@mischa, does liking or not liking something require logic? It’s really more of a feeling isn’t it? My husband didn’t say exactly why he doesn’t like [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] for a boy, but as for myself, I tend to like boy names that are a little more… rugged sounding. Like a man of Gondor, [name_u]Rohan[/name_u], or Winterfell. [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] just sounds soft and pretty to me while not being overly frilly, which I really don’t like. [name_f]Sylvana[/name_f] adds an extra frill that I see as unnecessary. Honestly, [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] sounds more girly to me than [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] does and I have a daughter named [name_f]Arwen[/name_f]. People who aren’t familiar with the history of [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] (which is a lot more people than I ever thought it would be) have asked if it’s a boy name. I associate [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] with silvan elves, fairies, and druids. To me, it being a word name easily makes it sound androgynous. I know of boys named [name_f]Nova[/name_f] and [name_u]Sequoia[/name_u]. Why can’t a girl be named [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m]? I genuinely want to know if there’s any reason why we shouldn’t name a girl [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m]? It only ever being used for boys isn’t reason enough for me.
[name_f]Sylvaine[/name_f] is interesting, but as I said before, my husband doesn’t like it. I might could grow to like it more, but I’m not going to even try since he isn’t a fan.
[name_f]Sylvana[/name_f] is too frilly.
[name_f]Sylvie[/name_f] is a possible nickname, but I doubt she’d be called that often. I like choosing names that have cute nicknames available, [name_m]Ben[/name_m] for [name_m]Benton[/name_m] and [name_u]Ari[/name_u] or [name_f]Winnie[/name_f] for [name_f]Arwen[/name_f], even though it’s unlikely that I’ll ever actually call my children by them. I prefer full names, but I know people like to give nicknames and I’d hate for my child to end up with one I didn’t like. [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m]>[name_f]Sylvie[/name_f], but I don’t mind people using [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f] as a nickname for her.
I’m not a fan, sorry! My main reason is that [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] is (imo) very feminine and magical – [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] has that ‘magical’ vibe too, but is completely male in my eyes. I feel that [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] might grow up wondering why she ended up with a gender-bender name, while her sister didn’t. But then again, maybe not? I might be overthinking it here, but those are my thoughts. With that said, if you guys truly love [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] and don’t mind the ‘it’s a male name’ comments, then go for it.
I do not like [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] for a girl.
It has to do with the fact there is a female version of the name.
Its like being a girl and your mom just called you [name_u]Theo[/name_u] because she liked the name.
But you also got the [name_f]Thea[/name_f] more female version of the name. Than when your older you are changing your name for the female version.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] give the little girl a female version of the name on paper and you can give the male nn… It will save the little one a lot of money and explanations for later.
I like it. I don’t associate it with any gender in all honesty. I think it has a beautiful feeling and meaning to it which fits in so well with your current children.
I think a nature middle name would be gorgeous.
I just found a middle name for [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] that makes my husband love it even more, [name_f]Nephele[/name_f]. [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] [name_f]Nephele[/name_f] would basically mean “from the forest in the clouds”. My husband grew up in the Smokey Mountains and we visit at least once every year. It’s a great love of his and now mine too. He refuses to use a name that would honor his own name, so [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] [name_f]Nephele[/name_f] would be a cool way to honor him and his heritage.
I appreciate that some of you don’t like [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] for a girl since it’s not historically used for a girl. I would typically agree with you. This time I don’t. It fits mine and my husband’s combined style and we both love it. It’s going at the top of the list. Thanks for all the replies!
[name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] [name_f]Nephele[/name_f] is gorgeous. I like [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m]- I think because it’s not a popular boy name its be more widely accepted as a girls name. It’s only one letter off and switched a space.
A long time love of mine was [name_f]Sylva[/name_f]/[name_f]Silva[/name_f]- kind of like [name_u]Silver[/name_u], kind of like [name_f]Sylvia[/name_f]/[name_f]Silvia[/name_f]. I, like you, don’t like the overly complicated frilly names. It seems silly to me how [name_f]Ana[/name_f] and [name_f]Anna[/name_f] at the end of some boys names makes it more feminine, while to me it’s just overly complicated.
