This may be a stupid question but I’m going to ask it anyway…
I recently found out people seem to hate [name_m]Beau[/name_m] for a girl. Is it really that terrible?
It’s more than possibe I’m not seeing something here. That I’m missing the obvious, but right now I’m confused.
This isn’t a name on my list but it does intrigue me a little.
Anyone mind explaining why everyone seems to be so against this name?
I think it’s meaning is “handsome.” I tend to like more gender-neutral names and I don’t generally mind them off of the “preferred gender” but I love [name_m]Beau[/name_m] for a boy & bows ON a girl
It comes from the [name_m]French[/name_m] for handsome but it definitely is used to refer to a male person in the English language. It’s a little bit of a southern/dated term but I think most people are still familiar with it. If you don’t believe me, you can google it or here is the Merriam-[name_m]Webster[/name_m] definition: Beau Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
Because ‘beau’ is used in a male context (your beau / boyfriend ______, etc.). I love [name_m]Beau[/name_m] for a boy, I think it is beautiful. The ‘[name_u]Bo[/name_u]’ spelling for girls is great too, but I personally find the ‘[name_m]Beau[/name_m]’ spelling a bit odd for girls.
[name_m]Beau[/name_m] is a masculine french term for handsome. And it is also a term for a boyfriend/lover. I think it is find for a boy, but definitely not for a girl. Spelling it [name_u]Bo[/name_u] would be fine.
I love the sound of beau on a girl, but not so much the spelling of beau. I prefer [name_u]Bo[/name_u]. I do love [name_f]Isabeau[/name_f] though, so I think it would be easier to get away with [name_m]Beau[/name_m] for a girl, were it a nickname for [name_f]Isabeau[/name_f].
As others have stated, [name_u]Bo[/name_u] is fine for girl and [name_m]Beau[/name_m] for a boy. I do like the [name_m]French[/name_m] spelling, so I understand why you prefer [name_m]Beau[/name_m], but it does mean handsome. So, if you like [name_m]Beau[/name_m] (which I happen to think is a gorgeous boy’s name), use [name_u]Bo[/name_u] or maybe Beaux. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] that helps…
The reason I dislike it, is because it’s the masculine form of beautiful/handsome in [name_m]French[/name_m]. I’d spell it [name_u]Bo[/name_u] for a girl, and [name_m]Beau[/name_m] for a boy.
I like it for a girl. Women can be handsome, too, you know. I consider myself to be handsome(though my mother would beg to differ). And not many people seem to use “beau” for their boyfriends or whatever. [name_u]Bo[/name_u] is hill billy, though. I live in the country, and a girl named [name_u]Bo[/name_u] is gonna be a hill billy, so I don’t like it. Plus, isn’t [name_m]Beau[/name_m] in the Top 200 for both genders in [name_f]England[/name_f]? I may be wrong, but I know it’s in Top 1000 for girls. I say go for it.
It is not a bad name, I just can’t get over the fact that [name_m]Beau[/name_m] is a masculine word in french. I know language and names are 2 completely different things, but I just can’t get over it. I’d probably use [name_u]Bo[/name_u] for a girl, but as a nickname.
Absolutely - it is a [name_m]French[/name_m] masculine word, meaning ‘handsome’. The feminine equivalent is [name_f]Belle[/name_f], which, I doubt you’re rushing to add to your boys list. It shows a sense of disregard for the language and French culture.
It’s got nothing to do with sexism or girls not being handsome - it’s a matter of respecting a foreign culture. You can’t just walk into [name_f]Ireland[/name_f] and tell them that [name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] should be spelled [name_u]Keeva[/name_u], nor can you waltz into Poland and tell them that Wiktoria and [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] are not the same name, so why can you take a [name_m]French[/name_m] masculine word and use it on a girl?
If you wouldn’t name your son [name_f]Belle[/name_f], you shouldn’t name your daughter [name_m]Beau[/name_m], it’s as simple as that. [name_u]Bo[/name_u], however, is absolutely fine.
@hydra - just because it’s in the [name_f]England[/name_f] & [name_m]Wales[/name_m] top 1000 for a girl, doesn’t make it right. In the US top 500 for girls in the 1980s, you’d find [name_m]Matthew[/name_m], [name_u]Michael[/name_u] and [name_m]Christopher[/name_m], but would you choose them for a daughter? Also your ‘hill billy’ comment is a bit judgmental, don’t you think? Surely not ALL girls named [name_u]Bo[/name_u] are country bumpkins, as you’re making them out to be.
I absolutely love the name [name_m]Beau[/name_m] for a girl. I see as the equivalent of naming a girl [name_u]Taylor[/name_u], [name_u]Jo[/name_u], or any of the other traditionally male names that have been turned into unisex names. Plus it’s not really going to be a name that raises too many eyebrows in the future considering the fact the baby naming has gotten bolder over the years and more parents are thinking outside the box.