I know unisex names can be a controversial thing. Everyone seems to draw their line in a slightly different place. What I would like to know is where that line is for all of you…meaning what are some names would you consider completely unacceptable to cross-gender?
[name_m]Just[/name_m] curious!
Some of mine are: GIRLS
[name_m]Donald[/name_m]
[name_m]John[/name_m]
[name_m]Thaddeus[/name_m]
[name_m]Bartholomew[/name_m]
[name_m]William[/name_m]
BOYS
[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]
[name_f]Diana[/name_f]
[name_f]Mary[/name_f]
[name_f]Colleen[/name_f]
[name_f]Victoria[/name_f]
All of yours are pretty clear cut boy or girl names. Not saying that nobody has ever attempted to name their daughter [name_m]Donald[/name_m], but it just doesn’t seem like a big enough problem to make a fuss about a name that’s never been popular for girls and isn’t even popular for boys anymore, as is the case for most of the names you listed.
I really only get miffed by unisex names when I feel like they’re given for the “wrong” reasons, for lack of better explanation. Like when someone gives their daughter a masculine name because they want their daughter to grow up “strong” and “empowered”. It just sends the message that feminine names and femininity in general can’t be strong or empowering. Less common, but it would be the same if someone gave their boy a feminine name because they want them to grow up to be “sensitive” or “empathetic”. There’s nothing written in male’s genetics that says they can’t be sensitive or empathetic.
I agree with @vestigesofsummer… pretty spot on, actually. I’ll add on there that I don’t really like it when someone gives their kid a non-unisex name (thus, a name that is more associated with one gender or the other) just to be cool or different, especially girls.
Since you asked, the main names I have been seeing become more ‘unisex’ that I can’t stand:
I don’t think they should be used for girls, honestly. They are boys’ names. The last three, I know several boys and girls by these names, and it’s rather sad to see how upset the girls get that they were thought to be boys because someone read their name “[name_u]Tyler[/name_u] [name_m]Smith[/name_m]” and assumed ‘boy’…then the parents always get uber offended…the parents asked for it, the children did not.
I will never, ever find [name_u]Dylan[/name_u], [name_u]Carson[/name_u], [name_u]Logan[/name_u], [name_u]Toby[/name_u], [name_u]Ryan[/name_u], or [name_u]Spencer[/name_u] feminine. I think these are all too far into the “boy’s camp” to be used on a girl.
On the other end, I don’t understand how [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] is classified as unisex. I have never met a male named [name_u]Ariel[/name_u], and I think it is too closely associated with the Disney [name_f]Princess[/name_f] to be used on a boy.
[name_u]Ariel[/name_u] actually wasn’t used on girls until fairly recently, especially with that spelling, and it continues to be a predominantly male name in countries like [name_m]Israel[/name_m] and Spain. There’s even a (male) [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] character called [name_u]Ariel[/name_u], and former Israeli prime minister [name_u]Ariel[/name_u] [name_f]Sharon[/name_f] is a famous male bearer of the name.
To respond to the original question, I’ve become much more tolerant regarding unisex names. I used to HATE most boys’ names used on girls, but I feel pretty neutral about it now. Not my thing, but whatever, I guess.
That said, I’m still a bit confused by why parents choose names that actually MEAN “son of ___” for their daughters. All the Mc/[name_m]Mac[/name_m] names ([name_f]McKenna[/name_f], [name_u]Mackenzie[/name_u], etc.) and most names that end with -son ([name_u]Madison[/name_u], [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], etc.) are somehow more popular for girls, despite the fact that they literally have a gendered meaning. And I agree with vestigesofsummer- I’d rather teach my daughter to be strong AND feminine than imply that femininity is weak so only masculine names are strong.