I recently read a book where one of the characters was a female [name_u]Jude[/name_u]. I normally dislike gender-bender names, but this one has kind of stuck with me. I’m not expecting and I wouldn’t use it regardless, but would still like some thoughts on it.
Does it work? Yes or no? Why/why not?
I like it as a nickname for [name_f]Judith[/name_f]. I think it is spunky and cute with a longer feminine first.
I would prefer [name_u]Jules[/name_u] as a nickname for [name_f]Julia[/name_f]. But then I love [name_u]Jude[/name_u] on a boy, so I really don’t want it to work for girls!
@ashleyjuliette: I didn’t realise that it could be short for [name_f]Judith[/name_f]. That’s awesome!
@ciottolo: I love [name_u]Jude[/name_u] for boys too! To me it has always sounded so masculine, but for some reason I just really liked it for a girl. [name_u]Jules[/name_u] is nice, as well.
I adore [name_u]Jude[/name_u] on a boy, so I do love it. However, I feel it can be a spunky girls name too.
I hate gender benders. If you like the sound go for [name_u]Julie[/name_u] or [name_u]June[/name_u], or something with that sound.
[name_u]Jude[/name_u] is a MALE saint name so I don’t like it for girls. It’s an awesome name for a boy though.
[name_u]Jude[/name_u] has been a unisex name for centuries. It was equally unisex up until the mid 1800’s when it started to lean toward the boys side. But it is still used for girls today, just more rarely, and it always has been used for girls as well as boys. The whole “[name_u]Jude[/name_u] is a boy’s name” thing is a misconception.
"Baptisms from the 16th and 17th century also show that the name was unisex, used almost equally for boys and girls, though in different concentrations, depending on location. For example, in Hertfordshire, there is a baptism in 1653 for [name_u]Jude[/name_u], daughter of [name_m]Richard[/name_m] and [name_u]Jude[/name_u] [name_m]Ward[/name_m] and one in 1696 for [name_u]Jude[/name_u], son of [name_u]Jude[/name_u] and [name_f]Mary[/name_f] Holdsworth.
The feminine name [name_u]Jude[/name_u] came about as a diminutive of [name_f]Judith[/name_f]: a name that was very popular from the Middle Ages onwards. A [name_u]Jude[/name_u] Seelinge, daughter of [name_m]John[/name_m] and [name_f]Judey[/name_f] was baptised in 1680 for example, and there are several other examples of [name_u]Jude[/name_u]/Judiths who had daughters called [name_u]Jude[/name_u] (though there are also examples of Judiths with sons called [name_u]Jude[/name_u]).
The name remained uncommon but consistent in use throughout the 19th century, being registered at least once every year from 1838 to 1890. The name gradually declined over this century — slightly for boys, and dramatically for girls.
The 1841 census lists 152 Judes (81 males, 71 females), 95% of whom were living in [name_f]England[/name_f]. The number had decreased to 131 (79 males, 52 females) in 1861, 83 (74 males, 9 females) in 1881, 68 (65 males, 3 females) in 1901 and 63 in 1911, only one of whom was female and she was aged 38.
This pattern also continued throughout the 20th century, with [name_u]Jude[/name_u] used as an uncommon name for both boys and girls. It has only been with the turn of this centuy that [name_u]Jude[/name_u] has become a popular masculine name."
I’ve done quite a bit of digging into the history of this name and may use it on a girl.
I think [name_u]Jude[/name_u] is one of the few names I consider strictly male that wouldn’t bother me for a girl. Names like [name_u]Ryan[/name_u], [name_u]Elliot[/name_u] and [name_u]James[/name_u], which seem to be slowly moving over to the pink side, I just would hate to hear on a little girl. Maybe it’s because I love the full name [name_m]Judah[/name_m] more than nickname [name_u]Jude[/name_u].
I think it could be a nice nickname for tomboyish [name_f]Judith[/name_f], [name_f]Julia[/name_f], [name_f]Jasmine[/name_f], [name_f]Juliana[/name_f], [name_f]Juliet[/name_f]…But I would not use it as a full name. I think it’s great for a girl to have an opportunity to go by a spunky, cool name if she feels like, but it’s better to have a full serious, solid name just in case.
I’ve always found [name_u]Jude[/name_u] very feminine (I thought it was for a while- forgot about [name_u]Jude[/name_u] [name_m]Law[/name_m]), and I think it would sound better on a girl. It just sounds so much like a nickname for [name_f]Judy[/name_f] or [name_f]Judith[/name_f] (although I know it’s unisex). I actually mentioned it when I first came onto Nameberry, and got shot down, which is probably where a lot of my dislike for the name on a boy stems from XP. But anyway, I do think [name_u]Jude[/name_u] could work for a girl.
@mischa
There was also a male St. [name_u]Hilary[/name_u], St. [name_u]Jean[/name_u], St. [name_u]Jordan[/name_u], St.[name_u]Valentine[/name_u] … I could probably go on. Shall we ban those names on females too? If [name_u]Mischa[/name_u] was a male saint, you might have to change your name 
I love [name_u]Jude[/name_u] for a boy. It’s one of my favorites. As much as I love it on a boy and want it to stay on the blue side, I will concede that it works for a girl. My mom’s cousin is married to a woman named [name_u]Jude[/name_u] and it works well for her, so I’ve seen it work in real life.
I do like it actually. [name_f]Judy[/name_f] is a girls name so it feels right in a way.
Thanks for the replies! I’m actually surprised (and happy) that there’s so many of you that seem to like it for girls, too 
@babymagic: Wow, thank you so much for the information! I didn’t realise that it’s a legit unisex name; I just assumed that it was one of those male-to-female crossover names (think [name_m]Wyatt[/name_m], [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m], etc). I’m glad to see that I was wrong!
Thanks for the replies! I’m actually surprised (and happy) that there’s so many of you that seem to like it for girls, too
@babymagic: Wow, thank you so much for the information! I didn’t realise that it’s a legit unisex name; I just assumed that it was one of those male-to-female crossover names (think [name_m]Wyatt[/name_m], [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m], etc). I’m glad to see that I was wrong!
@daphodil, you’re welcome. I’m curious if the book you’re talking about was “I’ll Give You the [name_f]Sun[/name_f]”? I read it’s being turned into a movie by [name_m]Warner[/name_m] Brothers with a Gossip Girl screenwriter and a producer from “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” Makes me wonder if the name will become more mainstream for females in years to come.
[name_u]Cameron[/name_u] [name_u]Diaz[/name_u] and [name_u]Lindsay[/name_u] Lohan have both played female characters named [name_u]Jude[/name_u] in movies. There was also a female [name_u]Jude[/name_u] in [name_f]Bridget[/name_f] [name_m]Jones[/name_m]’ Diary.
I met an adult woman named [name_u]Jude[/name_u]… I think it is pretty cute… I always sing “Heyyyy [name_f]Judee[/name_f]…” but I would do that male or female
I love it on boys, but I’m not sure about a girl. If it were a nickname for [name_f]Judith[/name_f], then sure, I could see that.
@babymagic: That’s the one! That’s so cool that they’re making it into a movie; I can definitely see it contributing to [name_u]Jude[/name_u] becoming more used for females. Can’t wait to see the movie, either