated industry, but I’m enough of an optimist to assume that once my daughter is old enough to enter the job market, that will be less of an issue. 
I’m sorry definitions are so offensive to you, but facts are facts. If you don’t know something then you are ignorant of if. [name]Kasia[/name] assumed the same thing that you did, which is why I responded that way.
Show me where I said someone was ignorant for knowingly using a boy name for a girl.
Thank you, amberdaydream. I think some people have a knee-jerk reaction, and think ignorant = stupid. It simply means that you don’t know. If you know that a name is traditionally male and use it anyway then you are not ignorant. You are making an informed choice.
If you choose a name and say “I had no idea it was a boy name” or “I didn’t know how it was supposed to be spelled” or “I thought it sounded feminine” or “I didn’t know it was offensive/controversial” then yes, you are ignorant because you did not know what you were naming your child. It’s doesn’t mean you’re a terrible person or unintelligent.
I feel that ignorance is not an excuse when naming a human being because it is a serious matter and so much information is freely available to us. Google it, talk to people, ask questions, and just have some clue as to what you are choosing. I mean, isn’t that the point of Nameberry, other websites, and baby name books? So that people won’t be clueless about not only the meaning but also the spelling and connotations of names?
@greyer I see what you mean,and I appreciate that my “none too bright” comment was a bit sharp. I dislike the trend itself but that doesn’t mean I would tell a parent,child or adult that if they had/were a girl named say,[name]Jasper[/name]. That would definitely be inappropriate and rude. I have commented on posts where someone is using a “unisex” name in a helpful manner. If someone’s heart is set on a name,or the baby has been named then to openly express dislike is rude. As it would be with any other name. All I meant with this post is to discuss the trend,which isn’t new though is increasingly prevalent. I don’t like it. I’m sure when I have children there will be people who don’t like the names. I’m ok with that.
Also @chloe_belle no is claiming to “own” the names. [name]Nor[/name] did I express any particular preference for any of the names I listed. “get over it” is a slightly immature statement.
And as others have pointed out, being ignorant just means not knowing. If you know say,[name]Riley[/name], is a boys name and use it for a girl then you are not ignorant,because you know. It’s merely a personal preference.
Oh, I wasn’t directing it at you or anyone in particular, sorry if it came off that way. I was just flipping your argument to show both sides. I’ve often heard the strong vs frilly defense from parents who give boy names to girls, including some of my relatives and closest friends, so it’s not an assumption.
[name]Both[/name] of our questions have the same answer, masculine= strong, professional, serious and feminine= weak, cutesy, frilly. Some parents of boys don’t want a name used by girls because it takes way it’s strength. AND some parents of girls want to give their daughters male names because they perceive them as more serious and sophisticated.
Your poor, poor niece is all I got to say.
Whoa. It’s one thing to have an opinion, but that’s pretty unkind and oh-so-condescending–the “poor, poor niece” comment. It’s not addressed to someone hypothetical but to the poster’s real live relative. And I don’t happen to believe that the above poster was “asking for it” by posting on the internet to begin with, as I’ve sometimes heard argued. [name]Nor[/name] do I think that contributing honestly to the discussion and expressing yourself kindly are mutually exclusive, as I’ve also heard argued. I usually try to stay out of this stuff, but I felt compelled to respond.
For what it’s worth, my own daughter has a feminine name, and I definitely favor feminine names for girls myself, but I don’t feel comfortable ascribing negative characteristics to parents who have different taste. I think that babeinthewoods put it well when she said that many parents will choose gender-bending names for stylistic reasons rather than philosophical ones. In those instances when parents say that they wish to give their daughters a boost in the workforce through an androgynous or masculine name, my sense is that this generally speaks to an awareness of (or fear of) sexism and exclusiveness (old boys’, etc.) within the workforce rather than any essentialist ideas of masculinity as strong and femininity as weak on the parents’ part.
To riff on what a few others have expressed, I’m troubled by the notion that parents who name their daughters gender-bending names are somehow “stealing from the boys”–this speaks to the pervasive cultural anxiety that anything that comes to be associated with girls should in turn be associated with our sons, and this anxiety (and the attendant belief that these names become unusable for boys) is far more disturbing to me than notions of gender fluidity in naming.