I know [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] has been popular for girls lately, especially on Nameberry. But could it work on a boy? I love nature names but I have a hard time finding any I like for boys. I adore [name_u]Rowan[/name_u], but it doesn’t go with our last name. I like [name_u]Sage[/name_u] too, but it’s a bit too short. (As you can see, I like unisex names on boys.)
I like [name_m]Jasper[/name_m] okay, but I like [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] much better. Also, could any nicknames for this work on a boy? [name_f]Juno[/name_f] is a goddess name but maybe it could work? Let me know your thoughts!
I think [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] is fabulous on both boys and girls! It’s a unisex name and doesn’t sound overly feminine. The only feminine part is the [name_u]June[/name_u] part, but I think it’s not super feminine. [name_f]Juno[/name_f] would work great as a nickname! [name_u]Juneau[/name_u] (spelling of [name_f]Alaska[/name_f]'s capital) is unisex anyway (or at least I think) so it works just fine.
I can see it on a boy but only with a more masculine nn since it reminds me a lot of the very feminine [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f]
[name_u]Jay[/name_u] (J) / Juper / Juner could be some nicknames
I think it could definitely work, although I love [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] on a girl so I’m little biased towards that haha. But it’s definitely unisex, and would be quite awesome on a boy.
I would say [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] is very feminine, but I think it could work for a boy if paired with a masculine middle name.
Such as, [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] [name_m]Henry[/name_m], [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] [name_m]Theodore[/name_m], [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] [name_m]Wesley[/name_m]. [name_m]Just[/name_m] examples.
I’m biased because [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] is on my girl list, but I could see it working for either gender. Very cute and spunky. And nickname, [name_f]Juno[/name_f] would be perfect for a little guy!
Also, if you have other children, now or future, their names give it a feel too. If your girls have very girly names, his name won’t be weird. But if they have unisex names, it may feel feminine for him.
Most people associate [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] with a girl’s name, but I think it works just fine one a boy. It’s a nature name, and generally those are considering unisex. Also [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] doesn’t sound particularly feminine to me, it sounds much like [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m] which I usually considered masculine I believe. It also has alot of the same sounds as [name_m]Julian[/name_m]. I’d love to meet a boy named [name_u]Juniper[/name_u]! [name_u]Love[/name_u] the nickname suggestion of [name_u]Perry[/name_u] too.
I think it works. I love [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] (one of my GPs), but for a girl, (never thought about it on a boy). My favorite name is Junayd, Arabic for ‘little warrior’, with NNs [name_u]June[/name_u], [name_f]Junie[/name_f], and [name_f]Juno[/name_f] so I definitely think it is fine for a boy. Since the FN is unisex, and leans more towards girls, I would just go for a masculine middle name.
[name_u]Juniper[/name_u] reminds me of [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f], both in look and sound. It seems very feminine to me.
The best thing to do is ask pre-teen/teen boys and men their thoughts of [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] on a boy/man. It’s unanimous here that it is a girls name.
As a nature name ending in -er I see [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] working on boys and girls alike. This coming from the mother of a boy [name_u]Robin[/name_u], haha. Have you any idea the looks and criticisms I got from some distant family members and people in the neighborhood or other parents?
“Why did you give your little boy such a girly name?” And my response: “Batman’s sidekick, [name_u]Robin[/name_u] [name_m]Williams[/name_m], [name_u]Robin[/name_u] Thicke, [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] [name_u]Robin[/name_u]… It’s pretty cool.”
I think people focus too much in trying to fit into these socially constructed and poisonous ideas of sex and gender. Honestly, we loved the name [name_u]Robin[/name_u], we used the name [name_u]Robin[/name_u] and have no regrets whatsoever. Otherwise my son’s name would have been [name_u]Seth[/name_u] or [name_u]Noah[/name_u] and nowadays I’m completely bored out by those names (no offense).
Also, why is it ok these days for many parents to give traditional boy, surname and/or unissex names and it’s not ok for boys. For me it’s very, very annoying.
I guess what I mean to say is that using [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] for a boy is perfectly plausible, possible and acceptable. It’s a beautiful name and it doesn’t really matter if it’s bestowed upon girl or boy, I’d be happy to meet any [name_u]Juniper[/name_u].
What harvest said above. My brother had a unisex name and so it seems really natural to me to think that boys and girls can share a common name. He knows that I think he ‘won’ in the name lottery having a more normal name than my name.
The caution I would have is that [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] is not an established unisex name (my brother’s name was, even though it was more popular for girls). But it’s not a common girl name either (my brother’s name was pretty popular as a girl name). So I think this balances out because you are really just using an unusual, uncommon name that most people won’t automatically think of as ‘girl’, but rather they will think of it as ‘uncommon’. If you like it, I think it’s fine to use. I agree with those that have said [name_f]Juno[/name_f] would be a great nickname. I know that is more a girl name, but to me it doesn’t sound that girlish and I think it’s a great nickname for [name_u]Juniper[/name_u].
I think it’s great on any gender. He could always use a nn to differentiate himself from the Junes.
Nipper / Nip is pretty cool, I think. [name_m]Per[/name_m] ( mentioned above) is a form of [name_m]Peter[/name_m] (also used in the Netherlands and Belgium, where it’s pronounced almost like “pear”). Jupe might work (depending on accent), or Jip.
I love [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] for a girl, especially [name_f]Juno[/name_f]. I think the movie [name_f]Juno[/name_f] also brought on a new wave of girl Junos. Having said that, I know a gorgeous boy named [name_f]Juni[/name_f].
There’s no reason [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] can’t be a solidly unisex name, but for whatever reason it’s feminine sounding to me. I just can’t imagine it on a boy. Maybe it’s the “[name_u]June[/name_u]” sound in the beginning. [name_u]Aspen[/name_u], which evokes the same kind of feel for me as [name_u]Juniper[/name_u], seems more truly unisex. Also, [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m] has a very similar sound to [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] and that seems more masculine, as well, although that’s a little more out there than [name_u]Juniper[/name_u]. At least to me. haha
[name_u]Juniper[/name_u] nn [name_m]Pip[/name_m] is genius, @sillypumpkin!
I really like the idea of [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] on a boy; I especially like it as a quirky middle but there’s no reason why it couldn’t work as a first too. I agree that traditionally unisex and new word names with no inherent gender should be fair game for either sex.
I think [name_u]Juniper[/name_u] is great! I love [name_f]Juno[/name_f] and [name_m]Pip[/name_m] as nicknames for him, and even [name_u]June[/name_u] doesn’t seem too feminine to me (but perhaps that’s just because I watch a lot of Korean TV shows and hear “Joon” in men’s names all the time).
I really don’t think kids these days have the same views on gender that we did 20 years ago, so I don’t believe this is something he’d be relentlessly teased over by his peers, even if it were a more feminine name like [name_f]Aurora[/name_f].
Like others have said, if you’re still hesitant about it, give him a traditionally masculine middle name like [name_m]David[/name_m] so he has other choices.