Unisex or gender-bending names

BackseatDriver

I honestly thought some names were accepted as unisex. Morgan would be one example,but it sounds like people think it should be a masculine name only. There are lots of names though that can be unisex or have switched. Some that I can think of are Alexis, Ashley, Beverly, Hilary, Kelly, Lindsay, Meredith, Robin, Shirley, Shannon, Vivian and Whitney. Do these bother you as well? I'm just curious about the party line on this one.

mamahawk12

IMO, almost every name you mentioned is/should be for girls only. Meredith or Vivian for a boy?? I even think Morgan is a girls name only. (rather, should be a girls name only...)

shellybird101

I think most of the names that you mentioned sound more girly than manly, IMHO.  I do know a boy IRL named Kelly, Robin and Shannon but I would never call my son a girly name.

pacsunqtaz

My name is Whitney and the only time I met another one was a guy who ended up being in one of my classes. Poor guy got teased about his name all the time.

evaazalea

Some names to me really are unisex, I wouldn't know to expect a boy or a girl upon just hearing the same, like Morgan, Taylor, Avery. I get annoyed when a name is a boy's name, like Noah, Spencer, Elliot and people use it for girls. I really do prefer feminine names though. Some names I just like better for boys but are getting lost to girls like Jordan.

katiesmile

I HATE unisex names! Even ones that are now used predominantly on girls are still masculine. 

It's basically saying that it's a bad thing to be feminine, or be female.  

BrittRN+

meaknigh:

IMO, almost every name you mentioned is/should be for girls only. Meredith or Vivian for a boy?? I even think Morgan is a girls name only. (rather, should be a girls name only...)

 

I agree. IRL I've only met female Morgans.

UOduckBride2be

I could never do it.  I know both men and women named Shannon, Jody, Randy (Randi for the woman), Cary (Carrie or Kari for the woman), Noel and the female Noel (pronounced differently but spelled the same), Kelly, Hayden and Morgan...I am sure there are many more

KittyMarie219

MandJS:

scatteredtrees:

BackseatDriver:

Some that I can think of are Alexis, Ashley, Beverly, Hilary, Kelly, Lindsay, Meredith, Robin, Shirley, Shannon, Vivian and Whitney. Do these bother you as well? I'm just curious about the party line on this one.

I have never heard of any of those as men's names... but I have heard of a couple of them as last names.

I grew up with a boy named Alexis - that never bothered me. There was a guy named Kelly in my junior high class - I used to (and still probably do) side eye that. The only male Robin I have ever heard of was a side kick to Batman, and the rest I have only ever heard of as, and I personally think should only be, girl names.

There have been several Robins in the Batman series, including two females. The most famous Robin was Richard "***" Grayson, who was also Batman's original sidekick and later grew up to be the superhero Nightwing.

emikat

I know a male Alexis and I never thought twice about it until you mentioned it here.  

da731

As a Whitney myself, I've always wanted to meet a male counterpart. Growing up a child of the early '80s, my parents named me before Whitney Houston made it onto the big music scene, and then *BLAM*! There she was. So it would've been nice to have had a bigger partner-in-arms when it came to defending myself for "Whitney Houston!" name-calling a la elementary school classmates.

naflmj

I guess that is a good point...I have known male Ashley's, Kelley's, and Robins and I never think much of it...they are usually from the south. No, it doesn't bother me when I hear these names on females but they were never male names in my generation as Cameron, Addison, Emory, Elliot, Avery etc have been. FWIW, my 18 year old sister met a male Addison (whom I used to babysit for) and wanted to know why his parents gave him a girls name...I think it's generational and this generation will think nothing of it. It is just sad that some nice boy names have been taken over.

anna7602

Alexis as a girl's name bothers me especially. It is my brother's name and is still very much a male name in Spanish and in French.

Emiliana7

I prefer Morgan as a girl name because its so easy for guys to make fun of other guys with the name (big M little organ)

I always though Ashley as a girls name until Gone with the Wind (middle school, read) I knew plenty of Kelly's that were boy or girl so to me that's pretty well unisex. Only knew boy Shannon's so that's what I think of. Vivian makes me think og Vivian Leigh or Vivian Campbell (guitarist for Def Leppard) so I see that one as only for foreign boys, and American girls. In HS we had a teacher/coach who was a male Meredith and thought it was sorta funny- that name on a big masculine guy.

I don't like unisex names if they are currently used for both genders. The ones that switch, do so for cultural reasons- typically/historically men don't want their son's to have 'girly' names.

I also don't like masculine nn's for girls either: Charlie for Charlotte, Sam for Samantha, etc.

BlindysWife

I dislike them on principle. They were once male names that were stolen. It doesn't matter if they sound 'girly', they first belonged to the guys. Part of the reason they sound girly is because we now associate them with girls. No one ever though Ryan or Elliot sounded feminine, but now they're being used on girls and suddenly its unisex. There is the potential that eventually they'll completely switch to the girl side, as Ashley or Kelly have. It makes me cringe to think of my kids or grandkids meeting an adult male Ryan and thinking how unfortunate it is for him to have a girl's name.

