"girl" names for boys

[SavannahMayfield]

Me and DH are expecting a DS soon and were brainstorming ideas. My mother then told me I couldn't give him "girl" names. We didn't realise it at the time but our favourite names are seen as "girly". She said that he would sound more like a girl than his sister Benji (who when we talk about her is presumed to be a boy named Benjamin).
Some of our names include Laurie, Avery, Wren, Bea and Eli
What are your opinions??

Call the baby whatever you like.I don't like any of your names.

Eli is the only one that is definitely a boy's name.

Eli Ellis and Wren- love these names for boys

Also love Laurie

Eli but I would have that as a nickname and have his formal name as Elijah

My nephew is Eli. I think it's a very handsome name and definitely more of a boys name.

Laurie, Avery and Wren I'd say are all unisex. I've heard of a male Laurie and a Wren.

@Whatsyourflava

Eli Ellis and Wren- love these names for boys

Ellis and Laurie are girls names in Scotland. I’ve heard of girls names Wren and Avery. I’m guessing you and OP are American.

If you like Laurie, could you officially name him Laurence and then if he doesn't like Laurie when he's older her can use the full version? Our son is known by the diminuitive of his given full name - we didn't want to name him with the short version, but we wanted to use it on a day to day basis, while giving him the option of using the full version if he preferred.

Bea seems an odd one for a boy to me

I’m in Scotland and the only Eliss’ I’ve heard of are boys.

I’d say Laurie, Avery and Eli were definitely boys names and I’d assume boy if I heard them. Traditionally pretty sure they are?

Wren and Bea id assume girl.

Bea is the only one if thise which I'd say was a girls name (as it's such a ubiquitous nn for Beatrice)

Laurie is a unisex nn

Eli is a boy's name, and couid be a boy's longer name (Ellis, Elliott, Elijah)

Avery is a boy's name (and a male deatheater in Harry Potter)

I'm not wild about Wren at all (sorry) as it's so redolent of the WRENs (defunct as part of the Navy, but extremely well known as such)

Eli is a boys’ name. It is a full Biblical name in itself, and isn’t connected to Elijah. Avery is a boys’ name. Laurie could be either, but more likely a boy. Bea is definitely a girls’ name. Wren is used for girls. I don’t think a boy, or any child, would thank you for it either.

Know what you mean OP as I tend to prefer ‘softer’ names for boys and ‘harder’-sounding names for girls (although non-girly/frilly rather than unisex).

Out of your names I love Laurie and would assume it was a boy’s name. It was on our list but I’d go for Laurence as a full name. Eli is firmly boy for me too.

Wren, Avery and Bea I’d think girl, but I do know a boy toddler (one of DD’s friends) who has Wren as a middle name. Agree that Bea is an odd choice for a boy - can’t think of any name other than Beatrice/Beatrix that it’s associated with.

Laurie, Avery, Wren, Bea and Eli

Never heard is a female Eli does your MIL think it's pronounced like Ellie?
Never heard of a male Bea. Bea is usually a nickname for Beatrice? B could be a nickname for any boys name starting with B but as that's your DD's initial you might not want to repeat that?
Laurie, Avery and Wren are unisex imo. I gave my dd a unisex name as I have a definite female name and all of the cool girls had unisex names like Alex but she hates it. People assume that she's going to be Male even though it's definitely unisex. We gave her a middle name that's definitely female that she could use but she prefers her first name.
If you were naming a girl Laurie I'd suggest Lori looking for female but that's obviously irrelevant.

You have a DD named Benji??

Your boy names are awful.

Sorry OP, I agree with your mother. They aren’t very nice names and they’re very feminine which could lead to bullying.

Your daughter is called Benji? But you want to name your son Wren?

Not sure I'll be any help here but you're setting them up for a life of having to outdo their own names

I had a child in my class years ago who hated his name and regularly cried about it. He hated it because he said it was a girls name and tbh he had a point at that time. Many years later it is more used for boys now but that didn’t help him at the time. His parents were upset and said they were loath to let him change it as they had chosen it very carefully. They were considering it though because of his distress. He was 6/7. The other children thought it was a girls name which added to his distress. I’d be really careful before I gave my boy a girly name or visa versa.

Bea and Wren are girls' names. I like the others.

Eli is lovely

I would assume eli is a boy, Laurie could be either, wren, bea and avery I would definitely assume were girls. Sorry

I know a few female Wrens. And Bea is definitely a girls name - short for Beatrice. Laurie is also a girls name. Avery I’ve never heard but just makes me think of Aviary.

Eli is a boys name
Benji is a boys names

I like Avery, Eli and Laurie. All male names imo.

Bea??
I'd assume Benji was a boy, too. Why are you so keen to give your daughter's boys names and vice versa? Such a pointless thing to do.