Baby Names

Ryan for a girl

I love the name Ryan for a girl but can't seem to find the right middle name to go with it. I want something girly since Ryan is traditionally a boys name. Suggestions?
«1

Re: Ryan for a girl

  • Loading the player...
  • I must agree with pp... Ryan for a girl just doesn't work. If you must use it, then consider it the middle name. 
    Vive Les Frasers
    Related image


    Anniversary
  • HouseSpouseHouseSpouse member
    edited May 2014
    I went to high school (many moons ago) with three girls named Ryan. I'd never heard it on a girl before that and I always thought it was crazy that there were three of them with the name. That being said, I'm used to it as a girls name now but I still think most people will automatically assume any child named Ryan is a boy regardless of the middle name.
    Lilypie First Birthday tickers
    image
    susannah mary. 11/14

      
  • I know I'm in the minority but I LOVE the name Ryan on a girl. Go for it. 

    Ryan Jessa
    Ryan Gloria
    Ryan Delilah
    Ryan Lily
    Ryan Samantha
    Ryan Vivienne
    Ryan Miriam
    Ryan Natalia
    Ryan Emma
    Ryan Eloise
    Ryan Amira
    I'm a fuckin' T-Rex.
    image



  • ZimgerZimger member
    Ryan doesn't sound feminine to me at all. I think it's a great boys name though. I'm at a loss for mn suggestions but the pp gave some good ones.
    Lilypie Third Birthday tickers Lilypie First Birthday tickers
  • Spin313Spin313 member
    edited May 2014
    I like Ryan for a girl. The name has been unisex for decades.

    NN suggestions: Alexandra, Isabella, Sabrina, Penelope, Elaine, Veronica, Olivia
    image
    image

  • No.

    Oscar born October 2011

    Miscarriage at 8 weeks (August 2013)

    DD due September 1, 2014

    BabyFruit Ticker

  • I don't love it.

    Would you consider something like Rhiannon?



    TTC #1 since 11/2012
    Me-31, H-27
    **Loss 1-Cycle 7(June 2013) at 5w6d-CP**Loss 2-Cycle 11(October 2013) at 5w4d-CP**
    **Loss 3-Cycle 14 (January-February 2014)-M/C dx 2/10, EP dx 2/24, MTX 2/25**
    Beta Hell--hCG finally down to 0 - 6/20/14
    SA normal. Genetic testing normal. Hormonal testing normal.
    HSG 6/30/14 - found blocked left tube and 2 'bubbles' on uterine wall.
    Hysteroscopy/Lap--8/4/14 - Tubes unblocked. Polyps removed from uterine wall. Septum removed.
     9/30/14--Off the bench! Unmedicated TI through December 2014
    BFP 12/14/14!!! Beta #1, 12/16: 990 Beta #2, 12/18: Over 2000! Beta #3, 12/22: over 8000!
     U/S #1, 12/23: gestational sac, possible heartbeat
    U/S #2, 12/30: HEARTBEAT! 128bpm, measuring right on at 7w EDD: 8/19/2015
    U/S #3, 1/9: BPM in the 180s, IT'S HAPPENING!!!
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • plunderb said:
    I tend toward the frillier names myself, but I can't really get too upset about gender-swapping names. Fight the gender binary. I wish that people did it as often for boys as for girls — the fact that they don't suggests that it's less that they truly love a particular name and more that they still embrace a gender binary, albeit one that has room for "strong" girls, but not "gentle" boys.

    That said, your little Ryan/Ryann/Ryanne/Rian/Rhyan will not be the only little girl with that name. In the US, there were 436/250/83/83/83 girls with those names born in 2013.

    And if you have a son, consider Avery, Evelyn, Ashley, Aubrey, Addison, Harper, Lilian, Mackenzie, Emerson, Ellis, etc. All perfectly fine names for boys with long histories of masculine usage.

    I agree with every word of this.

     

    BFP 1- EDD 2/09/11 Missed MC DX @11 weeks D&C- 7/25/10 BFP 2- EDD 12/22/11 Natural MC @ 5w 2d BFP 3- EDD 1/25/12 DD Josephine born 1/16/12

    Lilypie - (TUWi)

     

  • plunderb said:
    I tend toward the frillier names myself, but I can't really get too upset about gender-swapping names. Fight the gender binary. I wish that people did it as often for boys as for girls — the fact that they don't suggests that it's less that they truly love a particular name and more that they still embrace a gender binary, albeit one that has room for "strong" girls, but not "gentle" boys.

