With all the talk around here about unisex and cross-gender names, I thought that I’d ask this question: Are there any “co-opted by the girls” boy’s names that you’d still consider using on their original gender?
Here’s some that I like and would be willing to use (some of them I won’t be using for reasons unrelated to their unisexness, but if it weren’t for those other associations that I have with those names I’d consider using them):
[name]Avery[/name]
[name]Bailey[/name]
[name]Casey[/name]
[name]Dana[/name]
[name]Devon[/name]
[name]Kelly[/name]
[name]Morgan[/name]
[name]Reece[/name]/[name]Reese[/name]/[name]Rhys[/name]
[name]Riley[/name]
[name]Robin[/name]
[name]Rowan[/name]
[name]Sasha[/name]
[name]Shannon[/name]
Personally, the ones that I’d avoid are those that are both currently very popular for girls and virtually unheard of for boys (e.g. [name]Ashley[/name] and [name]Madison[/name]) and those that have been off the boy’s radar (or for all practical purposes so) for several decades or longer (e.g. [name]Beverly[/name], [name]Shirley[/name], and [name]Vivian[/name]).
[name]Edit[/name]: I had forgotten that I asked this question in the thread about starbaby boys with gender-neutral names, but I’ll leave this thread up since that specific question wasn’t the prominent one there.
Another edit: Added [name]Devon[/name] (I forgot about that one, but when memomo mentioned it I decided to add it to my list).
I think these still work on a boy:
[name]Morgan[/name]
[name]Rowan[/name]
[name]Adrian[/name]
[name]Devon[/name]
[name]Misha[/name] (strictly a boys’ name, imo)
[name]Sascha[/name] (same as [name]Mischa[/name])
[name]Payton[/name]/[name]Peyton[/name]
[name]Cameron[/name]
[name]Casey[/name]
Though I don’t like any of them well enough to use them on either gender anyway.
Oh, I’d happily use:
[name]Kelly[/name]
[name]Morgan[/name]
[name]Ariel[/name] - in my house, she’s “the badly named mermaid”
[name]Carmine[/name] - When did this go to the girls (I’ve been assured it has too) shrug
[name]Cameron[/name]
[name]Elisha[/name] (do people not read the Bible anymore?)
[name]Tracy[/name] (I want this to go back to it’s surname roots!)
[name]Spencer[/name] (Yeah, [name]Spencer[/name] [name]Tracy[/name], people!)
I’m really sad to see [name]Perry[/name] going to the girls. All I see when I hear [name]Perry[/name] is [name]Perry[/name] White (or a platypus), either way, [name]Perry[/name]'s all boy to me.
[name]MacKenzie[/name] - it’s my surname. has a "son of meaning, like all the other mac- names. [name]How[/name] is this, in any way, girly? Another “I don’t get it” name for me.
[name]Leslie[/name] - this one befuddles me, was it lazyness that brought it to the girls list? [name]Lesley[/name] was the standard girl spelling when I was a kid, my Granddad’s name was [name]Leslie[/name] as was my Dad’s middle, and an Uncle. [name]Lesley[/name] was the Aunt. I always figured this was the [name]Frances[/name]/[name]Frances[/name], [name]Sydney[/name]/[name]Sidney[/name] type name, [name]Lesley[/name]/[name]Leslie[/name]. I’d name a guy [name]Leslie[/name]. [name]Les[/name] is jazzy cool.
And the one that I see that makes me want to tear my eyes out: [name]Julian[/name]. All boy to me.
Edited to add the Russian nickname “names” [name]Sasha[/name] & [name]Mischa[/name], Alexsandr & [name]Mikhail[/name] they are to me. I have several male relatives on my Mom’s side with these names and while I know they’re unisex nicknames in [name]Russia[/name], even. They’re mainly male to me! I’d name a boy [name]Michael[/name] just to get [name]Misha[/name]!
Yes, definitely. I consider most of the names you have listed to be boy’s names anyway.
[name]Avery[/name], [name]Addison[/name], [name]Aubrey[/name], [name]Rowan[/name], [name]Riley[/name], [name]Morgan[/name], [name]Harper[/name] are all favourites of mine and I’d definitely use them on a boy.
I have been fascinated by unisex names lately (particularly in reference to what boys are named) . I feel like we worry too much about whether a name “sounds” feminine. To me a name doesn’t “sound” like any gender, it’s just what you’re accustomed to hearing it on. If you have only met/heard of girl Elizabeths, then [name]Elizabeth[/name] “sounds” like a girl name. Does that make it unusable for a boy? It shouldn’t. (There were several boys named [name]Elizabeth[/name] in 1889… along with [name]Anna[/name], [name]Hazel[/name], and [name]Mary[/name]).
But it does make it unusable, unfortunately. Maybe if we still lived in 1889 where the name didn’t necessarily “make the man”.
Unisex names I would use:
[name]Aubrey[/name]
[name]Hadley[/name]
[name]Jane[/name]
I wish I could use [name]Evelyn[/name]. It’s the one I want to use the most.
The only one I consider almost all female on your list ist [name]Kelly[/name]. All the others I think are totally fine on boys! I’d really like to hear [name]Dana[/name] on a boy, I think it has the [name]Ezra[/name]/ [name]Ira[/name] vibe.
Also I really don’t understand people who think it’s horrible for a boy to have a name, that is also given to girls. Maybe that’s the feminist in me, but what’s so bad about that? I mean many who think girl can have “boy names” would never do it the other way around. Because it weakens a boy to have a unisex name? I don’t know, the idea bothers me.
