Names that used to be masculine
Up until very recently, there were many names that are considered feminine today but were perfectly acceptable masculine names of yesterday. Many of them still could be used as names for little boys -- the only problem is, that once a name is considered a 'girl's name' that the males don't tend to want it back. But with the surgence of cross-gender girl's names like Dylan and Tyler, who's to say the guys can't take back a few names? Some examples:
Ashley -- most famous male bearer would probably be Ashley of 'Gone with the wind' fame. Not a bad name, overall -- I could easily see a little boy with this name.
Nicole -- I've seen this one spelled 'Nichol' more often when referring to males. There are examples of this as a masculine name going back to the 1500s. Once more, I think it has a good hard sound that would work for a boy or girl.
Vivian -- I've also seen this spelled Vyvyan (Oscar Wilde's son was named this way). Maybe a little too femme by todays standards, but I can see this one too.
Marion -- still occasionaly used today. Wasn't John Wayne's birth name Marion? I can't remember, but I recall reading somewhere that it was.
Jessamy -- A friend of mine named her little boy this. It's cute, and he could use 'Jesse' if his friends give him flack about having a 'girl's name'.
Any other examples? Or does anyone have a typically girl's name that they think could work for a little boy?
Ashley -- most famous male bearer would probably be Ashley of 'Gone with the wind' fame. Not a bad name, overall -- I could easily see a little boy with this name.
Nicole -- I've seen this one spelled 'Nichol' more often when referring to males. There are examples of this as a masculine name going back to the 1500s. Once more, I think it has a good hard sound that would work for a boy or girl.
Vivian -- I've also seen this spelled Vyvyan (Oscar Wilde's son was named this way). Maybe a little too femme by todays standards, but I can see this one too.
Marion -- still occasionaly used today. Wasn't John Wayne's birth name Marion? I can't remember, but I recall reading somewhere that it was.
Jessamy -- A friend of mine named her little boy this. It's cute, and he could use 'Jesse' if his friends give him flack about having a 'girl's name'.
Any other examples? Or does anyone have a typically girl's name that they think could work for a little boy?
Replies
marley
what do you think of the name Marley for a boy.
what do you think of the name Marley for a boy.
Marley is my son's (female) golden retriever. If you name your son "Marley", be sure and name the next one "Scrooge". If it's Rastaman you want, why not "Bob"?
my other son's name is dylan. maybe i should consider bob.
i like the name marley for a boy, but my husband says it sound too feminine. what do you thing?
Leslie is 100% a girls' name in my neck of the woods, though I think it's still used for boys in England. I like it much better for a boy.
Joyce, Jocelyn, and Evelyn started out as boys' names too.
I know a little boy named Shelby--that's cute for a boy, but I can't stand it for a girl. i also love Meredith and Morgan for a boy.
Joyce, Jocelyn, and Evelyn started out as boys' names too.
I know a little boy named Shelby--that's cute for a boy, but I can't stand it for a girl. i also love Meredith and Morgan for a boy.
oh yeah, another thing
On my website I have a "Masculine or feminine?" quiz that asks people whether they prefer certain names for boys or girls. It's located at:
http://haggisbutt.tripod.com/ambigender.html
There are also results from past quizzes.
On my website I have a "Masculine or feminine?" quiz that asks people whether they prefer certain names for boys or girls. It's located at:
http://haggisbutt.tripod.com/ambigender.html
There are also results from past quizzes.