To wonder why it's OK - even considered a positive thing- to give girls names that are traditionally considered boy's names but....

[BertrandRussell]

.......not the other way round?

Sorry hate the fact you can't correct posts, his name was Ceri

That's a brilliant autocorrect !

I have one of each - dd has a 'boy' name, ds has a 'girl' name. Not really had much comment on either of them although we do/did dress them fairly neutral so lots of people assuming wrong gender because of name.

I always thought we'd bought pretty neutral clothes - by which I mean there are no obvious 'clues' as to gender - but sorting out hand-me-downs showed there was a big difference in cut and finishing touches, even for tiny babies.

Paris has been far more popular for girls for a while now, in the UK at least.

How did we get from names onto handbags? Not that it wasn't interesting I'll catch up now I think

That's true Sparkle - I find that a lot with stuff from the girl's section. If it's too "neutral" then there will be a little frill or bow or something just to make sure it's for a girl. Less so with more expensive brands I find.

I think it's partly a ploy to persuade people that they have to buy all new clothes if they have a son after having a daughter or vice versa.

Rouched shoulders or a tiny flower button in the corner, all that sort of thing we didn't notice for dd. Ds still wears them though - he's rocking a nice pair of black cords with heart knee patches today

Yes DS wears them regardless!

He had an ace cardigan with hedgehogs on which used to upset my mum because it had a scalloped neck line.

I know two men called Josie. I also know a Trish but it could be a nickname.

Are the Josies and the Trish English speaking? Do you know whether they are abbreviations or not?

Sparkle- would you share your ds's name?

Charlotte Perkins Gilman on pockets as a feminist issue:

"These pockets came as a revelation. Of course she had known they were there, had counted them, made fun of them, mended them, even envied them; but she never had dreamed of how it felt to have pockets. Behind her newspaper she let her consciousness, that odd mingled consciousness, rove from pocket to pocket, realizing the armored assurance of having all those things at hand, instantly get-at-able, ready to meet emergencies."

(Early 20th century Mollie has magically turned into her husband Gerald for the day).

Rouched shoulders or a tiny flower button in the corner, all that sort of thing we didn't notice for dd. Ds still wears them though - he's rocking a nice pair of black cords with heart knee patches today

That is still coming from a mindset that ruching , a tiny flower button or hearts somehow make an item one for girls. Your son is wearing them despite, in your mind, their being signified for girls.

My grown up son has a Ted Baker shirt and t-shirt with a huge cabbage rose print . They are mens' clothing , cut to fit a male torso. They were never intended for a woman.

Bertrand Josie is a diminutive of Joseph in Scotland. I don't think a male Josie would have it on his birth certificate.

But it isn't "despite in [her] mind" - it's despite it being labelled as for girls.

bert I'm in Scotland. I'm not sure where Josie comes from. Maybe it is short for Joseph as a pp has suggested. Trish is a mystery, I might need to ask someone...What's unusual is, I don't remember anyone ever teasing Trish at school or asking him why he was called Trish. Not that they should of course.

Could Trish be a Patrick?

Josie and Trish not showing up in stats for boys, so less than three used, if at all. There'll be some in the BMDs, maybe. I'll check later. Though likelihood is they're just nick names. Agreeing with Joseph I think

Trish, short for Tristan? Maybe not. A puzzle that one.

My ds is Patrick, and he was Trick until he was old enough to object

Jordan was a girls name, there is a Jordan in The Great Gatsby.

It was Mackenzie Philips, daughter of John Philips from The Mamas & Papas group, who was in One Day At A Time, but her given name is Laura, Mackenzie is her middle name.

Jordan was a girls name

What do you mean?

It was originally masculine, it's a Hebrew name. The first recorded in England was male.

I need to know where Trish came from now

Dh has texted to inform me Trish is "obviously short for Patrick" . I had such high hopes....

I really like Trick or Trish for Patrick

Dh has texted to inform me Trish is "obviously short for Patrick" blush. I had such high hopes.

It could well be. We haven't come up with anything else yet between us all.