Worried i have gave my son a girls name

[girlsnameboysname]

Name changed for this.

Please be kind, I'm feeling a little stressed.

My son was born 6 weeks ago and we struggled to pick a name. I chose Riley and I really like the name. OH took a bit of convincing as he felt it was very unisex. I had only really thought of it as a boys name though. After a couple of days OH 'gave in' and we named him Riley.

But since then we've had various comments about it being unisex and iv also now heard of 2 girls in my daughter's school with the name!

I'm also still following various baby name groups on FB and keep seeing Rylie/Rayleigh/Rylee etc being suggested for a girl.

I'm now feeling a bit of name regret and worrying that the name is now becoming a girls name.

It will bother me lots of there are other Riley's in his school group and even more so if they are girls.

Yes I'm aware this might be seen as ridiculous, but it's how I feel.

Ps, I haven't spoke to OH about this as I was the one rubbishing his (I feel now valid) concerns.

Definitely the Riley spelling is male.

But there are now all the Rylee, Ryleigh, Rileigh spellings for girls, so unless you see it written down people may start to assume girl.

Aw I'm so annoyed at this 😕 and wishing I had listened to my OH.

DD’s boyfriend is a Riley. It’s a great name.

Character in Midnight Mass is Riley - male character.

To me it is definitely a male name.

It’s unisex but I think of it more as a boy’s name, especially in the UK. I used to work in schools and nurseries and I’ve met several little boys called Riley and no little girls. I like it for a boy but wouldn’t be a fan of it for a girl. It is also my dog’s name and he is a boy if that helps.

Middle name is Edward so definitely male. However we never use middle names when referring to our kids.

Maybe it's a lot more common for girls in my area, as I said thats two in my daughters school that are girls.

I like it - and although I know it’s unisex, I associate it more with boys. Apart from the movie Inside Out, I haven’t come across a Riley who is a girl.

Its a great name @girlsnameboysname

I don’t know the film and immediately assumed it was a boy’s name. Excellent choice

Ok, maybe I need to let this go and just continue to love him and his name.

If he starts school and there are various girl Rylee's then I will just have to live with it. I just hope he isn't upset with it.

Stick to it, it's a great name!!!

It’s unisex in America, but not in the UK.

its a boys name in the UK.

Always been a boys name or a pets name in my area.

I have known two Riley's so far - both were male.

All the Riley's I know are male. Only ever heard of a female Riley from Inside Out. I wouldn't worry about it there are many unisex names now I don't think kids will find it an issue at all.

If you are truly unhappy with this and want to change his name you can if you live in the UK. To do this you contact the register office where you registered him and ask for a space 17 form. It costs around £44, you need to do it within 12 months of registration and you can only do it once.
Having said this, Riley is a lovely name and the two I know are both boys.

If you look at kids named Riley in 2023, then 639 were boys and 212 were girls. So whilst unisex definitely leans more male still.

https://names.darkgreener.com/#riley

Alternative spellings are really not very popular. You might see them suggested but not used (maybe they're suggested more to a US audience)? I think you're worrying unnecessarily.

Rylee: 34 male, 33 female
Rayleigh: 0
Rylie: 18 girls, 4 boys
Ryleigh: 37 girls, 5 boys
Rileigh: 0

Have you just started a thread about Morris?

If so, Riley is better than Morris

I used to be a teacher and all the Rileys I've known are boys.

I know 2 Rileys, both boys.

No, why would you think I had? 🤣

Sorry, Morris is not my cup of tea.

But Riley is 🍾

As others have said, you've made a good choice for your baby. Some names are made to go on and on. Ideally, your baby will live the life of Riley ...
Currently a teacher at a posh prep school and no little Rileys there but now that you've suggested it, I can taste it on the wind. Keep on, you're ahead of the trend.

( If you're going for Morris, do spell it the old way: Maurice b/c that is a great, posh name aching for a comeback. And those two names together are a trend setter!)

It used to be a boys name.

But I think it's more associated with girls since the movie.

Some people call me the space cowboy Some call me the gangster love And some people call me Maurice

The song The Joker immediately springs to mind whenever I hear the name ‘Maurice’ 😅

I knew a girl called Riley who was born in 2005, it's always been unisex imo

I only know one Riley and he’s a lovely lad and has just gone to uni