So if we were having a girl this time around, her name (first or middle) was going to be [name]Bly[/name]. It’s a family name, passed down through generations on my mom’s side of the family (her name is [name]Nelly[/name] [name]Bly[/name], though people sometimes call her [name]Bly[/name]).
We have dismissed the name, as it looks as though our second child (due in Nov.) is a boy. But today I noticed here in the nameberry site that [name]Bly[/name] is listed as both a Feminine and Masculine name. And I suppose many people associate the name with [name]Robert[/name] [name]Bly[/name], the poet. My question is, do you really think a boy could carry off [name]Bly[/name] as a middle name? Or does it read (as it does to me) all feminine to you?
I suppose too it might depend on how masculine the boy’s first name is (as of yet unchosen)? Could you imagine, say, an [name]Oscar[/name] [name]Bly[/name]? A [name]Carson[/name] [name]Bly[/name]?
Interested in your thoughts, since I guess it’s a family name I can’t see it clearly enough. Thanks.
It reminds me of [name]Blythe[/name], which is all girl to me. I also think that [name]Bly[/name] could be a nn for [name]Blythe[/name]. Hmmm idk. Let see [name]Robert[/name] [name]Bly[/name], [name]Edward[/name] [name]Bly[/name], …maybe it could work.
With the long I sound at the end and without the “the” in [name]Blythe[/name], I guess it reminds me of [name]Eli[/name]. [name]Bly[/name] and [name]Eli[/name] both end in a long LI sound. [name]Lorelei[/name] has that sound, too, but I think it feels feminine to me because of its beginning sounds and longer length.
With the long I sound at the end and without the “the” in [name]Blythe[/name], I guess it reminds me of [name]Eli[/name]. [name]Bly[/name] and [name]Eli[/name] both end in a long LI sound. [name]Lorelei[/name] has that sound, too, but I think it feels feminine to me because of its beginning sounds and longer length.
Have a good night! (Or day) :-)[/quote]
I really like [name]Eli[/name] so I’m surprised I didn’t make the connection. Good point by the way.
[name]Eli[/name] and [name]Bly[/name] - maybe it’s the “y” that makes it more girly for me all though with an “i” as Bli idk. There are some names I either love or hate based solely on one letter change. Like I don’t like [name]Lindsey[/name] but love [name]Lindey[/name]/[name]Lindy[/name]. All that was changed was the “s”. Weird, I know.
I think of [name]Robert[/name] [name]Bly[/name] so to me [name]Bly[/name] is masculine. I think it’d be fine in the middle spot for either a girl or a boy but it seems better for a boy to my ear.
[name]Blythe[/name] is definitely feminine however so if you’re considering a “[name]Bly[/name]” first name for a girl I’d choose [name]Blythe[/name] over [name]Bly[/name] in a minute.
I think it could definitely work as a boy’s middle name. It seems like a surname to me so doesn’t really lean one way or the other. I’d probably go with a decidedly masculine first name but I wouldn’t hesitate to use [name]Bly[/name] if it were me.
Ha, I like [name]Eli[/name] too. Maybe because it reminds me of [name]Bly[/name]? [name]Imagine[/name] giving up and naming this kid [name]Eli[/name] [name]Bly[/name]. disa, there should be a post on names you like/dislike that differ by one letter–you could start it with [name]Lindy[/name]/[name]Lindsey[/name].
I really do prefer [name]Bly[/name] to [name]Blythe[/name] (for a girl, which we’re pretty sure we’re not having, but they don’t tell you for sure at the ultrasound)–but that could be either because I like simple, pared-down names (for boys and girls) or because I’ve just grown up hearing [name]Bly[/name] so much that [name]Blythe[/name] would seem odd, like adding lace to a curtain that you’ve seen hanging all your life without it.
I wonder if anyone spells [name]Eli[/name] as [name]Ely[/name]–I do know [name]Joe[/name] [name]Ely[/name] (a musician) pronounces his last name “E-[name]Lee[/name]”…
Thanks for all the input–it surprises me to hear [name]Bly[/name] would fly as masculine. Have a good night (or morning:) too, jill.
Another odd thing: [name]Bay[/name] is considered a girl’s name, but [name]Bray[/name] is considered a boy’s name. Are certain letters considered determinants of feminine or masculine (in this case, “R” making [name]Bay[/name] masculine?) And if so, what about the “L” in [name]Bly[/name]?
It could work as long as the first name is decidedly masculine.
If there is any chance that someone may have even a passing thought to appropriate it as a girl’s name (a la [name]Elijah[/name], [name]Ezra[/name], etc.), then no.
I definitely think [name]Bly[/name] works for a boy, and it’s especially fine in the middle. A lot of surnames or word names are judgment calls in terms of gender but honestly could go either way. Why couldn’t [name]Bray[/name] work for a girl or [name]Bay[/name] for a boy? Boys’ names in general are getting softer these days – witness the acceptance of classic names with vowel endings such as [name]Eli[/name] and [name]Joshua[/name]. And the whole unisex trend for both sexes has increased (by far) the number of names that work for either gender. It’s a great name and a great legacy and would be a fantastic choice for a son or daughter.
I have a soft spot for slightly effeminate boys’ names, so that may discount my opinion on the matter … but I think [name]Bly[/name] works perfectly well as a boys’ middle name. The connection with a poet and family is lovely, and I adore the [name]Oscar[/name] [name]Bly[/name] combination. I don’t think [name]Bly[/name] has quite the same softness as the girls’ [name]Blythe[/name] does, either.
Besides, middle names are barely ever used in reality - if for some reason he was embarassed by his mn, he wouldn’t have to tell anyone.
I think as a middle name it could work. We named our first son [name]Karson[/name] [name]Campbell[/name], [name]Campbell[/name] being my mother’s maiden name, and I often hear it being used for a girl now, but I don’t think any less of it for his middle name. I think you can get away with more with middle names.
Thanks everyone. I’ll definitely consider it as a middle name for our boy, once (if?) we have a first name in place (due [name]November[/name]). It will depend on the flow there, as well as convincing my husband it’s a fine middle name for a boy. I have heard my mom being called [name]Bly[/name] so long I could only imagine it as a girl’s name.
