Some of the boy names that I have always loved and wanted to use are to the girls now.
[name]Do[/name] you feel the same? With some of these names I went to school with boys with these names or knew one girl named a boys name.
Umm… I don’t know what world you live in, but these are all quite usable on a boy. I especially don’t understand where you’re getting that these have “gone girl”:
I think [name]Carson[/name], [name]Carter[/name], [name]Ashton[/name], [name]Aiden[/name], [name]James[/name], [name]Elliot[/name], [name]Ellis[/name], [name]Maxwell[/name], [name]Jude[/name], [name]Sawyer[/name], [name]Spencer[/name], [name]Mason[/name], [name]Raleigh[/name], [name]Keiran[/name], [name]Noah[/name], [name]Jonah[/name], [name]Ellison[/name], [name]Camden[/name], and [name]Wylie[/name] are still very much on the boys’ side.
[name]Emery[/name], [name]Jordan[/name], [name]Morgan[/name], and [name]Riley[/name], [name]Emerson[/name], [name]Taylor[/name], [name]Harley[/name], and [name]Ellery[/name] are definitely still acceptable even though they do lean girl now.
[name]Avery[/name], [name]Addison[/name], [name]Ashley[/name], [name]Leslie[/name], [name]Mackenzie[/name], [name]Makenna[/name], and [name]McKinley[/name] are the only ones from your list that I think have completely crossed over (as in, if you name a baby that now, people will assume it’s a girl).
With the exception of [name]Ashley[/name], [name]Ellery[/name], [name]McKenna[/name], and [name]Mackenzie[/name], i still consider all of those names to be masculine, or at least gender neutral. A lot of them ([name]James[/name], [name]Noah[/name], [name]Jonah[/name], [name]Keiran[/name], [name]Camden[/name], [name]Aiden[/name], [name]Mason[/name]) are definitely boys’ names that some people, for whatever reason, decide to use on a girl: that doesn’t even make them neutral, in my opinion.
I think people need to stop not using a boy’s name they love because they heard it on [name]ONE[/name] girl. THAT is what bothers me the most. There are a ton of boy names that people say are “gone to the girls” that are still way popular for boys and not really for girls, including many on that list. [name]One[/name] name that comes to mind is [name]Elliott[/name]. I know it’s gained popularity for girls, but it’s still much more popular for boys and I still consider this a boy name. It hasn’t “gone to the girls” and it won’t as long as people keep naming their boys this.
But on the other side, yes, there are some names I’m sad/angry about that I feel really have started to “go to the girls”. I really like [name]Addison[/name] and [name]Avery[/name] on boys (not favorites, but still nice names), but those are both SUPER popular for girls now, and declining for boys. The name I’m most sad about though is [name]Riley[/name]. I’ve loved that name for a while, for a boy, but I don’t think I can bring myself to use it. It’s not as popular in my state, and it’s still more popular here for boys than for girls, but then again the SSA number doesn’t take into account all the Ryleighs, Rilees, and Rylies (usually the misspellings end up on girls).
I’ve actually heard quite a few of my favorite names on a girl at some point - [name]Elliott[/name], [name]Emmett[/name], [name]Everett[/name], [name]Brady[/name], [name]Blake[/name], etc. I still consider them all boy names and they will more than likely stay on my list even if more girls end up with these names. I know girls named [name]Ryann[/name], [name]Kevyn[/name], [name]Devin[/name], and [name]Austyn[/name] but I consider these boy names still (ugh, that “adding a y to make it feminine” trend has been around a while hasn’t it?).
I think people need to stop not using a boy’s name they love because they heard it on ONE girl. THAT is what bothers me the most. There are a ton of boy names that people say are “gone to the girls” that are still way popular for boys and not really for girls, including many on that list. One name that comes to mind is Elliott. I know it’s gained popularity for girls, but it’s still much more popular for boys and I still consider this a boy name. It hasn’t “gone to the girls” and it won’t as long as people keep naming their boys this.
