Should I dare? - Madison on a boy

Boy Names
1

Should I dare to commit one of the greatest name crimes of all… using a name “gone girl” for a boy? :eek:

My middle name is [name]Madison[/name]. If I had been a boy, my first name would have been [name]Madison[/name]. It has a long and distinguished history on my dad’s side of the family. It has been used for both men and women but primarily for men. That said, could I get away with [name]Madison[/name] as a boy’s middle name? I know 99.9% of the population will disagree with me, but I find [name]Madison[/name] to be very masculine despite its popularity for girls.

If it matters, I have a male cousin in his early twenties named [name]Madison[/name]. He and his wife used it for their daughter’s middle name in [name]December[/name], so obviously sharing his name with females doesn’t bother him. I ran this idea by him and got a thumbs up. Anyone know a male [name]Madison[/name] who’s had a different experience?

I’m not expecting, just pondering.

2

Hmmm. I agree with you that the sound is very masculine. There’s the president [name]James[/name] [name]Madison[/name], and the family history for you. It’s also a place name, which is theoretically neutral.

And yet…your cousin in his twenties naming his daughter [name]Madison[/name] doesn’t quite speak to the comfort of sharing the name with mainly girls. In his generation, there weren’t lots of girl Madisons. I think it’s probably telling that they gave it to a daughter and didn’t hold onto it for a son. It’s not only gone to girls, it’s gone to girls and is VERY popular. It is number 8.

A guy named [name]Chelsea[/name] used to post on here about his experience (his parents picked the name as a place name, in the UK, right before it blew up for girls in the US - then they later moved to the US). He has a blog entry on the blogs here if you can find it. He generally cautioned strongly against this sort of thing and didn’t have a completely positive experience (but it wasn’t completely negative).

I think one challenge is that there’s no masculine nickname to it. [name]Maddie[/name] is very girly too with [name]Madeline[/name]. I suppose he could try to pull off [name]Matt[/name].

The etymology of [name]Madison[/name], I have seen, is [name]Matthew[/name]'s son or [name]Matthias[/name]'s son. I’ve also read [name]Maud[/name]'s son. Could you consider [name]Matthew[/name] or [name]Matthias[/name]?

I don’t know any guy Madisons…the guy [name]Chelsea[/name] is the closest. I also knew a guy Meriwether. He went by his middle name, I forget what it was, but it was a classically male name, most of his life. In middle age he switched over, I think getting more comfortable, or maybe it was college, I don’t know, but basically as an adult he was fine with it and even with the nickname [name]Meri[/name] which sounded just like [name]Mary[/name]. But yeah, as an adolescent, with all of the identity problems it brings anyway, he wanted the safety of something clear. And [name]Chelsea[/name] would talk about the same process, sort of, although I don’t think he ever tried to go by another name.

SO…ultimately I think it’s much better to put it in the middle (where it is for you), or, if you truly truly feel like you want to put it in front, use something very traditionally masculine in the middle and be prepared for the possibility that he will want to use it. [name]Madison[/name] [name]David[/name], [name]Madison[/name] [name]John[/name], etc.

[name]One[/name] further thought: how far are you from having kids? I can imagine a backlash against the name [name]Madison[/name] for girls…it might fall sharply ([name]Madeline[/name] and [name]Addison[/name] though might still be around…). If that happens, that might make it a little easier on a guy, but I think it’s still going to be a challenge.

3

YES I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Madison[/name] on a boy! There needs to be more boy Madisons!

4

I also agree that [name]Madison[/name] sounds masculine. That being said, it is ranked #8 for girls right now. Pretty much everyone today will most likely associate the name [name]Madison[/name] as a girls’ name, regardless of whether it is in the first or middle name spot. Maybe you could use [name]Madison[/name] on a future girl? Or if you must use it on a boy, I think the middle name spot is a much safer choice. You wouldn’t want your son to be tormented for having a “girls’ name”, no matter how masculine it may sound.

5

Most definitely!

I’ve always loved the idea of a [name]Madison[/name] [name]George[/name], and seeing as you love [name]George[/name], [name]George[/name] [name]Madison[/name] is such a dashing combo. :slight_smile: I 100% support it. It’s a boys name, has family history, and you already have a cousin named [name]Madison[/name]. Go for it!

6

I wouldn’t do it because as someone said, it’s a very common girls name today. I would maybe use it as a middle though. I’m actually one of those people who prefer [name]Madison[/name] on a girl, but only because there’s a cute fictional character I love that has that name.

7

I love [name]Madison[/name] on a boy! I like [name]Addison[/name] slightly more, but a boy named [name]Madison[/name] would be so cool, especially in the South, I think. It just has a very southern-gentleman vibe to it for me! I think the family connection makes it even more usable. I would give pause as a FN, but what about as a MN? I think something like [name]George[/name] [name]Madison[/name] or [name]Ezra[/name] [name]Madison[/name] or even [name]Amias[/name] [name]Madison[/name] from some of your favorites would be incredibly cool.