So yeah, I wouldn’t use a name that is “all female” in my mind, but names that still have unisex vibes, why not?
Madison
Mackenzie nn Mac or Kenzie. I met a little Kenzie(b) and almost died! Cutest little boy ever
Sage- This is one name that I really dislike for a girl.
Hart- Same as Sage.
Sasha/Sacha
Willoughby
Elm
Wynn
Quinn
Addison
Aubrey
Jem- I have this as a nn for Jeremiah.
Jesse
Ainsley
Drew- Though I like it more for a girl I would use it.
Grey
Winter
That’s all I can think of! The first four( and Aubrey) I really would use.
I’d use:
[name]Avery[/name]
[name]Elliot[/name]
[name]Reese[/name] (which is my middle choice for [name]Henry[/name].)
[name]Riley[/name]
[name]Devon[/name]
[name]Sasha[/name]
[name]Rowan[/name]
[name]Madison[/name] (but in the middle, though I love the idea of meeting a [name]Madison[/name] [name]George[/name] someday)
[name]Spencer[/name]
[name]Misha[/name] (I [name]ADORE[/name] [name]Misha[/name] on a boy omg)
[name]Hadley[/name] (it annoys me that it’s being used by girl tbh.)
[name]Sage[/name] (I [name]LOVE[/name] It on a boy, but I cannot stand it on a girl at all. Ugh.)
Casey and Rhys- are both on my boy list. Not sure if I’ll use them, but I think they still retain some masculinity.
Kelly- I love seeing on your list! I love it for a boy, but sadly most people see it as a girl name. The hottest guy in my high school was named Kelly, so it still seems masculine to me.
Riley- my top boy name for a few years, but now every time I turn around I meet a girl named Rylee Makes me so sad.
Avery- I grew up with a guy named Avery, so it is all boy to me. I dislike the name though, so I won’t use it for either gender.
Morgan- I think this easily goes both ways, kinda like Jordan (DH’s name)
Quinn- I would love to use it on a boy, but I only ever hear it on girls.
Arden- I’m considering this for a boy. Nameberry says it is more often a girl’s name, but if it isn’t in the top 1000 for either gender, I don’t think it can be claimed as a girl name. It sounds very masculine to me.
The rest aren’t really my style for either gender, though I must say, I don’t understand Spencer or Sawyer on girls at all. Must be some TV show that I don’t watch. Oh, and my nephew’s name is Mikail, nn Misha. My sister-in-law is Russian
Edit: I just want to add that I love Sage for a girl. I like it for a boy too, but I prefer it on a girl. I have a Silverado sage in my front yard with beautiful purple flowers all over it, plus the sage in the mountains with yellow flowers, so I have always pictured it as a girl’s name.
[name]Dana[/name]
[name]Robin[/name]
[name]Morgan[/name] - I have always liked this better for a boy
[name]Bailey[/name] - ditto [name]Morgan[/name]
[name]Joyce[/name] - as a middle name only
[name]Kerry[/name] or [name]Cary[/name] - only with these spellings, though
[name]Harper[/name] - all boy to me
[name]Quinn[/name]
[name]Addison[/name] (as a MN)
[name]Avery[/name]
[name]Cameron[/name]
[name]Cary[/name] (this spelling only)
[name]Casey[/name]
[name]Darcy[/name] (as a MN)
[name]Finley[/name]
[name]Gale[/name] (as a MN)
[name]Grayson[/name]
[name]Harper[/name] (as a MN)
[name]Hayden[/name] (I’d use it if I didn’t have a female cousin named [name]Haidyn[/name])
[name]Jordan[/name]
[name]Mackenzie[/name] (as a MN)
[name]Morgan[/name] (as a MN)
[name]Quinn[/name]
[name]Riley[/name]
[name]Rory[/name]
[name]Rowan[/name]
[name]Sidney[/name]
[name]Tristan[/name]
The only ones I’d consider using from your list are [name]Casey[/name], [name]Devon[/name], [name]Morgan[/name], [name]Reece[/name], [name]Riley[/name], [name]Rowan[/name], [name]Avery[/name], and [name]Sasha[/name].
Other ones I’d still use are ones like [name]Camden[/name], [name]Ellis[/name], [name]Charlie[/name], [name]Alex[/name], [name]Parker[/name], [name]Remy[/name], [name]Madison[/name], [name]Marlowe[/name], [name]Marley[/name], [name]Harley[/name], etc.
I don’t think [name]Madison[/name] is unheard of for boys, but I’ve met one, so maybe I’m biased.
And I’d like to add that I only see [name]Devon[/name] as a boys name because I’ve only met Devons as well. In fact, a very attractive ER tech who works with me is named [name]Devon[/name]…
I think there are some unisex names that sound tired on girls, but fresh on boys, with [name]Ashley[/name] being one example.
There is a family nearby who recently named their baby son [name]Ashley[/name], and even my friend (a female [name]Ashley[/name]) said, “so nice to hear it on a boy.”
Well, [name]Avery[/name] is currently number one for if I have a second boy and I actually really like [name]Morgan[/name] for a boy too. [name]Reese[/name] is my son’s middle name and I still see [name]Riley[/name] as a boy name.(I think of National [name]Treasure[/name]'s [name]Riley[/name] I think.) So from that list…
[name]Avery[/name]
[name]Morgan[/name](I’d use it if my husband didn’t strongly dislike it for a boy)
[name]Riley[/name]
[name]Reese[/name]