Gender of Baby Names - What is male, female, unisex?

I'm always seeing somebody tell another person that the name they have chosen is bad because it is a masculine name and not good for a girl (or vice versa) - and quite often the name is either commonly considered unisex or was once male, but now more commonly used as a feminine name...





So I got curious, what does it take to make a masculine name feminine? Now, I'm not talking about names like Adam, James or Zachary... But what about Avery, Addison, Madison, Audrey... or Ashley, Kelly, Laurie, Shelly, Carol, and Tracy... What makes a name feminine only or masculine only?





And please provide more "proof" then the names means "son of ..." - The name Rachel means "ewe", yet I would not be calling my daughter a sheep just because her name meant "ewe"...





Madison is #5 on the 2007 SSA list of girls names, while Rachel is #60 - is Madison still not a feminine name? Is Rachel more appropriately used on livestock?





When is it OK for a girl to use what was a masculine name at one time? Does this follow the same time line as women being able to do "men's" jobs or wear "men's pants"?





Also, once a name becomes acceptable to use as a feminine name - does that mean a boy can not use it? Would it be OK to name my son Laurence and call him Laurie? What about naming a boy Aubrey or Madison?





Sites that might help with your position:


http://www.behindthename.com/


http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/





Please - keep your responses intelligent and civil - I am truly curious, and want to see other people's reasoning behind this controversy - Thank you!

Gender of Baby Names - What is male, female, unisex?
Well, firstly, I think your example with Rachel is irrelevant. There is no word "rachel" that means "ewe." The name Rachel means "ewe" just as the name Caitlin means "pure" or the name Sally means "princess." It is just a connotation, not a definition.








On the other hand, the name Madison is a surname - a last name. It literally MEANS "son of Maude" or "son of Matthew" (I have seen conflicting reports). It is just like McMahon means "son of Mahon" or O'Brien means "grandson of Brian." Of course, McMahon and O'Brien haven't been adapted as first names the way Madison has, but they have the same roots.

















The thing with names is, they come from so many different cultures, countries, languages, and traditions, that there are hardly any right answers to your questions. That also means, that many of the people who say a certain name is exclusively masculine or feminine aren't necessarily right, and are merely just opinionated.








Many languages differentiate between feminine and masculine with it's ending. Spanish for example has an -a ending for feminine and an -o ending for masculine in most cases. Julio and Julia. Celadonio, Celadonia. But not all do. Its not set in stone.








To be honest, what it takes to make a masculine name feminine, is for a female to carry the name. My name could be Peter, but I'm a woman. Who's to say the next trend won't be a bunch of little pigtailed Peter's in cute dresses running around? Many people wouldn't like it, but it's not their place to say it's inappropriate for someone else's daughter to be named Peter. It is definitely a masculine name, but it's a girl's name if a girl has it.














I am getting so in to this! I think I'll come back and edit. I have things to do right now...
Reply:I am a guy and my mom named me Alexandra.





She just preferred the spelling and sound of the name spelled that way instead of Alexandre or Alexander, and it was her favorite name so she used it for me. If you ask her (I have) she will tell you that Alexandra is a 'strong', classical name and as far as she is concerned at least it works for both genders. Others can decide if they agree on that or not.





Alex
Reply:I do not know how to answer your question I am old fashioned or maybe just old but I would never call Laurence laurie Loren yes I am not really into the unisex names except Kendell I have always really liked it with Rae for a girl and Ray for a middle name for a boy but I do not think I would ever really use
Reply:im a girl and my name is Devin my cousin is also a girl her name is Kodi





My best guy friends name is Elle





i like do like when guys have feminine names and girls have guys names as long as it=s not liek charlotte or as you said james
Reply:Over the years people have just come to think they know it all. They know which name goes for each sex, when really they don't. While I love the name Addison for a boy, people have told me a boy would be beaten on with that name. Why? And for a girl, it's not feminine enough. Then what is it? Are we not allowed to name our children Addison? People these days just want things their way, and if you do not follow their guide lines, it is not perfect. It is just this day and age. Too many people are getting a bit too big for their britches!
Reply:The nicknames, most popular gender, and People who i know with these names


