AIBU to not understand this recent trend of giving baby girls male names?

[LaLuz7]

James, Ryan, Dylan...

I can't wrap my head around the idea of purposefully choosing a very traditionally male name for a girl.

Why would you? What message are you trying to send? Why don't you ever see it done the other way around (female names for boys)?

I personally feel that if I had gotten a male name it would have made me feel like my parents really wanted a boy and were disappointed in me. It would feel almost spiteful and it would give me inadequacy feelings.

My other gripe with this is that it doesn't sit well with me from a feminist perspective. By giving girls male names (but never ever the other way around) you are perpetuating the idea that masculinity as a trait is desirable and valuable above femininity.

Can someone explain it to me?

It’s never Alan or Derek, is it?

The real question is why have we* allowed names to develop into proxies for gender ? Something some activists might have considered with their shared brain cell.

*I will stick my neck out here and say "universally". Both geographically and historically.

There is a rule I post by that no post can't be improved by quoting Shakespeare ...

"A rose by any other name" etc etc etc.

you get the point.

No they had short version of their own girls names!

Jamie is also used for girls.

And it was their own choice, not something imposed on them by their parents at birth.

It's different.

Female can wear what they want . Be called what they want . But still get pay less in work place .

Male have to called a male name . Wear male clothes .
And still get paid more in work place .

I suppose if you flip this idea round...what is it about being given a "girl's name" that is inherently positive?

It's unlikely that they were their full names. A girl called Sam was probably Samantha and had the choice of using a shorter more masucline name. That's not the case for a girl called Dylan, James or Ryan.

More importantly, parents should stop and think what the effects on the child may be, of naming them an unusual or masc/fem or just plain wacky name. After all, the child is the one who must carry the burden for life.

It's not and i'm not advocating for that either.

I'm just pointing out the double standard

I couldn’t get worked up about this

Missing the point of the thread, but the male Brazilian and Liverpool goalkeeper has a female name (Alisson), and his brother is named Muriel. I've always found that amusing because it's rare to see this in boys, and more common in girls.

Jamie is also a girls name. I know more women named Jamie than I do men.

Is it linked to the change to saying actor instead of actress etc?

I don't know any Kelly, Tracy, or Evelyn under 40 either.

Kelly Jones, founder and singer of Stereophonics is 48.

I know a very burly bloke called Stacey and another called Sheba

Ummm, the last time I checked, 48 is not under 40.

I can only think of Mario which is a masculine version of Maria. Boys were sometimes given Mary as a middle name here in Ireland too.

Unlike previous posters I do know young girls called Kelly because this practice of using surnames / place-names is a recent one here in Ireland. Years ago nobody would be called Colleen or Alanna either. They mean Girl and Oh Baby respectively in Irish.

I remember my mum calling my baby brother Alanna as an endearment. Perhaps the trick is to forget words have any meaning. But that's happening anyway ...

As others have said, it isn't that new. Lindsey, Hillary, Evelyn, Kelly, Kay etc. all originally mainly male names.

You also have names like Robin, Rowan etc. that again can be either male or female.

Ha, I also know a male Stacey who's under 40.

I don't say ACTOR for a woman. It's ACTRESS. Always will be (for me.)

I read a story recently about a man, who left his wife and kid, and the meanest thing he ever did, before he left, he called his boy Sue!!!!!! Now it was hard for him, he got picked on by a lot of folk, some girls would giggle at him and he'd turn red, and if a guy laughed at him, he'd bust his head. Well this boy called Sue had to grow up fast, and grow up mean. He bumped into his dad in a bar one night and they ended up in a fight, his dad actually cut off a piece of his ear!!!!! His dad explained to him that he gave him the name Sue, so he'd have to grow up to be tough as he wouldn't be there to teach him growing up. He realised he now had a different point of view about being called Sue, so if he ever had a boy, he'd call him.....Frank, or George or Bill or Tom......anything but SUE!!!!!!!!

I prefer the word actress for a lady actress.

Boy named Sue song by Johnny cash was sad as he had all kinds of problems there that a woman with a male name wouldn't have (as much , anyway )

I know a female Derek! It’s spelt Derrek though

Used to have a friend called Michael. I found her name really endearing. Her mum was deeply religious and particularly fascinated with angels rather than minor royal figures