this is kinda long, I apologize!..So I absolutely love the name [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] for a boy. (Why it gets slapped onto girls and called unisex, I will never understand. It sounds so rugged and masculine to me). Lately i find myself going back and forth a lot with this name.
Part of me thinks that it’s a perfectly acceptable name for a boy and just because it’s more common on girls doesn’t mean I should be afraid to use it on a future son one day. Then the other part of me thinks about how drastic the usage is between boys and girls and I wonder if [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] has gone to the girls just like [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] and so many other original boy names. I know it is dipping in popularity for both sexes but it still ranks astronomically higher for girls. I try to think of it from the view point of ‘yes I love this name but how would it affect my child? Am I being selfish? [name_m]How[/name_m] would my child feel? [name_m]How[/name_m] would it look on a job résumé? Etc’
Another reason I’m unsure is because I think it’s kinda tough to form sibsets with. None of my girl names really seem right with it and I don’t want it to sound like [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] and (ex) [name_f]Zoey[/name_f] are sisters instead of brother and sister. I don’t want to be trapped into unisex names for any other boys or have the son named [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] feel like he has a lesser name compared to any brothers who received a traditional male name. I hope that all makes sense.
So what do you guys honestly think? Any feedback is greatly appreciated!
Has [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] gone to the girls and should I move on to a new favorite boy name? (If so, do you like any other names on my signature?)
Would I just be setting my future kid up for a life time of confusion/gender assumptions and annoyance?
I have loved this name for years and I feel that whether I do or do not use it, I would regret it either way.
Side note: I don’t plan on having kids any time soon, just really torn on this name and tired of obsessing about it haha
I think [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] works perfectly well for a boy. I know two male Morgans; one is a twin to my daughter’s friend (the girl twin is named Tr!nity) , and one is my husband’s colleague.
It seems very masculine to me, a sturdy horse, even though I know a few females with the name.
When parents choose traditional boys names for their daughters, they don’t seem to worry about gender confusion. I don’t know why that attitude doesn’t apply to boys. Society really has massive hangups when it comes to giving boys names that were once exclusively male and are now predominantly borne by girls. We don’t want our boys to be any way girly because they may appear weak. I don’t buy into that philosophy. The way I see it: [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] WAS, IS and always [name_m]WILL[/name_m] be a boys name. If [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] is your favourite boys name, I would encourage you to keep it on your list. It’s only by choosing names of this type for boys that it keeps the choice alive for that gender. More parents should be so bold and not fall into the same trap. No one should be scared of picking a name that was once predominantly male. If someone gives you grief and says that “[name_u]Morgan[/name_u] is a girls name”, you can give them the facts and make them look ill-informed. One of my late grandmother’s favourite phrases was: what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Translation: males and females are equal and should be judged by the same standards. I hope I’ve eased your mind a bit.
As far as sibsets are concerned, [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] goes well with some of the names in your signature. [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] would be fine with [name_u]Grady[/name_u], [name_m]Grant[/name_m] and [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] (all are surnames like [name_u]Morgan[/name_u]). If you don’t mind the shared endings, [name_u]Cameron[/name_u], [name_m]Callan[/name_m] and [name_m]Nolan[/name_m] are similar in style as well. I don’t see any outstanding problems with your girls names either (other than [name_f]Erin[/name_f] and [name_f]Norah[/name_f] which would be matchy).
You have a great deal of time to think about it and see how the name trends. The name won’t cause gender confusion, however he may be subject to teasing. It might toughen him up or it may cause him all sorts of problems. It depends of the child’s temperament and the school environment. I think of Morgan Freeman so I think the name seems well suited to a boy. However, it will likely be perceived by the peers today as being a girl’s name because it is so much more popular for girls. People try to talk up that we should all be gender equal and can name our boy Sue if we like. It’s one thing when it’s hypothetical, it’s another thing entirely when it’s your own child. Why purposely give your child a name that you know will cause issues. I don’t think my personal fondness for a name overrides the fact that this is not a name I have to live with, but it may effect my relationship with my child, if the child resents me for the name.
I actually just thought about this and while many people on here might disagree, here’s my two cents.
I think that a male [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] might or might not have a few problems in his live. Same as male Addisons, Ashleys or Madisons. Why? Because these names rank much higher for girls than they do for boys. I’m all for keeping boy names as such but when the name has already gone to the girls, at least in the kid’s generation, it might affect the child rather badly, especially in his teenage years. Of course he could also turn out to be super confident and not care about any comments that he might get and wear his name well.
Has [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] gone to the girls and should I move on to a new favorite boy name?
I don’t know if it has completely gone to the girls but in this generation, I think yes.
(I think every one of your other boys names is fantastic)
Would I just be setting my future kid up for a life time of confusion/gender assumptions and annoyance?
I wouldn’t go that far. It’s not like naming your son [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] or your daughter [name_m]Otto[/name_m] and people definitely expect the other gender to turn up.
Employers might expect [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] to be a girl but won’t be shocked if he’s actually a boy.
I think in the end you have to decide if your love for the name outweighs the negative impact his name might have on him or if you just want him to have a name you adore. [name_m]Both[/name_m] choices would be totally fine.
