Opinions please- made the mistake of name sharing

DH and I are due with our first GIRL after 5 boys. He and I pretty quickly came up with a good list of girls names we both liked and planned on narrowing them down until [name_u]July[/name_u].

Well we made the mistake of mentioning to both of our mothers the names we were considering and they both said in unison “wait, I thought you were having a girl”

We do realize the names we have on our list are all unisex, but do they really immediately scream boy to everyone?

We are looking for honest opinions and will take absolutely no offense, should we follow the names we really like or should we go in a different direction and try for more feminine names?

We are open to any other suggestions that may suit our style but possibly indicate that we are in fact having a girl and not another boy.

Our names:

[name_u]Emmett[/name_u]
[name_u]Micah[/name_u]
[name_u]Wren[/name_u]
[name_u]Spencer[/name_u]
[name_u]Leighton[/name_u]

[name_u]Emmett[/name_u] and [name_u]Leighton[/name_u] both seem like boys to me.
I knew a girl [name_u]Micah[/name_u] growing up, so I’ve always associated it with a girl.
I’ve only ever thought of [name_u]Wren[/name_u] as a girl and [name_u]Spencer[/name_u] seems pretty unisex to me.

[name_u]Emmett[/name_u] and [name_u]Micah[/name_u] are boy names to me but [name_u]Wren[/name_u] and [name_u]Leighton[/name_u] can be good names for girls.

[name_u]Emmett[/name_u] is the name that says “boy” to me, with [name_u]Spencer[/name_u] coming in second. [name_u]Wren[/name_u] seems very decidedly a girl’s name. The rest I consider quite unisex.

I would assume all but [name_u]Wren[/name_u] were boys. Personally if I had a house full of boys and one girl, I would want her name to go with her brother’s names but stand out a bit. I would not want her name sounding like one of the boys. I would not want people to assume all boys and put her in an embarrassing or ackward situation. Not that you have to go with an uber frilly name.

The only name on your list that I wouldn’t immediately think boy is [name_u]Wren[/name_u]. Sorry, but [name_u]Emmett[/name_u], [name_u]Micah[/name_u], [name_u]Spencer[/name_u], and [name_u]Leighton[/name_u] are all so masculine, imo. I love [name_u]Wren[/name_u], though! It’s so sweet and definitely more feminine without being super girly or frilly.

Here are some other suggestions:
[name_u]Ariel[/name_u]
[name_u]Bailey[/name_u]
[name_f]Blythe[/name_f]
[name_u]Brooke[/name_u]
[name_u]Emerson[/name_u] - instead of [name_u]Emmett[/name_u]
[name_f]Greer[/name_f]
[name_f]Indie[/name_f]
[name_f]Juno[/name_f]
[name_u]Kit[/name_u]
[name_f]Lark[/name_f]
[name_f]Lea[/name_f] - instead of [name_u]Leighton[/name_u]
[name_f]Liv[/name_f]
[name_f]Lyla[/name_f]
[name_f]Maisie[/name_f]
[name_f]Noa[/name_f] - instead of [name_u]Micah[/name_u]
[name_u]Riley[/name_u]
[name_u]Robin[/name_u]
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u]
[name_u]Sailor[/name_u] - instead of [name_u]Spencer[/name_u]
[name_u]Sloane[/name_u]
[name_f]Sparrow[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f]
[name_f]Zoe[/name_f]

[name_u]Emmett[/name_u] - boy
[name_u]Micah[/name_u] - I would assume boy as all of the girls I’ve known with this name have used an alternate spelling ([name_u]Mika[/name_u], usually)
[name_u]Wren[/name_u] - girl
[name_u]Spencer[/name_u] - the only truly unisex one to me
[name_u]Leighton[/name_u] - girl (probably due to [name_u]Leighton[/name_u] Meester)

For me, [name_u]Spencer[/name_u] and [name_u]Leighton[/name_u] are equally unisex - I actually know more girl Spencers than boys. But the other names on your list do feel rather masculine to me.

I think if you were to go with [name_u]Spencer[/name_u] or [name_u]Leighton[/name_u] and use a girlier middle name, it would balance out just fine.

That was our main concern, we don’t want people to hear all of our kids names and just assume we have all boys, we want her to stand out a little bit but neither of us are attracted to many girls names, especially the more feminine ones. Both of us like unisex names for girls and thought we had found some of the ones that leaned more girl but now we think we need to go a little more girly.

We also wouldn’t want to ever put her in an awkward situation with her name and people possibly assuming she’s one of the boys. That’s the main reason we came here to ask if everyone thought that could possibly be the case.

