what irritates you with uni-sex names would you use them or would you pass?
There’s nothing irritating about them; who says there is? The only unisex name I like is [name]Emery[/name]. Others are NMS on either gender. I don’t blame people for liking them, though.
I dislike the faux-unisex names floating around - the one’s that are actually just masculine names stuck on girls.
What annoys me the most is that when a name becomes “unisex” if ceases to be masculine and while it’s CALLED unisex, very few people consider them masculine enough to use on a boy… despite most of them being masculine in origin.
Also, It irks me that it’s ok for a female to have a male name but not the other way around, which makes the whole trend a mute point since no one is actually going both ways, just masculine feminine.
The entire things irritates the heck out of me. Pick one - either names can be unisex and actually be used on both genders or they are not.
It really depends on the name. Some “unisex” names I like on both, some only on boys, and some I prefer on girls. I don’t like blantantly masculine names (ones that are not considered unisex by the great majority) on girls - e.g. [name]James[/name], [name]Douglas[/name], and recent celeb examples [name]Wyatt[/name] and [name]Maxwell[/name]).
If I were naming a child, though, I would almost definitely not choose a “unisex” name as most of my favorites are clearly feminine or masculine.
If I were going to use a unisex name, it would probably be on a boy. Most names that are called unisex names are, to me, boys names that have been adopted by girls, and they remain boys names in my eyes. I like names like [name]Morgan[/name] and [name]Avery[/name] on boys but can’t stand them on girls. I just can’t shake the masculine image of the names.
There are a very few unisex names that I would consider for girls: [name]Hadley[/name] - would only use on a girl, [name]Casey[/name] - would use a a nickname for either a boy or girl. That’s about it for me.
I think my real issue is one that people seem to think it’s fine and dandy to use a boys name or a unisex name on a girl, but if you want to use one on a boy, people are all, “too girly.” For example, I like the names [name]Gale[/name] as a boys middle name. [name]Gale[/name] a legitimate boys name that has been used by football players and actors, but it’s denounced as too girly for a boys middle name. But it’s cool to use [name]Addison[/name] or [name]Blake[/name] for girls? That’s a double standard, and that’s my real problem with unisex names. People say they’re unisex, but what they really mean is they’re “unisex” for girls only.
I love unisex names. I like the more classic ones for boys: [name]Madison[/name], [name]Addison[/name], [name]Meredith[/name]. I like more actual boys names on girls: [name]James[/name], [name]Dylan[/name], [name]Michael[/name].
As others have expressed most “unisex” names are boy names on girls. It’s annoying when people call boy names “girly” because they’ve been used by girls. I’ll see threads where someone will ask about [name]Reece[/name] or [name]Bellamy[/name] or [name]Avery[/name] and multiple responses will be “it’s feminine”, discouraging parents from using it on their boy. My very favorite name, [name]Ashley[/name], is said to be too far gone to the girls to ever use on boys. As if you’d be crazy or setting your boy up for a rough life if you dare use it but [name]Elliot[/name], [name]Blake[/name], or [name]Rowan[/name] are just fine for girls? It’s oh so stylish for girls to have male names but boys can’t have certain male names?
I’m not fond.
If I look at your resume and I don’t know if you’re a boy or a girl, I toss it!
I want to be on board unisex names for equal rights sake but as much as I try I’m just not drawn to them. I love girly names and strong names for boys. In the end, the child will make the name anyway, not the other way round.
[name]Just[/name] curious, why does it matter?
Hmm, speaking as someone who has concerns about how their name will look on job applications when they’re older, I don’t really think that’s fair. They didn’t chose their name themselves, it’s not their fault if you’re not fond of the trend. Unless there is a specific reason? If there is, please elaborate.
I sort of agree with this, but I don’t blame people who want to give their girls unisex names so much as the paranoia of the parents of boys who once they hear of a name having been used on “a” girl won’t even consider it any more for a boy - even if the name is just being talked about for girls, e.g. [name]Elliot[/name], [name]Sawyer[/name] etc. Girls don’t steal boys names, but boys concede them to the girls. All it takes if for parents of boys to refuse to do this and then there won’t be an issue.
