Oscar as a girl's name....?

My mother's name is Noel (Christmas baby) and it has caused her many tedious problems because people assume she is male. Recently she was kept waiting for hours at a doctor's because he glanced into the waiting room, expecting to see a man so did not call her in...

Do you really want her name to become your DD's defining characteristic?

Stevie is a nice girl's name though. I quite like your choice.

I'm with your parents. I like it as a boy's name. Why not call her Oscara, if that is what you really mean?

Another vote against.

My DS1 has an ambidextrous name (Jocelyn, known as Joss) and occasionally people think he is a girl (the library), or that they have misheard and he is a Josh. There are a few (not many I agree) male Josses out there (think Joss Acland), but can't think of a single girl Oscar. It is a bit odd.

Well Oscar's a nice name. For a boy. It's as if you named her Steve or something.

Well i love the name oscar, i have a child called oscar myself...he is a boy tho, not sure about using it for a girl.

Em, I would want to poke my parents in the eye if they did this to me. But if you like it and have already done it then what we think is largely irrelevant. Congrats though

It appears we're not alone making a decision like this!

The line for girls is on 1. One.

It's a stupid name for a girl.

this cant be real?

no. no no no no no. awful. bet she is adorable though. give her an adorable name to match

You must be joking.....why do you hate your dd?

I'll go against the grain and say I quite like it. I think the trend in the US for girls to be given masculine or traditionally male names (I know of American girls called Felix, Ryan, Shane, Sloane, Parker and Elliot) will catch on further in the UK, anyway.

I have a name which is unisex but apparently far more commonly used for boys (Leigh). Sure, sometimes people are surprised that I'm a woman if my name has preceded me. Occasionally people will say in a laugh-y wake, "Oh, we didn't realise you were a woman!" and we'll all have a chuckle. After that, everyone knows I'm girl-Leigh, and it ceases to be note-worthy. Mostly people don't even comment. To be honest, there aren't that many situations in my life where initial assumptions made about my sex from my name matter much. I mean, if I turn up for a job interview and the panel is expecting a bloke they might be a bit thrown but it's easily corrected (and always interesting to ponder whether I'd have got the interview if my name was Leah or Leanne). I've yet to be at the centre of a terrible, earth-shattering hoo-ha because somebody has mistaken me for a man and the situation absolutely cannot be remedied.

My niece has a popular name which is almost exclusively used for boys. People do a double take every single time.

I shouldn't imagine people will judge her for it. She'll be bigger and better than her name, as all children are. People will think things about you though. Depends whether you care.

with your parents here

Yes, you're making a mistake. It's fine to be stupid and ridiculous in your own life, but when you visit that on a child, it's not on.

I like the name Oscar but I do think you're setting her up for a lot of confusion in life. I once knew an American lady called Shaun (not Shauna) and while she quite like her unusual-for-a-female name, she was always assumed to male until people met her iyswim

I'm with your parents. Life's hard enough for goodness sake.

According to the 1990 United States Census, Oscar ranked as the 151st most popular male first name, the 4,120th most popular female first name and the 13,443rd most popular last name. (Just googled this).

Seems more and more boys names are being used for girls - I know a female Elliot, a female Georgie and a female Jamie. Not sure I personally would choose such names, but if you love Oscar that much and have already named her, I'm sure people will quickly associate it with your lovely daughter! Congratulations!

I actually like boys names for girls - thinking Tommy, Robbie, Frankie, Henri, Hari, and I see where you are coming from with Oscar. Looked at one way it has a touch of rakish glamour. The trouble is it is sooo common just now for boys and if she can't pull off extreme glamour/quirkiness as she grows up (and lets face it - not many can) 'Oscar'will be a burden. I would use it as a mn and pick something else.

It often gets snickers as a boy's name. I really wouldn't want to be saddled with it as a girl.

Ps is this a wind up? I'm struggling to believe someone would really do this...

Agree with pps... She is in for a lifetime of 'Dear Mr...', people mishearing, etc. I've met a couple of people in similar situations and they were both completely weary of it. Sorry OP. :(

Oscara is too close to mascara and Oscar really is a boy's name.

if it derives from Oscara, then call her that

It's unusual but then as a Brit in the US, I've met baby girls called Smith and Parker so here, I doubt it'd raise any eyebrows.