So, I’m really wondering what people think about unisex names for babies, especially if the FN & MN are both unisex. I know I personally have this problem. I’m a female, and when people see that my name is [name_u]Brett[/name_u], they are in absolute disbelief. Or, people confuse me for my husband because his name is [name_u]Francis[/name_u]. Honestly, with the amount of ridicule I’ve gotten over a name I didn’t choose for myself, I’m impartial to unisex names now. Thoughts?
For me it really depends on the name. A subtle change of one letter can make all the difference such as how [name_u]Francis[/name_u] and [name_f]Frances[/name_f] feel distinctly masculine and feminine. I tend to think the more contemporary word/nature names can work really well on both genders but I’m also a bit of a traditionalist and feel that I would want a strong, handsome name for my son and a girly girl name for my daughter.
I’m really not a fan of some unisex names though like [name_u]Charlie[/name_u], [name_u]Elliot[/name_u] and [name_u]Jamie[/name_u] on a girl OR [name_u]Jayden[/name_u], [name_u]Brayden[/name_u] and [name_u]Perry[/name_u] and [name_u]Jessie[/name_u] on either sex really.
I don’t mind truly unisex names, those that have been unisex for a long time and I ask myself about wether the person is male or female, however, even those (or especially those), I’d only use with a clarly feminine or masculine middle name.
If I met a [name_m]Lincoln[/name_m] [name_u]Brett[/name_u], I’d assume the person was male, same with [name_u]Elliot[/name_u] [name_u]Parker[/name_u] or [name_u]Ryan[/name_u] [name_u]James[/name_u].
However, [name_u]Charlie[/name_u] [name_u]Wren[/name_u], [name_u]Alex[/name_u] [name_u]River[/name_u] or [name_u]Dakota[/name_u] [name_u]Quinn[/name_u] would make me wonder (usually a sign for a truly unisex name for me).
wildmoonchild, I am starting to feel the same way. I hate the weird looks and questions I receive regarding my name. There are definitely some unisex names that I don’t like for both genders ([name_u]Leslie[/name_u] and [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] for example). I do feel that some parents give their kids unisex names to be edgy and different, but they are somewhat forgetting that the children have to deal with those names for a while, if not forever.
Mine would probably make you wonder about my gender. I’m a [name_u]Brett[/name_u] [name_u]Taylor[/name_u], and that always stumps people.
I’ve never seen [name_u]Brett[/name_u] used on a girl, so I would probably assume you were a boy. However, were it [name_u]Alex[/name_u] [name_u]Taylor[/name_u], I’d really wonder…
I like unisex names. Not all, but I have many favourite names that are unisex. [name_u]Sky[/name_u], [name_u]Willoughby[/name_u], [name_u]Oakley[/name_u], [name_u]Zion[/name_u] etc. I sooner like unisex names on a boy then a girl, as per the ones I listed. I definitely prefer a distinctly masculine or feminine middle or first name to balance it then.
I’m [name_u]Hunter[/name_u]. I feel you on the weird looks and comments. Sometimes I loathe my name, and sometimes I love having something different. I like unisex names though and am pretty fluid with them. Nature names, or surnames like [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] are definitely unisex to me. I wouldn’t assume. My niece and nephew are [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] & [name_u]Taylor[/name_u]. People sometimes wonder which one is which. And I kind of like that, because [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] is not into princesses and [name_u]Dylan[/name_u] is not hyper-masculine. I don’t like when children get pushed into gender roles before they’ve exited the womb.
FWIW though, my brother is [name_u]Brett[/name_u] making me automatically assume boy, but I think it sounds nice as a woman’s name. It means “from [name_f]Brittany[/name_f]” which can be either a man or woman - therefore it’s unisex to me, not a boy name on a girl.
Let me just say, your response made me smile. I wish more people were accepting of my name, but I live in a very outdated, conservative state, so that isn’t likely. I think [name_u]Hunter[/name_u] is a great name, and I definitely know equal numbers of males and females with that name.
Personally, I love some unisex names, some for either gender, some for one or the other. [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] is the only one I really, really, really loathe on one gender (very much dislike it on boys, though it’s one of my favourite girl names. That said, I particularly love [name_u]Artemis[/name_u], [name_u]Hunter[/name_u], [name_u]Carter[/name_u], [name_u]Ryan[/name_u], [name_u]Tyson[/name_u], [name_u]Tyler[/name_u], [name_u]Ellington[/name_u], [name_u]Pepper[/name_u], [name_u]Piper[/name_u], [name_u]Onyx[/name_u], [name_u]Reed[/name_u], [name_u]Carson[/name_u], [name_m]Wilson[/name_m] on girls, [name_f]Avalon[/name_f], Nico, and [name_f]Ciel[/name_f] on boys, and [name_u]Dylan[/name_u], [name_u]Morgan[/name_u], and [name_m]Demetri[/name_m] on either.
I’m not big on making a whole name unisex at birth (unless if the child was born intersex or something) because my little stepsister is a [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] [name_u]Reed[/name_u] and she hates the ambiguity. Probably doesn’t help that her [name_m]BiL[/name_m] is a [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] [name_u]James[/name_u]
No worries 
I think maybe I’m so into names because I’ve spent my life explaining mine. And thank you! I’m sure you understand the love/hate relationship I have with [name_u]Hunter[/name_u].