I really like some of your name suggestions-
[name_u]Emerson[/name_u]
[name_f]Indie[/name_f]
[name_f]Lark[/name_f]
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] we love but our youngest sons name is [name_m]Roman[/name_m] so that wouldn’t work.
[name_u]Sailor[/name_u]
[name_f]Sparrow[/name_f]

These are the names standing out to me that I like from the list but I still worry about them being masculine.

some ideas:

[name_u]Wren[/name_u]
[name_f]Willow[/name_f]
[name_f]Willa[/name_f]
[name_u]Arden[/name_u]
[name_u]Auden[/name_u]
[name_u]Harper[/name_u]
[name_u]Winter[/name_u]
[name_f]Harlow[/name_f]
[name_f]Marlo[/name_f]
[name_u]Shiloh[/name_u]
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f]
[name_u]Juniper[/name_u]
[name_u]Eden[/name_u]
[name_u]Piper[/name_u]
[name_u]Hadley[/name_u]
[name_u]Waverly[/name_u]
[name_f]Maren[/name_f]
[name_f]Marit[/name_f]

In my opinion, [name_u]Wren[/name_u] and [name_u]Leighton[/name_u] are the only girls on your list.

Exactly this.

I love [name_u]Wren[/name_u] personally. :slight_smile: But I could see all of those names on girls. There are many girls named [name_u]Micah[/name_u], [name_u]Leighton[/name_u] fits right in with all those [name_u]Hayden[/name_u] type names, [name_u]Emmett[/name_u] could be nicknamed [name_f]Em[/name_f] or [name_f]Emmy[/name_f], and [name_u]Spencer[/name_u] is cool too. You should go with what you love!

Only [name_u]Wren[/name_u] is unisex. The rest are boy’s names, full stop. Especially with 5 boys, I strongly urge you to give your daughter a girl’s name – or else this confusion will continue for the rest of your lives.

Oh, lol, guss I should have considered your signature before suggesting [name_u]Rowan[/name_u]:slight_smile: Anyway, I don’t think any of those would be too masculine at all. I have known at least three girl Emersons and absolutely 0 boys with the name. (Though I do think it works on a boy.) The others are definitely on the feminine side of unisex.

To me [name_u]Wren[/name_u] is girl, [name_u]Leighton[/name_u] unisex, and the rest boy. [name_m]Even[/name_m] with [name_u]Leighton[/name_u], hearing it along with your other names I would probably think it was a boy. But you could use a classic feminine middle name.

A few unisex-ish names that are almost totally girl for me:

[name_u]Adair[/name_u]
[name_u]Ainsley[/name_u]
[name_u]Avery[/name_u]
[name_u]Blair[/name_u]
[name_u]Bryn[/name_u]
[name_u]Hadley[/name_u]
[name_u]Hayden[/name_u]
[name_u]Reese[/name_u]
[name_u]Teagan[/name_u]

I think all the names on your list even [name_u]Wren[/name_u] (though to lesser extent) scream boy, especially midst the names of 5 brothers. I think that maybe you and your husband should revisit your list a little bit. I know it’s tough searching and finding names and that it can be pretty stressful, but you might just find that not all traditionally girl names are girly-girl, frilly or over-the-top cutesy names. I think it’s worth at least looking at some other girl names. Here’s some suggestions:

[name_f]Samantha[/name_f] nn [name_u]Sam[/name_u]
[name_f]Louise[/name_f] or [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] nn [name_u]Lou[/name_u]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f]
[name_f]Sylvie[/name_f]
[name_f]Gwen[/name_f]
[name_f]Megan[/name_f]
[name_f]Sadie[/name_f]
[name_u]Josie[/name_u] (or [name_f]Josephine[/name_f])
[name_f]Willow[/name_f]
[name_f]Margot[/name_f] or [name_f]Margo[/name_f]
[name_f]Edith[/name_f]
[name_f]Eve[/name_f]
[name_u]June[/name_u]
[name_f]Juno[/name_f]
[name_f]Gaia[/name_f]
[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_f]Adele[/name_f]
[name_f]Emma[/name_f]
[name_f]Kate[/name_f]
[name_f]Freya[/name_f]
[name_u]Cassidy[/name_u]
[name_u]Addison[/name_u]
[name_u]Eden[/name_u]
[name_f]Iris[/name_f]
[name_f]Violet[/name_f]
[name_f]Maeve[/name_f]
[name_u]Halle[/name_u]
[name_f]Ivy[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Julia[/name_f]
[name_f]Jane[/name_f]
[name_f]Tess[/name_f] or [name_f]Tessa[/name_f]
[name_f]Gemma[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucy[/name_f]
[name_f]Zoe[/name_f]
[name_f]Honor[/name_f]
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f]
[name_u]Ruby[/name_u]
[name_u]Vivian[/name_u] (traditionally this one was masculine)
[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]
[name_f]Luna[/name_f]
[name_f]Astrid[/name_f]

Good luck!

