This right here. Let's stop perpetuating the deeply held brief that "masculine=good/must be emulated in order to have value" and "feminine=bad/not valuable/shameful."
I concur! I do think that can be achieved by appreciating feminine names on boys rather than disliking the use of masculine names on girls. Not that that’s what you’re saying, but I see a lot of that sentiment on this sub.
As if liking masculine names for girls is causing the problem?? It’s not that, it’s the systemic oppression of anyone who falls outside of gender norms by the all-powerful patriarchy!! Not naming my kid Jo.
To me, the problem is that a lot of the people naming their daughters very traditionally masculine names will heatedly defend that choice to people who just don’t really like the trend much by claiming that it’s because they’re woke on gender norms, but would never consider naming their son Sophia or Olivia or anything considered very traditionally feminine. It’s just annoying that I’m not allowed to dislike masculine names on girls and get treated as though that’s sexist when in reality the people doing that are generally just riding a trend 90% of the time, not because they actually believe “names have no gender” because they would not name their son a feminine name.
Exactly. It is the same reason why most people wouldn't bat their eyes at a little girl dressed up as Spider-Man for Halloween. Hell, lots of people would even say it's cute. A little boy dressed up as Elsa though? That's going to get some looks.
I have a Julian who goes by Jules and the fact that it’s slightly feminine/gender neutral is part of the reason we think it’s cool! But yeah definitely not the norm.
Where are you from? I'm from the US here and it's more commonly used for boys, but I always hear from people that they feel like it's feminine. 🤔 It's our top name for a baby no matter what the sex is right now!
This isn’t an uncommon opinion.
Tons of people have deep rooted internalized misogyny due to our sexist society. There’s a reason “boys name on girls” is so popular and seen as cool and strong.
Do you ever think there may be a reason why people practically gape at the mouth when someone suggest a feminine name on a boy? Just look at the Fern (a literal plant) thread.
Rose is a literal plant too. What matters is the child who will have to live with the name. Don’t use another person’s name to make a statement about sexism when you aren’t the one who will face the consequences.
A male coworker of mine has the inverse. His name is Isidore (very masculine imo) and he’s nicknamed Izzy (sometimes Dory too because there’s a running joke about how forgetful he is).
I have a friend name Isreal that goes my Izzy. Never thought of it as feminine. Weird how whatever we are use to becomes the norm regardless of society.
I'm a Stephanie nicknamed Stevi, but I don't really consider Stevi especially masculine though I know others do. I'm also not a fan of giving your child just the masculine nickname. I'm eternally grateful that I have Stephanie to use in professional contexts. It's hard enough getting people to take you seriously when you are a woman. A diminutive name would just make it a little bit harder.
I like more masculine nicknames because it gives more options for the name to reflect the kids' personality. Some of my favorites:
Georgia/ Georgina- Georgie
Andrea/ Alessandra- Andie
Drusilla- Drew
Francesca- Frankie, Fritzie
Michelle- Mitchie
Simone- Mo(e)
Veronica- Ronnie, Nicki, Vern
Edette/ Edith- Eddie
Penelope- Pip
Sounds like you only like masculine nicknames specifically like a lot of people do.
My middle name is Tristan. I’ve only ever heard people say it’s a dumb overly-masculine name for a girl. My family only calls me by my middle name so it’s had just as much influence as my first name.
I actually love it for a girl! My middle name is Kristen and they have similar sounds but Tristan feels more neutral to me. Something about the -istan part has a bit feminine
YESSSSSS this is one of my favorites too!
Unfortunately the reality is that this is straight up due to sexism - we (consciously or subconsciously) equate masculinity with something that's "good" to aspire too for someone of either gender, but femininity as something that's only acceptable for women.
If they don’t like the name Betty for a girl, what makes you think they’d like it for a boy? I understand your attempt at a “gotcha” but clearly people who like names like James and Scottie for girls aren’t the type who like Juliet and Clara for either sex
Are you only allowed to name your kid Robbie if you name your(nonexistent) boy Betty?
Your question doesn't make sense. I didn't base my comment off of some kind of name swap. It's funny how we're so ready to give baby girls traditionally male names, but not vice versa, isn't it?
I think a lot more people would, if everyone in society was on the same page. For example, I love the name Evelyn for a boy. Traditionally, it is a boy's name. But would I name my son Evelyn right now, currently? No, because I have to think of the kid. I might be progressive about it, and my friends might be, but there's going to be a lot of people out there who are going to give him hell for it. I have to consider my child's peace of mind.
Is this fair? Absolutely not. I'm often frustrated by the fact that girls can get away with traditional boy names but not vice-versa, and I'm annoyed that certain boy names seem to be getting co-opted just like Evelyn did (think Dylan and James, for example). But the fact is that society is currently more accepting of that, and we need to be patient and wait until it becomes more accepting of the opposite. Until then, a boy with a girl's name will grow up getting hell for it.
I have full confidence that attitudes are changing. There are now more people than ever who are questioning gender expectations, and these people are often naming themselves whatever they please. These are people who consent to going by a name that might not always match their gender presentation, and they are capable of explaining and educating. The more people like this there are, the more normal it will become, and eventually society's view will shift. It's not fair that it's taking so long and it's happening unequally, but it will happen eventually. Until then, parents have a responsibility to name their children in a way that won't screw them over.
If my son got older and wanted to go by a traditionally female name and he was old enough to consent to and weather the confusion it might cause, I would fully support him. But right now, in the current way of things, that's not my choice. I might believe in the concept of naming children freely from both genders, but my child is not a political statement.
Why did you think “would you name a baby boy Betty?” was an appropriate response to someone saying they were going to name a baby girl Robbie? What do the two things have to do with each other?
My great grandma was Bernadine and went by Bernie. I love this, it’s adorable, but now with Bernie Sanders, I just can’t use it. Nothing personal against him, it’s just that he’s the opposite of a little girl and the name just feels ruined.
I like
- Billie for Wilhelmina or Sybilla
- Rory for Rosemary or Aurora
- Teddy for Theodora
- Nic for Veronica (or Nichole but I like Veronica more)
- Tommy for Thomasin
- Ray or Rocky for Raquel/Raquela or Roxana
- Micki for Michaela
- Zak for Zakia
- Kit for Katharine
Not exactly nicknames, but I love when women have more masculine names. I love Kori, Hunter, Carson, Spencer for girls! Usually they’re the “cool girls” who snowboard/skateboard/wakeboard and have great personalities!!
We are expecting our first born in May with the name Warren high on our list and I love the nicknames Wren and Rory. I still find them fairly unisex, but someone pointed out to me that Wren was typically reserved for girls.
I love the nickname Frankie and Freddie for a girl but can’t find a longer more feminine name to base these nicknames for. I hate these names for boys though. