See the results of this poll: Marlowe: boy, girl, either?
Respondents: 49 (This poll is closed)
- Boy! : 9 (18%)
- Girl! : 20 (41%)
- Either!: 20 (41%)
snicker
I view [name]Marlowe[/name] as potentially unisex, but still very decidedly female. When I think of a [name]Marlowe[/name], I think of a girl, plain and simple. Yes, it has crossover potential, but I suspect a male [name]Marlowe[/name] in this day and age would face the same challenges a male [name]Ashley[/name], [name]Shannon[/name], or [name]Madison[/name] would. That said, I’d also find it refreshing, so if you love it for a boy, by all means.
I’m not one who cares much about sibsets - I think if you love the names, you should use the names, so long as none sound ridiculously matchy (e.g. [name]Holly[/name] and [name]Molly[/name]). If you are concerned about the sibsets, though, I feel like [name]Marlowe[/name] would work best with…well, perhaps not other entirely unisex names, but I’d avoid anything super frilly, like [name]Cordelia[/name] or [name]Priscilla[/name]. (I think pairing [name]Marlowe[/name] well with a girl’s name would be more challenging than doing so with a boy. [name]Marlowe[/name] could work equally well with [name]Atlas[/name] and [name]Juniper[/name] or with [name]John[/name] and [name]Michael[/name].)
I think [name]Marlo[/name], spelled like Ms [name]Thomas[/name], is feminine, but [name]Marlowe[/name] is 90% masculine. I too think of [name]Kit[/name] [name]Marlowe[/name] and think it would be a great homage name. In the absence of any family surname, I would lump it in with hipster names a la the tired [name]Atticus[/name].
[name]Christopher[/name] [name]Marlowe[/name] was a major area of study during my undergraduate years, and I love hardboiled noir (see [name]Chandler[/name]'s [name]Philip[/name] [name]Marlowe[/name]) so it would absolutely be an homage name. My major concern with [name]Marlowe[/name] for a girl is that I don’t want to give my daughter a name that directly references a male hero of mine – feminism and all that. The hipster association doesn’t bother me, since my name taste is pretty thoroughly hipster anyway (though I’ve never liked [name]Atticus[/name]).
Great advice. I do love the idea of [name]Marlowe[/name] with [name]Atlas[/name] and [name]Juniper[/name]…
I feel like [name]Marlowe[/name] works equally well on both genders, although I have a slight preference for it on a boy. The names in your signature all feel kind of hipster to me, and I think [name]Marlowe[/name] fits well with that style. The only names on your list I wouldn’t use for [name]Marlowe[/name]'s sister are [name]Matilda[/name], [name]Cordelia[/name], and [name]Marigold[/name]. They just seem too elaborate next to [name]Marlowe[/name].
It’s one of the few names that I think would work for either. I used to only like it on a boy, but then I read a blog about a woman with a daughter named [name]Marlowe[/name] and she’s so cute I started to like it. I’d never use it myself, but I think it would work for others.
I think [name]Marlowe[/name], [name]Simon[/name], [name]Vesper[/name], and [name]Atlas[/name] works!
I voted boy. To me the associations are the same as yours, [name]Christopher[/name] and [name]Philip[/name]. I love [name]Marlowe[/name]'s plays and [name]Raymond[/name] [name]Chandler[/name]'s novels. It’s obviously not a bad ass motorbike cutting down trees in the forest with bare hands name, but it’s still a male name to me, just a softer one.
This was a tough call. I voted girl, but only just barely. I am sure that is because the name [name]Harlow[/name]/e is sneaking into my brain and tilting the scale a bit. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see it on a boy either. And I love your sibset idea. 
My name is [name]Marlo[/name] and I am the only one around this area - although my neighbour is a [name]Marla[/name]. To me its all girl.
“It’s obviously not a bad ass motorbike cutting down trees in the forest with bare hands name” = best name description ever. Your description of [name]Marlowe[/name] jives perfectly with mine. Thank you!
Congratulations on having a fabulous name. What do you think of [name]Blade[/name]'s suggestion that [name]Marlo[/name] is female and [name]Marlowe[/name] is male?
I second that [name]Marlo[/name] is female. I like it for both genders. But if I was choosing for a girl I would spell it [name]Marlo[/name].
[name]Love[/name] it! I’d say [name]Marlowe[/name] for a boy and [name]Marlow[/name] for a girl. Great Choice!
I’m really drawn to this name, it’s definitely on my shortlist.
I’ve been thinking after reading that [name_f]Marlo[/name_f] seems unisex and a nickname, [name_u]Marlow[/name_u] seems feminine ([name_f]Margot[/name_f]) and [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u] seems traditional masculine ([name_m]Christopher[/name_m] [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u]).
Altogether, the name is androgynous enough to be one of those modern gender-agnostic names and I think my next challenge is to convince my better-half of picking it!
Also, I wonder if there’d be a difference if it was UK/ USA (I’m from the UK) and to me [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u] is definitely masculine, from other people’s comments it seems in the USA it’s possibly the other way around.
I love [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u] on either gender, though I’d say it’s more masculine to me due to [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u].
I like it on either gender but it’s more feminine to me (possibly because I have a female relative named [name_f]Harlow[/name_f]). Also I’m not sure who [name_m]Christopher[/name_m] [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u] is so that can’t sway my opinion.
Side Note: I’m from the UK
My (boy) dog is named [name_u]Marlow[/name_u]! I think it works very well as a human name too, though. I see it as very unisex personally.