Not my normal cup of tea, but I actually don't mind it. I like how it sounds and I could actually see it on both boys and girls. It seems to really irk people when a girl is given a name that doesn't end in an 'a' or something, because it's not feminine enough for them, and therefore can only be a boy's name in their minds. People will go "this is a boy's name and a boy's name only ๐ค ๐ค" to surnames that have not been assigned a gender. Everyone's against strict gender roles until it comes to their own personal taste in names. Most last names used as first names didn't have gender in the first place; they weren't made to be feminine OR masculine names, so I don't see the issue with a name like Palmer being used on girls. Taylor and MacKenzie are both surnames that started being used as first names as boy names, but now they seem pretty normal as first names, especially as first names on girls. I'm sure the same will happen for Palmer.
โ Anonymous User 4/20/2024, edited 4/23/2024
1
What nicknames are there? Palm? Palmy? Pam? Doesn't seem like a very good fit for either gender.
โ Anonymous User 5/7/2023
5
Palmer is a surname that just doesn't sound or look good as a first name.
My name is Palmer, and I believe it is quite a fun name. All the other Palmers are mostly old men, but that makes it a rarely-heard name. Other people also like my name, so I simply must disagree with all of the comments of it being a bad name.
Stick with Palmer for boys. If you can't resist giving it to a girl make it a middle name.
โ Anonymous User 9/12/2018
5
My father-in-law's name is Palmer Lafayette McCoy; my husband is Palmer Alan McCoy; we named our first son, Palmer Scott McCoy. Now, my son is married and they are expecting their first baby--- our first grandchild & the first great-grandchild. They have decided whether the baby is a boy or a girl, they will name the baby "Palmer". If it's a boy, it will be: Palmer Talon McCoy & if it's a girl, it will be Palmer Christina McCoy. I'm trying REALLY HARD to adapt to the idea of Palmer being used as a girl's name, especially since every "Palmer" in the family is a MALE. It's because of this that I even found this discussion. I was doing a search to see if there were any girls named Palmer and what the trend was.
I went to high school with a girl named Palmer who was really sweet which makes me like this name. I think it's one of the better surname inspired given names.
Unless it is a family-tradition, I truly feel that "Palmer" be best left as a surname.I find it undeniably unprofessional, to be honest; it lacks the luster and shine a forename should be in possession of. While I can moderately accept and keep quiet my distaste for it on a male, I find it absolutely hideous as a feminine name.I fear the day that some poor soul with a surname of "Coast" is dubbed this.
My husband's name is Palmer. No one he meets ever forgets his name because it is so unique. The name has been passed down for 400 years in his family so we decided to continue the tradition and name our son Palmer. People who meet him love his name and really feel like it fits him.
My husband's grandfather is named Palmer. I had never heard of it before meeting him. He is a very caring guy. Everyone that I tell about his name thinks that it is a really cool name.