Unisex names

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-22-2004
Unisex names
12
Sat, 07-03-2004 - 7:49pm
I think unisex names are cute and different. Why is everyone so against it? Im not a big fan of feminine names such as elizabeth margaret and so on. Please let me know why you are for or against unisex names.

Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-23-2004
In reply to: brownie14
Sat, 07-03-2004 - 8:36pm
I happen to like unisex names for the most part. I love the names Ryan and Michael for girls! I guess it depends on what the names are - i.e. I've grown very tired of Jordan. We have a neighborhood child named Hunter, and I didn't find out until today that Hunter is a girl. To me, that one sounds a little too masculine to be a good unisex name, even with Hunter Tylo and all. I would rather choose on a name by name basis, than throw out anything just because it is unisex. JMO

Wendy

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
In reply to: brownie14
Sat, 07-03-2004 - 8:51pm

There are some unisex names that I really like -- Quinn, Piper, Avery, Peyton -- but I really like feminine names better for my own use (Jane, Marta, Greta, Ava, Claire, Lily, Stella).

becky, max and greta
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-22-2004
In reply to: brownie14
Sat, 07-03-2004 - 8:53pm
I know a little girl here named hunter and she is the sweetest thing and i like her name the only problem is that there are quite a few boys named hunter in this area. There is also a little girls here named Logan ,Charlie(not a nn for anything), Brette Coddee, Corie,Chandler and Blake. I love Brady for a girl and Dylan. I think unisex names are cute on a girl but not a boy. Also i think that if there is a family with only one girl and several boys then her name should be feminine. Like in my family i have 3 brother and 0 sisters and my name is Brooke Elaine.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-09-2004
In reply to: brownie14
Sat, 07-03-2004 - 8:54pm
I'm only against naming every one of your children a uni-sex. Imagine you have three kids: Peyton, Taylor, and Brett. Who's a girl and who's a boy? Just looking at the names, it's hard to tell. That's why I like uni-sex names paired with names that aren't so. Peyton Elisabeth, Taylor David, and Brett Lucille. Now there's no question.

That's all I'm saying :)

~ Liz, an elizabeth who never really thought my name was that feminine :) lol



iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: brownie14
Sat, 07-03-2004 - 8:59pm
I love all kinds of names, classical (Elizabeth, Thomas), trendy (Parker, Piper), old fashioned (Edwena, Winifred), and even unisex (Jordan, Sage). I like creative spellings too (Jordyn, Tayleur, Ashtyn, etc, and especially for unisex names that are going to a girl). I have a unisex name, and I love it. I didn't used to. I thought it was way too boyish for me and was glad that at least my mother gave me a girly spelling. Everyone has their own style. Wouldn't it be boring if we lived in a world where everyone was named Jane, Spencer, William, and Alice? I do think that when choosing a name for a girl that is traditionally a boys name, great consideration ought to be considered. One of the big things I look at in a name is do I like it on an adult? Face it, Baby is going to grow up one day, and there are some names (mostly girl names) that always make me think of a little girl (Lindsay, Brittany, Kylee, etc), and I just can't see it on an adult. I don't like Carson for a girl, because the "car" just says boy to me. There are others that clearly say boy to me. But there are others (Jordyn, Taylor, Ashtyn, Hunter, Jayme, Peyton, etc) that sound peppy and full of energy on a girl. I think one thing people don't like is that especially if those are the only girls in the family and they have brothers, people will automatically assume they are also boys. With all the unisex names out there though, I really don't think that's a problem. I think most people will now wait to meet the child.

Jayme Leanne, wife to Corey McClellan, and mom to Johnathan Corey and Ethan James

 

Photobucket

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-30-2003
In reply to: brownie14
Sun, 07-04-2004 - 3:56am
I love unisex names as long as they are paired with a feminine middle name my best friend named her DD Tyler Grace which I love! But remember it is YOUR baby and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks as long as YOU and your spouse like it!

JMO,

Shelby

SAHM to Haylei

Visitor (not verified)
anonymous user
In reply to: brownie14
Sun, 07-04-2004 - 7:26am
First of all, there are very few truly unisex names IMO (eg Quinn, Devon and Peyton), and I don't really like any of them. Most so-called 'unisex' names are actually boys' names that have been co-opted by the parents of girls - think Rhys, Ashley, Madison, Lindsay etc. I much prefer names that have a history of being used for one gender, which may have something to do with the fact that 'unisex' names are much less common here in the UK, so I have less experience of them. You can be quite sure here that Rhys/Reese and Jamie are boys, and Ashleys are also likely to be male.

I totally disagree with the argument used by some parents that giving a girl a masculine, 'strong' name will somehow help her out in life - IMO, all it is likely to do is provoke teasing and confusion.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-12-2003
In reply to: brownie14
Sun, 07-04-2004 - 9:58am
I don't care for unisex names for myself because I had a classmate growing up who was teased mercilessly over her androgynous name and appearance before she hit puberty. I saw the effect the teasing had on her, and from that time on, I have really hated unisex names, particularly when parents don't give their child a middle name that makes the gender clear (e.g. Reese Quinn as opposed to Reese Alexandra). I realize that doesn't happen to every kid with a unisex name, but thinking back on my awkward, pre-pubescent years, I wouldn't want to take the chance with my child.

Altering the spelling to make it more feminine doesn't work for me either, as the names when pronounced sound the same, and I think the contrived spellings just look like the parents were trying too hard to be cute and different (and I personally find the made up spellings neither cute nor particularly different. Many of them look silly and uneducated, not the image I want for MY daughter).

Anyway, that's just my personal opinion on the matter, why I wouldn't choose a unisex name for my child. As for other people, to each his/her own. Differences in taste make the world a more interesting place.

Jen




Edited 7/4/2004 10:21 am ET ET by jussiebean

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
In reply to: brownie14
Sun, 07-04-2004 - 10:42am
Well, I personally don't think they are "different" but rather trendy since so many kids have them and they may become dated to this era, depending on how long the trend continues. I'm also not into "cute" since the name will one day belong to a teenager, adult and eventually senior citizen! I do like some of them a lot - like Peyton - although there are some that I think sound ugly on a girl or too cutesy for a boy. I also don't think that having a unisex name is at all necessary to helping a girl succeed in the business world nowadays(although it may have been 30 years ago).

Julia

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-08-2003
In reply to: brownie14
Sun, 07-04-2004 - 3:11pm
It's funny because growing up I remember thinking I didn't want my child to have a name like Tracy or Kelly (nothing against those names AT ALL) because they were unisex, but sounded feminine to me. Now...I LOVE most unisex names. I personally tend to think most names sound more feminine than masculine. I also think most "boys" names can easily go for a girl, whereas the opposite doesn't always work so well.

Some traditional boys names that I actually like better for a girl are Dylan, Elliot, and Brady. Not top on my list, but I prefer then for a girl. Most the names we have picked out for our 4th in my opinion sound more feminine, but are all listed as boy names...Callahan, Jamison, Everette, Atticus...and many more.

Good luck to you!

Aimee'

Pages