See the results of this poll: Hero? Boy or Girl?
Respondents: 74 (This poll is closed)
- Boy : 38 (44%)
- Girl : 30 (34%)
- Girl, but only as a middle name: 19 (22%)
I put Boy and girl, but only if it’s a middle name. It’s cute for a boy. I don’t mind it on a girl though.
~[name]Jasmine[/name]
I never knew this was originally a girl’s name until watching the film, “Much [name]Ado[/name] About Nothing”. Before that, I could only associate it with the main protagonist in the Japanese animated series, “Gundam [name]Wing[/name]”. But I like it for either.
Perhaps the reason behind why people associate “[name]Hero[/name]” with boys is because males who show heroic qualities are called a “hero”.
Unlike boys, when you’re referring to a female… I suppose you’re supposed to call her a “heroine” (the “-ine” making it feminine?).
In spite of this, I wouldn’t let that stop me from naming a girl, “[name]Hero[/name]” 
Boy
I can’t see [name]Hero[/name] on a girl. I really only picture a sandwich, but if it had t be on a child I’d prefer a boy
Names with a strong “O” sound also sound masculine to me. [name]Even[/name] names that I like for girls ([name]Harlow[/name], [name]Shiloh[/name], [name]Opal[/name]) feel hard/masculine- which is why I like them.
I’d love to use it as a nn for [name]Hermione[/name] even. I knew it from [name]Shakespeare[/name] first, so its primarily a girl’s name to me, but I think it can go either way.
I equally love [name]Hero[/name] on both a boy and a girl.
I love [name]Hero[/name] on a girl! I associate it with the character from Much [name]Ado[/name] About Nothing, the Greek myth of [name]Hero[/name] and [name]Leander[/name], and, a far more recent cultural reference, the sister of the main character from Y: The Last [name]Man[/name] (the protagonist is named [name]Yorick[/name] and his sister is name [name]Hero[/name]. Their father was a professor who specialized in [name]Shakespeare[/name].) On a boy it just seems like an unsubtle, overly ambitious word name without much history to me, so I don’t find it anywhere near as appealing.
I love it enough that I like it even as a first name, but I acknowledge that it may be a bold and slightly risky choice.
I love it. There’s obviously some gender-bending since in English a hero is male and a female hero is called a heroine (usually), but as the mythical [name]Hero[/name] was female, I love the girls taking this one back. But we are willing to share with the boys!
On a girl! It’s so beautiful, I think it’s very feminine. I’ve been told the tale of [name]Hero[/name] & [name]Leander[/name] since forever, so it’s all girl in my head. But it’s ok on a boy too (although I’d prefer the japanese name [name]Hiro[/name] instead).
I love it on a boy or girl.
I would only use it as a middle name. Either boy or girl though!
[name]Love[/name], love, love it on a girl, but I find it too unusual/pretentious and even too much to live up to to actually use. I absolutely love the Much [name]Ado[/name] about Nothing reference, and I think it has such a fun, ethereal vibe to it. I think it’d be a cool MN for someone who’s a [name]Shakespeare[/name] nut like me, though.
[name]Hero[/name] for a girl, I adore it! I would never be allowed to use it, but its stunning.
[name]Hiro[/name] for a boy.
It’s a girls name. So, I prefer it on a girl. I do find it a bit much, a bit pretentious really. Not so bad in the middle but then you run into the problem of it potentially sounding a bit descriptive.
Middle name for either
Huh? [name]How[/name] is this a girl’s name, when it is one of the only english words we have that is by definition, masculine? We don’t even do the masculine/feminine form of words (unlike French, etc.), with the exception of hero/heroine. I can’t think of any other exceptions. Well, okay, maybe like, comedian/comedienne.
Maybe it’s the language nut in me, but it would really, really bother me to see it used for a girl. Or a boy, for that matter. It’s extremely pretentious.
To me [name]Hero[/name] is all female but “Much [name]Ado[/name] About Nothing” is one of my favorite [name]Shakespeare[/name] plays and I love the movie as well. (Though [name]Hero[/name] was never one of my favorite characters).
If I wanted [name]Hero[/name] for a boy I’d consider the Japanese [name]Hiro[/name] like the character [name]Hiro[/name] Nakamura (from “Heroes”).
It’s a girls name in Greek mythology - Meaning, origin and history of the name Hero (1) - Behind the Name