Which of these unisex combos is your favorite?

See the results of this poll: Which of these unisex combos is your favorite?

Respondents: 57 (This poll is closed)

  • Remy Jupiter : 22 (23%)
  • Luca Rain : 17 (18%)
  • Madigan Sorley : 3 (3%)
  • Noah Sage : 14 (15%)
  • Sasha Darwin : 5 (5%)
  • River Marlowe : 29 (30%)
  • Maxwell Harbor: 6 (6%)

I like [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] [name_m]Darwin[/name_m] a lot on any gender.

Ooooh, that’s a really hard question for me because even if names are unisex, I often prefer them for one gender or the other, and/or the middle name will make it more masculine or feminine for me. From your list, for a girl I really live [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u]- they both feel like softer, gentler names. For a boy I’m torn between [name_u]Remy[/name_u] [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m], [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] [name_u]Harbor[/name_u] and [name_u]Luca[/name_u] [name_u]Rain[/name_u]. [name_u]Remy[/name_u] [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m] feels strong and a bit epic since both are mythological names. [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] [name_u]Harbor[/name_u] feels relaxed, laid-back and cool. I like the internationalness of [name_u]Luca[/name_u] juxtaposed with the uniqueness of [name_u]Rain[/name_u].

I voted for [name_u]Noah[/name_u] [name_u]Sage[/name_u], but I also adore [name_u]Remy[/name_u] [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m]! Both are very cute and quite unisex names

I voted [name_u]Remy[/name_u] [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m] and [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u].

[name_u]Remy[/name_u] [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m] is the only one I see as being truly unisex, and [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u] close behind.

[name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] [name_u]Harbor[/name_u] is gorgeous but I only see it as a boys name

I personally don’t see many of these names as unisex. The only one I can actually see sticking to the truest definition of the word unisex is [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u].

All of these, except [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u], are 100% masculine, imo. [name_u]Luca[/name_u] [name_u]Rain[/name_u] and [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] [name_u]Harbor[/name_u] are such handsome combos! (But only for a boy.)

I do not view these as unisex names. The only one I can see on both is [name_u]Sasha[/name_u]. [name_u]Madigan[/name_u] I picture as a girls name. The rest scream boy/man to me. My favorites are [name_u]Noah[/name_u] [name_u]Sage[/name_u], [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u], and [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] [name_u]Harbor[/name_u] but only for a boy.

I love [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u] for both genders!

None of these names are unisex except [name_u]River[/name_u] and [name_u]Sasha[/name_u]. While giving your child a truly genderless name is a great idea – it’s something I’m considering myself – that effort is undercut by the fact that these names aren’t genderless, but historically male. That just strengthens for your child the idea that masculinity is the default.

I voted for [name_u]Remy[/name_u] [name_m]Jupiter[/name_m] and [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] [name_m]Darwin[/name_m], I also think [name_u]River[/name_u] is unisex but my preferred combo for a truly unisex name would be [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Sage[/name_u] or maybe [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Marlow[/name_u] (the [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u] spelling is slightly more feminine to me) although I do like [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Marlowe[/name_u] for a girl.

[name_u]Noah[/name_u] [name_u]Sage[/name_u] and would write [name_f]Noa[/name_f] for a girl and [name_u]Noah[/name_u] for a boy.

[name_u]Sage[/name_u] [name_m]Darwin[/name_m] :heart::heart::heart::heart:

@lee_augusta - This is definitely a point that I’ve considered (and I do agree with you), but “truly” unisex name options are SO limited. There aren’t more than a handful which have historically been applied to each sex in equal portions and which I like, so it cuts down options massively. Increasing the genderless pool would mean using names that are a touch more unusual than I’m looking for (e.g., [name_u]Cloud[/name_u], which is somehow different than River for me?) or making up new names. Neither of these options is appealing to me, and unfortunately we can’t reverse history.