I don’t passionately dislike unisex names, but I would never choose one. The biggest reason is probably the influence of my job. (I’m a hairdresser.) For example, if I have an [name]Alex[/name] on my books, it could be a 50 year old guy or a 12 year old girl. For some reason, that’s made one of my criteria for a name that on paper the person’s sex would be obvious. It’s sort of silly, but it’s how my brain thinks of it now!
I am curious though. Why does it matter that you know ahead of time? Once the client turns up it would be obvious that they are male or female? I am curious because this is a similar point made all the time, for school, other things, etc. People would always assume I was a girl because of my name (I am not) but in most situations it didn’t really matter and was not an issue when they discovered I was not, and in the few occasions where it was an issue it was almost because the other person wanted to make it an issue, or make a point.
It makes a lot of interactions more awkward.
When you call someone on the phone and hear a man’s voice when you’re expecting a woman’s it throws you off, makes you double check yourself, and inquire, “Is this [name]Kelley[/name]?”
When you walk into an office with 2 people, one man and one woman and are like, ‘uh, [name]Pat[/name]?’.
When you go into a lobby to meet someone for an interview expecting a man and there’s only a woman there, your mind races, ‘could [name]Brett[/name] be a woman? should I call the name and see?’
Introducing people and hearing the douchey head of x department say, ‘Oh, I thought for sure you’d be a chick!’
Having to correct people when they say he instead of she when talking about an employee, and thinking ‘Is it worse to correct the boss or pretend I didn’t notice and have her be surprised or thrown off?’
bleh, it’s just all awkward. Those and dozens of other situations. [name]Do[/name] you really want your kid to be regularly mistaken for the opposite gender?
I know they didn’t choose it and it doesn’t affect performance, but if there’s a set of candidates that are otherwise equal I would pick the person that would lead to fewer awkward moments.
I find it interesting that your selection criteria would actually seem to favor more extreme boys names on girls since you would still not be guessing they were female as opposed to more commonly known unisex names where there could be some confusion but most people would accept that these names are ambigious to begin with.
What? [name]Kelley[/name] and [name]Pat[/name] are extreme boys names on girls? I gave 3 examples and only one was a more common boys name ([name]Brett[/name]) and that quite uncommon on girls.
I don’t know anyone in real life who would hear the names [name]Ashley[/name], [name]Casey[/name], [name]Kelly[/name], [name]Kerry[/name], or [name]Lindsay[/name] and think ambiguous right off the bat. Though I know those names have at some point been used for men. If the general publics first instinct is ‘male’ I prefer that name for boys, if the instinct is ‘female’ I prefer that name for girls. Maybe it’s a shame that lots of boys names are lost to girls, but fighting society and culture can be tough and forcing that fight on your child I think is a bit cruel.
I myself have a name that is female but occasionally used for men, but I have never once had someone trip over my name thinking it was masculine–because it is predominantly female.
I honestly think there are very few names that are truly androgynous. There is usually a leaning one way or the other.
Maybe [name]Pat[/name], [name]Cameron[/name], [name]Jamie[/name] (though that’s regional), [name]Jordan[/name].
Lol! You must not live in The South. I’ve never met a female [name]Casey[/name], if I saw [name]Casey[/name] [name]Smith[/name] on a resume I’d think it was a man. I knew a girl [name]Kerry[/name] and she hated that people thought she was a boy on paper
My dad’s name is [name]Kerry[/name], and he likes it and has never mentioned a problem with people assuming he’s a woman.
I don’t see popular unisex names with a history as “awkward” enough to avoid, in a society that abounds with made-up impossible-to-pronounce names (like [name]Nevaeh[/name] and ilk) and international names that don’t make the gender of the bearer immediately apparent to the average English speaker.
I like [name]Tracy[/name], [name]Stacy[/name], [name]Ashley[/name], etc. as names/nicknames for boys and am not opposed to surnames as unisex first names (this is another southern thing, of course). You can see several of these on my lists. Though I’m not big on gender roles, I still think anything ending with -son on a woman is…well, a bit awkward to those who think about meanings.
Honestly? I suppose it really doesn’t matter much. I think it’s maybe perceived as easier if you can tell on paper, but you’re right-when you meet the person if it’s not what you were expecting it isn’t an issue.