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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

"Girls" Names For Boys?

65 replies

Jossina · 20/05/2019 00:18

I've just read a fantastic article www.kaseyedwards.com/the-subconscious-bias-of-unisex-baby-name-trends/ that made me think what "girl" names I think would work for boys. They are:

Grace
Natalie
Abigail
Kathryn Katharine
Rachel
Dora
Deborah

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EssentialHummus · 24/05/2019 09:39

Sharon is unisex in Israel. I’ve thought about this for a solid two minutes and my only contribution is Sam.

BertrandRussell · 24/05/2019 09:33

“Evelyn
Sydney
Shirley
Trac(e)y”

Yep. Loads of boys with these names in every primary school.

Grinchly · 23/05/2019 21:27

Evelyn
Sydney
Shirley
Trac(e)y

Skade · 23/05/2019 20:33

I was going to be called Kelly if I was a boy...

OldUnit · 23/05/2019 20:32

I know a Stacey. He's VERY masculine*.

*swoons

BendydickCuminsnatch · 23/05/2019 20:31

Oh my ‘.......’ disappeared

BendydickCuminsnatch · 23/05/2019 20:30

Cameron and Blake, Bendy?
We were talking about you and your wonderful username on another thread recently.

Haha oh god 😄 well, thank you!

No not those names.....
Stone, singer
Rachel Wood, actor. I suppose this one is more like seen as a girl with a boy’s name.

Now I should namechange but clearly this is such a good one 😄 oh well I’m very slack with the anonymous thing anyway!

bluerememberedhills · 23/05/2019 19:16

Ha ha ha @ErrolTheDragon - that is a piece of trivia which has been in my mind for over 40 years - just waiting for this moment. Grin

MrsRubyMonday · 23/05/2019 19:16

I was at school with a boy called Kelsey, although spelled -cie. I always thought you would have to be a popular kid to get away with it, there is no way a less popular child could pull it off and it would lead to a lot of bullying. The one I knew definitely ran with the wrong crowd, so to say. We've chosen a name for our first which is becoming more popular at the moment and is normally used for boys, but we will be using it regardless of gender as we may only do this once as I have medical issues.

HagridsBigToe · 23/05/2019 19:10

Alex is a short (for either Alexandra or Alexander), although, on it's own is a great name for a girl or a boy!

I've heard of males called Stacey,, Kelly and Kerry.

MikeUniformMike · 23/05/2019 19:09

Cameron and Blake, Bendy?
We were talking about you and your wonderful username on another thread recently.

LarryGreysonsDoor · 23/05/2019 19:08

I was at school with a boy called Kimberly.

Kerry is not unheard of as a boys name in Ireland.

Many names go from boys to girls. I don’t think any make the journey the other way.

ErrolTheDragon · 23/05/2019 19:03

Yes, that's right blue

BendydickCuminsnatch · 23/05/2019 19:02

Both my boys have ‘girls names’ apparently 😄 inadvertently! Famous women with both their names.

Intothe · 23/05/2019 19:00

Oh your son is going to be bullied...

swampytiggaa · 23/05/2019 18:57

I know a couple of blokes called Tracey 🙂 and one called Kim 🙂

bluerememberedhills · 23/05/2019 18:52

@ErroltheDragon - is it John Wayne ( Marion) - - haven't googled honest guv - can i claim my £5 ?

But then ( and not a boy girl thing ) I do think I recall Michael Caine was born Maurice Micklethwaite. & Cary Grant - Archibald Leech.

If anyone needs a pub quiz contender for names - I am available on request Grin Grin

BertrandRussell · 23/05/2019 17:44

“Very interesting article. Maybe the solution is not to call our boys girl's names but to give out girls girl's names so they don't think they have to be a boy to have any value in society”
This.

ErrolTheDragon · 23/05/2019 17:42

'Andrea' as a girl's name is a bit odd, given that it means 'manly' (from the Greek andrós, the same root as e.g. androgen)

MikeUniformMike · 23/05/2019 10:21

As pp, some of the names are surnames. Grace, Rose, Eden etc are fine as surnames but not as boys' names.
Names like Michele, Nicola and Andrea are boys' names in Italy, Laurence is a girl's name in France.
I'd go for names that are not ambiguous. I am not keen on frilly long names.
However cute you might think calling your daughter Charlie or your son Eden is, it won't be you being mistaken for the wrong sex, when your child's peer group has four boys called Charlie or 3 girls called Eden in it.

resisterpersister · 22/05/2019 23:42

Eden. More usually used for girls, but brilliant as a boy's name IMO.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 22/05/2019 23:30

My sons name is a “girls” name. I do pronounce it differently than the girls version though and there is an indicator that it has a different (dont want to be too identifying) pronunciation but people do often ignore that or don’t understand it and call him the girls name.

I would consider kelly for a boy if I had another.

I also know men called Jody and Kerry.

DuchessOfAdler · 22/05/2019 23:24

I think i was ahead of this trend! I liked kim. For a boy but not for a girl.

Pipandmum · 22/05/2019 23:21

Rowan is a boys and girl’s name. The actress who played the mother in the Walton’s was called Michael. There’s Zoe and Zoey (boy). My stepson is Kit and my friend’s wife is also Kit (both their names not short for anything). I know two male Robins.

Carouselfish · 22/05/2019 23:02

I know a boy called Eden