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I prefer the spelling Willoby, but either way, I see this as a boy name.

Really dislike Willoughby on either gender. Not many names make me wince, this does. There is something about it that is so... pretentious about it.

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Strong dislike. And yes, it has the potential to be trendy, because it has all of the worst elements of flash-in-the-pan "trendy" names.

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I don't think it feels natural, I think it feels very self-aware and poised and sharp. I don't like Willow (apart as a pet name) and I far prefer Willow to this.

I thought it was a boys name?

I don't like movies, especially if I loved the book they were based on. So, I don't know if this happened in the Mary Poppins movie, but in the book it certainly did: Mary Poppins can, of course, talk to animals, including the very spoilt little dog named Andrew who belongs to a neighbour. The children mock him, but she ticks them off: there's more to him than they know. And up turns a large, homeless dog and Andrew makes friends with him. Andrew's owner wants to get rid of New Dog, and M P explains to her that if that happens, Andrew will go with his friend. Eventually, she believes this and agrees to adopt New Dog, which will need a name, like Waif or Stray ... M P interrupts her and says that the dogs insist that she call him Willoughby - 'Willoughby being his name'! And the owner has to swallow her pride and let her real love for her own dog enable her to welcome even a stray named Willoughby!
So, human name, no, not at all. Not a question of gender; more of species. Definitely canine.

Don't really like it as a first name

It's really bad on either gender. It sounds really pretentious, eccentric and silly. Willoughby is only better as a surname or a place name.

I do love the sound, and it really does seem like something that should be slightly trendy. It gives me the same vibes as stuff like Bellamy, Atticus, Holden and Scarlett - the "I loved that classic book they made me read in school" hipster gang. And it also fits in with the -eigh trends too. I'm not sure why nobody seems that interested in it! Maybe it's a name that sort of missed its own moment, the way Susannah was passed over even though it would have fit right in with the resurgence of Hannah and Sadie and Abigail.

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I'm not a fan of the "oughb" part, that's the thing. But any other spelling looks so wrong.

You know what? I like it! It’s not a favorite but it does sound cute.

I dislike the character Willoughby (Jane Austen’s S&S) and, for me, it’s too strongly associated. As if you are naming your daughter after a villain.

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That set aside, it does sound pretty.

I like Willoughby as a surname. I think Willoughby could be used as a girl's name. I like the sound a lot, but the fact that it's a surname makes me like it a bit less and the spelling is a bit much. I'm not sure how I'd feel about it on a kid.
I associate it with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken, and The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry, which are both positive associations.

This message was edited 9/4/2024, 8:14 AM

It sounds hiddious, im sorry. If i were u i would've chosen Willow. how do u even pronounce Willoughby?? its forgettable and hard to spell.

This message was edited 9/4/2024, 7:24 AM

Idk Willoughby looks masculine to me even though the sound is feminine. You could try to make it look more feminine by spelling it something like Willabee but then that might make it look even more trendy like you said.
All in all I prefer for a boy.