Avery- Boy (i know a boy)


Addison- Girl (i know what it means, Son of Adam but Addy is girly)


Madison- Girl (I can't even count how many madison's i know all girls)


Audrey- Girl (Same as Aubrey it is very girly)


Ashley- Girl (I know plenty of Ashley's ALL GIRLS)


Kelly- Girl (it's so feminine)


Laurie- Girl (feminine)


Shelly- Girl (I know 2 girls)


Carol- Girl (it just is)


Tracy- Girl (Girly)


______________________________________...


I love Rachel, and Madison too. They are both girly. Who cares what they mean. I love the names Sarah and Leah, if i would name twins these names, Sarah would be treated just like her sister, even though her name means Princess, get what i mean





Aubrey and Madison are girly in my book boys with these names will be teased


______________________________________...


Any boy name can be made girly, like Kyle can be Kylie and Andrew can be Andrea, but i think Tyler, Dylan, and Kieran push it over the edge



Reply:Ha ha I think it's funny what you said about the name Rachel... That's my name, and I think meanings should have no real importance to names.





To the question:





I think to make a masculine name feminine, it needs to have a feminine middle name or a cute nickname. For example, I love the name Elliott for a girl. Nicknames would be Ella or Ellie. Guys couldn't be called that! It's too feminine. Also, some names could work both ways in my opinion. Kennedy could work for a boy. Remy could work for both, I know a boy and a girl named Remy.





I think that girl's names tend to be strictly for girl's only, while boy's names can be used for girl. Like, you wouldn't see a boy being named Isabella, but you would see a girl being named Jordan or Carson or something masculine like that.





I think it's ok for a girl to use what was once a masculine name if 1) there is a cute girly nickname, and/or 2) the middle name is feminine. I tend to like boy's names on girls, but I wouldn't name my daughter Jack or Brandon or Michael or Jacob, names that just feel really masculine.





Awesome question!
Reply:I am curious if you will get more answers. I LOVE unisex/gender switched names. When I was younger my BF (a girl) had the name Brett. The boys named Brett HATED it LOL because it seemed one girl having it made it into a girls name. I have also known personally a male Erin and a Lindsay.





To me it seems very arbitrary and abstract which name is used for which gender. Sure, there is a tradition behind it, but those can change, like Carol, Ashley, Marion were all boys names once. Like you say, names that end in Son aren't always male either, especially like Alison.





I've always thought I would use unisex/gender switched names, but they are becoming so common on girls now that I am not sure I would use one if I had a daughter, but I will almost definitely use one for a son.
Reply:I typically base my opinion on if a name is too masculine or feminine to be unisex on life experience - as I assume most people do. It's subjective - as all names are... it's personal preference. I think that a lot of people forget that names like Courtney, Ashley, Carol, Shannon began as boy's names.





i read a great study, and wish I had a link to it still (!!), that looked at people's perceptions of girls with names like Casey, Jordan, Ryan ... the more masculine of the "unisex" names. They were perceived as being more assertive, athletic, and independent than their Laura, Elizabeth, Mary counterparts - girls with unisex names that are more commonly used for girls. Boys with unisex names that are now used more commonly for females such as Carol, Ashley, Kelly were seen more delicate and feminine than their Thomas, Matthew, John friends.





For this reason, names more commonly transition from male to female - currently, people want their boys to appear strong and manly and their girls to be seen as independent and, well, strong.





I think that what makes a name strictly for a girl or a boy is our culture and what people associate with the name. Slowly over time, names transition between the genders for various reasons...





I simply prefer names that are gender specific... so if you ask me if you should name your daughter Ryan, i'll probably tell you that it's too boyish. On the same side, I think that naming a boy Ashley right now will be a burden because throughout his life people will mistake him, by name only, as a girl - due to the fact that probably ever Ashley they've met was a girl.

ivy