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Baby names

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

Original poster

James as a girls name?

135 replies

CaitlinEJ · 22/06/2019 17:01

Hi all,

I met a little girl called James the other day, at first I thought it was weird but now I’ve got to know her it’s really cute and suits her. I’ve heard of a few other girls names James and I was wondering what everyone thought of it as a girls name?

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Dollywilde · 29/05/2021 08:01

Thank you for reviving a 2 year old thread in order to make a point that was already made on the second page Hmm

Ceilidh19 · 29/05/2021 07:52

Alice Cooper was born Vincent Damon Furnier. Alice is definitely not the name his parents gave him

CoolCarrie · 24/06/2019 20:31

And Blake Lively herself has a boys name, same with Cameron Diaz

CoolCarrie · 24/06/2019 20:25

No, it’s awful for a girl. James , to me is a strong name for a boy, like Alexander, Max, and loads of others. It makes me think of the Johnny Cash song, A Boy Named Sue. There are lots of lovely names out there, for girls and James isn’t one of them.

GrammerlyH · 24/06/2019 20:19

One of the interior designer’s in this month’s Living Etc (with a very nice house) has a daughter called James. Think they’re in California though.

Frith2013 · 24/06/2019 20:01

No. Silly.

Crunchymum · 24/06/2019 16:29

James "for a girl" was veto'd by Ross when he and Rachel were trying to name their baby!

Just saying it isn't a new thing - it is rather silly though!

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 24/06/2019 16:17

Jamesina, traditional Scottish name. Jemima. Jamie, fairly recent usage. But no, nothing popular that's very like James.

Other male-sounding names used sometimes for girls: Billie, Bobbie, Charlie/Charley. It's notable they're almost always spelled differently from the male versions, like Jo, Nic and Andi.

Names that are still mostly male: Max, Ben.

Genuinely unisex: Chris, Pat, Alex, Sam, Laurie.

ThePhoenixRises · 24/06/2019 14:30

It's a better choice than Babee (can't remember the spelling) I saw that one the other day.

Fullmoons · 24/06/2019 14:18

Jamesema?

BikeRunSki · 24/06/2019 14:09

I know women called Andy, Jo, Tom, Sam, Alex and Ben, but all these are abbreviations of traditional girls names (two of them work together and the reaction from new suppliers when they meet them fir the first time icN be entertaining.). With James, there is no widely used well known girls name that is anything like it.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 24/06/2019 13:52

SpelledRong, would you consider calling a son Elizabeth or Jessica or another traditional girls' name?

SpelledRong · 24/06/2019 08:13

I do prefer Andy, Joey, Sam for girls though.

However I think Alex is nicer for boys.

SpelledRong · 24/06/2019 08:08

I actually prefer it as a girls name! I never thought much of it as a name at all, would never ever consider it for my sons, but hearing it for a girl puts it in a new fresh light!

Bouncingbelle · 23/06/2019 22:11

I like it! But would i use it or want to be called it? No.

Justus22 · 23/06/2019 19:20

@diddlediddle I can see what you are getting at but I agree with pp's that the two ideas are not comparable. I think perception of a name in a social context is individual, the names you consider "posh" may not be considered so to others. Names that are historically gender specific are different as they have always been so, for example I'd say Victoria is an English name, used by royalty among many others from wealthy Middleclass backgrounds and you could understand people thinking it's a stereotypically well to do name but I also know many Victoria's (aka Vicky's) who are very working class, including Vicky Pollard... Its ambiguous iyswim, not sure you'll find anyone who would tell you they know a girl called James, Arthur, Archibald, Matthew etc nor consider the name unisex?

FeminismandWomensFights · 23/06/2019 19:13

What? a mum moved her kid out of the school because he happened to share the same name as a girl? What a completely bonkers thing to do. Poor child. I do hope there was more to moving him than that.

Justus22 · 23/06/2019 19:02

I like James but not sure on a girl, instantly thought I'd think "your parents are very pro gender neutral and using your name to make a point". Having said that Joey and Andy were both girls names on TV shows I liked as a child and they quickly became unisex names in my head as I got to know the characters and Jamie to me is equally feminine as it is masculine so I guess she'd be changing perception for people she meets. Xx

MikeUniformMike · 23/06/2019 17:12

Jamie is a boy's name.
Surnames as first names occurs in the USA, because there was a tendency to give the first child the mother's family surname as a first name.

Mrsjayy · 23/06/2019 14:35

Calling a girl james is the same as calling a girl William you just shouldn't .
Diddle your analogy makes no sense

happyhillock · 23/06/2019 14:20

James for a girl are you kidding? Think of the teasing she would suffer when she's older

AllPizzasGreatAndSmall · 23/06/2019 14:17

it's called an analogy! Read the whole thread...
Doesn't work though. When a baby is born they are very definitely physically male or female (barring a very small percentage), and this is not the case with class.

Mrsjayy · 23/06/2019 13:42

Sorry cross posted

Mrsjayy · 23/06/2019 13:42

I thought Jack Munroe was Jacqueline but read she identifies as gender neutral (or something) so goes by Jack

BikeRunSki · 23/06/2019 13:27

Jack Monroe writes almost as much about gender politics as she does food, but she is not an example of giving a girl a name traditionally far, far more commonly used for boys, from birth.

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