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HelpI think I'm the only one that likes it for a girl (m)
in reply to a message by Lily8
I grew up knowing a little girl named August and she really fit the name, I can't explain it but she basically has become the picture child for the name for me. That said, seeing it on a boy would be really awkward. I love Augustine on a girl too more than a boy.
This message was edited 3/17/2009, 11:36 AM
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I love it for a girl as well and don't see how it is strictly male
I mean it's the name of a month so it's completely unisex to me. I think it's charming on a girl.
I mean it's the name of a month so it's completely unisex to me. I think it's charming on a girl.
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Just kind of as a thought to everyone:
Don't you think with the names Augustine/Augustina and Augusta, the nickname August would have come around with girls at some point or another? I really kind of see it like Alex, a shortening of a plethora of both male and female names. Now some might say, 'Alex as itself, should only be a male name, and Alexa/Alexandra/Alexandria/etc should be fit for a girl" but people would still call that girl Alex in the long run. So I find quarreling over it just ridiculous. I'm sorry but if you name your daughter Augusta she will be called August in her life and maybe that's how it can viewed as unisex, like Alex.
Don't you think with the names Augustine/Augustina and Augusta, the nickname August would have come around with girls at some point or another? I really kind of see it like Alex, a shortening of a plethora of both male and female names. Now some might say, 'Alex as itself, should only be a male name, and Alexa/Alexandra/Alexandria/etc should be fit for a girl" but people would still call that girl Alex in the long run. So I find quarreling over it just ridiculous. I'm sorry but if you name your daughter Augusta she will be called August in her life and maybe that's how it can viewed as unisex, like Alex.
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Good point. I'm sure it has happened. Among the oldtime Gussies, there must have been an August or two.
It's very interesting how many layers there are to this idea. Alex, for example, I would call a unisex nickname and a masculine name. To me, it's equally perfect on an Alexandra or Alexander, but as the only name on a birth certificate I would see it as masculine.
Clearly, this is an issue where people are strongly guided by personal preference, opinion, and experience and end up in different places. It's given me some food for thought tonight. :)
It's very interesting how many layers there are to this idea. Alex, for example, I would call a unisex nickname and a masculine name. To me, it's equally perfect on an Alexandra or Alexander, but as the only name on a birth certificate I would see it as masculine.
Clearly, this is an issue where people are strongly guided by personal preference, opinion, and experience and end up in different places. It's given me some food for thought tonight. :)
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I do see the name as a unisex name, however, I prefer it on a boy!
This message was edited 3/17/2009, 4:03 PM
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I like it on a girl too :)
I love it for both but I think it works just fine for girls.
I love it for both but I think it works just fine for girls.
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Why are months inherently unisex? Consider April, May, and June. They have long histories of use on girls and would be as weird as Eleanor or Sarah on a boy, imo. August has had similar usage for boys and, as CN said, is strictly a male name and not a month in some places.
I suppose I can see the argument for months like October or November, where the month has very scant history as a given name, but some months seem be strongly feminine or masculine.
I suppose I can see the argument for months like October or November, where the month has very scant history as a given name, but some months seem be strongly feminine or masculine.
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I don't think that April and June would be weird on a boy at all. As for May, it's also a pet form of Margaret which is why it sounds feminine to us.
It doesn't really matter that it's strictly male in some places. That's because in other countries words have genders assigned to them. Andrea is also strictly male in some places, so what? Luca is strictly male in some places. So is Jasmin. August to me is a month and a month can be both.
It doesn't really matter that it's strictly male in some places. That's because in other countries words have genders assigned to them. Andrea is also strictly male in some places, so what? Luca is strictly male in some places. So is Jasmin. August to me is a month and a month can be both.
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Interesting
The weight of history--the historical usage as either masculine or feminine--is unimportant to you? Are they unisex because you perceive them as words first and names second and English words are ungendered? What about names like Violet or Faith?
I'm not trying to be snarky or combative...I'm just trying to understand a POV that's very different from mine. It's difficult for me to understand how anyone could think April as fitting a choice for a boy as, say, John.
The weight of history--the historical usage as either masculine or feminine--is unimportant to you? Are they unisex because you perceive them as words first and names second and English words are ungendered? What about names like Violet or Faith?
I'm not trying to be snarky or combative...I'm just trying to understand a POV that's very different from mine. It's difficult for me to understand how anyone could think April as fitting a choice for a boy as, say, John.
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The month of may was named after a MALE god (Maius), so are you saying May should be a boys name? Same with July and March.
