to use James on a girl?

[AyGirl]

Am overdue. Baby has not arrived. Do not know gender. Have finally after much indecision, decided a girl will be Iris James. Mentioned to DB who got very upset and kept on saying it's not a girls name. Mother has rang me this morning and said he was so upset because he wants to name a son of his James. Keep in mind he is not married or having a child. I do think they are TTC. But I want to use Iris James!!!!! She said that I shouldn't and should save it for him because it will be his first child and a son. So what, the two beautiful little girls I've delivered into our family are nothing. A boy will probably be Gage Theodore.

My older DDs are Hattie Juniper and Cleo Annika so we use quite different names.

Your older DDs names are lovely.
Iris James is lovely. Problem is you have asked /told relatives the name before the birth so I think you have to deal with the reaction.

If I was you I would now pick something different as going ahead against 2 family members opinions would be too much for me. Mostly I just announced the name after the birth. If they had told me to change the name of the child, I would have then said no.

Jaime King used to call herself James early in her career. So there is a precedent.

Are you intending to call your daughter "Iris James" (bit of a mouthful) when you speak to her or just "James"?

Your brother is ridiculous btw. He's probably going to end up with a football team of girls.

Anyone for a rendition of A boy called Sue?.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynaulds daughter is James. I like it and think Iris James is lovely.

I should save it for him because it will be his first child and a son. So what, the two beautiful little girls I've delivered into our family are nothing.

I think you have misunderstood what she meant. She is not saying a (at this point hypothetical) boy is more important than your girls, she is saying that he wants to use James as a BOY's name, because it is a BOY's name, that therefore trumps you wanting to use it as a GIRL's middle name because it is a BOY's name.

He probably thinks the name will be "wasted," because he now feels he can't use it and your DD will be too embarrassed to tell people what her middle name is ("Was that your mother's maiden name then" "Erm no") and won't use it either.

Haven't Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively got a girl called James?

If a celeb has done it surely it is a green light for us mere mortals to do so also without criticism.

I don't see how your dd's middle name could not be used by your brother, you are not going to mix up a James with an Iris James. James is also often shortened as a middle name, whether you like it or not (I have a James, who is 9 and his friends call him Jimmy!).

However, my middle name is Ross and I have always hated it. I got teased at school for it, and even though I am in my mid thirties people always make unpleasant comments when they find out. I will change it by deed poll but not until my mother has passed away as she would be very hurt as she picked it.

So please consider dd's feelings too, it is her name after all!

Suitability of James for a girl aside, it is just a middle name. If he ever has a boy why can't he use it as a first or middle name himself? My firstborn's middle name is after my grandfather, my uncle then had a son after me and gave him the same middle name for the same reason (his dad,my grandad). We see, to have managed it to have the children spontaneously combust on meeting.

For the rest of her life, ever, she will be Iris Jane anyway because anytime she gives her name to someone, that's what it's going to come back as.

Your brother is being unreasonable but as above, never declare the name until baby arrives. Shit like this happens...

1. You shouldn't pre announce, only leads to trouble.
2. Iris is lovely.
3. Your brother is unreasonable to think he can bag names.
4. I don't think it would matter if his son had the same name as your daughter's middle name.

I can count despite the above.

I have an American female friend called Jaymes and she loves it. I like the name and my DD has her dads first name as a middle name.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' daughter is called James and after hearing her mentioned a bit more I've grown to like it and I suspect it's usage has grown. James is also much nicer than Jamie.

It's much easier generally for a girl to pull off a 'boy name' than the other way around (not that that should be the case but it's true).

I actually quite like it as a middle name too as it balances well with Iris which is floral and very feminine sounding.

Why exactly can't your DB use James as a first name if it's your daughter's middle name? It's not like it's he same first name which I could understand.

I like it

James is my daughters middle name. I think it's lovely and a bit different. Not many people agreed with me though ha!

Madonnas adopted DD is Mercy James.

Her natural father is named James though and there maybe a cultural tradition there of giving the child even a DD the fathers name as a middle name as in some Asian cultures.

Unless it is a cultural norm which I assume not as your mother has said something...then it is daft.

So many pretty girls names, why James?

If you have a boy call him James Theophilus Green. If it's a girl Iris James Green.
Gage is hideous sorry. And Green Gage is just a bit too much. Poor kid has to live with the name.
What if you had a boy and didn't call him James and then your brother had 10 children all boys or girls and not one called James.

I can count despite the above.

There are 2 chloes in my family, I have 2 nieces with the same name! Both familys liked the name so now 2 cousins with the same name, doesnt really matter to be honest.

My son wants his first born to be Oliver after his grandpa, but so does my niece, so again there may be 2 Olivers at some point,

My friend has 3 degus, Edward, Ed, and Eddie...not that im comparing babys with degus, just saying a name is OK whatever :)

James is my husband's dad's name and he made a comment once on how he thought James was far nicer on a girl, therefore Iris James! We will call her Iris mostly.

Iris James is a gorgeous name, presumably you won't use the middle name every day as you're not hyphenating it. There's nothing to stop him calling his hypothetical future son James if he wants to. Go for it.

I like James as a girls name. It's popular in other countries

Really? Where?

Is it unreasonable to call a son William Elizabeth?

As a middle name, odd but fine.

It is your call and really not to do with your brother, though I can see why he might be privately miffed he shouldn't make a big deal of it to you.

When I say it out loud though it seems to run together and sound like "Irish James" so it kind of diminishes the Iris (which I think is lovely btw and your other dds' names are nice too). So I don't think it has a great ring to it but appreciate I'm in the minority. If you wouldn't use James for a boy it does seem a bit striving to be unusual rather than genuinely loving the name regardless ifyswim.

The other thing I will say is that there is such limited choice for nice boys names compared to girls (at least it certainly felt that way when I was choosing) that it would be a shame if it became too much of a trend to use them for girls and names like James fall out of use for boys the way some others have.