I wash thinking about it-- it’s already a very soft boys’ name and it has the same pretty, short tone as [name]Blythe[/name], [name]Day[/name] and [name]Jane[/name].
If you paired it with a longer, more feminine name, could it work? Some examples:
As a middle name only - considering its popularity for boys. [name]Verona[/name] [name]James[/name] and [name]Isadora[/name] [name]James[/name] are very pretty. I quite like the nicknames [name]Vera[/name] and [name]Izzy[/name].
We are most likely using [name]James[/name] for a mn for our daughter. My [name]SIL[/name] is using it as a mn also, but spelled [name]Jaymes[/name]. My [name]BIL[/name] passed away, and we both are using it to honor him.
I know a woman named [name]George[/name]! And I love the name on her.
But somehow, I can’t see [name]James[/name] working as well. Maybe because with [name]George[/name], [name]Georgie[/name] or [name]Georgia[/name] is a cute nn. Of course, you could give her [name]Jamie[/name] as a nn, but it feels rather dated. I would probably use [name]James[/name] for a mn as, for some reason I can’t put my finger on, it sounds more serious than the down-home and slightly mischievous [name]George[/name]/[name]Georgie[/name].
I also know a girl with [name]Michael[/name] for a mn, so I agree with that option. You can avoid potential drama or controversy that way.
What about doing a less literal tribute like [name]Jemma[/name]? Or even [name]Jemima[/name]? [name]Jaime[/name] is also an option, but like I said, it definitely feels dated.
Oh, and as a side note, if you do decide to go with [name]James[/name], I wouldn’t use [name]Orchid[/name] or [name]Indigo[/name] for a mn. You’d want to give her an option that she’d be likely to use if [name]James[/name] ever became too heavy a mantle. Something like [name]Orchid[/name] might be considered just as out there. I’d give her something distinctly normal and undeniably feminine like [name]Katherine[/name].
It could work in the middle, but I don’t care for boys’ names on girls. You’re right about it sounding kind of soft. I do really like it on a boy, but I suppose it’s not the most masculine sounding classic name.
i think it could work as a middle name only. It’s actually kind of sweet with [name]Isadora[/name]…
Most people will be a little confused by it though as it is a primarily male name… but i knew a family once who used the name [name]Brandon[/name] for a girl… They were expecting boy/girl twins and had chosen the names [name]Brandon[/name] & [name]Amanda[/name]… they ended up having girl/girl twins and went ahead and used [name]Brandon[/name] anyway… just changed the spelling to make it a little more feminine: [name]Brandyn[/name] (nn [name]Brandy[/name]).
Possibly you could do that with [name]James[/name]…
i don’t think i would though… [name]Jaymes[/name] looks more feminine, but it has a very “tryndee” feel to it that i just don’t like.
back to your original question::
[name]Isadora[/name] [name]James[/name] is actually a pretty name for a little girl!
Had you ever considered using the unisex [name]Jamie[/name]?
[name]Isadora[/name] [name]Jamie[/name] is a sweet alternative…
it’s not quite the same, but [name]Isadora[/name] [name]Jasmine[/name] works really well too!!
[name]James[/name] as a first name for a girl? Absolutely not. To me this would be like naming a little girl [name]John[/name], [name]Mike[/name], or [name]Richard[/name]. I think it would be cruel and lead to a lifetime of confusion. People expecting a man would meet a woman, store sales clerks checking credit card details might awkwardly suspect fraud, etc. Fair enough if you want to use a boyish nickname, but it would be nice to have a formal feminine option should she so desire in future.
As a middle name it could work nicely, particularly as it sounds like a surname when put in the middle or sounds like you may be honouring a particular [name]James[/name].
I agree with the previous posters about distinctly boy names on a girl. As a teacher, I have seen a lot of confusion and problems over not knowing what the gender is, as well as bullying.
Please don’t. I’m not even advising you against it because I dislike boys’ names on girls - it is actually that I fear that more and more boys’ names are being adopted into the girls’ category, and I feel it is unfair on parents looking to name a little boy. What are they left with? The _aydens? [name]Rock[/name]? I for one like softer names on boys, and I fear that one day there won’t be any left!
I don’t like [name]James[/name] for a girl - exception was that the character [name]Jamie[/name] on “Mad About You” was sometimes called [name]James[/name] as a nickname - like you might call someone [name]Jules[/name] if their name was [name]Julie[/name], or Ames if their name was [name]Amy[/name], etc. I don’t think that qualifies those to be “girl’s names.” I really love [name]James[/name] for a boy. I think someone a while ago named their daughter [name]Jameson[/name], or was considering it. I’m not so strict on names where boys weren’t using it anyway, like [name]Bailey[/name], which revived at least a decade earlier for girls than boys and has always, in the current era, been more common for girls than boys. [name]James[/name] is not a girl’s name. I don’t know where you hear “soft” in the name, and apply that “means it’s for girls.” I disagree with that sentiment, if that’s the kind of name you are going for, just name her something that’s not a boy’s name.
If you want to be avant garde, and I think [name]James[/name] is as avant garde as naming her [name]Steven[/name] or [name]Jeffrey[/name] or [name]Robert[/name], that’s entirely a different thing. If you are going for a “unisex” sort of soft name, surname, boy’s name for a girl, try [name]Avery[/name] or [name]Finley[/name] or [name]Emerson[/name]. Those are a little more understandable.
I also understand the sentimentality of the poster who, with her [name]SiL[/name] is using [name]James[/name] for a middle name to commemorate someone. To consider it soft like [name]Blythe[/name] is heresy. Sorry.
I think it’s fine. I don’t see [name]James[/name] “going to the girls.” I like it for a middle name for girls with a very feminine first name. [name]James[/name] [name]Marsden[/name] named his little girl [name]Mary[/name] [name]James[/name]. My brother’s name is [name]Cameron[/name] [name]James[/name], and I’ve thought about [name]Elizabeth[/name] [name]James[/name] for a little girl because I’ve always wanted to honor him.
