James Hollis

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2005
James Hollis
12
Mon, 05-14-2007 - 1:39pm

James Hollis



  • Love it
  • Like it
  • Just okay
  • Dislike it
  • Hate it
  • girl name: Caroline Parker

  • Comments welcome!


You will be able to change your vote.




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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-28-2004
In reply to: unc_annie
Mon, 05-14-2007 - 2:19pm
Hey Annie,
I think it's ok but personally, with sis Parker, I liked Hollis better on a girl. Somebody's going to call her Holly at some point in her life, and I think that's an opportunity when Hollis is used as a girl name, but a drawback when used as a boy name. It just seems sort of girly to me. No offense, though, just my preference. It's fine on a boy, though.
valerie
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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2005
In reply to: unc_annie
Mon, 05-14-2007 - 2:29pm
Thanks, Valerie. That's actually my biggest issue. I LOVE Hollis, and it has a lot of emotional/family significance to us. But even though I know it's traditionally a boy name and far more poular for boys than girls...it still seems girly to me. I don't know if it's because of the possibility of Holly as a nn (we're not nickname people -- no one in our family uses a nickname in day-to-day life, so I doubt it would happen very often) or just the sound of it in general. But I really love it on a girl (and I think Caroline Parker and Eleanor Hollis are a perfect sib set for us) and I just can't get behind it 100% for a boy. Jamie's inclination is to use it for a boy, but she likes it equally for a girl. We cannot for the life of us agree on a boy name, so I thought we'd use it for a boy. But I'm just...not sure. I guess I should just hope we have two girls. ;)



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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2006
In reply to: unc_annie
Mon, 05-14-2007 - 3:58pm

The only Hollis I have known IRL was a woman, so it is more of a female name to me. Especially with sis who's called Parker, I'd prefer a more solidly masculine name for a boy.

Liz

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: unc_annie
Mon, 05-14-2007 - 4:04pm
I have to agree with the others--Hollis just seemed so perfect for a girl for you guys. Now, Harris (if you didn't have a Hollis--too much on sibs!) sounded good on a boy to me. But I'd definitely do something more pronouncedly masculine for Parker's brother because otherwise I think there would be some confusion.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-14-2007
In reply to: unc_annie
Mon, 05-14-2007 - 4:44pm

I checked "like it" because Hollis isn't quite my personal style, but when I saw the comments about it being too feminine, I wanted to comment on that issue as well.

I personally don't find Hollis too feminine at all. It's has never been in the top 1000 as a girl's name, and it was up there for boys until a couple decades ago. I've never met a boy or girl Hollis, and while I admit it has that androgynous surname quality, it's not one that's been "taken over by the girls."

Yes, from time to time people will undoubtedly think you have two little girls or two little boys. I must admit that I am a little perplexed by the gender stereotyping that causes this to be an "end all, be all" issue in most people's naming choices, so perhaps that's a bias. But, I am also less concerned about this potential confusion because their first names are very clearly gendered and even if you call them Parker and Hollis, they will still have those markers of their gender popping up fairly frequently. If you were going to call them Parker Caroline and Hollis James, I would be more concerned.

So, I think if you love it, you shouldn't worry about whether it is too "girly/feminine." It's an attractive, dignified name, and you should go for it.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2005
In reply to: unc_annie
Mon, 05-14-2007 - 7:01pm

<<>>

Actually, it HAS been in the top 1000 for girls. From 1948-1955 (except for 1949). It peaked in 1954 at 771. During that same time period, Hollis was bouncing around the 500s for boys. It also peaked for boys in 1954 (at 517). After that, it steadily declined for both genders: rapidly falling off the girls chart and falling off the boy chart two decades later. It hasn't made either chart in over 30 years. So it isn't like Hollis was THAT much more popular for boys in the last half-century. And the google searching I've done so far shows that at least half the hits where Hollis is the first name (rather than the surname) are female. When the subject is under 30 years old, it's almost exclusively female.

Which leads me to believe that with Parker for a sister, Hollis will most likely be assumed to be female. Not the end of the world. But honestly, I like it better for a girl. No matter how much I try to like it for a boy, I just don't. I guess that means, I have to find a new name for a boy and stop trying to force myself to like it for a boy. (And then hope we have two girls! )




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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-06-2004
In reply to: unc_annie
Mon, 05-14-2007 - 8:27pm
The only person I know named Hollis is male. His name is Hollis Maurice and goes by nn Reese. He was born in the 70's... I LOVE James and I really think James Hollis sounds great together!!
Melissa
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
In reply to: unc_annie
Tue, 05-15-2007 - 1:13am

I would like it better if Hollis were just a mn, but since I think you plan to call him by the mn, I agree with you and the others that I think of it primarily as a girls' name, inspite of the history.


iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2005
In reply to: unc_annie
Tue, 05-15-2007 - 1:26am
We definitely plan to call him by his middle name (whatever that winds up being, since it seems we'll never find something we like ) because having a Jamie (who is often called James as a nn) and a James in the same immediate family is WAY too confusing for my taste. :)



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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-09-2007
In reply to: unc_annie
Tue, 05-15-2007 - 10:36am
Hello. I voted that I liked your name. James is ok, but not my favorite, however I absolutely love Hollis. I have liked it for awhile and will most likely use it for my first boy whenever that time comes. Good choice.

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