I think [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] is a very interesting choice…it doesn’t read either masculine or feminine to me. If I was going to use it myself, I’d go w/the spelling of Silvyn nn [name_f]Silvie[/name_f], but that’s just me. There was a character in an early 20th-century children’s series (the [name_m]Little[/name_m] [name_f]Maida[/name_f] books) named [name_f]Silvie[/name_f] & I loved the name. The mn selection is also really cool…how do you pronounce [name_f]Nephele[/name_f]? I like that the number of syllables in each name is different…I think the flow is better that way.
First of all, I like your other two’s names! [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] especially, I looooove.
I also think of [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] Learning Center at first. But if that’s not a dealbreaker for you, I think on it’s own as a name [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] is beautiful. Another form of [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m], [name_m]Silvio[/name_m], could work too. As for the whole “boy name” debate, I say who the heck cares! [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t be deterred by that argument, because it’s truly silly. If you love it, then it doesn’t even matter.
I love [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] [name_f]Nephele[/name_f] - [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] may be a boys name but to me it sounds soft and mystically feminine.
[name_u]Love[/name_u] the nn [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f].
I’m really digging [name_f]Nephele[/name_f], or the Nefeli spelling is nice too. Oh, and I really love [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] and Tolkien names in general, so it’s nice to see that one getting some wear.
I honestly don’t really have an opinion on [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m]. As others said, it’s not quite like using [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] on a girl, which I wouldn’t be a fan of at all. My only reservation is that it sounds too close to [name_m]Benton[/name_m] and [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] to my ears. [name_m]Benton[/name_m] and [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] sound different enough, not just in the first half of the name but in the vibe of the name itself, to work together. [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m], though, kind of adds too much to the ends-in-n pattern. Putting [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] in the middle might be an idea to consider?
A few other names that come to mind, not too frilly, kind of ethereal:
[name_f]Carys[/name_f]
[name_f]Ginevra[/name_f]
[name_f]Guinevere[/name_f]
[name_f]Minerva[/name_f]
I love it!
I’m a major [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f] fan, so I thought i was going to dislike it, but I actually think it’s gorgeous. I love the meaning you get when it’s paired with [name_f]Nephele[/name_f], and totally agree that it doesn’t sound overly masculine - a woman would wear it well.
I think names are like words; the dictionary may suggest they mean one thing (or belong to one gender), but the reality of that is determined by use.
Yay for finding a beautiful name that’s right for you, daddy, and baby!
What about [name_m]Callan[/name_m]? Or [name_f]Caitlin[/name_f]? Or [name_f]Caelin[/name_f]? Or [name_m]Cailan[/name_m], [name_m]Calvin[/name_m], [name_u]Carmen[/name_u], [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], [name_f]Charline[/name_f], [name_m]Caspian[/name_m], [name_f]Celestine[/name_f], Chantry… You can have abc theme!
I believe gender differences doesn’t really matter, I believe girls can have boys names and boys can have girls names, but [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] is my top name for a boy! Maybe I’m hypocrite, but this bugs me to no end!
[name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] just seems to scream that its a boy name but it does fit your naming theme and is also somewhat feminine sounding. Probably because its similar to [name_f]Sylvia[/name_f] and [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f]. I’m not sure what to feel about this but I do think that if you love it a lot, go for it. And give it a feminine middle name.
@peacebird10, is it that they’re all two syllables and end N that makes you think they’re too similar? My husband and I accidentally started our N ending theme. His name is [name_m]Brian[/name_m], I’m [name_f]Cathryn[/name_f], [name_m]Benton[/name_m] we named after family, and [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] he chose from a list of my favorite names for girls. There were names not ending in N on the list. Now we kind of feel like we need to pick another N ending name. Especially, since this will be our last child. However, a lot of people don’t notice that we all have N endings, so we’re not limiting ourselves to N endings. If we find a name that we both adore that has a different ending we won’t pass it up. I feel like [name_m]Sylvan[/name_m] fits in well though and we both like it.