I think your instinct is right, she needs a name that fits in with her brothers but still indicates slightly more to female. The following names spring to mind, but I am in U.K so apologies if my interpretation of your style is completely off base.

[name_u]Piper[/name_u]
[name_u]Sloane[/name_u]
[name_u]Joss[/name_u]
[name_f]Bronte[/name_f]
[name_u]Eden[/name_u]

Agree with previous posters, all but [name_u]Wren[/name_u] sound masculine to me, especially with your family of boys! I think that’s the main problem for me - a girl named [name_u]Spencer[/name_u], well, I can work with it though it’s nms, but a girl named [name_u]Spencer[/name_u] with a load of male siblings? [name_m]Just[/name_m] asking for confusion, imo.

I definitely think you can get a unisex name without that confusion though! [name_u]Wren[/name_u] would work beautifully - I think it’s a gorgeous, delicate name. @thomasina has some great alternative suggestions - [name_f]Tess[/name_f], [name_u]Eden[/name_u], [name_f]Kate[/name_f], [name_f]Ivy[/name_f], [name_f]Iris[/name_f], [name_u]Halle[/name_u], [name_f]Gwen[/name_f] . . . relating to your last post, [name_f]Indie[/name_f], [name_f]Lark[/name_f], and [name_f]Sparrow[/name_f] are very feminine to me - just because NB glosses them as unisex doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s an appreciable amount of masculine usage. [name_u]Sailor[/name_u]'s pretty feminine for me too.

I’d suggest -

[name_f]Maud[/name_f] / [name_f]Maude[/name_f] - this would fit in well wih your strong, one-syllable theme. Feminine but so not ‘girly’!
[name_f]Opal[/name_f]
[name_u]Sage[/name_u]
[name_f]Fleur[/name_f] - very delicate, and fits well with your sibset. I like this a lot for you.
[name_f]Daria[/name_f]
[name_f]Noor[/name_f]
[name_f]Iris[/name_f]
[name_u]Winter[/name_u]
[name_u]June[/name_u]
[name_f]April[/name_f]
[name_u]January[/name_u]
[name_f]Autumn[/name_f] (I feel month/season names fit with your style quite well!)
[name_f]Georgia[/name_f]
[name_f]Frances[/name_f]
[name_f]Orla[/name_f]
[name_f]Bethan[/name_f]
[name_f]Greer[/name_f]
[name_u]Jodie[/name_u]
[name_u]Ember[/name_u]
[name_f]Erin[/name_f] / [name_f]Elin[/name_f]
[name_u]Nesta[/name_u]
[name_f]Marta[/name_f]
[name_f]Morgana[/name_f]
[name_f]Judith[/name_f]
[name_f]Avalon[/name_f]
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f]
[name_u]Billie[/name_u]
[name_f]Theresa[/name_f]
[name_f]Linnet[/name_f]
Song
[name_f]Quilla[/name_f]
[name_f]Joanna[/name_f]
[name_f]Carys[/name_f] / [name_f]Cerys[/name_f]
[name_u]Rue[/name_u] / Runa
[name_f]Olwen[/name_f]
[name_f]Bonnie[/name_f]
[name_u]Storm[/name_u]
[name_f]Catherine[/name_f] “[name_f]Cat[/name_f]”
[name_f]Alys[/name_f]
[name_f]Neve[/name_f] / [name_f]Niamh[/name_f]
[name_f]Joy[/name_f]
[name_f]Poppy[/name_f]
[name_f]Hope[/name_f]
[name_f]Fay[/name_f]
[name_f]Wendy[/name_f]
[name_f]Louise[/name_f] “[name_u]Lou[/name_u]”
[name_u]Paisley[/name_u]
[name_f]Merry[/name_f]
[name_u]Dove[/name_u]
[name_f]Bella[/name_f]
[name_u]Indigo[/name_u] “[name_f]Indie[/name_f]”
[name_u]Averil[/name_u]

There’s a lot of quite feminine names in there, some more traditional, some more unisex/modern; hopefully something appeals!