But on the other side, yes, there are some names I’m sad/angry about that I feel really have started to “go to the girls”. I really like Addison and Avery on boys (not favorites, but still nice names), but those are both SUPER popular for girls now, and declining for boys. The name I’m most sad about though is Riley. I’ve loved that name for a while, for a boy, but I don’t think I can bring myself to use it. It’s not as popular in my state, and it’s still more popular here for boys than for girls, but then again the SSA number doesn’t take into account all the Ryleighs, Rilees, and Rylies (usually the misspellings end up on girls).
jennipea, I totally agree. [name]Elliot[/name] is the one I thought of too. I’ve heard people recently talk about using it for girls (which I think is silly), but it’s still one of my favorites for a boy.
I don’t know if you like the [name]Reilly[/name] spelling, but that always reads as more masculine to me.
All of the names you listed are boys names in my opinion. I do find it irritating,particularly the reasons people often give for giving their daughter a boys name. “it’s stronger/will make it easier to succeed in the work place”.
There isn’t a name on that list I would use for a girl,ever. [name]Nor[/name] would someone naming their daughter it stop me using the name for a son.
[name]Emery[/name] ~ I don’t know. This could work for a boy, but it does seem quite feminine to me. Admittedly, this is mainly because of potential nicknames like “[name]Em[/name]” and “[name]Emi[/name]” which are very feminine–like [name]Emily[/name] and [name]Emma[/name].
[name]Ellery[/name] ~ Technically a boy’s name, but it reminds me too much of [name]Ella[/name] and [name]Ellen[/name].
[name]Avery[/name] ~ I would use it for a girl, but this definitely works for a guy, especially since since [name]Jackson[/name] [name]Avery[/name] on [name]Grey[/name]'s Anatomy (played by the gorgeous [name]Jesse[/name] [name]Williams[/name]) is referred to by his last name. He’s quite a ladykiller on the show, so… that adds to masculinity!
[name]Emerson[/name] ~ Works for a boy because of the writer.
[name]Addison[/name] ~ Very much a girl’s name to me, due to the well-known [name]Kate[/name] [name]Walsh[/name] character and the nickname “[name]Addie[/name]”.
[name]Ashley[/name] ~ Definitely a girl’s name. There’s always [name]Ashley[/name] from Gone with the Wind… but come on. He’s kind of the pasty, unlikable character next to [name]Rhett[/name].
[name]Carson[/name] ~ There are plenty of guys named [name]Carson[/name]. Not sure I like the name; it makes me think of [name]Carson[/name] Kressley. Who is, by the way, an awesome person… but again, a pretty effeminate guy.
[name]Camden[/name] ~ Boy or girl. I prefer it on a girl.
[name]Carter[/name] ~ Definitely a boy’s name. But… [name]Jimmy[/name] [name]Carter[/name], anyone?
[name]Jordan[/name] ~ [name]Guy[/name]'s name. It could work for a girl, but I prefer it on a guy.
[name]Taylor[/name] ~ It’s become more of a girl’s name in recent times, but… sure, it could work for a guy.
[name]Morgan[/name] ~ All of the Morgans I’ve met have been girls. Think [name]Morgan[/name] le [name]Fay[/name], [name]Morgana[/name], etc.
[name]Leslie[/name] ~ Better on a girl. I mean–most guys get the nickname [name]Les[/name], which is very old man.
[name]Ashton[/name] ~ Works either way, but I hate the [name]Ashton[/name] Kutcher connotation.
[name]Aiden[/name] ~ Obviously a boy’s name to me! I prefer the spelling [name]Aidan[/name].
[name]James[/name] ~ … Very much a boy’s ame?
[name]Ellis[/name] ~ Not a fan, but it’s a boy name.
[name]Ellison[/name] ~ See above
[name]Eliot[/name] ~ See above
[name]Noah[/name] ~ Definitely a boy’s name!
[name]Jonah[/name] ~ Same!
[name]Harley[/name] ~ [name]Harley[/name] [name]Quinn[/name] is all I can think of.
[name]Raleigh[/name] ~ Boy’s name.
[name]Maxwell[/name] ~ Boy’s name. [name]Jessica[/name] [name]Simpson[/name] just put it on a girl, and few people seem to like that.
