The Nameberry listing for this name says in the boy info: “Another surname-y choice that’s gone to the girls.”
[name]Do[/name] you agree? I think it’s quite masculine and handsome! I mean, I get that [name]Holly[/name] is a girls’ name, but this is just entirely different to me. I see it as all boy. Historically, it’s been in the top 1000 for boys until the 70’s, and only barely makes a blip on the girls chart back in 1948. Which is why I don’t understand the “gone to the girls” statement, since it hasn’t been in the girls top 1000 since.
[name]Do[/name] you think it’s wearable for a boy? Or do you think it’s more suitable for a girl?
For me, [name]Hollis[/name] is one of those names that looks and sounds like it SHOULD be a girl, but if I saw it used somewhere, I would just assume it was a boy, like the name [name]Ellis[/name]. I’ve always felt that both names should be girl’s names but just historically haven’t been. I think it would be perfectly fine to use on a boy. Sure, you’ll get people who might think your [name]Hollis[/name] is a girl at first, but I think they will be few and far between, and even so, who cares, as long as you love the name. People who know you and your child will quickly associate the name with him. I think it is fine for a boy.
I disagree with a lot of nameberry’s descriptions. Either a unisex name is only listed as a girl name or they claim it’s gone to the girls and suggest a more “masculine” alternative. Ugh! Why so much negativity toward “softer” boy names?
[name]Hollis[/name] is such a hard name and although it is unisex & I like it for both genders, I find it very masculine so it’s higher on my boy list. I’m still debating about keeping it on my girl list because it sounds so manly
Eh, no, I don’t agree. [name]Hollis[/name] is very feminine to me, likely due to [name]Holly[/name], but at the same time is reminds me of other -s ending names for boys such as [name]Louis[/name] and [name]Silas[/name]. And it reminds of other softer sounds such as [name]Spencer[/name], [name]Noel[/name], [name]Rhys[/name].
However, other research a few years ago lead me to definitions meaning something along the lines of “wh-re”, and the name Hollister supposedly means “Wh-remonger”. Yeah…so I’d avoid it for that reasoning.
[name]Hollis[/name] is all boy to me.
[name]One[/name] of my two gripes about nameberry is that it one tracks daily viewing stats that can be very misleading when there is a discussion on a particular name (recent example: [name]Lucifer[/name]) and the other is that it regularly says “gone to the girls” for names that are historically male but have unisex properties. I think that sadly it dissuades less opinionated name seekers from using them for their sons.
I think of the book “Pictures of [name]Hollis[/name] Woods” and the main character is a young girl named [name]Hollis[/name] Woods. I believe she goes by [name]Holly[/name] in the book though.
I am a [name]Holly[/name]. My parents thought about using the name [name]Hollis[/name] if I were a boy. Honestly, I think [name]Hollis[/name] is awful–for a boy or a girl. I’ve always liked my name. I think it’s a great stand alone first name for a girl by itself. Good luck!
I actually really like it for a boy. I don’t think it’s that feminine, just because [name]Holly[/name] was so common for girls. I think it definitely sounds more masculine than [name]Holly[/name] and I would really like to see it on a boy.
The only [name]Hollis[/name] I know is female, although she hates her name and goes by [name]Holly[/name] instead. I don’t think it has a very attractive sound for either gender, to be perfectly honest, but I would assume someone named [name]Hollis[/name] was female because of my personal associations.