Christian was a girls name in the Middle Ages and so was Julian (historical use) yet most people prefer them on boys and think I'm crazy when I consider Julian for a girl. Genders of names can change over time. So yeah, August might have been a male name before it became a month but now it's a month and a word and therefore unisex to me as are many words (Brook, Sky etc). Faith I could definitely see on a boy. As for Violet, no because it has a feminine sound because of the -ette ending. I'm not saying that all word names are gender neutral but August has no distinctive masculine or feminine sound so it works.
Christian was a girls name in the Middle Ages and so was Julian (historical use) yet most people prefer them on boys and think I'm crazy when I consider Julian for a girl. Genders of names can change over time. So yeah, August might have been a male name before it became a month but now it's a month and a word and therefore unisex to me as are many words (Brook, Sky etc). Faith I could definitely see on a boy. As for Violet, no because it has a feminine sound because of the -ette ending. I'm not saying that all word names are gender neutral but August has no distinctive masculine or feminine sound so it works.
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The month of may was named after a MALE god (Maius), so are you saying May should be a boys name? Same with July and March.
Uh, okay. Good to know, although I think May is actually after the goddess Maia. Maia or Maius, it's debatable enough that the arguement would be essentially pointless. I never said anything about origin, something generally as unimportant to me as a name's literal meaning. I'm talking about usage, such as how the name has been used in my nation over time. For example, April has been on the SSA 1000 list since 1939 for girls, no statistically significant usage for boys or August on the boy list from 1880 on with no significant usage for girls. My question was whether or not the name's usage matters to you at all in assigning gender to a name. Sorry if I was somehow unclear.
I'm aware that Christian and Julian were used for boys in the middle ages, as well as Jordan, Anna for boys, and others. For me, this is not meaningful because I'm also aware of how the names are used now: Christian (b-22), Julian (b-66), Jordan (b-45, g-100), Anna (g-25). Like you say, names change over time. To me, Jordan retained its unisex identity. Christian, Julian, and Anna did not.
If your criteria is based upon whether or not a name contains clearly masculine or feminine sounds, how do you classify names such as Ezra or Elijah? Do they qualify as unisex, or even feminine, since they conceivably contain feminine sound markers?
Uh, okay. Good to know, although I think May is actually after the goddess Maia. Maia or Maius, it's debatable enough that the arguement would be essentially pointless. I never said anything about origin, something generally as unimportant to me as a name's literal meaning. I'm talking about usage, such as how the name has been used in my nation over time. For example, April has been on the SSA 1000 list since 1939 for girls, no statistically significant usage for boys or August on the boy list from 1880 on with no significant usage for girls. My question was whether or not the name's usage matters to you at all in assigning gender to a name. Sorry if I was somehow unclear.
I'm aware that Christian and Julian were used for boys in the middle ages, as well as Jordan, Anna for boys, and others. For me, this is not meaningful because I'm also aware of how the names are used now: Christian (b-22), Julian (b-66), Jordan (b-45, g-100), Anna (g-25). Like you say, names change over time. To me, Jordan retained its unisex identity. Christian, Julian, and Anna did not.
If your criteria is based upon whether or not a name contains clearly masculine or feminine sounds, how do you classify names such as Ezra or Elijah? Do they qualify as unisex, or even feminine, since they conceivably contain feminine sound markers?
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I agree with the poster that all the girls named Augustina and Augustine would have been called August at some point as a nickname so it could as well have been used on girls. We just don't know.
How do you think usage changed over time? Because at some point a rather adventurous person decided to use a name that was used on boys until that point for a girl or the other way around. Maybe even one that had a long historical use. So why shouldn't I use August on a girl? Maybe in 40 years there'll be several little girls named August around just as there a now heaps of male Christians.
You don't care about how names were used back then because you just care about their usage NOW? Or do you mean since popularity charts exists? Sorry but that's a really weak argument. August is hardly common nowadays so if I name a girl August as some other people have done (Garth Brooks, for example) and other people who see it as feminine it might get a bit more common for girls and that will be its common use. Will you prefer it for a girl then? Do you prefer Ashley, Lindsey, Whitney, Morgan etc etc for girls just because they're in common use?
Well, I'm from a country where most girls names end in A so yes they sound unisex to me, especially Ezra. I never said that I consider an -ah sound feminine, by the way. Feminine would be something like -ina (at the end of a name) or -issa.
How do you think usage changed over time? Because at some point a rather adventurous person decided to use a name that was used on boys until that point for a girl or the other way around. Maybe even one that had a long historical use. So why shouldn't I use August on a girl? Maybe in 40 years there'll be several little girls named August around just as there a now heaps of male Christians.
