Finley...for a girl

[Baguettes]

What do you think?

Middle name would probably be Grace (but open to suggestions!)

I like it, it does sound unisex

Finlay (nearer the Gaelic spelling) or Finley is a Scottish/Irish name meaning 'white/fair warrior'. It originated as a male personal name - it was the name of Macbeth's father. By around 1500, when surnames began to be more frequently recorded, it was being used as a surname, and it's still quite a familiar surname in Scotland and places where Scots settled. Following the Scottish custom of naming a second son after his mother's family (I don't know whether this was traditional in Ireland, as well), Finlay became used as a first name again, but always for boys.

To my mind, this makes it an odd choice for a girl....

no, just no

I quite like it! It's not a particularly masculine name anyway. My name is Rory though so I'm all for girls with boys names!

Hmmmm, no. It isn't the most masculine sounding name I'll grant you but it is widely considered a boys name and she will spend a lot of time being mistaken for a boy/man.

Why would you do that to your daughter?

I know a Finley girl, teenager, it's just her and I don't give her name a second thought.

i'd say meh...and I was all for the Sydney for a girl name thread!

It's just not one of those names iyswim.

What about Finty?.....Judi Dench's daughter, that's a similar name.

I'm all for the unisex names, though is rare the boys poach the traditional girls names. I'm undecided about this one, sorry.

I think you'd have to be brave to use it as it's not generally seen as a unisex name. But part of me does think it could be a unisex name and may actually be quite nice on a girl. It's just that a lot of people will disagree and she may end up resenting it.

My name is unisex in terms of how it sounds, but the spelling is considered to be female. However there have still been occasions throughout my life where people have got it wrong, reading my name and mistakenly thinking I am male. As an adult I don't care, but one year in primary school my teacher wrote her new class list and put me on the boys list. I had to stay there for the whole year and felt embarrassed every day when she did the register and my name was read out with the boys. It didn't traumatise me or make me dislike my name, but it was embarrassing and something to consider. A Finley would encounter the mistakes a lot more often than I did.

I know a female Finley, suits her well.
I think it's a super name.

Any 90's kids remember Finley (sp?) off Home and Away?

I always thought it was a girls name because of Finley from Home and Away, if I remember correctly, a pretty, blond girl.

I had Finlay on my list but dh insisted it was a girls name like Finlay in Home & Away a few years ago!

Go for it. So long as you're happy to call your son Madeline.

Home and Away...

That's sealed it

Home and Away spelt it Finlay which does look more feminine.

Don't give your child a silly name. Choose a sensible one.

Must be sensible, must be sensible, must be sensible....

Thanks so much! I'll remember that. You star.

Finlay's not silly, just not for girls...

The feminine forms of the name are Finlayina and Finlina, although neither has been used for over 100 years. YOU could start the revival.

Finlay doesn't look more feminine - it looks like Dr Finlay, he of casebook name.

Is it time for a renaissance of Finlayina? Pronounced the traditional Scottish way, which is Finlay-eye-na, not Finlay-ee-na, of course.

It doesn't sound right for a girl at all. Your daughter would not thank you for it.

Finlay or Finley and Finn will all cross the gender barrier in my opinion. They already are in the US. All it will take will be one major TV show/film with a lead female named Finley and in 20 years everyone will be saying "Finn for a boy! everyone will think he's a girl"

Generally names only move male to female and all the Finn variants are ripe for the switch, you'd just be ahead of the trend.

What about Finella, a variant of Fenella, which is an English-language version of Fionnuala?

Or Firinne (approx Feer-inn-eh - Irish Mumsnetters can correct me) which means 'truth'?

What about Fania, which means free in latin?