Post names that you think would be more suitable for a singular gender rather than both. Or names that have traditionally been given to either boys or girls that some have ventured to use on the opposite sex anyway. Examples of this include: [name_u]James[/name_u], for a girl.
So go on and post a name(s) that are unisex. Whether or not you like the name, which gender should Exclusively own it, trendy and unisex names that are annoying to you…
[name_f]May[/name_f] The Opinions be given.
Mine begins with [name_u]Lee[/name_u] (Boy) [name_f]Leigh[/name_f] (girl).
[name_u]ATTENTION[/name_u]
(This is not a hate forum. Simply an “opinion forum” where we can discuss names. NOT for Unisex name haters and if you don’t hate either… Welcome! )
So if you have a Voice ( or keyboard, in this case) type up and give your two cents!!!
Any mentions…
Great or Small…
Let’s Talk Unisex Names
Names that in a [name_u]Lee[/name_u] sound are usually girls names (exceptions being [name_m]Wesley[/name_m]/ [name_m]Westley[/name_m])
Most names that end in -y or a y sound are girls (Exceptions being names like [name_u]Casey[/name_u], [name_u]Billy[/name_u], and [name_u]Danny[/name_u])
[name_u]Bellamy[/name_u] is all girl to me, I have watched the 100 and I know there is a male character named [name_u]Bellamy[/name_u] and I still cannot see it on a boy.
They weren’t originally, though - [name_u]Courtney[/name_u], [name_u]Kelly[/name_u], [name_u]Ashley[/name_u], [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u], [name_u]Lesley[/name_u], [name_u]Jody[/name_u], [name_u]Hilary[/name_u], [name_u]Avery[/name_u], [name_f]Beverly[/name_f], [name_u]Cassidy[/name_u], [name_u]Lindsay[/name_u], [name_u]Whitney[/name_u], and many others were originally 100% male. I actually still prefer almost all of them for boys. You’ll notice that names go almost exclusively from male to female and rarely the other way around - I think this is due to unconscious sexism which makes boy names seem superior (cool or serious rather than silly or frivolous) and parents want that for their daughters, but it’s self-defeating because eventually those names come to be associated with girls and then seem silly or frivolous, too, and are seen as “tainted” by femininity for boys. So the underlying sexism goes unchallenged while the pool of acceptable nice male names shrinks. This pattern is part of why I think it is so much harder to name boys than girls, and I really like the idea of going against that tide by continuing to give boys these supposedly “tainted” names, which are often quite lovely!
Names that have more recently switched from boy to girl or seem to be in the process of doing so that especially annoy me: [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] & [name_u]Addison[/name_u] (because I like both of these and they end in -son!), [name_u]Elliott[/name_u], [name_u]Dylan[/name_u], [name_u]Ryan[/name_u], and [name_u]James[/name_u] has got to be the worst.
[name_u]Marlow[/name_u]/e (I know it’s the nickname for [name_f]Margaret[/name_f], but it seems masculine to me)
[name_u]Sam[/name_u]: boy (don’t like the nick for girls)
[name_u]Jesse[/name_u]: girl
Harlowe: boy
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Riley[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Elliot[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Ariel[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Alex[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Cameron[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Charlie[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Aspen[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Corey[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Sydney[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Daryl[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Dana[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Jaden[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Kennedy[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Max[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Marlow[/name_u]/e (I know it’s the nickname for [name_f]Margaret[/name_f], but it seems masculine to me)
[name_u]Sam[/name_u]: boy (can’t stand the nick for girls)
[name_u]Jesse[/name_u]: girl
[name_f]Harlow[/name_f]: boy (unless it ends in e)
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Riley[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Elliot[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Ariel[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Alex[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Cameron[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Charlie[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Aspen[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Corey[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Sydney[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Daryl[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Dana[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Jaden[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Kennedy[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Max[/name_u]: boy
[name_u]Lee[/name_u], spelled as [name_u]Lee[/name_u] rather than [name_u]Leigh[/name_u] I prefer for boys. [name_u]Leigh[/name_u] is definitely feminine.
I agree with your comment on [name_u]Bellamy[/name_u], but it’s one of the few Unisex names I don’t mind and I think it suits the character quite well.
This is funny because while I don’t mind the unisex name trend at all, I have only known male Jaydens and male Coreys. So those names, to me, are totally gendered that way.
I’ll also add that names that end in -son or begin with Mc-/[name_m]Mac[/name_m]- are all boy to me as well.
