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Baby names

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Original poster

Harris…for a girl?

313 replies

tiramisufiend · 15/11/2025 09:38

AIBU?

I misheard the name “Karis” a few weeks ago and thought, ‘Harris as a girl’s name, how cool.’

I’ve done some superficial research and it seems that Harris is mostly used a boy’s first name, if at all, as it is a surname, really.

But I think it’s very fresh and cosmopolitan, and I like the unisex vibe.

What comes to mind when you think of a girl called Harris? Thoughts welcome!

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Needmorelego · 16/11/2025 17:13

@Emanwenym don't worry about the joke.
I was just making it because people seem to think that naming a girl Harris is the most bizarre thing you can do ever in the history of the universe - like no girl ever
has been given a "boys" name.
Harris is fine for a girl. Unusual - but perfectly fine.

Mumofteenandtween · 16/11/2025 17:05

Enid Blyton named Darrell Rivers after her husband whose name was Darrell Waters.

Emanwenym · 16/11/2025 17:01

I read them as a child. Darrell is a surname. I didn't think it was a boy's name at the time. I still don't see any joke there. I just thought it was a bit different.
There were girls with names like Alex, Chris, Nicky, Lindsay, Lesley and Jackie at school. Should I have found their names hysterically funny?

I thought Alicia was a nice name but the character wasn't, and poor Gwendoline Mary was so dreary, and Billie was going to be the heroine because she was a tomboy. I thought the Wilhelmina a bit of a stretch.

Needmorelego · 16/11/2025 16:46

Emanwenym · 16/11/2025 16:42

I still don't understand why you find Darrell so funny.
It's not a common name for men or women.

Have you read the Malory Towers books?
The point was people on this thread were saying you couldn't possibly give a girl a boys name (Harris)
Someone made a joke about a boy called Harris at "Malory Towers".
Malory Towers is a fictional book about a girls boarding school.
There is a fictional character called Darrell (a boys name).
The character of Darrell - despite her boys name turned out just fine.
That was the joke. If you've never read the books then it doesn't matter 🙂

Emanwenym · 16/11/2025 16:42

I still don't understand why you find Darrell so funny.
It's not a common name for men or women.

Needmorelego · 16/11/2025 14:25

Emanwenym · 16/11/2025 13:58

Why is that so funny?

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Because someone said that Harris sounded like "a boy at Malory Towers" and everyone saying that Harris is a "boys name" and you shouldn't give a girl that name.

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 16/11/2025 14:24

Carys is a beautiful Welsh name. Harris is a boy's name. Karis is a spelling mistake, in my opinion - and a hideous one at that.

sidebirds · 16/11/2025 14:12

This reply has been hidden

This reply has been hidden until the MNHQ team can have a look at it.

Emanwenym · 16/11/2025 13:58

Needmorelego · 16/11/2025 10:18

Malory Towers is a girls school.
And they had a girl called Darrell 😂😂😂

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Why is that so funny?

BunnyLake · 16/11/2025 13:35

Calliopespa · 15/11/2025 21:38

Yup, Harris tweed for me too.

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That would be funny if she married a Mr Tweed and took his name. Although it could be worse, I knew someone once whose wife’s first name was the same as his surname, so she ended up like Pat Pat or Taylor Taylor (the days when women always took the married name). So maybe Harris Harris.

Needmorelego · 16/11/2025 10:18

Laurmolonlabe · 16/11/2025 09:08

Sounds like a boy with a squint in the lower third at Mallory Towers- awful.

Malory Towers is a girls school.
And they had a girl called Darrell 😂😂😂

Laurmolonlabe · 16/11/2025 09:08

Sounds like a boy with a squint in the lower third at Mallory Towers- awful.

FoxLoxInSox · 16/11/2025 08:54

Rolf

Rainbow21 · 16/11/2025 08:44

Going against the majority here to say I like it . I'm Scottish and there are a few boys called Harris around but a girl Harris sounds fine. There are many worse names out there. At the end of the day it's your choice of name. My son is Finlay which most people associate with boys but I have met several girl Finlays too so why not a girl Harris?

MerryUmberHedgehog · 16/11/2025 08:31

Youve got too much time on your hands.

Notmyreality · 16/11/2025 08:22

1Messycoo · 16/11/2025 04:09

Karis is actually Cerys = Welsh name

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Thank you for explaining - I didn’t get it the first 20 times the previous posters responded the same.
Except all everyone has said is Cerys is a Welsh name. Correct but I didn’t ask about Cerys. I said what type of name was Karis? It would appear it is in fact a made up name. A non name. My point stands.

giadaros · 16/11/2025 08:13

It makes me think of Haris Alexiou, a Greek actress and singer. Its a unisex Greek name.

But probably better to listen to the rest of the people on the thread who know for sure its a 'stupid' and 'made up' name. Standard Mumsnet drivel where if its not a standard English name, it doesn't exist.

Sharptonguedwoman · 16/11/2025 07:56

1Messycoo · 16/11/2025 04:09

Karis is actually Cerys = Welsh name

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Cerys Matthews. Or I've seen Charis/Charys as an English version. Thought it was lovely.

Sharptonguedwoman · 16/11/2025 07:54

Tweed

Mere1 · 16/11/2025 07:34

tiramisufiend · 15/11/2025 09:38

AIBU?

I misheard the name “Karis” a few weeks ago and thought, ‘Harris as a girl’s name, how cool.’

I’ve done some superficial research and it seems that Harris is mostly used a boy’s first name, if at all, as it is a surname, really.

But I think it’s very fresh and cosmopolitan, and I like the unisex vibe.

What comes to mind when you think of a girl called Harris? Thoughts welcome!

Poor child.

Needmorelego · 16/11/2025 07:17

gerispringer · 16/11/2025 05:37

She’d get called Hairy.

Really?
Honestly the stretches people come up with about what a name might be abbreviated to !
If anyone shortened Harris it would be to Harry. The same for a lot of girls named Harriet.
Would you say the same about Harriet? That a girl named Harriet will get called Hairy?

gerispringer · 16/11/2025 05:37

She’d get called Hairy.

springintoaction2 · 16/11/2025 04:59

allthegoodusernameshavegone · 15/11/2025 09:49

What a daft comment, they are not known unisex names.

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Neither is Harris 😆

TwinklyNight · 16/11/2025 04:39

Not a fan.

1Messycoo · 16/11/2025 04:12

Reminds me of Arris, which is another name for Arse !

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