Gender dispute: Emerson

I’ve always loved this name! As a BOY’S name…

It saddens me that it is slipping so far into girl territory :frowning:

I can see the female appeal though since it has a softer sound, it’s similar to [name]Emma[/name], [name]Emily[/name], [name]Emmeline[/name], etc. and the fact that many boy’s names that end in -son have eventually become predominantly girl, [name]Madison[/name] for example.

I’ve met 2 [name]Emerson[/name]'s in my life, both were male.

For girl’s named [name]Emerson[/name] I’ve seen the original spelling but also [name]Emersyn[/name] and as “yoo-neek” as [name]Emmerson[/name] and even Emmersyn…the last one is just disappointing really

I love it as a boy’s name and may use it someday. I have nothing against anyone who uses it as a girl name, I just like it for a boy personally.

What does everyone else think? Any opinions welcome! :slight_smile:

[name]Emerson[/name] is all boy to me and I hate how it’s going to the girls.

I feel the same way about Addison (which means ‘Adam’s son’ …SON). My cousin’s name is Addison (he’s in his 20’s) and my BF’s son is also Addison (he’s 5). I think it’s odd that it’s become so popular for girls (thanks ‘Grey’s Anatomy’).

I’ve heard Emerson as a boy’s name and I like it as a boy’s name better, too.

I might be wrong, but I think any name that ends in ‘son’ means ‘son of…’ which would make them more masculine names and not really feminine. Even Madison was a boy name before it gained in popularity for girls.

I prefer [name]Emerson[/name] for a boy. I don’t get why [name]Addison[/name], [name]Madison[/name], and [name]Emerson[/name] are becoming girls names. The ending is masculine (son).

I guess [name]Emerson[/name] is popular for girls because of the similarities to the many, many popular [name]Em[/name] names, like [name]Emily[/name], [name]Emma[/name], and [name]Emmeline[/name]. But I associate it with [name]George[/name] [name]Emerson[/name] from Room With a View.

If I met a boy named [name]Emerson[/name], I would be pretty darn happy.

  • [name]Athena[/name]

I see [name]Emerson[/name] as more of a boy’s name, but I agree, I can see how it’s a cool alternative for names like [name]Emma[/name] and [name]Emily[/name].

I think of [name]Ralph[/name] [name]Waldo[/name] [name]Emerson[/name].
I do like this name for boys.
I don’t mind it for girls.
While I understand that it is kind of weird
for girls to have names ending in son,
I think girl usage is more about surnames
being popular. We don’t usually think
all that much about the meanings of surnames.
I mean when you meet a Mr. [name]Johnson[/name],
your brain doesn’t go “oh, right, [name]John[/name]'s son.”.
[name]Just[/name] like when you meet a Mr. [name]Cooper[/name], you
don’t think, “oh, his ancestors must have made
barrels”.

AND

It’s interesting how it follows other trends,
and it’s definitely about how the first part of the
name sounds.

I suspect [name]Allison[/name] started it all, probably from
[name]Alyssa[/name] et al.

Then [name]Madison[/name] as part of a [name]Madeline[/name]/[name]Maddie[/name] trend.

[name]Addison[/name] from [name]Madison[/name] and [name]Addie[/name] generally.

I don’t think [name]Jameson[/name] will become popular for girls,
or [name]Edison[/name], even though it sounds so close to [name]Addison[/name],
because it starts with [name]Ed[/name].

Certainly [name]Jackson[/name] is all boy.

[name]Ellison[/name] though, with all the Ellies out there…

By the time you get to “son” you’re paying less attention.

If you love it use it. Who cares if he may meet girls who have the same name?

[name]Emerson[/name] is all boy
[name]Avery[/name] is boy
[name]Auden[/name] is all boy
[name]Arden[/name] is all boy
[name]Addison[/name] is all boy, i know 3 teenage [name]Addison[/name]'s just saying.

It is more common on girls with the “normal” spelling too. I don’t think I would use it for either cuz it is so common for both boys and girls. I do see it as a girl’s name though.

Oh look I think most people would think it was a girl’s name. I do like it for a boy but I wouldn’t risk it unless it was in the middle name spot.

rollo

Usually I’m not a fan of boy names on girls but for some reason, I just picture [name]Emerson[/name] on a girl. Not really sure why, as I’ve never met an [name]Emerson[/name] of either gender (I think at some point I must have either watched a movie or read a book with a female [name]Emerson[/name]). Anyway, I think it’s usable for either gender. I looked it up on the social security site and it ranks in the 200s for girls and the 300s for boys, so it’s not on par with say, [name]Madison[/name].

I prefer it on a boy. I agree that the -son ending feels more masculine to me, probably why I’m not a big fan of names like [name]Madison[/name].

It’s a boy’s name. If I heard it on a girl, I would have to do a major double-take. Handsome on a boy; tacky on a girl.

The only draw it has in my book towards girls is that the its short version is emma and emmie and whatnot. [name]Emerson[/name] itself sounds 110% boy to me.

Met a man over the phone named [name]Emerson[/name], my first [name]Emerson[/name] ever. I always liked it better on a BOY.

[name]Love[/name] it on a boy. But the [name]Emerson[/name] I know si a little girl :frowning:

[name]Emerson[/name] is very handsome on a boy. I think of [name]Ralph[/name] [name]Waldo[/name] [name]Emerson[/name]. Those who claim [name]Emerson[/name] is feminine because it has the possibility of the nickname [name]Emmy[/name] are grasping at straws. [name]Anthony[/name] has the possible nickname of [name]Annie[/name]. Does this make [name]Anthony[/name] feminine too? Names only “go the girls” when, like in this situation, parents are afraid to use a name on their sons simply because other parents are using it on their daughters.

If you love [name]Emerson[/name] for a boy, use it for your son. It is a distinguished choice with a far longer history of use as a male name than a female name. I will always find it masculine.

[name]Emerson[/name] is all boy to me.

My grandpa’s name is [name]Emerson[/name]. It is all boy to me. I’m not sure what he would think if he knew [name]Emerson[/name] was being used for girls, lol! :slight_smile:

I like it on both genders. I don’t get upset about “son” endings because it like a previous poster mentioned, you don’t think about the meanings of people’s surnames anymore. Mr. [name]Cooper[/name]'s ancestors made barrels but that probably not what he’s doing today and no one’s forcing him to change his name. I’m sure if you name your daughter [name]Mary[/name] you don’t want her to be bitter or naming her [name]Rue[/name] doesn’t mean you regret her.

That being said, I noticed I pronounce them different based on gender. I say [name]EmerSON[/name] when talking about a boy but I say EmerSIN when referring to a girl.