I really love the idea of Ivy as a name for my little boy. It sounds so handsome to me.
However I am worried that it is too popular as a girl name, and wouldn’t be wearable on the opposite gender nowadays. Kind of like how Ashley and Sasha (outside certain parts of Europe) went from unisex to strong female names.
I fear that it would bring teasing on my son. Especially since it’s likely there will be girls in his class with the same name. Do you think it would?
If you’re thinking “Nay,” are there any names that are similar to Ivy but for boys?
Personally I say absolutely not. I think it is soo dainty and feminine and could never see this on a boy at all. It is very popular for girls and I would never think of this for a boy. I would save this for if you have a little girl.
Similar boy suggestions:
[name_m]Iverson[/name_m]
[name_m]Iver[/name_m]
I do like it in theory, but I would fear bullying over his name
[name_u]Avi[/name_u] would be a really good alternative
[name_m]Yves[/name_m]
[name_m]Ivo[/name_m]
[name_m]Irvin[/name_m]
To me, [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] feels gender neutral. It would be a brave choice on a boy, because it is so heavily popular for girls at the moment, but I don’t see it as stereotypically feminine at all. To me, it’s like [name_u]Willow[/name_u], a lovely nature name for anyone. In the US it was in the top 1000 names for boys from when records began up until the 1930’s. It then steadily increased in popularity for girls.
If you decide not to be the trailblazer for [name_u]Ivy[/name_u], here are some other nature-focussed choices you might like:
[name_u]Beck[/name_u]
[name_u]Auburn[/name_u]
[name_u]Brooks[/name_u]
[name_u]Arlo[/name_u]
[name_u]Oakley[/name_u]
[name_u]Seren[/name_u]
[name_m]Brodie[/name_m]
P.S: I also love the idea of [name_u]Hazel[/name_u] for a boy, but I guess that’s right up there with [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] as being perceived as a very feminine name right now.
I really like it on a boy! It has a sharper sound, and fits with other gender-neutral nature names like [name_u]Rowen[/name_u] and [name_u]River[/name_u]. The darker green, vine-like imagery seems a bit more masculine to me then a floral name, for example.
[name_f]My[/name_f] brother is actually called this! His full name is [name_m]Ivan[/name_m], but as a toddler we gave him the nickname [name_u]Ivy[/name_u], and called him this almost all the time. Now that he is twelve, he goes by [name_m]Ivan[/name_m] within the family (with the exception of one older cousin who still affectionately calls him Ivy), but his school friends have now adopted the nickname! He is a thoughtful, quiet, nature loving, bookish boy with long dirty blonde hair, and he loves his nickname, and suits it so well!
If you are worried about usability, I would do the same as my brother, use a longer name for your son, with the possibility of [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] as a nickname! Then, you can use it at home and love it, and he can decide if he wants to use it outside of school as well. If it ever causes him grief, he can go by his full name only!
I like the options of:
[name_m]Ivan[/name_m]
[name_m]Ivor[/name_m]
[name_m]Ivo[/name_m]
[name_m]Irving[/name_m]
[name_u]Vivian[/name_u] (may also be perceived as too feminine for you taste though)
[name_m]Evander[/name_m]
[name_u]Ivy[/name_u] is charming for a boy - and I do think that if we want names to become more unisex, someone has to be brave enough to use them! It did rank in the US back in the early 1900s too.
Still, I think I’d hesitate, because [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] has become so recently popular on girls that a boy could find it uncomfortable, depending on the kid.