If we’re being strict, though, I would argue that [name_u]Remy[/name_u] is very unisex along with [name_u]River[/name_u] and [name_u]Sasha[/name_u] (spellings aside).

To everyone -

Thank you so much for your opinions and insight! I absolutely agree that around half of these names are masculine of center/historically masculine. I’m going to do some more scouting to see if I can find any better combos. I also love the suggested m&m combos of [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_u]Sage[/name_u] and [name_u]Sage[/name_u] [name_m]Darwin[/name_m], so thanks to those folks for suggesting them!

I purposefully didn’t put a limit on this poll and am interested to see more input. Any new thoughts are great as well!

I might be in the minority here, but I don’t really see a problem with girls having masculine-sounding names, and vice-versa. I mean, a name is a name. Unless the meaning is literally “female” or “male” (like, I wouldn’t name my daughter [name_m]Guy[/name_m] or my son [name_f]Elle[/name_f]), I don’t see why the name has to be gendered.

That being said, I totally understand how a name can sound masculine or feminine to a point where it would be unthinkable to name, let’s say, a son with the feminine name. Like, I adore the name [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] [name_m]Scott[/name_m] for a girl. I know it’s very masculine and could easily suit a boy, but I can never picture it on a son, it just screams daughter to me. Personally, a name like [name_u]August[/name_u] I can only see on a boy, but I have seen it used for girls. I guess everyone has their own tastes.

I voted for [name_u]Noah[/name_u] [name_u]Sage[/name_u], [name_u]Madigan[/name_u] [name_m]Sorley[/name_m], and [name_u]Luca[/name_u] [name_u]Rain[/name_u]. I like how these names sound and could picture them on either gender.

[name_u]Remy[/name_u] has an exclusively male history in [name_f]France[/name_f].

Some truly unisex names:

[name_u]Wren[/name_u]
[name_u]Ever[/name_u]
[name_f]Azar[/name_f]
[name_u]Blair[/name_u]
[name_u]Ember[/name_u]
[name_u]Seren[/name_u]
[name_f]Merrin[/name_f]
[name_u]Pax[/name_u]/[name_u]Paz[/name_u]
[name_f]Aya[/name_f]
[name_u]Arya[/name_u]
[name_u]Lee[/name_u]
[name_f]Farah[/name_f]
[name_u]Perrin[/name_u]
[name_u]Shay[/name_u]
[name_u]Cassidy[/name_u]
[name_f]Lux[/name_f]
[name_u]Mika[/name_u]
[name_u]Merritt[/name_u]
[name_u]Ariel[/name_u]
[name_u]Lior[/name_u]
Evren
[name_u]Phoenix[/name_u]
Aviya
[name_f]Eirian[/name_f]
[name_u]Darcy[/name_u]
[name_u]Eden[/name_u]
[name_u]Robin[/name_u]
[name_u]Nikita[/name_u]
[name_u]Reeve[/name_u]
[name_u]Carey[/name_u]
[name_u]Teal[/name_u]
[name_u]Brook[/name_u]
[name_f]Romilly[/name_f]
[name_u]Haven[/name_u]
[name_u]Noel[/name_u]
[name_m]Coby[/name_m]
[name_f]Briar[/name_f]
[name_u]Marley[/name_u]
[name_u]Hollis[/name_u]
[name_u]Jules[/name_u]
[name_u]Elisha[/name_u]
[name_u]Juneau[/name_u]
[name_u]Nima[/name_u]
[name_u]Hero[/name_u]
[name_f]Garnet[/name_f]
[name_f]Harlow[/name_f]
[name_f]Endellion[/name_f]

@nic_blondie - I am definitely with you here. I love traditionally masculine names on girls (like [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], like [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m]), especially because I am not super femme myself. I also love names like [name_u]Cassidy[/name_u] and [name_u]Allison[/name_u] on boys! However, these two are modernly feminine but historically unisex - different than the previous situation.

