Message: "Artemis on a boy."

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[Opinions] Artemis on a boy.

by gail

12/8/2011, 6:07 AM

in reply to a message by Sofia

Artemis on a boy! The boys peel one from the girls! (I don't approve, but it is rare to have the poaching go this way).

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- Hecate +2

12/8/2011, 4:03 PM

It's not really a girl's name on a boy.

Artemis is the only kinda-unisex Greek name I can think of. A girl Artemis is "AHR-teh-mis" (Άρτεμις) and a boy Artemis is "ahr-TEH-mis" (Αρτέμης).

- Alcyone

12/9/2011, 6:45 AM

Thanks for filling us in. :-) I wasn't aware that Artemis is also used for males in Greece.

Is Artemas (Ἀρτεμᾶς) a legitimate masculine name in Greece? I've read that it's a contracted form of Artemidoros (Ἀρτεμίδωρος).

This message was edited 12/9/2011, 9:13 AM

- Sofia

12/8/2011, 4:46 PM

I was sure that I'd seen Artemis on a Greek guy, but didn't want to say something stupid. And personally, Artemis sounds more masculine to me ( guess since names like Aramis, Denis, Enis, etc., are common on men here).

- Pie +1

12/8/2011, 7:37 AM

I just checked Victorian birth & death records, and in the UK, Artemus / Artemas / Artemis has always been used almost exclusively on males. (Spelling wasn't really standardised until the late 19th century). Artemisia seems to have been the lady version, but it was very, very rare.

- Serafina Starstrider

12/10/2011, 10:06 PM

I always think of Artemis for a girl and Artemus for a guy. I grew up watching Sailor Moon as a kid. The white talking cat was named Artemus. Then in middle school or early high school I read Artemis Fowl. So I've always seen Artemis as a unisex name but I prefer it slightly for girls than boys.

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This message was edited 12/10/2011, 10:09 PM

- AppalachianPie (MariaNikolaievnaRoma) +1

12/8/2011, 6:40 AM

I wonder if it is in some part due to the popularity of the Artemis Fowl books. It's quite an awesome name for a boy, now that I think about it.

- Alcyone

12/8/2011, 6:59 AM

I wonder if his name was inspired by the Artemis Fowl books as well. I prefer Artemas, which is a masculine name, for a boy. Artemis doesn't sound overly feminine, so it isn't atrocious as a male name, but knowing that Artemis is a feminine name and being familiar with the Greek goddess, I wouldn't give the name to a male child.

Artemis Cosmo is an interesting combo. Artemis is the name of my tarantula, and one of my favorite alcoholic beverages is the cosmopolitan "cosmo", so I was amused by it.

Out of the other names mentioned in the OP, I like:
Adam
Geraldine
Alexander
Aidan - I wouldn't use it due to its overwhelming popularity, but it's still a nice name.
Julie
Samuel
Alexander James Woodrow
Alexander William
Iain
Lisa
Edward
James
Ethan
Charlie
Sophie
Jack
Charles - I used to dislike it, but it has grown on me recently.
Giles
Blaise
Sophia
Elliott
Adrian
Rebekah
Paul
Ethan
Maureen

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