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Both but preferably boy

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River is such a nice name and one I would consider when the time roles around. I'd consider it for a feminine middle name and, more likely, a masculine first name.

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I just don't think it goes well with my other name choices

I wouldn't use it, and I think it's a tad bit cheesy, but I really like it anyway. This is strange for me to say, but I think I like it equally on boys and girls. I wouldn't mind being a female River at all. It'd be strange on someone of my age -- very unlikely -- but it'd be nice to be River.

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I just read this book where a woman in her 60s is named River and her daughters (in their 30s) all have names that are trendy now. It drives me batty. If you're going to go to the trouble of writing a book that's supposed to be realistic and set in 2018 Portland, Oregon, you need to research names! Otherwise, it just makes the whole thing read like a fantasy to me and I take it much less seriously.

I love the name River, it’s gorgeous. It’s all boy to me.

Girl

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River is always in my top 10 for girls these days. I think it's stunning and strong while not over-used. For a boy, to me, it loses some of that.

Mainly male, but after seeing Doctor Who I see fans naming their daughter River.

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I once met the cutie at toddler named Riv. I love it as nickname for River.

I like it for both. The first River I knew personally was a boy and that was in 1983. Never knew another River personally again until 2008 and this time a girl.

Boy. As feminine, it mainly just reminds me of sci-fi.

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It's a vague nature name, similar to: Forest, Meadow, Sky, Ocean. I don't think I'd like being named it, but there are worse names.

It's not my usual style, but I enjoy it - it has positive associations and sounds pleasantly gentle. I prefer it on a boy.

I like it ... it's not uni-sex, it's ambi-sex, to me. On a guy it's a guyname, like Warren is, it has appeal as a masculine name. On a gal it's a galname, like Heather is, and it has appeal as a feminine name too. I should probably make up my mind.

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Honestly though, I think it would slightly bother me (regardless of my own sex/gender) to *be* named a name that most people thought of as deliberately genderless.

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Rivers btw (since others mention it) has a totally different impression for me. River is a nature-name, and Rivers is a brandnamey surname name like Reed or Brooks or Leighton, a little prissy and almost the opposite of naturey, and I like it less the more I consider it.

This message was edited 5/29/2020, 10:55 AM

I like it pretty equally for a boy and girl. I might slightly prefer it on a girl...and Rivers on a boy.

I like it, for a boy. I can't use it though because it's also a Swedish word but I like the look, sound and the feel I get from it. I like the watery-feeling.

I really like it as a masculine name, it's a gp of mine, but hate it for girls, there's just nothing about this name that is even the slightest bit feminine.

Sound-wise, it's not bad, but I have issues with word names when the meaning of the word is neutral. I see it as masculine.

I find River extremely bland and overused for a girl, though less so for a boy. I prefer Rivers as the masculine equivalent.

I don't like it, unisex

I kind of like it for a boy even though it doesn't really fit my normal style at all.

I like it but wouldn’t use it. Feels more masculine.

I don't like it. It just doesn't have a pretty sound, and as a name it seems aggressively, self-consciously androgynous and that's a big turnoff.

I'm not crazy about it but I like it. I usually makes me think of a girl.

Boy. I don't like it for either gender, but Rio is a GP of mine (boy).

I love it for a boy, it’s a GP for me.