We’re planning on starting a family next year, so I’ve been trying to limit my expansive name collection. I’ve gotten it down to four (two boys, two girls) that are husband-approved. I’ve been mostly comfortable with the list for the last five months, and then I discovered that Hollin, a name I had chosen as my back-up boy name, is actually a girl’s name. I’m not sure how I missed that.
I’ve been thinking of Hollin as a boy’s name, and I’ve really come to like it. Girls have been receiving traditional boy’s names recently, could this be a case where a girl’s name is suitable for a boy? What is your first impression of the name Hollin on a boy? Is it “surname”, “[name_u]Christmas[/name_u] holly”, “[name_f]Holly[/name_f] the girl’s name” or something else?
I quite like the name, but I’m not committed to it. I’m really interested in hearing your opinions and impressions!
Here are the facts:
Hollin comes from the name of the holly tree, we see it most often as [name_u]Christmas[/name_u] decorations. The name is derived from the Old English holegn (to prick).
In 2015, about 50 girls in the USA were given this name, but none with this spelling. (Hollyn 37, Hollynn 7, Hollan 5)
The name [name_f]Holly[/name_f] could be a strong association that may keep it in girl territory. In 2015, about 800 girls were named [name_f]Holly[/name_f] (#490), or a name with a variant spelling.
The name is similar in spelling and sound to the boy’s names [name_m]Colin[/name_m] (#172) and [name_m]Collin[/name_m] (#264). These two names were given to nearly 3,800 boys in 2015.
The name is very similar to [name_u]Hollis[/name_u], which is a unisex name that was more popular for boys than girls in 2015 (106 girls, 176 boys).
I don’t think it sounds particularly feminine at all. Like you mentioned, it sounds like other similar boy names, like [name_m]Colin[/name_m]. If only 50 or so girls were given the name, all with creative spellings, it’s safe to say that it’s not mainstream enough to have a strong gender connection for most people, so I think you’re safe in that department.
If I heard the name Hollin and didn’t know the gender of the person, I’d probably assume they were male, but that’s just me. I definitely think it’s suitable for a boy!
I think it could really go either way. [name_u]Hollis[/name_u] and Halen seem like more masculine options, though I knew a boy with the nickname [name_f]Holly[/name_f] and he totally pulled it off.
My first thought is “another -n ending surname name”. It’s fine for a boy [name_f]IMO[/name_f] - I didn’t realise it was a girls’ name (to be honest, I don’t think I’ve actually heard the name Hollin before, but the general shape reads masculine).
I think Hollin could be a wonderful boy’s name. It comes across as unisex to me - the ‘Holl’ reminds me of [name_f]Holly[/name_f] but the ‘lin’ ending makes me think of [name_m]Colin[/name_m].
I’m really interested though, where did you find this name? Because the first thing that came to mind for me - and I’m sorry for the nerdiness - is Tolkien because Hollin is a place name in the [name_m]Lord[/name_m] of the Rings. It’s a very obscure one though, so you don’t need to worry about people potentially linking the name to it.
I think I originally found it while looking for names similar to [name_u]Hollis[/name_u]. Either that or I looked up after reading Temeraire by [name_f]Naomi[/name_f] Novik. There is a in that book character with the last name Hollins.
Either way I did find out about the [name_m]Lord[/name_m] of the Rings connection later. I’ve wanted to name kids Lothlorien, [name_m]Peregrin[/name_m], Goldberry, Samwise, and [name_f]Merry[/name_f], but my husband vetoed them. So I’m quite pleased that it has a reference to LotR.
I really like it, no matter the sex. I wouldn’t be taken aback by it at all. It feels old-fashioned but fresh. My first association was [name_u]Holland[/name_u].
I think it’s a great name, for either a boy or a girl! I think it can definitely skew masculine. I thought of [name_u]Holland[/name_u] or [name_u]Hollis[/name_u] instead, but Hollin is such a great name and also has that A+ LOTR connection!
I really like it! I’m so use to [name_f]Holly[/name_f], [name_u]Hollis[/name_u], and [name_u]Holland[/name_u], so Hollin is fresh and new to me. I think it can go either way when it comes to naming a boy or girl. I say it the same way as [name_u]Holland[/name_u], so to me [name_u]Holland[/name_u] is a little more feminine and Hollin is a little more masculine.
At first assumption, I would have thought it was a boys name as well. I find the spelling Hollan is slightly more masculine, but I think Hollin is a very good name for a boy!
I love that you considered names like Samwise and Goldberry! If I ever have children, I’d be highly tempted to do so as well - and I really like the idea of sisters called [name_f]Merry[/name_f] and [name_m]Pippin[/name_m] (full names being [name_u]Meredith[/name_u] and [name_f]Philippa[/name_f])
I’ve seen the name Hollyn about before, which I think is sweet and has that [name_u]Christmas[/name_u] [name_f]Holly[/name_f] feeling about it. I guess the -yn is kind of trendy, and sometimes it looks like a typo of [name_f]Holly[/name_f], but overall I really like it.
I prefer Hollyn to Hollin, which does seem quite masculine and surname-y imo
My mistake, it wont let me edit my post. I thought this post was about using a boys name on a girl, not vice versa! That being said, I think Hollin definitely works for a boy
I would envy you forever!! That is so adorable! I love it SO MUCH! I never thought of having girls with those matching nicknames!
It seems that Hollin isn’t very girly at all, and it can keep its place on my list. I am coming to realize that it may be more of a surname ending in “n” than a nature-y name.