    That said, your little Ryan/Ryann/Ryanne/Rian/Rhyan will not be the only little girl with that name. In the US, there were 436/250/83/83/83 girls with those names born in 2013.

    And if you have a son, consider Avery, Evelyn, Ashley, Aubrey, Addison, Harper, Lilian, Mackenzie, Emerson, Ellis, etc. All perfectly fine names for boys with long histories of masculine usage.

    I agree with every word of this.

    Thirded. Names and their usage evolve and change. Leslie and Ashley used to be boy names and now most people associate them with girls. Maybe Ryan won't ever go that route but there's no reason to limit your choices because OMG BOY NAME. Obviously what is a "boy name" and "girl name" is mutable and rather arbitrarily assigned. 
    I'm a fuckin' T-Rex.
    image



  • Pepper6Pepper6 member
    Genuine question: Are you planning to use her full name (first and middle) on a regular basis?  For example, if you named her Ryan Elizabeth, would you call her 'Ryan Elizabeth' or just 'Ryan' and use 'Elizabeth' only as further clarification of her sex?
  • I think the reason that you haven't had luck finding a girly MN for Ryan is because it sounds odd to have a boy name followed by a girl name.  It sounds like it's identifying two separate people as opposed to one.  And I do not think Ryan sounds girly at all.  I have a niece with a boys name and a traditional girly MN and it sounds so off to me even now.  


  • Joy2611 said:
    JillJiggs said:
    Obviously what is a "boy name" and "girl name" is mutable and rather arbitrarily assigned. 
    Nooooooooo.  Oh my god, no.

    Names have histories and etymologies that are rooted in their language's history.  Suffixes (like -son) and prefixes (like Mc- or Mac-) mean something.  These words and their gender aren't arbitrary in the slightest.  You can choose to ignore the gender of the name - sure - but to assume that it's arbitrary and has no rhyme or reason is just ignorant.
    Sure, all words have roots. However, names, like the English language itself, evolve over time. Sometimes words start out meaning one thing and change over time. If you've ever used a slang term, you're not the language purist you think you are.

    Plus, not all names we think of as "masculine" have masculine roots like Ryan does. Leslie means joy, Ashley means from the ash tree field, Rowan is a kind of tree, Gregory means vigilant. None of those meanings are gendered. Maybe you don't like those names on girls but in many cases yeah it's arbitrary. I've had people tell me "River" is obviously a boy name. You know what River is? A river. What's so "manly" about a river? People assign too much importance to shoving people into boxes.

    I'm a fuckin' T-Rex.
    image



  • This is biased, coming from a mom to a daughter with a masculine name. If Ryan is a name that you and your SO love and agree on, rock it. I know 3 little feminine Ryans, one goes by Ry. I would advise to pair with a very feminine MN.
    There is a lot of pearl-clutching, sweet geezus NO, when it comes to masculine names on girls. Like any trend, it works for a lot of people, it doesn't for others. The term uni-sex is often adopted because, well... Names are used on boys and girls (no problem for some). The root may be distinctly masculine or feminine, but if thousands of people share a name, that is uni-sex.
    image



    Lilypie First Birthday tickers
  • capuletcapulet member

    bromios said:
    capulet said:
    JillJiggs said:

    Plus, not all names we think of as "masculine" have masculine roots like Ryan does. Leslie means joy, Ashley means from the ash tree field, Rowan is a kind of tree, Gregory means vigilant. None of those meanings are gendered. Maybe you don't like those names on girls but in many cases yeah it's arbitrary. I've had people tell me "River" is obviously a boy name. You know what River is? A river. What's so "manly" about a river? People assign too much importance to shoving people into boxes.

    The meaning may not be gendered, but the gender of the word itself would be obvious in the original language.  English is about the only Indo-European language that doesn't have grammatical gender, except residually.  The discussion we're having would be nonsense in Hebrew or Latin or Greek because in all of those the gender of a name is patently obvious.   Gregory is masculine in Greek.  Its ending is masculine and it functions as a masculine noun in an inflected language in which gender isn't arbitrary but affects the very structure of grammar.
    There we are, someone who speaks my language!
    A couple of them!  Though I'm kind of rusty these days.
    DD born 10/10/07 * DS born 11/25/11 * #3 due 3/9/2015
  • bromios said:
    capulet said:
    JillJiggs said:

    Plus, not all names we think of as "masculine" have masculine roots like Ryan does. Leslie means joy, Ashley means from the ash tree field, Rowan is a kind of tree, Gregory means vigilant. None of those meanings are gendered. Maybe you don't like those names on girls but in many cases yeah it's arbitrary. I've had people tell me "River" is obviously a boy name. You know what River is? A river. What's so "manly" about a river? People assign too much importance to shoving people into boxes.