[name]Riley[/name] ~ Goes either way.
[name]MacKenzie[/name] ~ More of a girl’s name.
[name]MacKenna[/name] ~ Same.
[name]McKinley[/name] ~ Same.
[name]Jude[/name] ~ Boy.
[name]Sawyer[/name] ~ Boy.
[name]Spencer[/name] ~ 50/50
[name]Keiran[/name] ~ Boy.
and many more…
[name]Mason[/name] ~ Boy.
[name]Wylie[/name] ~ Boy.
yep, gotta say it bugs me a lot! I honestly don’t even like most feminizations ([name]Georgiana[/name], [name]Josephina[/name], [name]Roberta[/name],etc). To me it just feels like you wanted a boy so badly that when a girl popped out you didn’t even bother to think of a girl name and just said, “Whatever, just slap an A at the end and forget about it”
I can understand it somewhat when the boys name is HIGHLY underused. Like there are hardly any more men alive that have that name and it’s barely even remembered: [name]Ashley[/name], [name]Shannon[/name], [name]Vivienne[/name], etc.
But giving a name like [name]Max[/name], [name]James[/name], [name]Jude[/name], or [name]Jonah[/name] to a girl is just silly to me. It’s like calling your girl [name]Fred[/name].
I want to say that THESE ARE ALL BOYS NAMES! but I agree that lately, I’m seeing a few of them more on girls than boys. Such as:
[name]Emery[/name] - boy
[name]Ellery[/name] - boy
[name]Avery[/name] - all girl lately
[name]Emerson[/name] - unisex
[name]Addison[/name] - all girl
[name]Ashley[/name] - all girl
[name]Carson[/name] - all boy
[name]Camden[/name] - all boy
[name]Carter[/name] - all boy
[name]Jordan[/name] - all boy
[name]Taylor[/name] - all boy
[name]Morgan[/name] - unisex, leaning towards all girl
[name]Leslie[/name] - all girl
[name]Ashton[/name] - unisex
[name]Aiden[/name] - all boy
[name]James[/name] - all boy, jamie seems unisex
[name]Ellis[/name] - all boy
[name]Ellison[/name] - all boy
[name]Eliot[/name] - unisex lately
[name]Noah[/name] - all boy
[name]Jonah[/name] - all boy
[name]Harley[/name] - all boy
[name]Raleigh[/name] - all girl
[name]Maxwell[/name] - unisex lately
[name]Riley[/name] - going to the girls
[name]MacKenzie[/name] - all girl
[name]MacKenna[/name] - all girl
[name]McKinley[/name] - all girl
[name]Jude[/name] - all boy
[name]Sawyer[/name] - all girl (know 2 girls born in the last year with this name)
[name]Spencer[/name] - all boy
[name]Keiran[/name] - all boy
and many more…
[name]Mason[/name] - all boy
[name]Wylie[/name] - all boy
[name]Sloan[/name] is an example of this. I adore it for a boy - since it’s a boys name. But I think it’s gone to the girls.
I would have to argue that [name]Taylor[/name] is [name]WAY[/name] closer to the girls than [name]Eliot[/name]. If you look at stats alone, [name]Taylor[/name] is all girl… and [name]Eliot[/name] is all boy.
Agree! I’m a female [name]Taylor[/name] and while I agree that it works for boy or girl, it definitely has been all girl for a while, judging by stats. I’ve met numerous girl Taylors throughout the years (my high school swim team alone had at least 6 of them including me last year) and one lone male [name]Taylor[/name] way back in grade school. So, in my bias mind, [name]Taylor[/name] has been and always will be (mostly) a girl’s name, but I won’t sniff at a boy named [name]Taylor[/name] either.
As for the original question, it doesn’t anger me, it’s more of an annoyance. To put it simply, some names work for both genders-[name]Taylor[/name], [name]Riley[/name], [name]Avery[/name]; but other names- [name]Mason[/name], [name]James[/name], [name]Maxwell[/name]- are so strongly associated with the masculine end of the spectrum, that it will always stay there. Which names are put into those categories however, depends on who you ask, but for a realistic reference, the stats don’t lie.
