Unisex/Gender neutral names - opinions???

[thecatisdead1]

I mean names like
Charlie
Alex
Billie/Billy
Cameron
Cassidy
Chris
Ellis
Esme
Jamie
Jess/Jesse/Jessie
Peyton
Ronnie
Randi/Randy
Sam

And any other ones you can think of.

Are they just girl/boy names mascarading as the other? Does it really effect DC if the have a name that people may think are the other gender?

It can affect them in some ways - I know someone with one of the above names and he got put into a girls part of the school. I personally don't like unisex names.

storm ;)

Is Esme a boy's name too then?

Esme is alaso a boys name?!

When I read that list they all say 'boy' to me, apart from Jessie, Esme and Peyton, but they shout 'girl' - sorry!

I think Sam is gender neatral, but only because it is usually Samuel, obv boy, or Samantha, obv girl.

I really can't spell today!

Technically (I think)
Esmé is the unisex version and Esmée is female

I really like 'boy' nns for girls, eg Georgie for Georgia/Georgina or Charlie for Charlotte. But I would also make sure I liked the full name (and therefore use that too) not just the nn to avoid any confusion.

I think it is a bit more tricky for boys. IMO I think you can be a bit more creative with girls names, so my tastes tend to be more traditional for boys.

Jamie,
Alex/ Alexis,
Robin/Robyn,
Sam,
Charlie,
Jessie,
Quinn,
Riley,
Rowan,
Ali/Al,
Avery,
Reese,
Ryan?? (do know a girl called this)
Jordan,
Taylor,
Harper
Morgan

Cant' think of any more..any good??

Evelyn
Lindsay
Hilary
Leslie
Stevie (but as a nn)
Gabriel

• I have known or heard of men and women with all of these although all over 40 or 50 now!

I once knew a bloke called Tracy.

I once knew a bloke called Tracy.

How about Kim or Morgan? Have known people of both sexes with these names.

DS has a unisex name. I really worried about it initially but he hasn't had a problem so far! I know of someone who has two children of both sexes called Sam.

I know a boy called Kerry, a girl called Riley and children of both sexes called Rowan. I think times are changing and there are lots more gender neutral names around. Wouldn't think of Esme as a boys name though!

As a guy named Chelsea I can answer the question about whether it affects the child if people think the child is of the other gender. I think it has a small affect but not much because it soon becomes obvious of course (like when you first meet the child) that the assumption was wrong. I did get put into a girls group a couple of times, and was even registered for a girls junior high school (and boys school at the same time). But to be honest yes there are issues but not as much as people imagine and not all the time. For a totally unisex name I think the issues would be even less.

Eden is another one - I know two male Edens and was surprised when a lot of people on MN only seemed to know it as a girl's name.

A friend has a girl called Rowan but I see it as a boy's name, when you look at the name stats for 2010 there were about 80 girls and about 450 boys called Rowan last year.

I have a Rowan though, and when I called her it we only knew female Rowans. 6 altogether, all girls. Rowan Atkinson was not even heard of, and when we did we laughed at him having a girly name.
I am a bit sad at the male takeover as I don't actually like unisex names, and it seems so unsuitable - Rowan is a little flowering tree, that never grows very big!

Charlie as a stand alone name shouts boy to me. As a nickname for Charlotte, obviously a girl's but often spelt Charley.

I did know a boy called Hilary and a boy called Kim, back in the 70's.

Leslie/Lesley?

I don't really like them, honestly.

Ashley
Lex
Austen/in
Laurie
Lou
Lee
Danny/I
Tony/I
Devon
Tyler
Gill
Harry/I
Jay
Jo/ey
Rae
Moe
Parker

I don't like most unisex names. Sam and Alex are OK as they are very well-known as both boys' and girls' nicknames for Samantha/Samuel and Alexander/Alexandra. Some unisex names I find I can't see as either male or female - they just sound "unisex" and it's hard to think of them as one or the other.

Tbh, most Charlottes are now Lotties, the ones I know are anyway and yes Charlie screams BOY to me. It always seems a bit downmarket on girls, but that's my opinion.

I also think Sam is more of a boy name now too with far fewer girls being called Samantha and lots of boys being called Samuel as opposed to the 80's. Same with Joe....
And Jamie/billie for a girl is a serious no no for me! X

I had a female friend called Rowan growing up. And a boyfriend. Also known boy Jody and girl Jodie.
In Cork there are a lot of men called Florence.

I also know (adults) called
Frankie - as nn for Francesca
Freddie - ditto Frederica

Jo is the other obvious one, if written I'd guess at Joe = m, Jo = f, but not at all reliable.

Funnily enough, I would assume a Sam was female, only because I know quite a few of them.

I quite like names with the possibility of a unisex nickname, gives a child more options.

I guess a lot of the less common 'tree' names are also pretty much unisex - I don't think you could guess the sex of an Aspen, Ashley, Oakley, Willow or Larch from their name.