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Baby names

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

Unisex names

27 replies

timoteigirl · 25/01/2023 20:46

I get the feeling that many times girls are given a boy's name and the name becomes unisex although lots rarer for girls. Such as James or Cameron. However, what girls' names have been given to boys then eventually to become seen as unisex names? It seems to me it only works one way.

OP posts:
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Longdarkcloud · 25/01/2023 21:07

I have long felt this OP. I’ve always been interested in names and have access to a lot of names over the centuries in the course of my genealogical research and I can’t recall a single name in this category.
Christian is an interesting example though I think it was used for boys way, way back and then it became unisex around the 15th - 16th centuries, and now it seems to be a male name — can’t think of female Christians.
The problem is that once a name becomes used predominantly for females it tends to become avoided by parents with sons , depleting the number of names suitable for boys — even a difference in spelling doesn’t seem to make much difference eg Lindsay/Lindsey.
Francis is still used butI think that’s because Frank is currently trending upwards but I can see that eventually being regarded exclusively as a girls’ name. Likewise Robin.

CharitySchmarity · 25/01/2023 20:59

I wouldn't really call James a unisex name, or even Cameron in the UK, though it might be getting that way in the US. They're boys' names that occasionally get used for girls, and attract a lot of comments when they do.

I can't think of any names that were originally 100% girls' names and then became unisex or boys' names. I think Dale and Lee were used more often for girls in the 1950s than they were later.