    The meaning may not be gendered, but the gender of the word itself would be obvious in the original language.  English is about the only Indo-European language that doesn't have grammatical gender, except residually.  The discussion we're having would be nonsense in Hebrew or Latin or Greek because in all of those the gender of a name is patently obvious.   Gregory is masculine in Greek.  Its ending is masculine and it functions as a masculine noun in an inflected language in which gender isn't arbitrary but affects the very structure of grammar.
    There we are, someone who speaks my language!
    Okay, so we're naming an English speaking child (presumably) according to the rules of another language. That really brings me back to "language changes and evolves". We borrow words from other cultures and languages all the time, and they don't always play by the original rules once they're brought over. English is mutt of a language, and our words and the implications of those words change with the times and cultural mores of the day. Names are not immune to those shifts by virtue of being imported from other languages any more than "regular" words are. In fact we have seen the evolution of names from one gender to another (usually male to female) over timespans as short as a few decades. 

    I'm a fuckin' T-Rex.
    image



  • I know I am in the minority, but I love the name Ryann or Rian.  

    Middle names could be Victoria, Allison, Katherine, Elizabeth, Marie.
  • I strongly dislike the name Ryan on a girl.
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • capulet said:


    The meaning may not be gendered, but the gender of the word itself would be obvious in the original language.  English is about the only Indo-European language that doesn't have grammatical gender, except residually.  The discussion we're having would be nonsense in Hebrew or Latin or Greek because in all of those the gender of a name is patently obvious.   Gregory is masculine in Greek.  Its ending is masculine and it functions as a masculine noun in an inflected language in which gender isn't arbitrary but affects the very structure of grammar.
    Responses like this (not only this one, @bromios, I love yours too!) are what make me love this board. The intelligent discussions! Ahhhh.
                                       
    image     

         


    image
    AlternaTickers - Cool, free Web tickers
  • I appreciate your idea of using a feminine middle but honestly when I hear Ryan Victoria (for example) I just wonder why Ryan's parents gave him a girly middle name. Can I suggest the feminine name for the first and Ryan for the middle? Elizabeth Ryan Cora Ryan Cecilia Ryan Victoria Ryan Magnolia Ryan Farrah Ryan Scarlett Ryan Elaina Ryan But if you like less frilly options Maris Ryan Brenna Ryan Tatum Ryan Darcy Ryan Piper Ryan Veda Ryan

    This is what we did. I love the name Ryan for a girl, but I did not want her to have to go through life with people assuming she was a boy until they met her. So we opted for the very feminine Evangeline and paired it with the masculine Ryan for a middle name. Also, I am not a fan of feminine first and feminine second.

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic

  • Love Ryan on a girl!

    What about:
    Ryan Elizabeth
    Ryan Juliette
    Ryan Marie
    Ryan Noelle
  • I'm no linguist, and I assume most of the people you and your children encounter outside of TB aren't either.  I think Ryan or Riley are very nice names for girls.  I tend to like masculine names on girls.  I know baby girls named Alex, Charley, Emerson, and Riley.  I went by "Chris" growing up (except for that brief period in middle school where I tried to make "Chrissy" happen.  I am not a Chrissy). 
    image
  • CryssteenCryssteen member
    edited May 2014
    bromios said:
    Cryssteen said:
    I'm no linguist, and I assume most of the people you and your children encounter outside of TB aren't either.  I think Ryan or Riley are very nice names for girls.  I tend to like masculine names on girls.  I know baby girls named Alex, Charley, Emerson, and Riley.  I went by "Chris" growing up (except for that brief period in middle school where I tried to make "Chrissy" happen.  I am not a Chrissy). 
    The same way Julia, Fiona, and Gloria are delightful for little boys?
    No, but in the same way Taylor is popular for girls.  I understand your point, but I don't believe OP is trying to take a stand against gender norms by naming her daughter Ryan.   And, Ryan has been in the top 1000 names for girls since the 1970s in the US (almost dead even with Taylor, back then).  Anyway, name your kid what you want, I'm just saying that, as a person with no formal (or informal) education in linguistics - as a regular person on the street - I like it.   You ladies, who have actually studied this, know more and have your judgments based on the roots of these name.  Most people are not aware of those roots.  I had no clue about the king connection until this post.
    ETA: I can't fix the font issue, sorry.
    image
  • amd1982amd1982 member