I’ve certainly heard of full names before where I’ve questioned the gender and it in no way bother’s me, but it’s just probably not what I’d want for my child. It does feel a bit like breaking boundaries and picking hyper-masculine names for girls and vice versa for boys is a new thing. For example [name_u]James[/name_u] for a girl. In a way it comes across as more of a social statement than just a taste in name.
I have no problem with unisex names, I don’t think gender roles should be so emphasized in today’s society. There are tonnes of names I like on either gender, like [name_u]Remy[/name_u]/[name_u]Remi[/name_u], [name_u]Riley[/name_u], [name_u]Ryan[/name_u], [name_u]Rowan[/name_u], [name_u]Camden[/name_u], [name_u]Elliot[/name_u], [name_u]Alex[/name_u], [name_u]River[/name_u] and [name_u]Phoenix[/name_u]. However I understand how it may cause some confusion, especially if the middle is unisex too.
I don’t think gender roles should be emphasized as much, either. I only get upset with my name when it comes down to mail, legal issues, and making doctor appointments. I could call for a dentist appointment, and I could say “I need a cavity filled.” They will ask what my name is, and as soon as I say [name_u]Brett[/name_u], they immediately go “ok when can he come in?” I mean really, I could say “I,” “me,” and “my” 400 times and they will still be referring to me as “he.” One time I went with my husband, and they called my name for my paperwork. I walked up to pick it up, and the receptionist says, “Aw how cute. You jumped up as soon as we called his name!” Well, that’s because it’s my name, haha. So frustrating.
My only hesitation with so-called unisex names is that it seems to mostly be one way. Lots of male names get used on girls, but where are the male Sarahs, Elizabeths etc? No where. So to me the overarching trend seems to say that masculinity is a virtue, rather than gender doesn’t matter.
So I guess I class unisex names into two categories - the ones that really are unisex ([name_u]Ashley[/name_u], [name_u]Lesley[/name_u]/[name_u]Leslie[/name_u], [name_f]Frances[/name_f]/[name_u]Francis[/name_u], [name_u]River[/name_u] or [name_u]Quinn[/name_u]) which I find refreshing and then the “trendy” ones like [name_u]Ryan[/name_u], [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_u]Taylor[/name_u], [name_u]Hunter[/name_u], even [name_u]Madison[/name_u] which I’m not a fan of purely because I don’t see them as actually unisex - I see them as part of this trend that says it’s fine for a girl to be thought of as a boy, but it would be terrible if a boy were ever to be thought of as a girl.
I was pretty indifferent to them until I met my S/O. He really likes them so I’ve slowly grown to as well. [name_u]Addison[/name_u], [name_u]Riley[/name_u], [name_u]Hayden[/name_u], [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u], etc. have all migrated from my boys list, to our shared girls list, but thankfully, they all work pretty well for both genders right now. If I loved a unisex name for one gender, I can’t see why I wouldn’t or couldn’t love it for the other!
I also have a unisex name (though mine is used drastically more for girls than boys), and have never really had an issue. I went to school with Taylors of both genders, and even Tylers of both genders, all with minimal issues.
However, I’d definitely choose a name with a clear gender for the MN spot - [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_u]Hayden[/name_u] [name_f]Arabella[/name_f], [name_u]Riley[/name_u] [name_f]Sophia[/name_f], [name_u]Addison[/name_u] [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_u]Jamie[/name_u] [name_m]William[/name_m], [name_u]Finley[/name_u] [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], etc. just in case my son or daughter didn’t like their unisex first name, and wanted a name that wouldn’t be confused or get responses of “oh, [name_u]Finley[/name_u], where is she?” or “[name_u]Hayden[/name_u]? Where’s he?” from teachers/supply teachers, etc. in school.
Completely agree. It seems that most of the feminine unisex names that are used on boys were originally male names ([name_u]Leslie[/name_u], [name_u]Morgan[/name_u], [name_u]Meredith[/name_u], etc), and they became more female-oriented over time. Personally, I hate being thought of as a boy. Masculinity can be a virtue, especially where I live, but it’s super annoying at the same time. A name should just be a name, not a gender indicator, in my opinion.
I personally don’t like most unisex names, and nearly all the ones I do are ones I’d only use on either boys or girls, that said I don’t have any issue with others using them
I completely agree, I would want to see female names used on males too personally names like [name_f]Greer[/name_f]/[name_f]Grier[/name_f] can be versatile too.
Agree with this as well.
I also don’t believe giving a child a traditionally masculine or feminine name is pushing gender roles on them. My daughter has a distinctive “girls” name, but we don’t practice gender roles in our home. She has played football, chooses clothes and toys from the “girls” and “boys” section of stores, has a huge collection of dinosaurs and superheros, as well as dolls and Shopkins, etc. Her name doesn’t define how we view gender roles in our home. If we have a son, he’ll likely have a traditionally masculine name, but he’ll be raised with the same view of gender roles.