I’ve recently fallen in love with the name [name]Ronan[/name] but I don’t care for the nickname [name]Ron[/name] or [name]Ronnie[/name]. I was thinking of the name [name]Ronan[/name] [name]Julia[/name] for a girl with the nickname [name]Annie[/name]? [name]Julia[/name] is a family name and I love the Irish connection and meaning of the name [name]Ronan[/name]. Thoughts?
I guess it can work, I think it’s taking the whole “boys names on girls” thing way too far. I’d roll my eyes if I met a female [name]Ronan[/name].
There’s [name]Veronica[/name], [name]Rowan[/name], etc.
[name]Ronan[/name] sounds pretty masculine to me because it rhymes with [name]Conan[/name]. [name]Rowan[/name] feels more uni, and you don’t get [name]Ron[/name] or [name]Ronnie[/name]. But neither is all that well established for boys, so it’s reasonable to consider.
[name]Ronan[/name] nn [name]Annie[/name] works well enough, but if you want [name]Annie[/name] it seems like there are other ways to get there. I would nickname [name]Ronan[/name] or [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Ro[/name] and use an An- name for a future daughter.
[name]Ronan[/name] [name]Julia[/name] is a nice combo.
[name]Anona[/name] nn [name]Annie[/name] is similar in feel to me, and I prefer it, although it’s not Irish.
I’m of the general Nameberry opinion that boys’ names on girls are trendy, tacky, and awful (not to mention, in my radical-feminist opinion, sexist). [name]Rowan[/name], on the other hand, is a truly unisex nature name with strong connections to the [name]Emerald[/name] [name]Isle[/name] AND offering the nickname [name]Annie[/name]. [name]Madigan[/name] and [name]Shannon[/name] fit too, and [name]Darcy[/name] and [name]Flannery[/name] are fabulous unfrilly Irish names.
As for masculine nicknames for [name]Ronan[/name], what about [name]Ro[/name]? Honestly, I don’t think a two-syllable name needs a nn, and I doubt it will be shortened.
[name]Ronan[/name] to [name]Annie[/name] seems really strained. By that point I would rather use another Irish name, like [name]Aine[/name] or [name]Aoife[/name], or a name closer to [name]Annie[/name], like [name]Annabel[/name]. Or, you know, [name]Anne[/name].
Maybe it’s just my experience but all the Irish-from-[name]Ireland[/name] people I’ve known get touchy about Americans using Gaelic boy’s names for girls. [name]Rory[/name], [name]Rowan[/name], etc. “why do Americans [name]DO[/name] that? [name]Don[/name]‘t they know they’re boys’ names?!”
I don’t mind some boys’ names on girls; I can see the appeal and I like the sound sometimes. But [name]Ronan[/name] is completely boy to me, as boy as [name]Edmund[/name] or [name]Marshall[/name] or [name]Brody[/name]. [name]Ronan[/name] [name]Julia[/name] sounds confused/confusing to me; the [name]Julia[/name] doesn’t really “feminize” [name]Ronan[/name] for me the way that a girlier middle usually feminizes [name]Avery[/name], [name]Hayden[/name], [name]Monroe[/name], [name]Marlowe[/name], [name]Tierney[/name], etc.
I think [name]Rowan[/name] [name]Julia[/name] works much better. If you were to name a son [name]Ronan[/name], I really don’t think anyone would call him [name]Ron[/name] since the vowel sounds are different and [name]Ronan[/name] isn’t long enough to need a nickname.
Sorry, I’m another anti-male name on girl person. [name]Rowan[/name] I could see, [name]Ronan[/name] not so much. As a PP stated [name]Ronan[/name] to [name]Annie[/name] is a pretty big stretch. If you’re looking for other options let us know. I know a lot of the ladies here will be able to help out.
Also [name]Ronan[/name] means “[name]Little[/name] [name]Seal[/name]” do you like the nature part of it? The connection to the water? [name]Just[/name] to get an idea of what you like about it.
I like the Irish and the connection to the sea. [name]Rowan[/name] is pretty but it means “red hair” what if the baby isn’t a red head? Strange in my opinion. I disagree that just because a name is two syllables it won’t be shortened. I grew up with the name [name]Erin[/name] frequently shortened to Er. By family and even those who had never heard someone shorten it before. I don’t see how a “boys name” on a girls is sexist, isn’t it the exact opposite? That any girl is as worthy of the name as the boy? That being said, thanks for all the input, lots to consider.
I think [name]Ronan[/name] is nice for a girl. It’s not a name you hear a lot. If I heard of a little [name]Ronan[/name], I honestly wouldn’t know if it was a boy or girl. As for nns, I’m an [name]Amy[/name] and I’ve been called everything from [name]Amos[/name] to Aims to Ameryllis. With [name]Ronan[/name], you could do [name]Rory[/name] or [name]Nan[/name], too.
It’s viewed as sexist by some because it sends out the image that a girls name is less desirable than a boys, which sends out the message that femininity is less desirable than being masculine.
People tend to give boys names to girls but never the other way around, which is often viewed as a sexist double standard.
[name]Rowan[/name] has historically been used for males and females in Gaelic culture. Behind The Name lists it as “Masculine & Feminine” Meaning, origin and history of the name Rowan - Behind the Name
I love the name [name]Ronan[/name], obviously because it sounds so much like [name]Rowan[/name], and I think it could work on a girl. It’s uncommon enough that people will not recognize it right away. I don’t get the nickname [name]Annie[/name] though, it’s so far fetched I would just use a name like [name]Anna[/name] or [name]Annabel[/name] to get to [name]Annie[/name]. My only pet peeve when it comes to names is the really far fetched nicknames. If you love the nickname so much that you call your child that 100% of the time anyway, why not just use the nickname? I love the name [name]Lola[/name] and I have thought of every name possible I could use as a “full” name, and I just find them all so silly and unnecessary. I do call [name]Rowan[/name] “[name]Ro[/name]” a lot, but that’s a very obvious nickname. 
I’m just saying what I’ve heard from Irish people. [name]Rowan[/name] is seen more as masculine in the UK and [name]Ireland[/name] and less as unisex, though I’m sure some girls have had it. It is more commonly treated as unisex in the US.
It also has a much older history in Ireland as a boy’s name, from what I’ve been able to look up, whereas the girl’s name thing came relatively late?
My husband wanted to use Rowan for a girl and I got a very cool-to-cold reception for it from Gaelic people and Irish-descended Australia when I talked about it, mostly trying to find me other names like Riona, Roisin, etc.
All boy to me. I was going to suggest [name]Rowan[/name], as well! It doesn’t seem as harsh as [name]Ronan[/name]. And it’s more unisex, also, to me.
If you like the name for a girl you can use it, no matter what others say. I personally like the sound of [name]Rowan[/name] better than [name]Ronan[/name] but they have a similar feel and a girl can pull the name off. At least it is not as bad as a girl that I once met with the name [name]Timothy[/name]. Luckily she was the most popular girl so she was not teased for it.