You don't care about how names were used back then because you just care about their usage NOW? Or do you mean since popularity charts exists? Sorry but that's a really weak argument. August is hardly common nowadays so if I name a girl August as some other people have done (Garth Brooks, for example) and other people who see it as feminine it might get a bit more common for girls and that will be its common use. Will you prefer it for a girl then? Do you prefer Ashley, Lindsey, Whitney, Morgan etc etc for girls just because they're in common use?
Well, I'm from a country where most girls names end in A so yes they sound unisex to me, especially Ezra. I never said that I consider an -ah sound feminine, by the way. Feminine would be something like -ina (at the end of a name) or -issa.
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I care about current usage because it is an indicator of how my children's names will be recieved and what it will be like to live with the name. This is extremely important to me because I don't name for myself: a name is a gift I give to another human being. To the best of my ability, I want that gift to be the best "fit" it can possibly be. My personal belief is that a name greatly biased toward one gender is not a good fit for the other, regardless of what was the rage in 1292. My child has to live with it now. If this argument strikes you as weaker than a celebrity endorsement, well, I probably couldn't explain it to you any further.
So yes, if I could stomach the names to begin with, I would never use Ashley, Lindsey, or Whitney on a boy, just as I wouldn't use Logan or Ashton on a girl.
You're right that August is relatively uncommon, and I certainly don't think it would be traumatic for a girl to be named August. I don't, however, believe that most names change because of usage by "adventurous" individuals, unless that individual is famous and/or influential. I believe most names change because of changes in their climate of usage--societal and cultural changes that push parents to and from different kinds of names. Or maybe it's a combination of the two in some magic ratio. I don't think we know. Perhaps August will change over time, perhaps not. It will be interesting to see.
Although I don't share your views on this issue, I've had fun discussing it with you. Thank you for the time you've taken to reply.
So yes, if I could stomach the names to begin with, I would never use Ashley, Lindsey, or Whitney on a boy, just as I wouldn't use Logan or Ashton on a girl.
You're right that August is relatively uncommon, and I certainly don't think it would be traumatic for a girl to be named August. I don't, however, believe that most names change because of usage by "adventurous" individuals, unless that individual is famous and/or influential. I believe most names change because of changes in their climate of usage--societal and cultural changes that push parents to and from different kinds of names. Or maybe it's a combination of the two in some magic ratio. I don't think we know. Perhaps August will change over time, perhaps not. It will be interesting to see.
Although I don't share your views on this issue, I've had fun discussing it with you. Thank you for the time you've taken to reply.
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No problem ;) I guess we just have different opinions. I'm not obsessed with celebrity names at all I just googled August and I used it as an example to show that there are other people who see it as feminine.
I think that August is a very uncommon name for both genders at the moment so for most people my August would be the first one they would meet and therefore would probably see it as a feminine name. To me, for example, Luca is more of a girls name because I went to school with a girl named Luca. It's not that I'm naming her John or something like that.
I think that August is a very uncommon name for both genders at the moment so for most people my August would be the first one they would meet and therefore would probably see it as a feminine name. To me, for example, Luca is more of a girls name because I went to school with a girl named Luca. It's not that I'm naming her John or something like that.
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I think it's because the month is named after Augustus so strictly speaking August isn't really a month name, not like February or October.
Also, August is not originally an English name but Scandinavian, Polish and German where August is just a name (and stricly male) and not a month. It's a coincidence, I believe, that August also is a month in English and because of that seen as a unisex name.
Also, August is not originally an English name but Scandinavian, Polish and German where August is just a name (and stricly male) and not a month. It's a coincidence, I believe, that August also is a month in English and because of that seen as a unisex name.
This message was edited 3/17/2009, 12:31 PM
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No!
Maybe you should get some information first before insisting that August isn't a month in other countries. The month is called August in German as well.
It doesn't matter what the month was named after, the fact is that now it's a month and can therefore be unisex.
Maybe you should get some information first before insisting that August isn't a month in other countries. The month is called August in German as well.
It doesn't matter what the month was named after, the fact is that now it's a month and can therefore be unisex.
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Ugh! I do know some German and I probably remembered wrongly. But it doesn't really take away from my point that August is not a month name every where.
It doesn't matter what the month was named after, the fact is that now it's a month and can therefore be unisex.
Yes, in countries where August is a month too. I realise that we see this from different perspectives but you can't insist that August must be unisex because it is a month in English. There are a whole world out there where English is not the native language. Would you take a Japanese name that was strictly masculine and use it for a girl because it happens to look/sound/mean something/ feminine in English?
It doesn't matter what the month was named after, the fact is that now it's a month and can therefore be unisex.
Yes, in countries where August is a month too. I realise that we see this from different perspectives but you can't insist that August must be unisex because it is a month in English. There are a whole world out there where English is not the native language. Would you take a Japanese name that was strictly masculine and use it for a girl because it happens to look/sound/mean something/ feminine in English?
