Here’s a short list of names that people think will suit their little girl but originally started out as mens. Also a lot were orginally surnames. Which is why i don’t like [name]Mackenzie[/name] on a girl as [name]Mackenzie[/name] means son of [name]Kenneth[/name]. And a little girl is not a son.
I can see some on a girl but not others.
If a name starts as a last name, that means it’s already appeared on both genders, and thus it’s easy enough to imagine on a girl.
It seems that now, names are starting to cross over that don’t closely fit established patterns. Not just, for example, -ey names. It looks like anything popular for boys has a chance of crossing over.
I don’t mind the phenomenon in general; it’s like girls wearing what were once only boys’ clothes. I’m not even bothered by -son names, and this is why…
On [name]Star[/name] Trek, it was established that women were addressed as “sir”. It was jarring when Janeway was addressed as “ma’am”. But what was particularly interesting was a change that only occurred in The Wrath of Khan. “Mr.” was also applicable to women. I didn’t like that the series forgot about this development. It’s how I feel the English language should have developed. Rather than replace “chairman” with “chairperson”, extend the scope of “man” to include females.
Girls are given boys names that actually have boy in the meaning. I don’t think that’s cool. When a boy is in school he has to share his name with 3 other girls. Not cool at all.
We need to stop naming our daughters boy’s names. The boys aren’t going to have any left.
No more girls should be named [name]Riley[/name], [name]Payton[/name], [name]Hunter[/name],[name]Hayden[/name] etc.
I’m on the fence on this subject. I used to be very anti-boy-names-on-girls, but now I think it just doesn’t really matter. While I personally prefer feminine names for girls, as well as most that have long since “crossed over” on boys (like [name]Kelly[/name] and [name]Lindsey[/name], for instance, SO much better on guys), I don’t think it’s really hurting anybody for both sexes to share. I think most names that are established for a certain gender will still be thought of as a “boys” names or a “girls” name, but I have a feeling there will be a lot more acceptance of crossover. [name]Jasper[/name], for instance. It’s a wonderful boys name, but some people want to name their daughters that. I think it’s great on girls, too! I don’t think that just because girls have the name people will think it’s not OK for boys to have it. So what if a boy shares his name with a girl in school? Is that really the worst thing? That just seems really sexist to me. The only issue I see is confusion on forms and such, easily corrected. I don’t think boys have to worry. Names like [name]Ryan[/name] will always be “boys” names even if lots of girls have them too.
I agree with ‘jls’ - I dislike names with male meanings on girls. My biggest pet peeves are [name]Madison[/name], [name]Addison[/name], [name]Mackenzie[/name], etc., which clearly mean “son of…” No difference between these and naming your son [name]Colleen[/name], meaning “girl”.
Other than these, I don’t mind - even love some - unisex names.
[name]Hayden[/name], & [name]Avery[/name] are truly uni-sex [name]IMO[/name]
[name]Just[/name] because a name means son does not make it a boy name. Boys are called sons yes but is not a girl who came from the same father and mother a “[name]Son[/name] of them?” Yes, because she is a heir of the Father and Mother just given a girly reference, daughter. [name]Mackenzie[/name] has been used on girls for over 50 years so that conversation really needs to end. Now all the girl Elliotts, Ryans, Dylans ext need to stop. They are boy names. People are being way to creavite and trying to be unique when really their just plain not. Giving a girl a boy name should be a crime. When I think of little girls I think pink, purple, butterflies, ladybugs, dance, hearts and [name]Dylan[/name], [name]Ryan[/name] and [name]Carson[/name] in that picture and “girly things” does not fit. If you want to be creative and unique find a less commonly used girl name for [name]Pete[/name]'s sake there are plenty out there.
I have fairly strong feelings about this, as my name is [name]Cori[/name]. I love my name, and have never had a problem with it being a boys name. Growing up there were times where when people heard my name they thought I was a boy, and even now it has been known to happen. I don’t care, it doesn’t bother me, it is easy to correct. I like that my name is different, that I am not one of many with the same name (in my day, [name]Jennifer[/name], [name]Alison[/name], etc), and that my name is strong but can also be feminine. I don’t think the boys in my school with the name [name]Cory[/name] were bothered that my name was the same as theirs. I have only ever heard other people say that they liked my name, and my husband really loves it as well. We would like to use a unisex name for our daughters also. [name]Just[/name] my two cents.
Most names ending in - ley are “place names” and places can belong to both genders. The ley in my case ([name]Lesley[/name]) meant the girl from the grey castle.
