Kingsley

This name is a hard one.

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On the one hand, it has a solid origin as a surname with a great meaning.

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On the other hand, thanks to the Lee ending, it sounds very trendy (Brynlee, Kinlee, etc.), and to the untrained eye it looks made-up. It’s also not quite masculine (Lee ending sound) and not quite feminine (King). So despite its legit origin, at first glance it’s vague and trendy and could be misconstrued to be a silly name for a human being.

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I personally prefer names that aren’t vague (e.g. that are obviously male or obviously female), and names with a solid origin (not made up). So, despite the fact that this name originally was both of these, thanks to current trends, I would avoid using it on a person. Those who don’t know its origins could easily misunderstand it and judge the person (and their parents) before even meeting them.

Just because it has the word “king” in it doesn’t mean it’s pretentious. It means “king’s wood”. There’s honestly nothing wrong with this name and if you want to find an actual pretentious name then look at King or Queen or whatever.

I only really found out this was a first name because I was looking for the surname variant, LOL! Sounds a little pretentious and flashy, but I think it would go well on a pet, like a cat for example.

No shade but same vibes as Bear, Kinsley, Kinsleigh, Kennedy, Kennedeigh (lol), Bodie, etc… Jaxon, Mckinley, Aisleigh, Aisling, Brynlee.

Fits way better on girls, but Kingsleigh is way better on both genders. (Mostly girls.)

Sounds a bit pretentious. Even worse on girls. Why would you give a girl a name with "king" in it?

I think Kingsley’s unisex. The “king” part makes the name sound masculine, but the “ley” part makes the name sound feminine. Just because it has “king” in it doesn’t mean it can’t be used for a girl. It rhymes with a lot of unisex names. Personally, I love it as a girl’s name better than a boy’s name! Does that mean I don’t like it as a boy’s at all? No! I like it for a boy too, but I love it for a girl, despite the “king” part.

Why not Kinsley instead of Kingsley for a girl? It's a ridiculous name no matter the gender though.

My Vermont teddy bear is named Kingsley. Can't imagine it on a human.

The most pretentious style of a name I EVER came across. What comes to mind is an outrageously over the top stereotypical feminine male. Or at least a preppy rich snob type. A part of me has died on the inside discovering this "name"

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I feel so bad for anyone bearing the name, especially women. Sorry but KINGsley for your daughter? Why don't you have a son and name him Queenie?

An incredibly pretentious name.

Definitely a males name. No doubt! It has king in it for crying out loud!
It would be like calling a male a queen.

I am a woman who's middle name is Kingsley, and I have never even considered it to be "too masculine" for a girl. It's a very old family name that I am very proud of. As a lover of nature I have always been proud to have a name given to the person who cares for the king's land. I think it's a noble name of a hard worker, not pretentious. Honestly I have never considered it to be anything but pretty cool and a nice reminder of my English heritage of which I am very proud. Even though it has the word 'king' in it, it doesn't mean that it is strictly for boys. It never influenced my femininity, it has only ever given me confidence that I am unique and carrying a really awesome family name that I plan on passing on to a future child, boy or girl.

To me, this doesn't sound like a boys OR girls name. I really hope that people aren't using this just because it was in Harry Potter. I would never name a child anything starting with King. It sounds so faux pretentious.

Seriously, almost every name I come across on this site, no matter how manly it is, has at least one comment saying "this could also be a boy name," no! Are you doing that just to be annoying?! I'm not going to even take the comments saying Kingsley can be a girl name seriously. But, for a boy, this name sounds really snobby and high class. Also, I knew a pit bull named Kingsley. I like it a lot for a dog.

Why would anyone name a girl this? Aren't the first four letters obvious enough to show that it's not feminine? It's a rather dumb name anyway.

This name remind me of Kingsley Shacklebolt, my favorite Harry Potter character. Who I love from the Order of the Phoenix.
But it's a nice name too for a boy.

This reminds me of Ben Kingsley. Plus: I love the way it sounds. It rolls off the tongue so easily. I can't wait to name my future boy this name.

Seriously if you insist on naming a girl this, she will hate your forever. The number of female names way outnumber male names, so let's just leave it to the boys.

I think the name Kingsley would be quite fitting for a cat. It sounds great and it is cute!

This name in my opinion is strictly masculine. I mean, it makes no sense to name a girl KINGsley. But for a boy, this name is awesome!

First of all why can't you imagine anyone outside the UK having this name? Second of all this name I really love! For a boy or a girl, it's so lovely on a boy and I can just imagine a little tomboy girl (or even a girly girl for that matter) having this name, suiting it and loving it! This name I would consider as a middle name for a future child and possibly as a nickname instead of their first name.

It's hard for me to imagine anyone having this name who lives outside of the UK.

I don't like this name for either sex, but it's positively awful for females. The name is very surname-y, and it sounds masculine even ignoring the obvious fact that it has the ''king'' in it, which seems weird on anyone female.

Meh, this name is just okay. Actually, Queensley sounds awesome, especially for a boy.

Naming a girl Kingsley makes about as much sense as naming a boy Queensley.

I absolutely adore this name, and Kingsley Shacklebolt is such a great character in the Harry Potter books. It's completely cool and masculine. I love it! Terrible name for a girl though, in my opinion.

I don't mind boys' names on girls, although it's sort of sad when they become popular. But the King part just makes this way too masculine for me, and I don't think most young girls would want to bear such a name.

This is a very cool, tomboyish name for a girl.