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Baby names

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

Original poster

Finn… for a girl

165 replies

whiterabbity · 17/06/2025 07:02

DH has just announced that the name we would have used for a boy, he wants to use for DD. He loves it but I remain unconvinced. Tell me your honest opinion please, we are in Scotland.

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FondantFancyAnyone · 17/06/2025 17:07

greengreyblue · 17/06/2025 16:44

Finn would be quite odd for a girl as it’s short for Finley/ Finlay.

They are separate names.

greengreyblue · 17/06/2025 17:06

FondantFancyAnyone · 17/06/2025 16:52

No records found for babies called Fionne in England & Wales since 1996

Is it Gailge or Gaelic,and is it Finna, Feena, Feeonna or Fee-yon?

Edited
Show quote history

Fee-on. It only came to my attention when William Hague( a politician) was quite prominent and his wife was Fionne. Just thought it was a lovely name.

FondantFancyAnyone · 17/06/2025 17:05

Apologies for the typo in Gaeilge.

Crazyladee · 17/06/2025 16:54

It's a bit strange for a girl to be honest. But lovely for a boy. It's too masculine to be unisex. Like how Blake Lively was ridiculed for naming her daughter James.

Unbeleevable · 17/06/2025 16:53

i knew a Finlay who was a girl. Never a Fin .

FondantFancyAnyone · 17/06/2025 16:52

greengreyblue · 17/06/2025 16:45

I like Fionne more than Fiona Or even better with your Scottish heritage, Iona.

No records found for babies called Fionne in England & Wales since 1996

Is it Gailge or Gaelic,and is it Finna, Feena, Feeonna or Fee-yon?

CurlewKate · 17/06/2025 16:49

Zebralie · 17/06/2025 16:39

Finn is no different than Quinn, which was a boys name until some parents started using it for their girls.

Quinn was barely a first name at all for either sex until this century. Finn, or variations of Finn has been a boy’s name for ages.

Pinty · 17/06/2025 16:49

Zebralie · 17/06/2025 16:39

Finn is no different than Quinn, which was a boys name until some parents started using it for their girls.

What is wrong with a girls names though?
If a girl is given a traditionally male name It makes me think that the person naming the child felt that boys were better, stronger etc so they had to give their daughter a boys name.

Pinty · 17/06/2025 16:46

whiterabbity · 17/06/2025 08:38

Dh has changed it to Fiona.

Fiona is much much better than Finn.
Ffion is also very nice.
But do you think it? You don't say what you think

greengreyblue · 17/06/2025 16:45

I like Fionne more than Fiona Or even better with your Scottish heritage, Iona.

greengreyblue · 17/06/2025 16:44

Finn would be quite odd for a girl as it’s short for Finley/ Finlay.

CurlewKate · 17/06/2025 16:43

KayEmAy · 17/06/2025 16:36

I am a very big fan of masculine names on girls but for some reason I'm not keen on Finn being one of them.

Why?

PopThatBench · 17/06/2025 16:43

Finn, no. Fiona, no.
Fern? Quinn?
Why is your DH calling all the shots on what you’re naming the child you’re growing/will almost certainly take care of mostly yourself once she’s born?

WildCats24 · 17/06/2025 16:40

No. I went to uni with a girl called Ryan and she would turn up to job interviews, etc, and she had to explain who she was and why she wasn’t a bloke. She was exasperated from a lifetime of explanation, and she was only 19.

Zebralie · 17/06/2025 16:39

Finn is no different than Quinn, which was a boys name until some parents started using it for their girls.

Icanttakethisanymore · 17/06/2025 16:38

Griffyn · 17/06/2025 07:11

How about Fenella/ Fen?

Fenella is a lovely name - there was one at my primary school but i've never met one since.

Pinty · 17/06/2025 16:38

Tell your husband no.
There are thousands of nice girls names I'm sure there must be something he can use that will be just hers. Not a name he wanted to call a son.

KayEmAy · 17/06/2025 16:36

I am a very big fan of masculine names on girls but for some reason I'm not keen on Finn being one of them.

CurlewKate · 17/06/2025 15:09

Nobody in favour of using boy’s names for girls will EVER address the question of why we don’t use girl’s names for boys.

Dora33 · 17/06/2025 14:34

Definitely would not name a girl Finn.
I know a couple of women/ girls called Fianna.
Never heard of Finty being an Irish Girl's name. Always thought Finty was a nickname for fintan ( Boy's name).

ChateauMargaux · 17/06/2025 14:24

Nigel Lawson named his daughters Nigella, Thomasina and Horatia.. don't be a Nigel! Especially because the reason he wants Finn.. is because it was his favourite boys name... it will create a subtle energy that he wanted a boy and if not a boy, then a boyish girl.

BelfastBard · 17/06/2025 14:18

I know a few female Finns. But they’re all short for Finnoula.

Ninkynonkpinkyponks · 17/06/2025 14:11

No

Didshejustsaythatoutloud · 17/06/2025 14:11

MayaPinion · 17/06/2025 07:07

Brian and Kenneth are also great names for girls 😂

😂 or what about Hamish, that's s good Scottish name

Annascaul · 17/06/2025 14:09

W0tnow · 17/06/2025 12:27

I think it’s lovely!

I see what people are saying about a masculine name for a girl, but I feel like you can get away with it with this name. In a way that you can’t with, oh, I don’t know…Bruce, Rupert, Lewis, David. Shane is another example of a unisex name. It’s not to my taste, but again, I think (for reasons that are unclear to me!) that you can call a girl, Shane.

I think Finn is in that category.

Edited

Well, considering Shane is a variant of John, there’s exactly the same issue with giving it to a girl, imo.

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