[name_u]Morgan[/name_u] is becoming like the next [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] - no, [name_u]Morgan[/name_u]'s gender ratio is far less lopsided than [name_u]Ashley[/name_u]'s. Yes, [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] is used quite a bit more on girls, but it’s certainly not unheard of on boys. In fact, since [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] is now on the decline, that means the odds of him running onto a female [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] in his class are dropping (I’ve said it before but I think [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] may become more like [name_u]Kelly[/name_u] or [name_u]Robin[/name_u] - quite dated for girls but fresher on a boy).
Naming a boy [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] is selfish - when you consider society at large I think just the opposite. It’s those parents who insist on naming their girl a boy’s name, and then other parents turning around and striking the name off their boy’s list when they see a girl with the name, that’s created this whole issue of girls supposedly ruining boy’s names. While there may be some slightly rough times here and there as an individual, with collective thinking I praise parents who want to return names like [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] to the boys.
It might create problems on a résumé - I don’t think that [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] is a name that would lend to discrimination (it’s spelled properly, not strongly ethnic or present with racial overtones, not cutesy, not overly eccentric or challenging to spell/pronounce). If he feels that being presumed to be female would be a drawback, he can either include his middle name if clearly masculine (which if you go for [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] I would recommend so he does have that option) or add Mr. to the front of his name.
The summary is go for [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] if your heart is set on it for a boy!
I love [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] for a boy! Is it possible to be manlier than [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] [name_m]Freeman[/name_m]? No, it is not. I know people use this for girls, but if I met a girl [name_u]Morgan[/name_u], it would be like meeting a girl [name_u]Elliot[/name_u]. I would think, “oh, your parent’s gave you a boy’s name.” It really does not feel like a girl’s name because there is a girl’s version- [name_f]Morganne[/name_f].
I love the name [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] on a boy. [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] was a popular name for girls…like 10-15 years ago. So I doubt your son would come across many female [name_u]Morgan[/name_u]'s in his class. I think its perfectly ok.
Wow guys so much great feedback! There are a few dividing opinions but it seems like the majority feel that [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] it’s still acceptable for a boy and that is certainly good to hear. I like the point namefan made saying that [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] may eventually seem dated for girls but fresher on boys.
I don’t plan on any kids for at least 5 years so I’m hoping that if/when I have a son that by the time he’s in school the name [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] will drop out of the top 100 for girls and not seem so unexpected on a boy or at least that he wouldn’t have a girl [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] in his class.
Also another good point to give a masculine middle name. I love the combo of [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] [name_m]Zachary[/name_m]. I could so see myself calling him [name_m]Mack[/name_m] (combining the sounds of [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] and [name_m]Zack[/name_m]) as a cute family only nickname. I would try to enforce the use of the given name [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] for school/general use though because it is just so handsome
I know 3 male Morgans (two in their 30s, one in his 20s) and only one girl named [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] (under 10). I always think of it as a boy’s name first. I doubt there would be an issue naming a son [name_u]Morgan[/name_u]. One of the male Morgans I know has a brother named H@yden, and I don’t think there were ever any issues with one having a “lesser” name as you put it.
[name_u]Morgan[/name_u] is a boys’ name in my mind. I much prefer [name_f]Morgana[/name_f] for a girl, and if anything [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] could be a more masculine nn for [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] (like [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] nn [name_u]Rory[/name_u]). I would assume a child called [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] would be a boy, and I doubt there would be that much gender confusion.
My wife and I want a second boy and I love the name [name_u]Morgan[/name_u]. However the conversation of him being teased has come up. We are going to do two middle names for each child. So his full name would be [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_u]Kelly[/name_u] [name_m]Ammon[/name_m]. Any thoughts on that? I also love how [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] [name_u]James[/name_u] rolls off the tongue. Any thoughts?
I think [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] is still very much a unisex name and has not gone to the female side. I even know of one male [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] and no female Morgans (besides hearing a few female [name_u]Morgan[/name_u]'s online). I still think it’s very much usable for a boy.
I…honestly didn’t know that anyone had decided to name their girls [name_u]Morgan[/name_u]. It is firmly a boy’s name for me as there is an easy feminine version: [name_f]Morgana[/name_f]. I had a [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] in my class growing up in the 90s who was male, there is [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] [name_m]Freeman[/name_m], as already mentioned, and [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] Grimes from [name_m]Chuck[/name_m] (though probably not the best association, still a boy). I’d say use it.
Also, as for teasing, if its not “[name_u]Morgan[/name_u]'s a girl’s name”, it will likely be something else just as hurtful. Kids are creative and if they want to tease him, they will find a way. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t let that stop you from using a name that is completely acceptable for a boy.
If you aren’t planning children soon, I wouldn’t feel like you need to make this decision now. AND, even if you do, name trends change so quickly, you may not get the same answers. Most [name_u]Morgan[/name_u]’s I know are in their 20s and 30s, so by the time you’re ready to have children, if that’s a few years down the road, the name may not have strong gender associations one way or another. I know one boy and a couple girls named [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] and the name suits each of them well. I don’t view the boy as feminine or associate his name with female gender. I think it’s currently completely usable for a boy, unlike [name_u]Ashley[/name_u], [name_u]Whitney[/name_u], [name_u]Addison[/name_u] and others that I put in the girl category. As far as sunsets, you’ll always be able to find a name that works! There are SO many names out there and hopefully this board is still running so you have some good help!