[name]Do[/name] you also think that people shouldn’t name their daughters [name]Andrea[/name] then, since it means “manly”?
I think some parents just don’t care about meanings, they use names like [name]Madison[/name] and [name]Mackenzie[/name] because they like the way they sound, they don’t care if they have male meanings.
I could be wrong but that’s how I see it…
I can see this issue from both sides. Initially I was a bit more into the unisex names for a girl, but I have now changed my mind. While it is slightly cool, I do feel bad for guys that now have girl names because of this trend. The line should be drawn somewhere. It is not as bad for names that aren’t as manly, but I don’t agree with people naming girls names that are mostly associated with men. [name]Charles[/name], [name]Tim[/name], [name]Bruce[/name]…things like that. The only one that I would consider would be [name]Jasper[/name], but only as a middle name for a girl. [name]Jasper[/name] might seem manly to some, but I have a hard time picturing it that way. It just makes me think of jewelry lol. It’s nickname [name]Jas[/name] or [name]Jazz[/name] also sounds very feminine to me. It reminds me of a refreshing way to get a name that feels like [name]Jasmine[/name].
cmc18 (Think I got that right) - [name]Cori[/name] is an awesome name, especially on a girl. I would have loved that name growing up.
And for the rest of the conversation, maybe it’s because I was never a girly girl growing up but I like unisex names, especially on girls. Gender is a very fluid thing. Boys don’t have to be really manly and tough and girls don’t have to be all flowers and rainbows. I never was and I would have hated a really girly name.
I like that there isn’t a really harsh divide between male and female names, that there’s a little area of overlap since that matches western society better now. There’s more of an overlap in male and female roles so naming choices reflect that.
Some names lend themselves quite easily to swapping over too. [name]Dylan[/name] and [name]Ryan[/name] have very soft sounds so it makes sense. [name]Riley[/name] too. [name]Hayden[/name] is similar to [name]Hayley[/name] and [name]Madison[/name] is reminicent of [name]Madeline[/name]. [name]Lynsey[/name] has [name]Lyn[/name] in it which is associated mostly with female names like [name]Carolyn[/name] or [name]Lyn[/name] itself. It’s easy to see how they would cross over.
And on the whole “son of…” issue. I imagine a lot of parents dont care for meanings too much. And if you’re going to take it as strictly as “It says son so only boys can have it” then shouldn’t you also see it as “It says son of [name]Kenneth[/name] so only people whose dad’s are called [name]Kenneth[/name] can have it.”
I don’t think it matters, I think most unisex names can fit either a girl or a guy. Most people don’t care about the names meaning when they name a child. [name]Cameron[/name] means crooked nose not the best meaning but [name]Cameron[/name] is extremely popular. [name]Noah[/name] is a unisex name. [name]Ashley[/name] use to be extremely popular for boys. [name]Leslie[/name] the same thing.
I’m really sorry for the boys, because so many beautiful names get taken away from them.
When parents choose a name that was once a boys name, their son might be bullied, because it has become a girls name, that seems unfair.
Where’s girls names going over to guys?
Probably because that would result in the same thing but even worse. Calling your son [name]Dylan[/name] may result in minor bullying when younger from kids who have only encountered female Dylans but it’s very much unisex.
Whereas they’re much more likely to be bullied if given a name that originated as female and has been for a long time like [name]Sarah[/name].
kiki-- Thanks, as I said I have always found [name]Cori[/name] to be a fun name! I agree with you, roles in society have changed, and I think the changes in name trends reflect that. I personally don’t think names have to be designated for only boys or only girls.
I don’t understand why it is being pointed out that the poor boy at school has a girl name. It can go both ways! Why not say, the poor girl has a boys name?? Why are the boys the victims here?
I say - who cares? Parents select a name that has meaning or significance to them, and whether that be feminine, masculine, or unisex, their decision should be respected, not contradicted.
My name is [name]Sheridan[/name]. It means “wild man or savage” in most baby books, and is until recently was always always under the male section. I [name]LOVE[/name] my name and would be devastated if my parents had chosen a “girl” name for me a la [name]Jennifer[/name], [name]Ashley[/name], [name]Kate[/name], etc.