Personally I don’t like unisex names or obvious feminizations for girls. But it doesn’t anger me at all when other people do. A lot of the “this looks more masculine” “that looks more feminine” is just perception. Nothing is set in stone. Boys are free to take unisex names too.
Agree! I’m a female Taylor and while I agree that it works for boy or girl, it definitely has been all girl for a while, judging by stats. I’ve met numerous girl Taylors throughout the years (my high school swim team alone had at least 6 of them including me last year) and one lone male Taylor way back in grade school. So, in my bias mind, Taylor has been and always will be (mostly) a girl’s name, but I won’t sniff at a boy named Taylor either.
In all fairness to the boys, I’ve met several male Taylors born between 1988 and 1997. It was in the top 100 for boys then, but after that, it definitely moved into girl territory. ([name]Taylor[/name] was actually more popular for boys than for girls until 1990 when it went through the roof and straight into the top 10 for girls.) Regardless, yes, definitely in the girl camp now!
I recently met a little girl (maybe 1 1/2, 2 years old) named [name]Garrett[/name]. I was shocked at that one. At least with [name]Elliott[/name] they can have the nn [name]Ellie[/name], but [name]Garrett[/name] is stuck with [name]Gary[/name] or [name]Rhett[/name], which are boys names.
I get more annoyed that people get so worked up over it.
Most of those names are still very masculine. [name]Just[/name] because they’ve been used for girls occassionally doesn’t make them any less usable for boys. Some are unisex and I would say easily work for both boys and girls. Many are surnames/word names/occupation names that don’t have a long history of use by either sex so really, why should the boys have any more claim to them than the girls?
And just for those who think that as soon as a name starts being used by girls, it automatically drops for boys, did you know that “[name]James[/name]” was in the top 1000 for girls from 1880 to 1989?
My take on it - if you don’t like unisex names, don’t use them. If you don’t like boys names on girls, ditto. But seriously, it’s not a new trend, and it’s not going away no matter how many threads are posted raging against it.
It does make me very angry when a boy’s name goes all the way to the girls. There are so few boys’ names that I really love so when one of them is mostly seen on girls and my choices are (1) name my son a name that he will share with girls in his class (and likely be ridiculed for it) or (2) find another name, yes it makes me angry.
However, most of these names are still very much boys’ names in my mind. [name]Avery[/name], [name]Addison[/name], [name]McKenna[/name] (all the Mcs/Macs), and [name]Riley[/name] and maybe [name]Harley[/name], I’ll give you as girls’ names, but the rest are either unisex or all boy. To be honest, although [name]Leslie[/name] and [name]Ashley[/name] have been well-known as girls’ names for a long time, I still would love to see a little boy [name]Ashley[/name] or [name]Leslie[/name]. They seem very dashing and elegant to me as boys’ names. [name]Quinn[/name] is another one that is starting to get popular for girls that I love as a boy’s name. We’ll see if it grows or if the popularity dies out when Glee goes off the air.
Out of all your names, I think the [name]Mackenzie[/name] name is one of the only one’s that to me is all girl now. I have never met a boy [name]Mackenzie[/name].
My son’s name is [name]Emory[/name] and people constantly think he is a girl when reading the name. It can be pretty frustrating sometimes.
Why are people naming their daughters [name]Noah[/name]? That boggles my mind, [name]Noah[/name] is and always will be a boys name. So will [name]Elliot[/name], [name]Carson[/name], [name]Spencer[/name], [name]Mason[/name] and many others on that list.
Seriously guys? I know guys named [name]Loren[/name], [name]Riley[/name], [name]Mackenzie[/name]. I also know girls named [name]Lauren[/name], [name]Riley[/name], and [name]Mackenzie[/name]. The world still turns. None of them have jumped of a bridge because of sheer gender confusion! Well except for maybe [name]Loren[/name] because he was a stunt man. Clearly having a “girls” name made him so feminine. This is such a laughable issue to me I can’t even believe someone feels the need to complain about this like every other week.