The potential issue that’s been brought up is WHY it’s more “acceptable” to use a traditionally masculine name on your daughter than a traditionally feminine name on your son - e.g., [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] or [name_f]Rose[/name_f]. Why is there a difference between naming your daughter [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] and naming your son [name_f]Rose[/name_f]? Like the previous commenter mentioned, it’s because there’s this icky imbalance that implies masculinity as being more acceptable somehow than femininity (no matter which gender is wearing it).

@lee_augusta - Good point. Also, thank you so much for all the suggestions! I’m not sure I’d say they’re all truly unisex, but I like a good number of them. I’d completely forgotten about [name_u]Robin[/name_u], which I adore! I also like [name_u]Wren[/name_u], [name_u]Lior[/name_u], and [name_f]Romilly[/name_f].

@thirteenth - Sorry, I thought the conversation was about how some of the names in your poll were too masculine were girls.

Basically-- and this is going to sound awful but please hear me out-- femininity is seen as inferior to masculinity. I’m not saying that femininity is inferior, but that is how it has historically been. [name_m]Even[/name_m] [name_m]Aristotle[/name_m] called women ‘incomplete men’ (I’m paraphrasing though). So it is my understanding that Feminine names can suit girls because traditionally they were made for girls, but masculine names can suit girls as well because women have fought to be treated as equal to men through feminist movements and so have earned the right to be given “male” names. However, we have never fully gotten rid of the inferior connotations from feminine names. So, it is rare that a boy would be given a feminine name because that would be making them seen as less-than those who have masculine names. I don’t agree with this, but that is the perceived reality. It’s like why boys are called “sissies” when they cry and why girls are praised for doing things like wrestling or football because it shows off that they can subvert gender norms and be tough like boys. Feminine traits are typically not as respected as masculine traits.

So, a name like [name_f]Rose[/name_f], which evokes the delicateness of the flower, is not typically used on a son because delicateness is an “inferior” feminine trait. But a girl can be called [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] or [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] because these names evoke “superior” masculine traits like intelligence and strength. That’s why it might feel icky to give boys feminine names.

And what I’m saying is I disagree with this. Men should be allowed to be named [name_f]Rose[/name_f] or [name_f]Cecily[/name_f], just as women are allowed to be named [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] or [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m]. Names shouldn’t be gendered. Though they are associated with genders, I don’t believe they should be.

Not that these associations can be subverted overnight, but if more people use traditionally feminine names for their sons, I don’t see why a boy cannot have a name like [name_f]Rose[/name_f] (I mean, flowers themselves have no gender).

I’m just listing these off the top of my head. Some of these combos might suck but my argument is that they could exist if we really want them to, whether for sons or daughters:

[name_f]Amy[/name_f] [name_m]Todd[/name_m]
[name_u]Vivian[/name_u] [name_m]Daniel[/name_m]
[name_m]Oliver[/name_m] [name_f]Faith[/name_f]
[name_f]Hannah[/name_f] [name_m]Scott[/name_m]
[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u] [name_m]Willis[/name_m]
[name_u]Evan[/name_u] [name_f]Isabel[/name_f] (purposefully not [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f] because, unlike English, [name_m]French[/name_m] is a gendered language and belle is the feminine form of beautiful, but -bel is a nice in-between for belle and beau in my opinion)
[name_u]Brooklyn[/name_u] [name_u]Gene[/name_u]
[name_m]Maverick[/name_m] [name_f]Rachel[/name_f]
[name_u]Georgie[/name_u] [name_f]Rose[/name_f]
[name_f]Cecily[/name_f] [name_m]Nathan[/name_m].
[name_u]Leslie[/name_u] [name_m]Drake[/name_m]
[name_u]Ashley[/name_u] [name_u]Drew[/name_u]

Sorry if I’m coming across as a bit intense. The English major part of me wanted to work this out. I’d love to hear more thoughts on the topic. [name_m]Feel[/name_m] free to disagree with me! It’s definitely a topic I want to understand better.

Have a nice day :slight_smile: