Since [name_u]June[/name_u] started I have discovered a lot of names on Namberry. As of course Nameberry tends to be more open-minded when it comes to names, there are the names I discovered this month I had no idea were considered unisex! What do you think of these names on a girl?
The only one I can see on a girl is Quincy - the others are very traditionally masculine and common for boys. I wouldn’t want to be a girl named Benjamin or Sean.
I do agree that nameberry could have more names stated as unisex though: especially word names, which really shouldn’t be associated with a gender, since they’re just based off words.
I’ve only ever met a woman named [name_u]Connor[/name_u] (though her second O was an E and I think she was named after some male sailor or something) and I could only really see [name_u]Harry[/name_u], [name_u]Henri[/name_u], or [name_u]Quincy[/name_u] making sense on a woman. The others ring pretty masculine to me//would cause more confusion than I think is worth it in the first name spot. If we’re talking middles, I think whatever name you like is fair game though!
I love [name_u]Timothy[/name_u], [name_u]Julian[/name_u], and [name_u]Dorian[/name_u] on girls, I’m planning on naming my first daughter [name_u]James[/name_u] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]. I love all those names on girls but [name_u]Benjamin[/name_u] seems way to masculine for my liking. a little girl named [name_u]Timothy[/name_u] would be absolutely adorable
I’ve met a girl [name_u]Dorian[/name_u], I was actually very surprised it was considered more of a masculine name because I had such strong associations! I think now it definitely leans true unisex for me
Maybe… [name_u]Archer[/name_u], [name_u]Dorian[/name_u], [name_u]Henri[/name_u], [name_u]Israel[/name_u], and [name_u]Julian[/name_u]
[name_u]Archer[/name_u] just because I can see [name_u]Hunter[/name_u] so why not [name_u]Archer[/name_u]?
[name_u]Dorian[/name_u] nn [name_f]Dori[/name_f]!
[name_u]Henri[/name_u] is like [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] so no problem!
[name_u]Israel[/name_u] is more girl than boy for me nn [name_u]Izzy[/name_u]
[name_u]Julian[/name_u] nn [name_u]Jules[/name_u] or [name_u]Julie[/name_u]
All but one of these are boy names to me as they have long histories as masculine names. I think the only one I could possible see on a girl is [name_u]Quincy[/name_u], but that is because I don’t know of any Quincy’s to pin a specific gender to.
I could only ever see [name_u]Bennett[/name_u], [name_u]Dorian[/name_u], [name_u]Quincy[/name_u], [name_u]Harry[/name_u] and [name_u]Israel[/name_u] work on a girl. The rest are so in-your-face masculine that I just can’t picture it. I know a girl called [name_u]Harry[/name_u] and one who goes by [name_f]Harrie[/name_f] as a nickname!
The only ones here I wouldn’t consider using on a girl are [name_u]Benjamin[/name_u], [name_u]Sean[/name_u], and [name_u]Timothy[/name_u]. They seem solidly in the boy camp to me. The others I can see being unisex or shortened versions of longer feminine names.
I honestly have only seen Sean/Shaun on girls as like a shortened variation of [name_f]Shauna[/name_f]. I can see [name_u]Harry[/name_u] as it is also a short form for [name_f]Harriet[/name_f] and [name_u]Bennett[/name_u] as it’s a last as first which is pretty gender neutral. [name_u]Quincy[/name_u] is similar to [name_u]Quinn[/name_u] and is a last as first as well I believe, The others… I would say they are not gender neutral because the majority of people will assume the person is a man and the majority of those using it are men but that they may have been used for girls in enough situations that they are being listed as green. I’m not opposed to the shift in gendered naming I just wish it went both ways and it usually doesn’t. If you would call your daughter [name_u]Benjamin[/name_u] you better be ready to name your son [name_f]Daisy[/name_f].
exactly same!! I think with gender-bending names, once you meet someone with the name it becomes so much easier to picture! Dorian to me now reminds me of both a girl and guy that I know, so it feels truly neutral even though lists may not see it that way. I also only know one Israel — who’s a girl!
I could also easily see Bennett, Archer, Connor, Harry, Henri, Julian, Liam, Quincy, and Sean on girls, either due to sounding like surnames or similar feminine names. The only ones that I really can’t see are Benjamin, Timothy, and Gary — the first two because they’re so classically masculine, and the last because I can’t picture Gary on anyone other than an old man
But this is such an interesting discussion! I have to add the disclaimer that though I could see these names on anyone, it doesn’t really mean I love the name in general!
To be clear I think it’s totally fine to call your son [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] it’s just that, that tends to get a lot more pushback and people concerned about teasing etc than naming a girl [name_u]James[/name_u] does because I think we still subconsciously privilege things that are masculine coded.
