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?

TeacupDrama

Queen "innit"

"Bertrand, you know full well why people don't give boys girls' names and it's been said many times on this thread." Yes,I do know. But I really want some of the people who are incredibly fierce About it being OK to use boy's names for girls, or who insist that names are all gender neutral to come and say whether or not they would be just as fierce about calling boys by girls' names. I've asked lots on other threads- but the point is always dodged. This isn't really about naming for me-it's about sexism.

But Mackenzie *isn't^ more popular for girls in the U.K. at least.

I disagree. I know a 25yr old woman called Mackenzie. It's very popular as a girls name is Scotland.

Besides, I love it and I'm serious when I say it suits my daughter down to the ground! She's 'Kenzie-Boo' alllllllover!

If enough people use a male name for girls,it will become (more) popular for girls if still doesn't make it a female name.
It's like saying that if Apple became really popular,it won't be a noun anymore but a name. No it frikking isn't! Blooming fruit salads!

Girls can be represented by strong imagery though.
Aren't ships, cars thought of as female?

Dis someone mention Florian? That usually gets dismissed as too frilly for boy in the Baby Names section. So I can't see Elizabeth being claimed for the boys any time soon.

Wasn't there a male Bess in Tom Jones or Moll Flanders? I think I'm wrong actually

Re pp and the name Rowan - for boys the name is a traditional Gaelic name meaning 'little red one', it's use for a girl came about when nature names became popular.

there isn't a single year since 1996 where there haven't been more boys than girls called Mackenzie

Head they are female. As are army,weapon, navy. War is neutral though. Sorry being very random tonight.

I'm in Scotland & the only Mackenzie's I know are boys aged 6-12

Rebel although I do share my name with an actress she's just not as well known as The Big Yin

Florian/Florin might look frilly,but still very male.

Florian is a bit like Dorian I suppose a male name but sounds a little feminine

Lilian (and different spellings) is far from uncommon name for men in France, that is true. Being French I'd imagine he'd 'get away' with it, so to speak. Not so much a boy named Lilian born in the UK., even some of the so called unisex fans would probably be aghast.

Agree Florian very much male. Was popular-ish in France also a while back. I don't know now.

I totally agree OPwithABoysName.

"lots of men are called Kim and Jan, which are feminine names in the UK, so dunno if that counts?"

Jan is clearly John isn't it, just like Jean in French so obviously male names.

I know a man called Casey and two called Taylor.

Admittedly Taylor is equally known for girls and boys but I don't know any other male Caseys

I also love Kelly for a boy but it's a typical girls name.

Ooooh Casey has me stumped. I'd have to accept it as a truly gender neutral name.

I have a problem with getting my head around a girl called Beau, when the only other Beau I know was a boy.( Oh and of course there's Beau Bridges). I keep wanting to say"surely she should've called Belle not Beau" !

DH is Leigh, and most others I've come across are male,(Leigh Lawson, Twiggy's husband, for one) but I've seen it used with this spelling for girls more recently.

Casey Affleck? maybe you've heard of him? Kelly was also pretty typical as a boys' name in the states at a point in time. And is a perfect example of a name often being a girls' or boys' name depending on time frame and geographical location. And, yes, if a name starts to be consistently used by the opposite sex, it becomes a name of that sex (though to my mind if a child has a name then it is, ergo, a name of a child of that sex). If Apple becomes popular it will be considered a noun AND a name. Why be irritated by this? Language, like everything else, changes over time. Why shouldn't names?
And no, Bertrand, I wouldn't name my ds an obvious girl's name because girls are still devalued. Oddly tho, his nickname is very much a girl's name and, again, nobody really bats an eye. So maybe we should all just be much braver?

Here is a girl. Her name is Beau.
There, sorted that for you all.