[Opinions] Re: Julian
in reply to a message by SJayne
I had both Julia and Julian on my list, and I used neither because I had relatives and friends use them right around the same time my kids were born.
Julian is, IMO, very "strong" sounding, but the lilting ending -lian makes it less butch and more complex seeming than Julius. (I also think Julia and Julie sound like "strong" names; even Juliet is, but I don't care for that name so much.) I can more easily picture a Julian as an athlete or a judge, than I can picture him as a comedian, poet, or dancer. But it doesn't really evoke a specific image.
Personally I would not hesitate to name a son Julian and I would not use a nickname. I would name a son Adrian too, and that has even been used as a female name. Julian hasn't, at least not often enough to be noticeable - it does sound like Gillian, but that does not make it femmey. I would not be worried about teasing or insecurity. I think that teasing and insecurity are more related to personality than they are to names ... I think Sean and Hayden and Joshua are very "soft" names, far less butch than Julian, but whether people with those names are weak or teased depends on their personalities, not on their names.
If I had used Julian, my son would have been J. Bruce - but that's from my family. Other combos
Julian Conrad
Julian Marcus
Julian Robert
- mirfak
Julian is, IMO, very "strong" sounding, but the lilting ending -lian makes it less butch and more complex seeming than Julius. (I also think Julia and Julie sound like "strong" names; even Juliet is, but I don't care for that name so much.) I can more easily picture a Julian as an athlete or a judge, than I can picture him as a comedian, poet, or dancer. But it doesn't really evoke a specific image.
Personally I would not hesitate to name a son Julian and I would not use a nickname. I would name a son Adrian too, and that has even been used as a female name. Julian hasn't, at least not often enough to be noticeable - it does sound like Gillian, but that does not make it femmey. I would not be worried about teasing or insecurity. I think that teasing and insecurity are more related to personality than they are to names ... I think Sean and Hayden and Joshua are very "soft" names, far less butch than Julian, but whether people with those names are weak or teased depends on their personalities, not on their names.
If I had used Julian, my son would have been J. Bruce - but that's from my family. Other combos
Julian Conrad
Julian Marcus
Julian Robert
- mirfak
This message was edited 8/4/2014, 9:34 AM