Naming your daughter a boy's name, yes or no ?

Why does any parent use a name for their child?

Well I'd hope it's because they loved the name but clearly sometimes it's done to prove a point.

Why?

Why does any parent use a name for their child?

Like I said upthread- my son has a “girls” name

And the fact you appear to be the only person so far who has come forward as an example of someone doing it that way rather proves point. It's very rare to happen the other way.

There are now multiple girls with masculine names that have been predominantly used for only boys for hundreds of years such as James, Harry, Matt, Scott etc and yet as a teacher I've never seen it done the other way round. Ellie's, Sophia's, Lily's and Rose's etc are never boys.

Names only become related to sex and gender if society decides it does. We can quite easily decide it actually doesn't matter!
If you feel so strongly about this you (general you, not you specifically) should change your own name to a masculine one to further the cause, not force your child to be an unwitting trail blazer.

Which would make perfect sense if it happened both ways

Like I said upthread- my son has a “girls” name.

Names only become related to sex and gender if society decides it does. We can quite easily decide it actually doesn't matter!

Which would make perfect sense if it happened both ways or if it's been done because she liked the name and or it was meaningful.

However the reality in this situation it appears to boil down to the fact the desired child was a boy and instead she ended up with a 5th daughter so as some sort of mind game punishment the child gets lumbered with a very traditionally male name.

Christopher... 🙄. People will assume she was so desperate for a boy she's in denial she's had a girl.

Things is. I'm sure once in a while names such as

Taylor
Jamie
Billie
Bobby
Makenzie
Chris etc

We're all use predominantly for one sex. Mostly male iirc.

They began being used for female borns more frequently because someone used it and others liked it and did the same.

The same as
Nicky
Kerry etc were all once predominantly used for females but became unisex.

Names only become related to sex and gender if society decides it does. We can quite easily decide it actually doesn't matter!

We never got to use our boys name due to having 3 daughters.

We got a dog and gave it to him.

Are you kidding? That's fucking ridiculous.

My daughter has a unisex name but that's as far as it should go.

I once read a interview with Nigel and Nigella Lawson, where this was raised. They said that Nigel’s mother cultivated Nigella plants (love in a mist) and wanted to call her baby Nigella, but had a boy and had to settle for Nigel. That doesn’t shed any light on Thomsina or Horatia, but there is also a half sister called Emily, and a half brother called Tom.

Chris is a unisex name.

Better to have named her Christine or Christy or something instead IMO.

But that's purely because we have some socially constructed idea of names matching biological sex.

In all honesty a name is a name. So it really should be fine she's call Christopher.

Very odd if you ask me, they need to think about the impact this poor choice could have on their daughter throughout her life. I suppose she could choose to go by Chris, or change her name by deed poll. That's what I would do if my parents had called me a boys name!

I think the squirmy MN staple 'horribly cruel' 🙄 is overstating it somewhat, and I can tell you the register office will accept it without hesitation.
I went to school with a 'Michael' named after a character Mimi Rogers played in a ropey detective film in the 80s - she lived her name although admittedly went by 'Mickey' most of the time.
But it's a good point that no-one is calling their make children 'Olivia' or 'Poppy'.

Hopefully the registrar will stop the parents

I wonder if people would wonder if the child was non binary or trans. Christopher but dresses like a girl. These days probably!

As a previous poster said the mum would probably be delighted and I'd be very concerned that this was a route she tried to encourage the child down in future.

I do hope the poor child has lots of people looking out for her best interests because at the moment she seems to have parents who are already othering her and treating her very unkindly.

Yes, not nice for the child at all.

If the siblings have got traditionally female names that seems really odd to do this for No 5. So you'd have for example Emily, Olivia, Jessica, Daisy and Christopher?!?!?!

Slightly different if it's (and ignore spellings): Sydney, Sam, Jamie, Rowan and Christopher.

I wonder if people would wonder if the child was non binary or trans. Christopher but dresses like a girl. These days probably!

It doesn't take much, DD1 (biological female) has a feminine name but has a short haircut and she regularly gets challenged about being a boy particularly when she goes to the toilet. She says adults are the worst, kids tend to ask, adults just assume and tell her off, her sister has had to defend her a few times.

@Serpenta

Christopher! Wow, that's very peculiar. Nicknames will be fine but any time she has to tell people her full name she'll get all the faces.

I agree with @SirSamuelVimes that this trend only ever goes boys names for girls, never the other way.

In Scotland they used to name girls after their fathers by giving them horrific monikers like Donaldina or Jamesina.

My middle name is after my grandfather. My mother is a bitch. these things are connected.

I like it.

Perhaps she’ll be treated better in the workplace when people think they’re emailing a man. (I dare anyone to tell me this doesn’t happen)

Fwiw Shirley used to be a name used for boys.

And my son has a “girl’s” name.