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Baby names

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

Original poster

Marlowe - boy or girl or either?

80 replies

mamablondie33 · 21/05/2021 15:02

I really like Marlowe for a boy (like the playwright) but I’m seeing it used more and more for girls? Is it considered a ‘girls’ name?

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Hardbackwriter · 21/05/2021 19:46

I know two little girls called Marlowe - I was astonished when I met the first one as DS had repeatedly mentioned 'Marlowe at nursery' and it never crossed my mind that it wasn't a boy's name - I also immediately thought Christopher - so I assumed he'd got it wrong and it was Marla or Maya or something. But then I met the second one, so people around me clearly do think it's a girls' name.

3CCC · 21/05/2021 19:44

My dream dogs name I'm afraid

daisypond · 21/05/2021 19:42

Agree with @partyatthepalace

Wishingwell75 · 21/05/2021 19:28

I really like it but I prefer it with an E at the end and for a boy. If it was a girl I imagine that people might keep asking "Margot??" 😁

partyatthepalace · 21/05/2021 18:36

I imagine it became a girls’ name in the US where they are keen on surname names for girls. James and Oliver are Christian names that became surnames (probably as son of...) so it’s not quite the same thing.

Anyway I think Marlowe is getting very popular, and the trouble with surname names when they get popular (Tyler, Ryan, Jenson etc) is they end up with an unhelpful downmarket rep. So I think you missed the boat on this one. There are lots of nice names out there that don’t involve calling your kid MN classics of the Alice and Charlotte type.

Original poster
mamablondie33 · 21/05/2021 18:35

@AdaColeman this is what I keep reading too but I can’t make myself like the Marlow spelling

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littleindi · 21/05/2021 18:28

@mamablondie33 Got a good few weeks to go yet (and I didn't name DS1 til a few days after he was born) so not really a fixed list but I'm enjoying French-sounding names like Beau and Gabriel (Malo is the French spelling)

romdowa · 21/05/2021 18:22

I like the name for both a boy and a girl but for a boy I'd maybe spell it Marlow or marlo. I wouldn't worry about it being a place or a surname. Kerry , derry and Shannon are all places but acceptable names also. Same with names like keane, Dean etc etc which are surnames and first names.

shetlandponies · 21/05/2021 18:15

I love it

AdaColeman · 21/05/2021 18:14

Marlowe with an E for a girl, Marlow without an E for a boy.

GreyhoundG1rl · 21/05/2021 18:11

Neither, it's a surname to me.

Original poster
mamablondie33 · 21/05/2021 18:10

@littleindi oh good, not just me then! Do you mind me asking what else is on your list?

OP posts:
Original poster
mamablondie33 · 21/05/2021 18:09

@BeastOfBODMAS oh always be brave enough! It’s that or pick a safe name that MN will refer to as ‘lovely/classic/timeless’ and you’ll get bored of. I know which I’d rather personally.

OP posts:
littleindi · 21/05/2021 18:08

It's on my list for DS2 OP... I actually prefer the spelling Marlo (DS1 has a name ending in -lo as well) but it's a unisex name in my book that I'm considering for a boy.

NautaOcts · 21/05/2021 18:04

Just makes me think of the Buckinghamshire town to be honest

GrapefruitTsunami · 21/05/2021 18:03

I know a girl Marlowe but I think it could be used for a boy too. I like it!

LemonRoses · 21/05/2021 17:33

Theatre in Canterbury.

BeastOfBODMAS · 21/05/2021 17:32

I definitely see it as a boys name. It’s on my list but not sure if I’d be brave enough to use it!

DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 21/05/2021 17:32

I know a baby Marlowe, a little boy. I don't particularly like the name but think it suits a boy rather than a girl.

Strugglingtodomybest · 21/05/2021 17:30

I have never heard of it as a first name and would assume it was a boy if I did hear it.

Changemusthappen · 21/05/2021 17:27

Town in Buckinghamshire, not a name

Elouera · 21/05/2021 17:20

I only know a dog named it. I'd guess its a male name.

Original poster
mamablondie33 · 21/05/2021 17:18

Thanks to the people who actually answered my question. I have a phd in literature so well aware this was a surname first.

James, Oliver etc are surnames also. I never get these comments especially when they are uninvited and often just nasty.

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Walkingtheplank · 21/05/2021 15:40

It's a surname. It is a nice sound but it's not a first name.

HumunaHey · 21/05/2021 15:30

I know a boy Marlo (spelt like that).