I think it’s fine to name your baby any name as long as you like it. Sadly, nobody pays much attention to name meanings anymore and that’s how some names are just assumed feminine, such as [name]Ashley[/name]. I want to pick a name that sounds right and means something to me. When I choose my baby’s name, especially my girl, I will consciously pick a name that isn’t the female version of the name of a boy. For example, [name]Carla[/name] being the female of [name]Carl[/name]. My name is [name]Jennifer[/name], and though it is a common name, I like the fact that it wasn’t a boys name first. Girls get gypped that way so it only makes sense that they fix the sexism, that certain names are off limits. Anyway if you’re going to be so silly about girls shouldn’t have “boy” names because the meaning is literally “the son of”…then last names ought to be corrected as well! It’s not fair for a girl to have a last name that means “the son of” but not their first name. So, as long as it’s fine to have it for the last name, it’s fine for the first. So there.
Why would you feel sorry for the boys? I doubt that parents who give their daughter a name like [name]Ryan[/name] are purposefully trying to take it away from them and purposefully turn it into a boy’s name. If you think about it, no name specifically belongs to a certain gender. While names like [name]Dylan[/name] and [name]Ryan[/name] and [name]Logan[/name] are traditionally male names, they don’t own it and that doesn’t mean only boys should be called that. [name]Just[/name] like how [name]Mackenzie[/name] and [name]Ashley[/name] and [name]Kelly[/name] are traditionally girls name, but us girls don’t “own” that name, which is why it’s acceptable to name boys that. Whether or not they actually sound good on a boy is a matter of opinion.
It seems that a lot of people are opposed to boy’s names for girls, and yet I don’t see anyone mentioning girl’s names for boys. Especially on here. One really popular name on this site is [name]Micah[/name], and I always read posts about someone naming their son this. I personally don’t think it’s a good name for a boy, because the pronunciations sound too feminine, but I don’t think anybody here thinks that that name is being “taken away” from girl’s. Because that name doesn’t specifically belong to us (“us” being women in general).
One person mentioned the name [name]Andrea[/name], which means “manly.” Well, my name is [name]Andrea[/name], and that’s not the only definition. It also means “warrior,” just like [name]Andrew[/name]. So names can have many different definitions other than “son of…,” so the argument that girl’s shouldn’t be named a certain thing because of the definition seems a bit strange to me.
And who says that all girl’s need to have a name that suits the happy, flowery, sweet, girly-as-can-be image that so many people associate with little girls? And who says boys need to have a really masculine name to go with the tough, handsome image associated with men? It seems a teensy bit sexist to me to think, “girl’s are cute and innocent, so she has to have a name like [name]Lindsey[/name] or [name]Hailey[/name],” and “boy’s are tough and strong, so they should be named [name]Logan[/name] or [name]Alexander[/name].”
I don’t think people who give their daughters names like [name]Dylan[/name] and [name]Riley[/name] and [name]Hunter[/name] are doing it because they think they’re being really unique and original or want to be cool (some probably do, but certainly not all). I think they’re doing it to sort of stomp out that girly-girl image so many people seem to get and are just thinking outside the box, and thinking outside of the box does not simultaneously mean trying to act “cool.” And some parents just don’t really care about the meaning and give their kids a name they think is beautiful, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I have names that I would give my kids because they mean something to me, but there also a lot of names that I would give them just because I like it and think it sounds nice. For instance, I love the names [name]Ryan[/name] and [name]Spencer[/name] for both boy’s and girl’s because I just think they’re really nice names. So I don’t really mind the whole unisex trend.
I also think people get too paranoid about their kids getting teased. No matter what name you give to your daughter, whether it be [name]Ashley[/name] or [name]Nikki[/name] or [name]Holly[/name] or [name]Lucy[/name], kids will always find a way to tease another persons name, and the same goes for the boys. So I don’t think people should assume that just because they give their kid a really traditional name that they won’t be teased at all in school. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t, sometimes it’s inevitable, but life goes on.
There’s also a male singer who shares my name: [name]Andrea[/name] Botacelli (at least I THINK that’s his last name, I can never remember, but he’s an Italian singer, pretty well-known). I don’t think my name is being taken away from me, so I have no ill will towards him whatsoever. Although I was surprised the first time I heard about him, only because I’d never heard of a guy with my name (and pn the same, too) before. I thought it was kind of cool. Still do. [name]Just[/name] proves how awesome my name is…kidding. lol
just my two cents on the suject. I say, name your child whatever you want if you love it, no matter who it’s supposed to “belong to.”
And some parents just don’t really care about the meaning and give their kids a name they think is beautiful, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I have names that I would give my kids because they mean something to me, but there also a lot of names that I would give them just because I like it and think it sounds nice. For instance, I love the names [name]Ryan[/name] and [name]Spencer[/name] for both boy’s and girl’s because I just think they’re really nice names. So I don’t really mind the whole unisex trend.
[name]Just[/name] proves how awesome my name is…kidding. lol