Is Frankie gender neutral?

[Icannotdecideaboyname]

DP favourite name is Frankie but for a boy.
I have expressed concerns that it is a girls name to me and should go for Frank on BC and Frankie day to day whilst he is young. DP says Frank is too harsh for a tiny baby

First thing to bare in mind with any name is you aren’t naming a ‘tiny baby’, you are naming a human who will be an adult for far longer than they will be a baby. Frankie is unisex though, I no a few boy Frankies but I’ve not met a girl one personally.

I associate it more with boys but I know a Francesca whose nickname is Frankie. Francis is a lovely name, that can be shortened to both Frank and Frankie as suits you now and your son when he’s older

The one I know is a girl.

Absolutely. I have a boy Frankie, always think it doesn’t sound like a girls name but I’m probably biased.

@Hotelfoxtrot is your son Frankie on the BC?

It's both.
Give him a longer version though for when he grows up!
Franklin
Francisco

Your DP needs to forget about naming a tiny baby - you’re naming a person for the next 80+ years. So I would go Francis or Frank on the BC. If you call them Frankie I can almost be certain they will be Frank by the age of 10.

It’s a boy to me, unless a nn for Francesca or Frances.

Nothing wrong with Frank. I know a really cool one (boy).

Frankie is gender neutral.

But I would go for something else on the birth certificate personally. I think Frankie is a bit twee for all occasions and I like a choice!

I'd probably go for Franklyn/Franklin, but could also use Francis or Francisco/Francesco if you've got Italian/Spanish heritage.

I would have said it 100% is for girls until I read the above comments! I thought it was short for Francesca or Frances (as only ever met Frankies for which this is true).

Either way, definitely wouldn’t put Frankie on a birth certificate.

Thank you for suggestions. It’s a no for Franklin but I do quite like Francis as a formal version

Francis or Franklin

Frankie is cute but not really a full name

Here's a whole page of famous Frankies, of both sexes. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie

I knew a very senior public sector official whose first name was always given as Frankie. No idea what was on her birth certificate.

I second those who point out you are not looking for a cute name that works for a baby, you're looking for a name that your child will use until old age. I'd go for Frank on the birth certificate. Good solid name.

My mum is Frankie nn for Frances.

I think of it as a girls name but it is unisex.

Agree, you're not naming a tiny baby. You're naming an adult.

FFS give the child a sensible adult name, they’re grown-up for a lot longer than they’re kids.

Frank or Francesca, you can call it Frankie for the rest of your life but don’t put that on the birth certificate.

My brothers daughter is Francis but we all call her Frankie since she was tiny

It’s unisex, although I think of Frankie Boyle when I hear it so a male name for me.

I do hope you mean Frances.

Yes

obvs

Definitely unisex, my nephew is named Frankie

I know three male Franky/Frankie and one female..
Female is Francesca
All of the males and just Franky/Frankie plus middle name

I ask this as a genuine question- what's the point in using a different name on the BC If they will always be Frankie? I imagine at school they will, every year, have to correct the teacher 'yep I'm Francis/ Frances but known as Frankie' and thought the rest of the lives if they want to be Frankie! And what's not sensible about it 🤷🏻‍♀️

I have a Frankie (boy) - it’s very popular where I live for both boys and girls… none are known any different on their BC.

I know 2 Frankie's, both girls who are Francesca on their BC.

I think it's fine for a boy but wouldn't use that on the BC personally.

My reasoning: I always think of when the DC is in their 30s, in a job interview - if they LOVE their nn they can always use it, but if they feel embarrassed by it or that it's too informal, then it's good parenting to give them an option for use in formal grown-up situations.

[Side bar: Archie on the BC is also crap for this, IMHO!]

I agree with this. I know a fair few Frankies of both genders. It is their full name.

You'll get folk on here telling you that they need to have options. I personally don't get the whole options thing, I have a name that generally doesn't get shortened and I've managed in life pretty well.