Lots of unisex names I only like on girls and I do not feel at all bad about it 
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Lots of unisex names I really adore on boys, like [name_u]Piper[/name_u] and [name_u]Riley[/name_u]! [name_u]Or[/name_u] [name_u]Harper[/name_u]!
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Annesley > [name_u]Ainsley[/name_u]
!! [name_u]Harper[/name_u] on a boy would be amazing, so so handsome.
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Why would a name sound pretentious.
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Iāve never truly understood what people mean when they say a name is āpretentiousāā¦
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Letās hope this becomes a trend so I can get away with Shrike.
When people say a name sounds āsuccessfulā, they usually mean it sounds ānormalā and white. We need to stop trying to conform to the expectations of a āsuccessfulā name and start pushing the boundaries instead.
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Lets say I watch shows set at a British prep school and the characters name is Bigsby or something. The character was pretentious so I start associating the name and names like it with sounding pretentious. Same way you get associations for lots of names.
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Sometimes you are white and you just want a normal white name for your kid. 
I donāt really understand the baby name test where you try out āIām your pilot/doctor _____ā since these are occupations that you spend a lot of time and energy training for so you are seriously not going to care about what people think of your name by that point.
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Then go ahead and name your kid that normal white name- not because you have to, but because you can.
And I agree. I think we should raise our kids to be hard workers and give them the best opportunities we can, if theyāre named [name_u]James[/name_u] or [name_m]Ender[/name_m], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] or [name_f]Aphrodite[/name_f].
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I never got that one either.
Besides the fact that I donāt interact with my pilot (and only hear his or her name once during the flight), I trust they know their stuff and do their jobs well. At this point, I donāt care if they dress in a uniform or notā¦ I donāt see them during the flight.
That reminds me of a recent news article with video. There was a pilot heading for vacation who had to take on flying the plane because they were short pilots at the moment. He was dressed for vacation, yet still flew the plane without any problems and made sure everyone understood the reasonsā¦ the passengers, including his family, were just thrilled to be heading to their destination and not have a cancelled flight. (Btw he worked for the airline).
Also, I donāt care what my doctor is named as long as they can do their job knowledgeably and with a great bedside mannerā¦ some with ānormalā names have been the worse doctors I have ever met and those with āunusualā names have been the best Iāve ever met.
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Pretentious means you are trying too hard to appear more than you are: posher, more knowledgeable, cooler, whatever. Itās normally not a positive description because it feels disingenuous.
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Right! And itās very subjective and not a very useful descriptor for names; some people think using mythological names makes it seem like youāre trying to appear more educated, some people think that using fun nickname names like [name_u]Dash[/name_u] or [name_f]Liz[/name_f] means youāre trying too hard to be cool. It totally depends on the person using the word, and it canāt be taken too seriously, as itās just an opinion.
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I wonder if thereās anything about name preference that isnāt an opinionā¦
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100% agree with this! As someone who prefers shorter baby names, I hear from a lot of (well-meaning) folks that I should consider a longer āproperā name in case they want a more āprofessionalā name later in life, and Iām just like what makes a name professional? I understand their logic and that they mean well, but a name has nothing to do with an ability to do a job.
@shells15 Totally agree! And with the case of Doctors, they usually go by their last name with patients anyways! Teachers and lawyers too.
I obviously have no issue with people who want to choose a longer name for their kids, but I think itās not fair to label certain names as professional, successful, etc.
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Same! Itās a site to talk about names, if all of us had the same opinions how boring would that be. I actually think pretentious/approachable van be a good way to characterise a name and can also be quite helpful in choosing one. Usually youāll get a wide range of opinions under a post anyway, and not everyone will think a name is pretentious, but should everyone agree, itās certainly worth considering if thatās the name you want to go for. It helps to make a naming decision an informed choice.
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Hereās one I doubt anyone will agree with: I like old boy names that have turned to the girls better on boys. Obviously not every name would work but I love [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u], [name_u]Blair[/name_u], [name_u]Alexis[/name_u], [name_u]Shelby[/name_u], [name_u]Leigh[/name_u], and [name_u]Madison[/name_u] for example on a boy.
Also, [name_f]Dora[/name_f]>[name_f]Theodora[/name_f]. Wish the [name_u]Explorer[/name_u] association wasnāt so strong but I still love the name.
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Yes! This counts for [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] and [name_u]Marion[/name_u] for me, too
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evelyn !! one of my favourite boy names 
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