Naming your daughter a boy's name, yes or no ?

[Momto2girliess]

My sibling named her baby girl a classic masculine name ( Think John, Robert , Thomas). I am never going to say anything to her. I am just curious to know people's opinion on it.

She always wanted a boy.This is baby girl n°5. Do you think it is a bit strange to name your girl a very masculine name?

@UhtredRagnarson

I didn't say that, actually

Apologies, you answered a post I directed at another poster and called yourself “we” so I assumed it was fine to attribute the post to you as you seemed to be working as a pair. If you don’t want to answer questions directed at other posters, Umm, don’t answer questions directed at other posters.

Well, I asked a question rather than answered one 😂. But since you don't really have an answer I'll stop bothering 🤣🤣🤣

@UhtredRagnarson

I’m asking if your “clearly sometimes it’s done to prove a point” is about me, because it’s what you wrote in your respond to me. How is that defensive?

It was me that said sometimes it's clearly done to make a point. I'm not saying you did it for this reason but the OPs sister clearly has and many others also do it to make a point.

Sorry but this is mad. So not only is the child going to be constantly asked to repeat her name as people will assume they have heard wrong. On paper people will assume her to be a boy. She will get asked to spell it as people will assume there is some weird twist on it. The child will grow thinking what the hell my mum wanted a boy that much she did that! And then people that don't know her will be maybe assuming she has changed gender but not name, with the crazy world we live in now. Poor child

It was me that said sometimes it's clearly done to make a point. I'm not saying you did it for this reason but the OPs sister clearly has and many others also do it to make a point.

Thanks for answering.

James is fine Keith not so

Well, I asked a question rather than answered one 😂. But since you don't really have an answer I'll stop bothering

We just asked why? 😂. And you sound really defensive about it.

You used a question mark but I don’t see a question.

@Momto2girliess

Juanbablo

No, it's Christopher.

Christopher isn't a particularly masculine name, like James, Lee, Martin, Alexander....they're softer sounding and suit either. I quite like it, and Kit is a traditional nickname for Christopher

Maybe your comprehension skills are a little rusty.

She is setting the child up to be bullied for life.

I had a female cousin called Jean whose family moved to France. She suffered her entire life!

No.

Among the sensible replies, the crackpots are out in force this afternoon, I see.

I like many names that are unisex or can have a unisex nicknames, but no for Christopher. For a 'Chris' name, Chrysanthi/Chryssa are probably my favourite, though there are so many options that it does feel very much a point to use Christopher.

My younger sister had this - not quite as masculine as Christopher, but close at the time, because yes my mother wanted another son. I almost had it too but my mother picked something she'd heard on TV while in hospital instead, once pushed to actually agree to name me.

My sister had so many issues, mostly from adults -- twice got put into the wrong PE group, she had a lot of medical appointments when young and would get 'his mother is here to pick him up' so much. I always warn against it having seen the frustration she went through even though her name has shifted to being seen as more unisex over the years.

@UhtredRagnarson You haven't said what the name is. Is it a very girls name like Emma, Sarah, Rachel etc or is it more a unisex name like Ashley or Francis?

If it's the former, like the other posters I'm curious about why you decided to chose a girls name.

Of course I haven’t said what the name is! how identifying would that be? It’s nothing as dull and unoriginal as Emma or Ashley. It’s a historical name originally used for a male, however it is now and has for a long time been used for girls with a slight change in pronunciation but same spelling. I used it because I like the aesthetics of the name and the sound of the original pronunciation along with the history of it. There is now one other boy that I know of who has the name. After his mother heard my son’s name and chose it for her baby.

It’s a historical name originally used for a male, however it is now and has for a long time been used for girls with a slight change in pronunciation but same spelling.

If its historically a boys name then I don't see how you have named your son a girls name even if the name has since become more popular for girls?

I said it was originally (as far as records show) used for a (Singular) male. Not that it was a boys’ name.

@UhtredRagnarson

I said it was originally (as far as records show) used for a (Singular) male. Not that it was a boys’ name.

If 1 man was called this name historically then its quite likely that there were others who may not have been recorded but the name was more popular for girls.

Either way you didn't choose it to make some point about names being for all or as some sort of punishment for the child not being the preferred sex so at least your son knows his name wasn't chosen simply to make a point.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for many of those using traditionally masculine or feminine names for their children of the opposite sex.

If 1 man was called this name historically then its quite likely that there were others who may not have been recorded but the name was more popular for girls.

Of course, but I wasn’t naming my child several hundred years ago when it may have been used for boys. I was naming him this century where it is used for girls. Which is why is said I had named my son a “girls” name. Because at the time of naming him it was (and still is) a girls name.

Which is why is said I had named my son a “girls” name. Because at the time of naming him it was (and still is) a girls name.

Which is your perogative. Nevertheless at least you can show him that there were people in the past with his name of he ever questioned your decision rather than having to explain you gave it him because you wanted to make a statement or because you wanted a girl.

I’m sure anyone naming their daughter Christopher has reasons other than just wanting to make a point. OP hasn’t been back but I’ll bet further investigation would reveal it’s a family name or something equally as valid for choosing it.

@UhtredRagnarson

I’m sure anyone naming their daughter Christopher has reasons other than just wanting to make a point. OP hasn’t been back but I’ll bet further investigation would reveal it’s a family name or something equally as valid for choosing it.

Well I'm guessing it's probably not a family name given the OP is her sister and would have made this connection. Nevertheless the fact it clearly states in the first post that this is girl 5 and she's always wanted a boy is probably the biggest clue as to the meaning behind the name.

I just sincerely hope this poor little girl doesn't grow up to hate her name, feel unwanted and not good enough but sadly I fear that's quite unlikely.

Well I'm guessing it's probably not a family name given the OP is her sister and would have made this connection.

It’s entirely possible OP knows the reason but still disagrees with the name and so has chosen not to share the reason here so as to keep the responses negative.

Christopher isn't a particularly masculine name, like James, Lee, Martin, Alexander....they're softer sounding and suit either. I quite like it, and Kit is a traditional nickname for Christopher

WTF? They’re all masculine names, they have female equivalents but I’d be very surprised to meet a woman called Martin and not Martine!

Poor kid will be bullied for life.

Why on earth is it sticking one to the patriarchy by adopting one of their names? If anything, I'd have thought it was a way of 'admitting' that they were 'better' all along and that you want to try to emulate them, rather than remaining happily and unashamedly female, but every bit their equal.

Why not go the whole hog and start referring to your daughter as 'he' and 'him', or just calling her a boy, if you believe that a female identity is somehow automatically inferior?