Giving my son a 'girl' name

[Bowa]

I am due soon to give birth soon to my first child who will be a boy. I struggled to think of any boy names that felt right. I had a long list for girl names, but I couldn't think any for if I had a son.

I found out I was having a boy at my 16 weeks scan and I still couldn't find a name that felt right at the time. Kinda like a missing puzzle piece if that makes sense.

A few weeks later, I was thinking about a movie I loved since childhood and one of the main characters (the character is male) and something clicked and I knew that was the name I wanted for my son. It felt perfect and exactly what I was looking for. I became excited and looked into how I could make things with his name for the nursery, nicknames and that.

I haven't told anyone what name I picked out for him as I wanted to get everything ready beforehand. I have also had some 'complications', so it felt like bad luck if I told people his name before he was born. When I'm by myself, I talk to my son and I will use his name then.

I was looking at something and saw the name I picked for my son. It had a few different spellings, but what stuck out was that apparently it's used more as a girl name. It didn't say anything about it being a unisex name. I assumed because the character who had the name was male (and refers to himself as a male) that it was wasn't a girl's name or maybe it could be a unisex name. Even the way it is pronounced sounds more masculine than feminine.

I feel conflicted. I can't think of any other name that feels right for him (he has middle names that are boy names), but I don't want him to be picked on if people knew it was used more for a girl. I have an unusual first name, so I have experiences with people not spelling it correctly or pronouncing it right.

His name isn't common for this area either, so I don't think anyone would assume it is used more as a girl name and the way it is pronounced is easy.

I know people have named their daughter with names that are more boy/unisex sounding like: Blake, Parker, Dylan, Toni etc.

His name isn't like: Daisy, Penelope, Sophia, Jane etc.

Would it be OK to stick with the name even if it's used more for a girl?

Julian of Norwich https://g.co/kgs/63C5khz

A female Julian.

So what is it? Please don’t be as irritating as the secretive OP!

As you say Esmé was originally a man's name, then became either and post WWI is probably female

Saki wrote a short story called Esmé, published in 1910.Esmé is a hyena.

If we even knew its sex we might give it a name. Perhaps we might call it Esme. That would do in either case

I knew a male Lauren (well, he spelled it Loren) years ago. He’ll be in his early 30s now.

Stacey Jacks is a song on Blur’s Parklife album, very clearly about a man.

Many Religious take male names. We do not know what Mother Julian’s original name was. It is a deeeeeeeep stretch to say Julian is a unisex name because of her!

Ditto a 16th century French Duke!

Qué?

As many PP already said, it’s hard to judge without knowing the name, but if it’s truly a girl name, no, don’t do it. Don’t make your child the butt of schoolyard jokes. He’ll never forgive you.

I've never come across a female Stacey. Stacey for me is the actor Stacey Keach.

He is called Elliot isn't he? I haven't heard any girls called that

OP is it Rowan, the always see that as a boy's ne but many people think its a girls name.
Or Robin which is popular for girls.

Gavin and Stacey is not about a gay romance! (Or have you been living under a rock?)

Never seen it. Don't know anything about it beyond the bloke that played Gavin gives me the creeps.

I've taught girls called Stacey.

Is it Gary?

I know loads of female Stacey's. You've never heard of Stacey Soloman?

No, never heard of her. I don't know anyone called Stacey.

Googled Stacey Solomon. I've no interest in the celeb / talent show stuff she appears to be famous for.

I know 2 females called Elliot, one aged 13, one 45. I don't know any male Elliots IRL! Google says it is unisex. I quite like it for either sex.

Stacey is like Alex/Sam/Jo(e)/Charlie etc a gender neutral nickname from either Eustace or Anastasia so is definitely either. It has become a name in its own right over time like Teddy/Belle/Ella

Everly ?
Always sounds like someone forgot the B.

Gene, short for Eugene, but sounds like Jean.

Elliot is a male name for me. The actor formerly known as Ellen Page presumably thinks so too.

If you know that much then you know full well that the titular Stacey is a woman.

It's quite common for transgender people to choose unisex names.

What I said was I don't know anyone called Stacey. You are referring to a fictional character in a television series I've never watched. I'd forgotten its existence until you mentioned it. It hardly counts as "knowing a woman called Stacey"

Is it Ellis?