Why don't people give boys girl's names?

[CurlewKate]

Just that. Why do people think it's OK to call a girl Rory or Jamie or Michael but not to call a boy Daisy or Ada or Sylvia?

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's daughter.

Sorry, messed up the link and that was the wrong thread anyway, but there was one recently where the OP definitely wanted names that were usually used for boys.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/baby_names/4795737-gender-neutral-sibling-name-for-jude

I've found it now, the OP was actually asking for gender neutral, but it was really just giving typically boys names to girls, but not the other way round.

This is possibly outing as it's so unusual - but, around 10 years ago, I worked with a young guy called Stacey. He was a 1st year medical student, earning money in the Uni holidays at our care agency.
I've never heard of the name Stacey for a boy before.

Also, I looked after an elderly man years ago called Isla. He told me that Isla was traditionally a man's name, but had become a female name relatively recently.

Jordan is a unisex name.

@JockTamsonsBairns Stacey used to be a male name!

It was a fashion at one point to at Ina to the end of a male name, Jamesina, Thomasina, many became know as Ina part others would opt for soft versions of it like Jamie, or Tommie.

It’s as though parents are projecting their possible? dismay and determination to utilise the chosen name, for preferred gender, as in Roberta, Davida, or Seanetta.

I thought names ending in ‘a’ were the feminine. Struggling to think of one now.
Peaches Geldorf boys named Phaedra, which is Greek female name and Astala, which sounds like a (made up) girl’s name.
Or - Dorcas !! I’ve known 2 boys with this female name.

Lynford known to all as Lyn, the family are not even Welsh.

The former wrestler Big Daddy was called Shirley.
There's a few names that are unisex, such as Alex, Leslie ( Lesley ) Andy ( Andie ) George ( Georgina ) Jo ( Josephine, Joanne, Joan )
Ok, they're shortened versions of the full name, but still unisex in their own way.

I went I a convent primary school,it wasent, uncommon for nun,s to have male names ,my head teacher was Sister James for example

Stevie Nicks, Stevie Smith

I don’t think nicknames and diminutives count.

I know a female Sidney who goes by Sid.

Old Hollywood movie star names were often pleasingly gender confounding: Cary Grant, Cyd Charisse, Gene Tierney. Although in Gene Tierney’s case it was her real name. She was named after an uncle.

There’s Marilyn Manson and Alice Cooper, but stage names again.

I think it's really interesting that so few people are prepared to say (I note the honourable exceptions!) that we don't call boys Daisy or Sarah because the possibility of being mistaken for a girl is perceived as demeaning and emasculating. People skirt (sic) around it and bring up the same 6 or 8 names where there is some cross over- ignoring the fact that when Hilary, Beverley, Lesley, Evelyn and co started to be used for girls, they fell out of favour for boys. And they say feminism's work is done!

I don’t disagree with that, at least in a western context. HI think some cultures don’t have gendered names.) It’s a bit like women can wear masculine clothes but it’s harder for men to wear feminine ones, as feminine is coded as inferior.

the exception I’d say is in some Catholic cultures where you find men called things like Jose Maria (or Marion) but that’s a devotional thing.

Apart from Princess Michael of Kent.
🤣

There was an old-school (male) actor called Stacey Keach. But since surnames are often used as forenames over there you get names that you wouldn't get here (like Bart Simpson's friend Milhouse). So I think we can discount Blake (sic) Lively's DD James. Back in the Greek myths there were youths called Hyacinth and Narcissus. It's a shame we don't give flower names to boys. I can only think of Rowan and possibly some other trees (Ash. Oak).

@Pocketfullofdogtreats I LOVE Hazel for a boy in terms of nature names.

I've never come across Hazel for a boy. It sounds quite 'soft' and I can imagine a male Hazel being a bit of a hippy. But I like it too. I actually love Kim and Kit for boys too.

It’s fiction, but there’s a male Hazel in The Umbrella Academy. He’s a time-travelling assassin and a bit of a nutter so it might be a nickname rather than his given name. But it doesn’t ‘jar’ when other characters refer to him by name.

@JuneShitfield Yup I remember him :) There's also the rabbit in Watership Down.

@Pocketfullofdogtreats Kit was the name of my first boyfriend haha. I've only ever known it to be short for Christopher.

Kit has been an abbreviation for Christopher forever. Christopher Marlow was Kit!

And Kim used to be a male name too. I think it was an abbreviation for Joachim.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively s 1st daughter!

I used to know a chap called Tracey. It seems his mum was a fan of Spencer Tracey. I wondered why she didn't just call him Spencer!!

Girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short
Wear shirts and boots 'cause it's okay to be a boy
But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading
'Cause you think that being a girl is degrading

It just depends on how masculine or feminine the names are. Daisy is a hyper feminine name. In the real world, no man would want to be associated with a delicate white flower. Lesley is ok for a boy because it has a more masculine ring to it.

I don't think you'd call a girl something super masculine, like Bruce.