New Post
Search
HelpIris... but on a boy.
Now before I get dragged through the dirt and back because I know Iris is one of the most well-liked girls names here. I’ve been thinking a little bit, and how do you guys feel about Iris for a male?
Don’t get me wrong, as far as it’s etymology and sound it’s 100% feminine. A flower, and a Greek goddess; nothing masculine at all about that. However the sound itself I really like for a boy. I feel like that would be so cool to see. I mean hey, if girls are being named Dylan, why the hell not Iris for a boy? Anyways, I would never use it for a boy, but I don’t care for it much on a girl either. It’s nice though.
"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." - William Shakespeare
Don’t get me wrong, as far as it’s etymology and sound it’s 100% feminine. A flower, and a Greek goddess; nothing masculine at all about that. However the sound itself I really like for a boy. I feel like that would be so cool to see. I mean hey, if girls are being named Dylan, why the hell not Iris for a boy? Anyways, I would never use it for a boy, but I don’t care for it much on a girl either. It’s nice though.
Archived Thread - replies disabled
3
Replies
Absolutely not.
1
Idris, yes; Iris, no. Someone will probably use it on a boy, but someone will also lie down in front of an express train. Things get done, but that doesn't make them sensible, worthy or good things.
3
This reminds me of when I liked Ibis as a unisex name.
This message was edited 5/1/2022, 9:26 PM
1
If I had no prior associations then sure, I can see it. It’s pretty close to to Idris.
3
Why not?!
3
It's not a unisex name. It's not a surname. It's not even a purely nature name because it's the name of a goddess.
All things are not equal. Dylan might get used some on girls, but that doesn't mean it's equally acceptable to name a girl say, Leonard, or a boy Gladys. (Before anyone comes yapping along with "Anne Rice was named Howard! Barack Obama's mother was Stanley!" I'd remind you that both those ladies chose to go by female names.)
I don't even like Iris for a girl. It has a sour, sullen sound.
All things are not equal. Dylan might get used some on girls, but that doesn't mean it's equally acceptable to name a girl say, Leonard, or a boy Gladys. (Before anyone comes yapping along with "Anne Rice was named Howard! Barack Obama's mother was Stanley!" I'd remind you that both those ladies chose to go by female names.)
I don't even like Iris for a girl. It has a sour, sullen sound.
3
Giving Anne Rice and Ann Dunham as examples is a bit unfair because there are all sorts of examples of women given traditionally masculine names who do go by them in everyday life. Many of them are actually going by their middle names -- Reese Witherspoon, who is Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon on her birth certificate, actually goes by her second middle name. And in the American South, where Witherspoon is from, you don't have to limit yourself to famous examples. I went to high school in Lynchburg, Virginia with three young women who were Elizabeth Winston, Barbara Michael, and Barbara Quentin on their birth certificates, and who were always called Winston, Michael, and Quentin. (Oh, and they were all in my graduating class, so they are all 70 now, no longer young!)
Sexism means that it has been common in English speaking countries for girls to be given formerly masculine names, while nearly unheard of for boys to be given formerly feminine ones. That's led to there being scores of names which were originally "male" which are now seen as "female", from Hilary to Shirley to Ashley to Reese. Seems a bit unfair to me -- perhaps we should be thinking of traditionally female names that would work well for sons to balance things out. And Iris sort of does have a sound to me that might work as a masculine name in 2022.
Sexism means that it has been common in English speaking countries for girls to be given formerly masculine names, while nearly unheard of for boys to be given formerly feminine ones. That's led to there being scores of names which were originally "male" which are now seen as "female", from Hilary to Shirley to Ashley to Reese. Seems a bit unfair to me -- perhaps we should be thinking of traditionally female names that would work well for sons to balance things out. And Iris sort of does have a sound to me that might work as a masculine name in 2022.
This message was edited 5/2/2022, 9:01 AM
7
I think it's fine, but everytime I hear/saw it, it just look as a feminine name.
1
I'm not fond of the sound in general. It never sounded "flowery". It made me think of the iris of the eye. In any case, it also could be the strong name of a god rather than just a goddess. Its kind of unique without being too weird. It should become unisex in the future.
2
Sound wise it isn't horrible but the implications are the same as Daisy or Violet on a boy.
1
It's similar to Osiris and Cyrus, so I can see why you think the sound would work.
If I think about it.... Hmm, I am not sure. The problem is I like it for a girl, and Iris is like the name Helen, it's very firmly a mature woman's name in my mind. Not much wiggle room there.
If I stop thinking of flowers and goddesses and instead look at it as a word for the coloured part of the eye, ok, I can wrap my head around it. Iris. Hmm.
If I think about it.... Hmm, I am not sure. The problem is I like it for a girl, and Iris is like the name Helen, it's very firmly a mature woman's name in my mind. Not much wiggle room there.
If I stop thinking of flowers and goddesses and instead look at it as a word for the coloured part of the eye, ok, I can wrap my head around it. Iris. Hmm.
5
I would agree with the similarities to Osiris and recommend it as an alternative
2
I think a lot of "girl" name’s (or for the most part "girl" names) work really well on boys, especially gemstone/nature names. Two I’ve asked about in the past were Ivory and Sapphire, both of which I still really like.
But I just don’t like Iris on a boy. It’s strong yet still dainty and feminine, elegant.
But I just don’t like Iris on a boy. It’s strong yet still dainty and feminine, elegant.
2
I think it's handsome! I mentioned it in the recent thread about girl names for boys. It reminds me of Silas, Ennis, and Amos.
Just for fun, some combos:
Iris Andrew
Iris Duncan
Iris Benjamin
Iris William
Iris Peter
Iris Victor
Iris Jacob
Iris Quentin
Iris Waldo
Iris Paul
Iris Philip
Iris Leon
Iris Timothy
Just for fun, some combos:
Iris Andrew
Iris Duncan
Iris Benjamin
Iris William
Iris Peter
Iris Victor
Iris Jacob
Iris Quentin
Iris Waldo
Iris Paul
Iris Philip
Iris Leon
Iris Timothy
This message was edited 5/1/2022, 3:35 PM
4