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Yes, I know that it's seen as a boys name in many countries but so are Andrea and Jasmin and they are girls names in the US. I think it just depends on personal taste.
By the way, the months of May (Maius), March (Mars), July (Julius) were all named after MALE gods/people. So if you go after that then May should be a boys name and so should March and July.
By the way, the months of May (Maius), March (Mars), July (Julius) were all named after MALE gods/people. So if you go after that then May should be a boys name and so should March and July.
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Well, I guess that if you told an Italian person that Andrea should be unisex s/he would also say it's strictly masculine. I'm Scandinavian so that might be the reason why I can't see August as a a unisex name.
But I never said that August can't be used as a girl name in English speaking countries but I understand people who say it's a masculine name. In my first reply I simply tried to explain why some might see it as strictly male (as you said that you couldn't see how it is strictly male) and I think my Japanese name example is a good explanation for how some feel about August.
I can't really argue against the whole month name thing. I tried to come up with a consistent theory of use and origin but failed ;) But according to the database May derivs from Maia, a Roman goddess and not from Maius (I wonder which is correct...)
But I never said that August can't be used as a girl name in English speaking countries but I understand people who say it's a masculine name. In my first reply I simply tried to explain why some might see it as strictly male (as you said that you couldn't see how it is strictly male) and I think my Japanese name example is a good explanation for how some feel about August.
I can't really argue against the whole month name thing. I tried to come up with a consistent theory of use and origin but failed ;) But according to the database May derivs from Maia, a Roman goddess and not from Maius (I wonder which is correct...)
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I understand that some people see it as strictly male, it's just that I think it can also be feminine. I was just trying to explain WHY I think of it as a unisex name, I never said it was wrong to see it as a male name only just that I don't.
The month of August was apparently named after an Augustus which I consider masculine because of the -us ending but I consider August unisex. Just as I consider Julius masculine but July unisex (tend to prefer it for a girl because of similarity with Julie).
hmmm some sources say the month of may comes from Maius some say from Maia and some say from both :P
The month of August was apparently named after an Augustus which I consider masculine because of the -us ending but I consider August unisex. Just as I consider Julius masculine but July unisex (tend to prefer it for a girl because of similarity with Julie).
hmmm some sources say the month of may comes from Maius some say from Maia and some say from both :P
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just wondering
would you advocate names like Adelaide, Virginia, and Carolina on boys? They're place names derived from female names.
People don't really use March and July anyway. The well-established month names are April, May, and June, and the latter two come from goddesses (debatably; maybe the goddess Maia and the god Maius are kind of the same figure?).
I really cannot see August on a girl, personally. Too many wikipedia articles and history classes with stompy masculine german/germanic Augusts in them. It gives me shivers on a girl, like Julius or Franz would.
would you advocate names like Adelaide, Virginia, and Carolina on boys? They're place names derived from female names.
People don't really use March and July anyway. The well-established month names are April, May, and June, and the latter two come from goddesses (debatably; maybe the goddess Maia and the god Maius are kind of the same figure?).
I really cannot see August on a girl, personally. Too many wikipedia articles and history classes with stompy masculine german/germanic Augusts in them. It gives me shivers on a girl, like Julius or Franz would.
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Uhm if you had read my post you would know that I consider all word names unisex that don't have a distinctive feminine or masculine sound such as August, which doesn't sound particularly masculine or feminine to me. Same with March, November etc.
I was also talking about WORD names, not PLACE names.
August was named for an Augustus. So while I see Augustus as male I don't see August as strictly male. Alexandria (city) was named after an Alexander which is male but I guess you wouldn't use Alexandria on a boy?
So I don't see why August has to be male just because Augustus is. Yes it has been used on many boys historically but so have Christian and Julian been used on girls.
Carolina and Virginia aren't words as far as I know so the whole comparison is kind of silly. They also have distinctive feminine sounds.
I was also talking about WORD names, not PLACE names.
August was named for an Augustus. So while I see Augustus as male I don't see August as strictly male. Alexandria (city) was named after an Alexander which is male but I guess you wouldn't use Alexandria on a boy?
So I don't see why August has to be male just because Augustus is. Yes it has been used on many boys historically but so have Christian and Julian been used on girls.
Carolina and Virginia aren't words as far as I know so the whole comparison is kind of silly. They also have distinctive feminine sounds.
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At first I only thought of it as a boy's name...and I would use it. After reading The Secret Life of Bees I find it kind of neat for a gir...normally I do not like masculine names on girls...but it has a sort of charm about it.
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