Having a boy? Have you scratched names because too many girls were using them?

thatgirlang

The clicky poll below about which names are easier made me think about this. I feel like it's easier to name girls because people are choosing from girl AND boy names.

We've had to cut a few names because they are either being used by too many girls in general (Addison) or because we personally know people who just used them for girls (Ryan, Dylan). Recently, I posted about Rylan (a name which I really only heard a month ago) and discovered, that while it IS a boy name, it's being used for girls, too. (No big deal though- I wasn't in love with the name.) When I was pregnant with DS, we really liked Cameron. If we still loved it, I'd still use it but man, there are a lot of girl Camerons!

Ironically, one of my favorite names for a girl is Avery. So I TRY not to hate on the parents who choose boy names for their girls. I might have been one of them myself if I had a girl. But it's hard when you're trying so hard to name a boy!

somethingchangd

Nope.  As a matter of fact, Kelly is on our list for a boy and obviously lots of girls are using that one!  It just doesn't matter much to me if a name is unisex (although I don't plan on having a boy named Sue...).

melly918

Yes, I have had to scratch Dylan, Kyle, and Mason due to close friends having these names for their sons.  And what is worse, I work in a school and I don't want the same name as the students...even former students! I turn down a lot of names many people suggest to me because they're already used. I had to scratch Brandon because it was one of my former students' boyfriend's name and he's a baddie...so the name just reminds me of him. Sigh.

So far, the name I am liking now, Trevor, isn't anywhere in my universe.

melly918

I realize your initial question is related to boys names that are also assigned to girls...but I just wanted to post something!

 There's a girl named Cameron in my school...and it did shy me away from the name because it was given to a girl AND it was a name already in the school.

ibis

Nah, this doesn't really bother me. Names take a while to become culturally unisex and even longer to completely switch genders, so I don't think anyone is going to automatically think, for eg, Dylan = girl at this point. One of the names we like for boys is Casey, and that's definitely unisex, but who cares... anyone who meets him will know he's a boy, KWIM?

We struggle with boys' names because we don't want anything too popular or overused, but I think it's a little harder to give a boy an unusual name because for some reason boys are teased more than girls for having different names. With girls it's "how unusual, so pretty," but with boys it's "what a weird name." I don't know why that is. 

thatgirlang

ibis:

 I don't think anyone is going to automatically think, for eg, Dylan = girl at this point. One of the names we like for boys is Casey, and that's definitely unisex, but who cares... anyone who meets him will know he's a boy, KWIM?

Yeah, I know. The Dylan example- of course people will assume boy before girl but if you have a friend or acquaintance that used it for a girl it stands out SO much that it would be weird right now to use it. Ya know?

newportbride715

I tend to like names that are pretty traditioanlly boyish and traditionally feminine names for girls, so we have not had too much of a problem but my DH's fave for a boy is Alexander. I know we'd end up calling him Alex and a little part of me worries that there will be a girl in his class named Alex. I agree, there are many more names to choose from for girls. It is proven in that the top boys names do not change much at all, year after year, decade after decade, while the girls' are completely different.

Mrs.Carlybella

yes we have-  dh loved a name for a boy, but it is one of those crossover names, and now it is on the top of our girl name list b/c i didn't want to name a boy the name that is swinging towards the girl side.

soon-to-beamrs

YES!!!  For some reason, it wouldn't bother me for my daughter to have a boy in her class with the same name but I would feel terrible if there were girls with my son's name.  I was trying to think in the future of a boy name possibly becoming a girls name and pretty much eliminated any boys name that could possibly cross over at some point.  I was even worried about names like Ryan or Tyler (which are definitely primarily boys name) because I've heard of a few girls with those names and I wanted a name that couldn't be unisex at all.

mrsc720

I have cut names that are currently unisex because a lot of boy names that become unisex become girl names (Leslie, Shannon, Ashley, etc.). There are some exceptions of course (Dustin).

LMS05

Yes, Ryan, Tyler and Dylan. I love those names, but would never want my son to share a name with a girl in his class. I think that would be really embarrassing.?

ttmccoot

this is an interesting post for me, because when i found out i was pregnant, it took me no time to pick out a boy's name, and i STILL cannot settle on my girl's name! and of course, she's a girl.

i don't generally think so much on the "unisex" name thing, but maybe that's because i AM having a girl, and as pp said, it would be worse for a little boy to have the same name as a girl in his class than vice versa.

but did older parents have this struggle decades ago, with, say, joe and jo? or robin, etc.? i wonder...