Okay, here’s my dilemma. I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] the name [name_u]Darcy[/name_u], but ONLY for a boy. I just find it so handsome and distinguished, and I feel it goes great with some of my other favourites (especially [name_m]Edmund[/name_m] and [name_m]Rupert[/name_m]!).
However, here in the UK, [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] is very popular for girls… in fact, combining all spellings and hyphenated names, [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] is #32 on the girls list :(! Knowing this, it’s starting to put me off using it, which sucks because I really love it! I mean, I’m not planning on having kids any time soon, and by the time I do, the popularity charts probably will have changed a lot, so I don’t why it matters so much to me, but it does! :mad:
So, my question - regardless of what you personally think of the name [name_u]Darcy[/name_u], would you use a name that’s very popular for girls on a boy?
Yes! I love, love, love [name_u]Darcy[/name_u], but definitely only on a boy. It just reminds me of of Pride and Prejudice and Mr [name_u]Darcy[/name_u], so it’s all boy to me. Okay, there are famous female [name_u]Darcy[/name_u]/[name_u]Darcey[/name_u]‘s (e.g. [name_u]Darcey[/name_u] Bussell), but even then I don’t really get it. It’s most definitely a unisex name (not just a girls’ name used for a boy) so there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be usable on a boy, despite it’s popularity for girls. I think [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] on a boy would be pretty easy for people to get used to. In this case, I would definitely use a more popular girls name on a boy. If [name_u]James[/name_u] is okay on a girl, then there’s no way [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] can’t work for a boy.
If some parents aren’t afraid of choosing a traditional boys name for a girl, why are you so hesitant about using [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] for a boy? Could it be that you think a son with a unisex name more popular for girls may give off the impression of weakness? This double standard - whether conscious or unconscious - shouldn’t deter you from choosing [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] for a future son. [name_m]Edmund[/name_m], [name_m]Rupert[/name_m] and [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] would make quite a handsome trio of brothers. I wouldn’t worry about it.
To me, [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] is without a doubt a boy’s name. The Pride & Prjudice association is so strong it has to be a boy. I live in [name_u]America[/name_u] where the name is not popular at all, so he wouldn’t get picked on at all. However, if there is going to be tons of girls named [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] as he goes through school and he’s the only boy, he will (unfotunetly) get picked on for it.
@mischa - I do not see a boy having a unisex name as a sign of weakness, I just worry about teasing. Kids can be cruel, and even though I know if bullies wanna bully you, they’ll find any reason to, but I wouldn’t wanna make my son an easy target.
Yes, I would. Most unisex names have been/are boys’ names so there’s really no reason why.
Especially [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] is sooo doable on a boy since you’ve got the Mr. [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] connection. If you had asked me which gender it was more popular for, I would’ve definitely answerd “boy”.
I would. I love [name_u]Avery[/name_u], for instance, but only on a boy. [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] sounds like a boy’s name to me. I do understand your hesitation about teasing- and it shouldn’t matter, but we also do not want to make our children suffer unnecessarily for our convictions. Maybe give him an unmistakably male middle that he can fall back on?
I totally think unisex names like these are usable on boys. I think it is important to pair it with a masculine middle name, though, for two reasons: 1) when his full name is said aloud, you can distinguish his gender and 2) if by chance he did run into trouble/bullying because of it, he’d have another name to go by.
Yes, I would use a name for a boy that was popular for girls. In a heart beat. For example I love [name_u]Addison[/name_u] and [name_u]Tegan[/name_u], for a boy/man. Actually prefer them on a boy/man. I also love so many others that I am often told is a girls name or sounds like a girls name; like [name_u]Finley[/name_u], [name_u]Roan[/name_u]/[name_u]Rowan[/name_u], [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], [name_u]Quinn[/name_u], and [name_u]Rory[/name_u].
I also love [name_u]Darcy[/name_u], but always saw it as a boys name only (thank you, Pride and Prejudice!). It’s very handsome and I don’t really see a problem with it. [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] isn’t as common where I live and having so many female Darcys might cause some problems but it would definitely work. I actually knew a male [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] and as far as I know he was never teased because no one really considered it a girls name. It might be different in the UK though.
Totally use it! [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] is even better for a boy imho, although it’s very cute in both genders. I’ve only known one [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] in my life, female around 35 years old or so, I didn’t know it was #32 anywhere! Anyway it’s a very handsome choice. I would go with it. Some of the boys have got to start taking back the unisex names or soon they’ll ALL be used exclusively for girls! [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t worry about what others think if you love the name.
It’s true, [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] is now much more popular for the girls here than the boys. But it’s not totally unheard of either. The only [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] I’ve ever met was a man and he had such a charming voice that I think of male [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] as being very suave and sophisticated.
[name_u]Darcy[/name_u] is awesome for a boy! I don’t see why you should hesitate.
[name_u]Aubrey[/name_u] is one of my favourite boys names. I would use it in a heartbeat for a little boy despite the spike in popularity for this name on girls (unfortunately DH isn’t a fan so it remains on the GP list) I think it’s a handsome masculine name and it doesn’t take away from it that its used in girls.
[name_m]Add[/name_m] me to the long list of those who love it for a boy, because of the [name_m]Fitzwilliam[/name_m] [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] association.
To me, [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] is all boy! I don’t see any problem using it, despite female popularity. I feel like kids these days are so exposed to diversity that they really don’t tease about names as much as they used to. The only instance I’ve every witnessed was teammates calling a male [name_u]Avery[/name_u] “Ovary”, which was more a joke than bullying.
