To wish people were more positive about my baby's name? <kind of serious>

[Truntscump]

DH & I loved the name Luca for a girl throughout my pregnancy. I know it's generally used as a boy's name especially in Italy but her middle name is Rose and I love that it means 'light'.

Anyway, my dear mum very sadly died last summer of Leukaemia and my (usually lovely) Granny (aged 96 and grieving) first said that Luca reminds her of the phrase 'dirty Luca' then a week later she asked if it was too late to change the name beaches it reminds her of Leukaemia.

I was so upset, my baby (3 weeks old) really suits her name and I love that it's a bit different but now I can't stop thinking about the link to Leukaemia :(

[theothercatpurred]

reuset Sun reader - WTF are you on about? I've been on MN for the best part of a decade and wouldn't line the cat litter tray with that nasty rag.

The ONS stats show people are consistently using the name as a girls name - even if a small number it's still a real, recordable phenomenon.

Zero people were recorded as using my DS's name as a girl's name / DD's name as a boy's name in comparison, in any of those years.

You can't say just because the numbers are small they should he ignored. That's a nonsense.

[reuset]

You can't say just because the numbers are small they should he ignored.

But I didn't say that they should be ignored now did I

Zero people were recorded as using my DS's name as a girl's name / DD's name as a boy's name in comparison, in any of those years.

Irrelevant comparison example then. So why waste the time typing that and mine in skim reading it. Other popular male names have been, so...

[MangosteenSoda]

I have an Italian boy's name that's a mainstream female name in the UK. It was a popular girl's name when I was born (easy to guess my name, I think!) I would think about two things:

1. It's more widely known as a male name in the UK. Maybe this will change as it seems there are a few females called Luca nowadays, or maybe she will grow up with everyone wondering why you gave her a boy's name. This would be annoying for most children.
   

1. It's a pain in the arse to travel in Europe. People in Italy generally think it's out and out hilarious that I have a bloke's name. I have found Italians and Spaniards a lot more 'forthcoming' about their opinions of my name than people in the UK would be. French people tend to look appalled, but don't make any comments.
   

My parents had no idea my name was originally foreign or originally male until I told them as an adult. I think people are more international nowadays, so more people will find it odd and make comments. OTOH, more people are less concerned about attaching gender to names, so if you find the recent crop of little female Jameses refreshing, it's a good choice for you.

[reuset]

Zero people were recorded as using my DS's name as a girl's name / DD's name as a boy's name in comparison, in any of those years.

Any of which years? Which stats? If you're searching using darkgreener as above then you won't get stat number lower than three in any given year.

[AcrossthePond55]

My dad had a name that was a boy's name when he was born, but is now used more for girls than boys. My uncle had a name that in the UK was traditionally a boy's name that is considered a girl's name in the US.

Names change as does name popularity. As long as a parent isn't naming a child something obscene, a double entendre, or with terribly negative connotations then they should be free to name a child as they wish. Certainly using an 'opposite' gender name isn't going to 'scar' a child for life. My dad and uncle seemed to do just fine.

[reuset]

I'm guessing Andrea, Mango?

[KayTee87]

acrossthepond your dad and uncle were given boys names when they were born though...

[DrinkFeckArseGirls]

Funny how boys are never called girls' names...
No Emilia's, no Annabel's. Wonder why... cause it's cool to masculinise females bt offensive to feminise males?

[NarkyMcDinkyChops]

Yes, I'd love to see loads of people defending an OP who called her son Amelia Trixibelle. Never going to happen!

[AcrossthePond55]

Kay point is that names change. It starts with someone deciding to use it for the opposite gender, or I suppose, a different nationality. My name is Scandinavian, but I have nary a drop of that blood.

And I'm in the US. Uncle was given what was a girl's name, even then, in the US. My grandparents were British so I guess to them it was a boy's name. He used a shortened version. If Luca decides she doesn't like her name, she can call herself Lucy, or use her middle name.

[SorenaJ]

Luca is a girls name in Hungary, a Hungarian form of Lucia. Very common.

And lots of names start out as boys names, but later become girls names.

[NarkyMcDinkyChops]

Luca is a girls name in Hungary, a Hungarian form of Lucia. Very common

Completely different pronounciation, so completely different name.

[BertrandRussell]

"Yes, I'd love to see loads of people defending an OP who called her son Amelia Trixibelle. Never going to happen!"

I agree. Amazing how silent the people who say names are not gendered are on this subject. It's a fascinating bit of sexism. As is the fact that girls names never become boy's names.

[LumelaMme]

cause it's cool to masculinise females bt offensive to feminise males?
Seems to be the case. I was when my staunchly feminist SIL gave her daughter a feminised version of a boy's name on her birth cert, and always, always, always uses the boy's nn of it day to day.

It was if girl's names weren't good enough.

[BertrandRussell]

I've started a thread about gendered name here if anyone's interested.

[CEOD]

Its kind of not fair, because it means there are fewer and fewer boys names. Once a boys name has been used for a girl it goes out of usage for boys, leaving parents of boys with less choice over time. There are soooooo many beautiful girl's names. Could you please stop stealing boys names for girls?