Some similar to [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] (or with [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] as a potential nn):
[name_m]Ivan[/name_m] ‘Ivy’
[name_m]Ivo[/name_m] ‘Ivy’
[name_m]Reuben[/name_m] / [name_m]Ruben[/name_m] ‘Ruby’
[name_u]Rye[/name_u]
[name_u]Kit[/name_u]
[name_u]Fen[/name_u]
[name_m]Ives[/name_m] (as in St [name_m]Ives[/name_m] in Cornwall)
[name_u]Brighton[/name_u]
[name_u]River[/name_u] / [name_u]Rivers[/name_u]
[name_u]Sky[/name_u] (similar to [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] and still more popular for girls, but also used on boys)
[name_u]Storm[/name_u] (as above)
[name_u]Wren[/name_u] (as above)
[name_u]Sullivan[/name_u] ‘Ivy’
[name_m]Sylvan[/name_m]
[name_u]Clyde[/name_u]
[name_u]Indy[/name_u] / [name_u]Indigo[/name_u]
[name_u]Jay[/name_u]
[name_u]Zen[/name_u]
[name_u]Bryn[/name_u]
[name_u]Forest[/name_u]
[name_u]Hollis[/name_u]
[name_u]Wynn[/name_u]
I think it has become too popular for girls to have this as his full name, but I do think [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] could work as a family-only nickname for [name_m]Ivo[/name_m]
Iver/Ivar
[name_m]Ives[/name_m]
[name_m]Ike[/name_m]
[name_m]Isaac[/name_m]
[name_m]Isaiah[/name_m]
Naming our child is a huge responsibility and we should aim to choose a well received name that does not have the potential to cause him embarrassment or jeopardize his self esteem. It is easy to only think of ourselves or even worse, choose a name that makes us look ‘brave’ but that should never be our goal, IMO. [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] is a lovely name but because it is so established and popular today as a girls name I think it would be wrong to use it for a boy. I love the suggestions of pps, especially….
I also love the sound of [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] for a boy! But as others said, it might just not work realistically. I really like [name_m]Ives[/name_m] for a boy
Like said before, I would definitely go with something similar like [name_m]Ivan[/name_m] and use [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] as a nickname. [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] doesn’t seem exceptionally feminine to me. I can definitely see it as unisex, however, I think the majority of people would disagree just because they’re used to hearing it on girls. Kids (and adults) can be cruel. Give him options.
I wouldn’t use [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] as a boy name. I know a lot of girl Ivy’s and I would automatically assume [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] was a girl’s name. To me, it’s in the same category as [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] and [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] like you said.
Some other ideas…
[name_m]Otto[/name_m]
[name_m]Otis[/name_m]
[name_m]Ian[/name_m]
[name_u]Elias[/name_u]
[name_u]Luca[/name_u]
[name_u]Ezra[/name_u]
[name_u]Levi[/name_u]
[name_u]Leo[/name_u]
[name_u]Kai[/name_u]
[name_u]Jace[/name_u]
[name_m]Ivan[/name_m]
[name_m]Alan[/name_m]
[name_u]Jett[/name_u]
[name_u]Tate[/name_u]
[name_m]Omar[/name_m]
[name_m]Nash[/name_m]
[name_m]Zane[/name_m]
Personally I do agree with the fact that someone has to be brave enough to use them. I could see it being very handsome on a little boy… but also challenging for him to wear day to day. For that reason I would be inclined to name him something like [name_m]Ivan[/name_m] and call him [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] or put [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] in the middle
I’m afraid I have to go with Nay. I know three little girls named [name_u]Ivy[/name_u], so it’s very hard to see it fitting in as a boy name. I like [name_m]Ian[/name_m] with the pronunciation as eye-an instead of ee-an. [name_m]Iver[/name_m] and [name_m]Ivo[/name_m] are also nice suggestions that I’ve seen from other posts.
Agree with many others that it’s a no as a standalone name for a boy but could definitely work as a cool nickname for [name_m]Ivan[/name_m] or [name_m]Yves[/name_m] or even a name/middle that starts with I- and V- (think [name_m]Isaac[/name_m] [name_m]Victor[/name_m], etc).
I actually think it could be really cool! However, I don’t think it would be a good idea right now because a lot of little girls are being named that right now. I would be concerned about teasing and possible gender mixups. You could always use [name_u]Ivy[/name_u] as a nickname!
Some names similar in sound:
[name_m]Ivan[/name_m]
[name_m]Ivo[/name_m]
[name_m]Evander[/name_m]
[name_u]Evan[/name_u]
[name_m]Vander[/name_m]
Some names similar in style (mostly nature)
[name_u]River[/name_u]
[name_u]Oak[/name_u]
Asher/Ash
[name_u]Aspen[/name_u]
[name_u]August[/name_u]
[name_u]Kit[/name_u]
or even ivory which is a guilty pleasure with nickname ivy.