We only have a couple months left until our little one arrives. My DH and I are having the hardest time deciding on a name. We have a long long list of possibilities, but the only one I keep going back to is [name]Haven[/name]. Dare I say I have fallen in love with the name?
My concern, though, is that I am afraid that [name]Haven[/name] has started to rise in popularity as a girl’s name (possibly because of [name]Jessica[/name] [name]Alba[/name] naming her youngest daughter [name]Haven[/name]?). I am not against unisex names, but I am also not sure that I want our little guy to have to deal with other Havens in his classes that are girls. Is this something I should be concerned about? Or should I just get over it and let the name become his own and not worry about [name]Haven[/name] being too “girly” of a name for our little boy? Please let me know what you think!
I like it. Makes me think of CK [name]Dexter[/name] [name]Haven[/name], [name]Cary[/name] [name]Grant[/name]'s character from The [name]Philadelphia[/name] [name]Story[/name]. What’s more manly than [name]Cary[/name] [name]Grant[/name]? And his name was [name]Cary[/name]! That said, he had [name]Grant[/name] butching up his name, and CK [name]Dexter[/name] [name]Haven[/name] had [name]Dexter[/name]. So maybe a middle name with some bite to it would help [name]Haven[/name] along.
[name]Haven[/name] [name]Dexter[/name]
[name]Haven[/name] [name]Atticus[/name],
[name]Haven[/name] [name]Charles[/name]
[name]Haven[/name] [name]Maxwell[/name]
[name]Haven[/name] [name]Beau[/name]
[name]Haven[/name] [name]Wilder[/name]
[name]Haven[/name] [name]Thomas[/name]
[name]Haven[/name] [name]Stone[/name]
I like it.
[name]Haven[/name] is a word name, so in effect, doesn’t have a defined gender.
I consider it a girl’s name. I’ve only heard it on girls in real life and the only male I’ve ever heard with the name is [name]Angelina[/name] [name]Jolie[/name]'s creepy brother (which isn’t a good association) and even then, [name]Haven[/name] is his middle name.
It is unisex, but when I see it I think of [name]Heaven[/name] so if that is ok, than it seems fine.
[name]Jessica[/name] [name]Alba[/name]'s baby really didn’t get much attention so I don’t see her being any influence. I really liked [name]Hayden[/name] until the girls took it over. [name]Haven[/name] is a nice, non-trendy alternative
I think [name]Jaden[/name] and [name]Aidan[/name] sound more feminine than [name]Haven[/name]
I don’t think [name]Haven[/name] sounds all that girly, really. This is just speculation, but I’m guessing the reason [name]Haven[/name] is more popular with girls is because it sounds similar to [name]Heaven[/name], and because of the overt popularity of [name]Nevaeh[/name], it only seems “natural” to lump [name]Haven[/name] in with the other “heavenly” names.
But, like maggiemary said previously, [name]Haven[/name] in essence is a word name, so it doesn’t seem to have an ultra-defined gender to me. I say go for it!
My first thought is yes, it is too feminine. But, it is a word name that should be gender-neutral. I just think you’re right to worry that there will be other little Havens you’ll encounter, all of whom other than your son will be girls. This name seems a little tease-worthy to me. I’d be concerned about that.
What about another word name that has a similar meaning? I’m currently planning on naming our first son [name]Harbor[/name] (if I can get DH on board, hehe).
I think it is way too girly…it is a girl name to me
agree with above poster
Funny you mention [name]Harbor[/name]. That is actually our second choice right now. I just wish there was a cute nn for it!
Thanks everyone for the helpful feedback! I don’t know what we will decide, but your opinions are appreciated!
I know a teenage boy named [name]Haven[/name], and it works for him. [name]Haven[/name]'s similarity to [name]Hayden[/name] and [name]Evan[/name] helps.
[name]Haven[/name] is so female to me! It’s technically unisex, but all female to me. Likely cause it’s my cousin’s name.
Ha! Me, too! I’m so into nicknames that I almost nixed it for that reason. No real way to shorten it, but knowing how I tend to refer to people, I’ll probably gravitate toward “Harbs” when talking to him at home. Not the cutest nickname, so it wouldn’t be used publicly. But I’m starting to think that a nickname-less name is okay.
But, what sort of a cute nn are you envisioning for [name]Haven[/name]?
Funny you find [name]Harbor[/name] more boy appropriate than [name]Haven[/name], since [name]Harbor[/name] on my girl list. It’s OK for a boy too but it’s a lot softer than [name]Haven[/name] [name]IMO[/name]
I thought of Harb or Harbie, but neither of which I was that fond of either! For [name]Haven[/name], I thought Have or Havie would be cute. Or even maybe Venny, but we are in the south and that might sound too [name]Jersey[/name] for us.
NO! I always thought [name]Haven[/name] was so masculine
My youngest sister’s name is [name]Haven[/name], and my mom thought of it as all-girl despite my respectful protests. I adore my little sister, but I still like [name]Haven[/name] for a boy. As far as I can tell, it came into usage as a first name fairly recently, and for boys.
I know of two male Havens in a local town. [name]One[/name] is twenty-something, a twin to [name]Hunter[/name], and played the drums in his high school band; the other is probably a teenager.
So there it is. You’ll have some people who will think “girl,” and some who won’t. Personally, it makes me smile with happiness every time I hear of a boy [name]Haven[/name]! yes, even [name]Angelina[/name] [name]Jolie[/name]'s creepy brother. [name]James[/name] [name]Haven[/name]–I love his name!
Congratulations and best wishes!
P.S. It has literary cred, too–[name]Haven[/name] is the father’s name in “A [name]Day[/name] No Pigs Would Die.”
Another P.S.–what about [name]Harry[/name] as a nickname for [name]Harbor[/name]?