Would this name work on a boy or girl?

[victorianhouse]

Ages ago I decided that I would give the middle name Danum to one of my DC due to personal reasons, DH likes it so no problem there. We are expecting but won't find out the sex so we are working on both boy and girl names.

We would definitely want a more normal first name to balance it out with the middle we chose. However we can't decide whether this middle could actually work as a unisex name and be used for either a boy or a girl or if it sounds more suitable for just one of the genders.

Any first name ideas (boy/girl) would be greatly appreciated!

I think it sounds better for a boy, maybe because of the 'Dan' at the beginning, but just seems more of a boys name to me.

I've not heard the name myself. Is it from a particular region / custom? I think it looks fairly neutral enough to be unisex.

I've not heard the name myself. Is it from a particular region / custom? I think it looks fairly neutral enough to be unisex.

I like it. Lovely gentle sound. I would certainly say unisex, and very nice for a boy or a girl.

It is not an actual name per se, it is the name of a place and we will just use it as an actual name for DC. We are only using it as a middle as it might be a difficult first name to pull off.

It’s the Roman name for Doncaster, locally often spelt Danvm to emulate Roman script, in logos and business names etc.

I’d say if was more masculine sounding than feminine.

It's the old Roman name for Doncaster

There are various schools and hotels in the area e.g the Danum Mercure hotel

Not an obvious name for a child and I'm not keen.
I think it's pronounced Day-num and the um sound at the end is off-putting for me.

Crosspost with @BikeRunSki though I think we're both from the region

It makes me think of Danum Valley, a beautiful rainforest area in Borneo. I like it as a middle name - more so for a boy than a girl, though.

If it's pronounced Day-num then it seems more unisex. Written down it looks masculine to me.

Mmmm danone, sorry couldn't resist.

I prefer it for a boy.

@Veterinari - i work there, but I’m from the hilly west !!

i don't think it sounds good for either sex.
local people who recognise its origins will just mock that it's a pretentious twist on brooklyn-type names.
do you really want to saddle your off-spring with a possible life-time of ridicule or explaining.
find some other names that you both like. think of the child, having to live with it long after you have shuffled off, or go to the inconvenience of changing it. pick something solid. i think it is a mistake trying to be too clever, imposing a burden on a child. the child will grow up and away from you.
i feel it's pointless my saying this, and it is aimed more generally, not just at you OP. i don't want to sound critical but so many parents now, no it is nearly always mothers seem to want to indulge their whims, rather than really thinking what is best for the new person arriving.
they see themselves and their own likes of the moment as centre stage, where as in reality they need to try to project 60, 70 years ahead, when they are gone to their rest.

*ProfessorPlumInTheLibrary
*
This place is actually the inspiration for the name

Veterinari, BikeRunSki
It is also a name related to Doncaster, you are right indeed. We hold no links to the area though and it is actually inspired by a completely different place on the other side of the world. I am secretly hoping not a lot of people will be able to link it to Doncaster though but this definitely gives us something to think about!

HopeYouStepOnALego
We pronounce it Dah-noom

Mmmm danone, sorry couldn't resist.

It looks nothing like Danone?

Sounds like a surname so I guess people will assume it's a family name. I don't think your pronunciation will be obvious, but for a middle name it doesn't matter so much as they're rarely used.

*alexdgr8
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While I do appreciate your comment, I think you might be taking it a little bit too far as I don't think this name will be such a burden, it's also going to be a middle one. We are not naming our child "Potato" or something absolutely irrelevant.

Really doesn’t matter, middle names aren’t usually common knowledge and only really ever used on paperwork.

Not keen on it for a girl or a boy tbh.

Edgar Danum
Philip Danum
Peter Danum
Andrew Danum
Richard Danum
William Danum
Fergus Danum

Juliet Danum
Harriet Danum
Eleanor Danum
Elizabeth Danum
Annabel Danum
Laura Danum

It's the name of my old secondary school so it's a no from me.Damon sounds better

Also, OP, you're quite right. It really doesn't matter if someone has a weird middle name. It's not saddling them with anything. They'll go about their everyday life being known by their normal first name. Danum isn't my personal style, but there's absolutely no reason you shouldn't choose it if you want. And since it's not a name, you can use it for either a boy or a girl.

@victorianhouse This place is actually the inspiration for the name

In that case I'm all for it - Danum Valley is an amazing place to be named after! And it's a middle name, it's not like they'll be having to explain it every day. I think it's lovely to have a middle name with meaning.

-What’s your middle name?
-Danum.
-Oh, that’s unusual.
-My parents named me after a place in Borneo that was special to them.
-How lovely!

Yes, I imagine having this terrible conversation once every three years or so (probably more seldom) would be such a terrible burden, don’t saddle your child with this torture, OP!

I think if it was for a first name I'd say boy but as it's for a middle name I think it's nice for either.