See the results of this poll: I think Harp is…
Respondents: 36 (This poll is closed)
- too feminine for a boy : 4 (11%)
- masculine : 8 (22%)
- purely unisex : 16 (44%)
- Other (please comment): 8 (22%)
When I hear [name_m]Harp[/name_m], I do automatically think it’s probably a girl, but that may be just because I know quite a few Harpers and that is used as an informal nn. If you love [name_m]Harp[/name_m], I say go for it. I would use a masculine common middle to help clarify when reading the name. I think seeing it written is the only time people would question the child’s gender- obviously when they’re looking at him, they’ll see he’s a boy 
Other unisex names are the same way, so I don’t see what [name_m]Harp[/name_m] wouldn’t work on a boy any differently than [name_u]Jamie[/name_u], [name_u]Sawyer[/name_u], etc do! Best wishes.
I think [name_m]Harp[/name_m] is just fine for a boy or a girl, and you shouldn’t be too worried about it. I see in your signature that you have it listed as a middle name, and middle names aren’t usually as well known as a person’s first name, thus I think it’s safe to say that the chances of people/other children learning his middle name and teasing him about it are quite slim. If he grows up to strongly dislike it, he can always change it himself. What it comes down to is whether or not you and your spouse think it’s appropriate/think it fits him.
I have never heard of this name before, but [name_m]Harp[/name_m] reminds me of [name_u]Harper[/name_u] which is a popular girls name. He will probably have a couple of [name_u]Harper[/name_u]'s in class too. Would that bother you?
I picked ‘other’ because personally I don’t consider [name_m]Harp[/name_m] a name so much as a musical instrument - however I am totally ignorant to it’s etymology and history of use.
When I hear [name_m]Harp[/name_m] I don’t even know which gender I would associate it with. I guess it could be both. But [name_m]Harp[/name_m] on it’s own I just think of the musical instrument.
I don’t associate any gender with [name_m]Harp[/name_m]. It just makes me think of music. I think the name [name_m]Harp[/name_m] could easily work for any kid.
When I hear [name_m]Harp[/name_m] I don’t associate it with a gender I associate it with the instrument and the saying ‘harp on a bit/harping on’ which basically means complaining/moaning.
I immediately though of harpoon. I didn’t even think of the instrument or [name_u]Harper[/name_u] until others mentioned it. [name_m]Harp[/name_m] seems masculine although I also finder [name_u]Harper[/name_u] masculine so I’m biased. [name_m]Harp[/name_m] sounds too harsh to be considered feminine.
I think it works for either, although I prefer it for a boy. There’s a family in my area with the surname [name_m]Harp[/name_m], so I can easily see this working as a name.
I just think its an odd choice. It also sounds like a last name to me…
I don’t associate [name_m]Harp[/name_m] with either gender, not having heard of it as a name before or having met anyone with this name. It has a stronger sound so I would say it’s more masculine than feminine, but could work on either. I would be more surprised to see [name_m]Harp[/name_m] being used as a name at all than by seeing it on either gender, if that makes sense? I like the idea of it as a name, and the harp is a beautiful instrument, but it’s rather out there, a name that would get comments from most new people they meet, which not everyone would appreciate. I’d use it in the middle myself.
To me it sounds very masculine, just because of the shortness and sharpness of it. It reminds me of macho one-syllable names like [name_m]Bart[/name_m], [name_m]Carl[/name_m] or [name_m]Curt[/name_m]. It doesn’t sound feminine at all. The only reason I can think of that people might find it feminine is if they associate harps with angels, but that seems pretty tenuous and anyway angels are generally male. Maybe if I knew lots of Harpers I might associate it with them, but on the same logic you couldn’t call a boy [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] because he might get confused with an [name_f]Alexandra[/name_f] who went by [name_u]Alex[/name_u], which is ridiculous. I guess as a word name without much history on either gender it’s technically unisex, but I definitely wouldn’t say it’s too feminine.
I’ve never heard [name_m]Harp[/name_m] as a name before, so I don’t associate it with anything other than the instrument.