I had a waiter once whose name was [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u], and it suited him perfectly. I’d love to see those names reclaimed for the boys!
[name_u]Logan[/name_u]: all boy
[name_u]Carson[/name_u]: all boy (those “tryndee” spellings for girls get on my nerves)
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Charlie[/name_u]: this could be a nickname for either, but I prefer it on a boy
[name_u]Avery[/name_u]: girl! This bothers me a little bit on a boy because I feel as if it has a very feminine sound.
There are more but these are the ones that annoy me the most.
There are some traditionally masculine names that I think should stay that way and I don’t understand why people are choosing them for their daughters. These include:
[name_u]James[/name_u], [name_u]Elliot[/name_u], [name_u]Ryan[/name_u], [name_u]Dylan[/name_u], [name_u]Hunter[/name_u], [name_u]Blake[/name_u], etc. I’ve never met girls with these names, I’ve only heard of female celebrity babies with them. Sorry but just because some celebrity names her daughter [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], [name_m]Karl[/name_m] or [name_m]Richard[/name_m] does NOT make it unisex. A name like [name_u]Devon[/name_u] I could easily see on a man or a woman, but names like [name_u]James[/name_u] and [name_m]William[/name_m] have been masculine for centuries. If you ask me, they should stay that way.
Unisex names that I only like on boys: [name_u]Dallas[/name_u], [name_u]Riley[/name_u], [name_u]Tristan[/name_u], [name_u]August[/name_u], [name_u]Jamie[/name_u] (this one is actually okay on girls, but I’d only use it on a boy). With the exception of [name_u]Jamie[/name_u], I’ve only met/known guys and male dogs with these names, never any girls.
Masculine/unisex names that sound soooooooo girly to me: [name_m]Ezra[/name_m], [name_u]Kai[/name_u], [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u], [name_u]Allison[/name_u], [name_u]Sasha[/name_u], [name_u]Marion[/name_u], [name_u]Wren[/name_u] (the vast majority of bird names strike me as feminine).
Names that I’d like to see reclaimed by the boys: [name_u]Riley[/name_u], [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] and possibly [name_u]Madison[/name_u]
[name_u]Morgan[/name_u] is a boys name to me. It’s upsetting that a lot of people tell me that [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] is a girls name and shouldn’t be given to a boy. When I explain it was originally a boys name I get dirty looks and am told im wrong. Oh well.
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] is a boy
[name_u]Logan[/name_u] boy
[name_u]Corey[/name_u] boy
[name_u]Dylan[/name_u] I like more for a boy but ok with either.
[name_u]Aubrey[/name_u] boy
[name_u]Sasha[/name_u] boy
[name_u]Quinn[/name_u] I like it more for a girl.
[name_f]Lark[/name_f] boy
[name_u]Ryan[/name_u] boy
[name_u]Remy[/name_u] I actually like for a girl.
I don’t think using unisex names is as sexist as using a boy name for a girl. Unisex names, to me, are names that have (whether they were once male or otherwise) already crossed the gender divide or are at least in the middle of it. So names like Avery, Madison, Harper, etc. the ones that are super popular for girls, are unisex to me and it’s not sexist to use them. For example, I’ve never met a boy named Avery, I can’t even picture it on a boy. I’ve known several girls named Avery though. If I were to name a daughter Avery (which I wouldn’t, it’s too popular) it wouldn’t be because I thought it was “strong” or “edgy” or “cute” to give a girl a masculine name. In all honesty, I find Avery to be rather soft. No, I associate Avery with women so I’d be naming her Avery because I think it’s a girl’s name. I think it’s sweet. It would be sexist if I said I wouldn’t name a son Avery because I thought it was too feminine. (I wouldn’t name a son Avery because I just don’t like it for a boy).
The ones I get most annoyed at (for girls):
Carter
Mason (ugh, my friend likes this one. Hoping the next 10 years before kids treats her well)
Rory
Quinn
On boys the only one I get annoyed at is Auden. It’s my female cousin’s name. She loves pink, sparkles, Elsa, Anna, Cinderella, bunnies, gymnastics, princesses, dress-up, makeup, there’s not a single ounce of tomboy in this girl. I can’t picture it on a boy to save my life. Even without my cousin, I only see Autumn which is 100% girl to me.
It’s my middle name so I can’t really say anything bad about it. Lol. I’ve always used [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] as my surname though and am soon changing it so that it is legal.