This topic always makes me get all stabby.

strawberrytree

I really do not like traditionally male names on girls. Names like Ashley, Kelly, Lindsay, Shannon, Courtney, Allison, etc are not unusual for boys/men where I live, and I like that. I've also known a male Meredith (he's probably about 19 by now), Beverly and Shirley (old men). Alexis is actually a very popular French boy's name (at least it's very popular in French-speaking Canada)- it's pronounced Ah-lex-ee. I've never met a female Morgan but I know several men/boys with this name, so to me it's 100% a male name. And Kelly is actually one of our top picks for a boy. Other favourites of mine (for boys) are Kerry/Cary and D'Arcy/Darcy. I went to school with 2 male Kerrys and 3 male D'Arcy/Darcys, even though I'm sure many people consider them 'girl' names.

There are so many beautiful names for girls out there and it always makes me a little sad when I see a girl with a boy's name- names like Parker, Emerson, etc. It bothers me even more when I see very strong male Irish/Gaelic/Celtic/Welsh names for boys used for girls in North America because parents think they 'sound pretty' (ie Kieran, Rowan, Emrys). I'd rather see a girl with a made-up name like Nevaeh than a girl named Kieran- at least Nevaeh was made up for a girl. 

I mean, at the end of the day parents can name their kids whatever they want, really. But my daughters will be getting names that were intended for girls.  

 

Edit: Depends where you live, too. Ashley is definitely considered a male name in the UK, for example.  

SnoopyLuv

I hate all unisex names on principle.

Keri Marie

I agree with OP and Vivian was a mans name. Actually, Oscar Wilde had a son named Vyvyan. 

The reason I don't like the trend of boys names becoming girls names is because of things like this. It's confusing to me doing genealogy to see the name "Zelca Pearl Lastname" and then find out it's a man's name. There are plenty of female names for your female children. Stop naming girls Charlie, Riley, Carson and Avery.

We are naming our soon to be son Clifton and I'm praying it stays a man's name for the next 200+ years... PRAYING. (Yes, this is how ridiculous those unisex names look to me)

BackseatDriver

Keri Marie:

I agree with OP and Vivian was a mans name. Actually, Oscar Wilde had a son named Vyvyan. 

The reason I don't like the trend of boys names becoming girls names is because of things like this. It's confusing to me doing genealogy to see the name "Zelca Pearl Lastname" and then find out it's a man's name. There are plenty of female names for your female children. Stop naming girls Charlie, Riley, Carson and Avery.

We are naming our soon to be son Clifton and I'm praying it stays a man's name for the next 200+ years... PRAYING. (Yes, this is how ridiculous those unisex names look to me)

When did Pearl switch to a female name?  Isn't Pearl a feminine name in the Scarlet letter?

desabean

meaknigh:

IMO, almost every name you mentioned is/should be for girls only. Meredith or Vivian for a boy?? I even think Morgan is a girls name only. (rather, should be a girls name only...)

agree.

RosnyBelinda

My father and brother (he's a Jr) have the middle name Alexis.  My brother gave my niece the middle name Alexis.  It is also on my short list for girl baby names.  My mother's name is Beverly.  I have a female cousin named Stacie.  So I guess we have male names on females in my family.   

To me, if you can't tell the sex of the child based on the name, it is a unisex name.  I don't have a problem with those names but I'd be very unlikely to use them.   

starrkitten89

My grandma's name is Shirley,and she always tells me she hates that her parents gave her a boys' name.

I have known a male Kelly,Shannon,Meredith,Ashley,Alexis,and Morgan.I'm ok with certain unisex names,but I really dislike when someone uses a name that is very clearly in the other territory.Example:Logan or Dylan for a girl,IMO,is pretty awful.

MelleTX

When I think of Alexis, I think of Alexis Denisof so that's a pretty good association. : )

Logan will always be a girl's name to me because it is my aunt's name (born in 1950). It's actually a Scottish surname, not a male OR female first name, that has been used mostly on boys, but on girls as well. 

So, by that point... where do surnames fall in the male/female debate? Are they reserved strictly for boys because of the patriarchal lineage or can they be used on girls if they "sound more feminine" or are they assigned a gender based on which one uses it first or which one is more popular?

BlindysWife

desabean:

meaknigh:

IMO, almost every name you mentioned is/should be for girls only. Meredith or Vivian for a boy?? I even think Morgan is a girls name only. (rather, should be a girls name only...)

agree.

You both, IMO, have completely missed the point. Or actually, proved the point. Ugh.

hmr22

meaknigh:

IMO, almost every name you mentioned is/should be for girls only. Meredith or Vivian for a boy?? I even think Morgan is a girls name only. (rather, should be a girls name only...)

 

AGREE!!

brookelynpaisley

BackseatDriver:

I honestly thought some names were accepted as unisex. Morgan would be one example,but it sounds like people think it should be a masculine name only. There are lots of names though that can be unisex or have switched. Some that I can think of are Alexis, Ashley, Beverly, Hilary, Kelly, Lindsay, Meredith, Robin, Shirley, Shannon, Vivian and Whitney. Do these bother you as well? I'm just curious about the party line on this one.

I had no idea that Vivian, Beverly, Hilary, or Shirley were once male names. Intereting. I think Morgan is more feminine, IMO. I would use it only for a girl. However, I have suggested it in posts for boys if it suits the poster's style.

I also think Meredith is far more feminine sounding. I wouldn't really bat an eye at a male named any of the others - it would actually be kind of refreshing. None of them are my style, so they'd never be on my list. I admit, though, that I might feel bad for the kid because their name has come to be thought of as feminine. I would think of it along the same lines as I would a uneek spelling, though, not that the name itself is BAD for a boy, if that makes sense.