    I have to agree with the whole "don't use a boys name for a girl." i don't know, it just seems weird to me. Would you ever name a boy Ashley? And yes I know some people do it, but in today's day and age I just don't think it works. there are so many awesome names out there...

    What about a fem version? Like something close...Rhiannon, Rylan, etc. Not totally my style but just some other suggestions.

    TTC #1 Since January 2011 Dx: PCOS and Anovulatory April 2012 BFP! Beta 1 5/22 - 1,000+ Beta 2 5/24 - 3,009 1st u/s 6/5 - TWINS!!! A/S Reveals we are Team PURPLE!!! Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker image image image  12/27 - surprise BFP - due August 2014
  • Maybe spell it different so it doesn't looked like the boy spelling...maybe ryanne, riane, rhyan, rianne
  • If you like the style of masculine names (like Ryan), but don't want to saddle your girl with a name she might not like having, you could always choose a feminine name with a possible "boyish" nickname.  Jacqueline could be Jack, Charlotte can be Charlie, Alexandra can be Alex.  That way, the child can easily choose the more boyish nickname if she likes that best, or can go by her more feminine full name.  

    In the OP's case, it seemed like just the name Ryan was what she liked, but if it's just boyish names in general, this might be a good option.
    Pregnancy Ticker



  • @capulet-

    I will answer RE: sexist, even though I would personally not use a traditionally male name for a female (the trend doesn't bother me, though).

    Yes, it's sexist.  I don't care for the message it sends (female traits are weak and undesirable, male=GOOD).  I don't think or believe for one second that any person (or hardly any person) consciously names a DD a boy's name with that thought.

    I think that most people, when naming their children, give little more thought than "hey, I like the way that name sounds."

     

    BFP 1- EDD 2/09/11 Missed MC DX @11 weeks D&C- 7/25/10 BFP 2- EDD 12/22/11 Natural MC @ 5w 2d BFP 3- EDD 1/25/12 DD Josephine born 1/16/12

    Lilypie - (TUWi)

     

  • capuletcapulet member

    @capulet-

    I will answer RE: sexist, even though I would personally not use a traditionally male name for a female (the trend doesn't bother me, though).

    Yes, it's sexist.  I don't care for the message it sends (female traits are weak and undesirable, male=GOOD).  I don't think or believe for one second that any person (or hardly any person) consciously names a DD a boy's name with that thought.

    I think that most people, when naming their children, give little more thought than "hey, I like the way that name sounds."

    @Helenahhandbasket True.  I don't think anyone is consciously thinking that either.  I mean, that would be malicious and I don't think people name their kids with malicious intent.  It just bothers me as a trend because that's the message it sends.  And it bothers me that people who like the trend rarely address this question directly, at least not on this board.  I don't think it necessarily has to deter parents from using a boy name for a girl (although there are lots of reasons I wouldn't) if they feel like it's THE name, but I do think it's an issue that has ramifications beyond naming that parents should think about.
    DD born 10/10/07 * DS born 11/25/11 * #3 due 3/9/2015
  • I am also in the minority here, but I think Ryan is perfectly fine on a female.
    In fact, I've always associated it as a unisex name. The first Ryan I met was a girl. Now, married to a Ryan. It goes either way for me.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
  • @capulet-- right-- and while the trend doesn't really bother me in the sense that I don't think the parents are coming from a sexist mindset-- I DO think it's a good and valid point to bring up, because there are probably some parents that were not aware of that notion.

    While there are some names that started as male and are almost universally accepted as female (like Ashley--at least in the US), I don't know if Ryan will ever be one of them.  JMO.

     

     

     

    BFP 1- EDD 2/09/11 Missed MC DX @11 weeks D&C- 7/25/10 BFP 2- EDD 12/22/11 Natural MC @ 5w 2d BFP 3- EDD 1/25/12 DD Josephine born 1/16/12

    Lilypie - (TUWi)

     

This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"