Maybe check out your state data? Maybe [name]Madison[/name] ranks lower for girls, or higher for boys? I was really hesitant about [name]Bailey[/name] on a boy, but then I realized [name]Bailey[/name] ranks much higher for boys in my state than nationally (like, in the 700 range instead of not listed… while it ranked lower for girls, almost out of the top 100 rather than in the 80s. Not a huge difference, but it makes the percentage much better, imo!). If you need the link for beyond the top 100 in your state, you can find that here: Popular Baby Names

I would definitely use it somewhere, if it’s so meaningful to you–even if it’s just a MN. I’m not sure I would have the guts to use it as a FN, but at least a MN, I think. A good friend of mine has a little brother named [name]Ty[/name] [name]Madison[/name], [name]Madison[/name] being a family name for him, as well, and I always thought that was really cool.

Good luck!

8

I know a two men named [name]George[/name] [name]Madison[/name] and the second has always gone by [name]Matt[/name] as a nn. Never thought anything of it.

9

I would use it…it does sound masculine with all of your ‘currently loving’ names (I don’t like it with [name]Benjamin[/name] though - maybe it’s the ‘m’ sounds in both). Plus, it is meaningful for you and it holds significance for your dad’s side of the family…so I don’t think of it as whether you can get away with it, I think of it as this is the middle name you chose and no one can question it. I particularly like [name]George[/name] [name]Madison[/name].

10

I love [name]Madison[/name] for a boy! I say go for it. :slight_smile:

11

I always feel that all the -son names should be boys only. That includes [name]Addison[/name], [name]Madison[/name], [name]Jackson[/name], [name]Johnson[/name], etc. I’d say go for it. [name]Just[/name] because at some point we decided boys names were okay on girls doesn’t mean that can’t still be used for boys. Since you seem to be considering it mostly for a mn I think [name]Madison[/name]'s masculinity or gender association need be a discussion at all. (The fact that it’s a family name - [name]IMO[/name] - just underlines the idea that you should use it for a boy).

12

I’m all for taking names back from those pink name thieves. I’ve found that many names that I hate on girls sound dashing on boys ([name]Ashley[/name], [name]Harper[/name], [name]Madison[/name], etc). [name]Madison[/name] is great for a boy and if it’s just a mn then it’s really no big deal. Middle names can be anything. I also love [name]Addison[/name] and am shocked that it’s being taken by girls. It’s always been a man’s name to me

[name]Don[/name]'t think the nn is an issue. Most pronounce [name]Mattie[/name] and [name]Maddie[/name] the same way. I knew a boy named [name]Madsen[/name] when I was little and he was called [name]Maddie[/name]

13

If you used [name]Maddison[/name] on a boy in Australia I think everyone would wonder why you gave your son a girl name.

14

I think I like [name]Madison[/name] on a boy better than on a girl

15

I love the name [name]Madison[/name] on a boy. I think it sounds very upscale and charming. It bothers me that so many clearly masculine names have “gone to the girls”. If you’re worried about it you can use [name]Madison[/name] as a middle name.

16

I know a 15 year old boy called [name]Madison[/name]. His friends call him Madi. Totally masculine to my ears, and it really suits him. I say go for it!

17

I don’t see why you shouldn’t, especially if it’s a family name. After all, the -son names are still very common on boys - [name]Mason[/name], [name]Jackson[/name], [name]Jason[/name], [name]Carson[/name], [name]Grayson[/name], [name]Bryson[/name], [name]Hudson[/name], and [name]Harrison[/name] are all in the Top 200. A nickname like Mad (like [name]Maddox[/name] [name]Jolie[/name]-[name]Pitt[/name]), or [name]Maddie[/name]/[name]Mattie[/name] would work fine.

Plus by the time your son is an adult the name will sound dated on girls and more fresh and elegant on a boy .

18

Wow…I never thought of it, but this name should really go back to the boys. I hate it on girls, but on a boy, it has a brand new style factor. As for [name]Maddy[/name] being a nickname, boys are called [name]Paddy[/name] or [name]Matty[/name] (for [name]Matthew[/name])…so why not [name]Maddy[/name]? Given your family history with this name, he could always say, “It’s a family name” to anyone who questions it. [name]Madison[/name] should never have been a girls’ name anyway, it’s just not feminine.

19

Jesba mentioned me in her reply. I am the male [name]Chelsea[/name]. I think you said it in your opening line, it would be a name crime :slight_smile:

I know many name nerds will argue it was historically male, it ends in -son etc, etc. But quite honestly a boy in a class where he only shares the name with girls will not pick up on that finer distinction of days gone by. If so, let’s go with [name]Carol[/name] and [name]Marion[/name] and [name]Evelyn[/name] and all the other boys names that have gone girl. The reality is that [name]Madison[/name] was not an established boy name anyway. The girls didn’t steal it. They took a name hardly used by boys and it became very popular for girls.

Today if you name a boy [name]Madison[/name] most will think it is a girl name.

Some times people try to argue and pretend otherwise. But in a modern age this name is not really unisex. It is a girl name.

That said, can you give a boy a girl name as the middle name (or even first name)? Maybe. I mean, some people think that it is worse than it is. Others think that it is a less of a big deal than it is. Someone I think said here in this thread that the adolescent years are the worst. I agree.

As a guy named [name]Chelsea[/name] whose mom picked my name just on the cusp of it becoming very popular for girls, I still have kept my name. I am comfortable with my name. It is part of who I am and it is a talking point etc. But would I name my son [name]Chelsea[/name], or [name]Madison[/name] etc. No. Are there other unisex names that I might consider though - yes.

I am not against unisex names per se. But I think you have to accept when a name has gone girl too.

20

I wouldn’t use it as a first name but you could use it as a middle name.