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It's a town not too far from me, so that's what I think of. I generally don't like place names, so I'd never use it. That aside, I do think it has a nice sort of sound and brings to mind a summer sunset. Nice imagery. I'd say it feels more masculine to me.

My father grew up in Somersetshire and I love the works of Somerset Maugham. From this, you would think that I'd have a masculine feeling for the name. But I don't. Perhaps it's because I like Summer for a girl. But I love Somerled for a boy so that can't be it. Search me. I really don't know why I love it on a girl.

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I have a combo for a girl: Lee Somerset. Lee for the River Lee in Ireland near where my mother grew up and Somerset for my dad.

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So yeah. I love Somerset on a girl. As a fn? Hmmmm something really English country, peaches and cream:

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Somerset Georgia
Somerset Alice / Alix
Somerset Catherine
Somerset Hannah
Somerset Clare (two counties for the price of one?)
Somerset Diana
Somerset Julia
Somerset Blythe
Somerset Emma
Somerset Evelyn (Mr. Maugham meets Mr. Waugh?)
Somerset Afton (English county meets English river?)
Somerset Miranda
Somerset Eliza

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And for a nn you could use Sunny. Somer / summer --> Sunny. :-)

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Whichever gender you use please combine it with a recognizably masculine or feminine name.

This message was edited 7/2/2013, 1:15 PM

My Great Aunt lives in Somerset... I can't see it as a human name.

My opinion might be a little biased, as I live near a Somerset mall. I always think it's weird when people name their kids nouns, like 'Apple' or 'Blue Ivy' and stuff. Um.... I'd say male. Some people might think it's a strong female, but it really just sounds like a part of England to me.
I'd say neither first nor middle, but if I had to choose, I'd say bury it in the middle.

It sounds like someone combined the words "summer" and "sunset" and then spelled it stupidly. It's also not an attractive sounding name. It doesn't even sound like a name. Besides sounding like a city, it also sounds like a line of clothing. I just googled it and apparently it is a line of clothing.

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With all that said, I do think it works okay as a middle name. I see it as entirely feminine.

This message was edited 7/2/2013, 9:58 AM

It's TOO much of a place name to work on a person, IMO. It has the same un-namey feel as Tibet or Wyoming.

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If I had to, I'd use it on a girl but only for the nn Somer.

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I'd pair it with something short and sweet, like Somerset Jane or Somerset Mae.

Actually I really like it. Someone on a board I use to frequent a few years ago, used Somerset Rose for her little girl, NN Somer. It's pretty unisex I think, (I love Summer on a boy) but it still leans female for me. It would make a better MN, imo, but I'm not opposed to it up front

I like it. A lot actually. I like the sound of it. It's all male to me. I think I prefer it as a first name but it would be a pretty cool middle name if you want to use a more common first name.
I also like Somerled a lot.

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Some combos:
Peter Somerset
Oscar Somerset
Julius Somerset
Octavian Somerset
Thomas Somerset

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Somerset Sterling
Somerset Kirk
Somerset Isaac
Somerset Robin
Somerset Lucas
Somerset Quinn
Somerset Magnus
Somerset Noel

When I was in Edinburgh last year we went to a comedy show and one of the audience was called Somerset. He got a lot of stick, with jokes like "have you got a sister called Dorset?". I can't really take it seriously. I also think its awfully pretentious.

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If I had to use it, it would be on a male and as a middle name.

Male, definitely more middle name than first. Can't think of any middle names- sorry.

It's the kind of over the top pompous name you'd give a character as a joke or in sarcastic. Like you'd call a stereotypical upper-class British dandy Somerset Quintus Rotherham-Farquhar-Pettigrew IV, or you'd call a Marilyn Monroe wannabe something like Bambi Somerset.

Somerset is a county. Not a name. And although Devon works, as do some American states, I don't think Somerset will catch on, it doesn't even begin to sound like a name.
However because of the Summer sound at the start I would lean towards female. If it had to be used at all I would opt for the middle name position, a child called this in England would more likely than not be ridiculed.

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