When has a name gone to the other side?

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-08-2000
When has a name gone to the other side?
5
Sun, 08-19-2007 - 6:46pm

I see this as a comment often on the names boards. But when does a name really go to the other side? What criteria do you consider when you say a name is now for girls? And when it "goes", can it be brought back? Is there a difference between being unisex and having moved from blue to pink?

Two of my three children have unisex names, so I'm curious what you all think.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Mon, 08-20-2007 - 2:00am

Interesting question.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-29-2007
Mon, 08-20-2007 - 11:41am
I am in complete agreement you - it is a very fine line between boy/girl/unisex. I think it is a personal preference to each set of parents:)
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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-15-2007
Mon, 08-20-2007 - 1:14pm
I don't think that it's 100% personal/subjective to the parents because the child then goes out into the world with his name, and other people react to it, which affects the child in positive and/or negative ways. And the ways other people react to the name are influenced by the broader culture, so it's not 100% subjective to them as individuals, either. One factor is the history of the specific name itself (has it historically been used primarily for boys, for both, or primarily for girls), but another factor is the look and sound of the name amidst the types and styles of names that are used primarily for girls versus boys presently. Even if a name has historically been used mostly for boys, it can start to look and sound more like a girls' name if it looks and sounds like other names that are becoming or have become very popular specifically for girls. I can't see Ashley going back to the boys any time soon, but I'm hopeful that Avery (which in some but not certainly not all cases has become a substitute for parents who like Ava but find it too popular) is still in the unisex spectrum. I really like Avery for a boy.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Mon, 08-20-2007 - 7:41pm

I think once Ava loses it's popularity, Avery will be less popular for girls too.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-14-2005
Mon, 08-20-2007 - 11:46pm
This is a great question. My son is now 5 yrs old. I named him "Emery". We had seen the name in our geneology spelled Emory, for a male. But we liked the name spelling Emery. Anyway right after I had him and named him, all of a sudden the name Emerson, and Emery was being used for girls. I had never even heard the name before, thats why I had chosen it. Then all of a sudden, all around me, baby girls had his name. It is cute on girls too, dont get me wrong. But I really worry and feel bad that he will grow up with this "problem".
I still really love his name, but this is something that bothers me a little.
Sarah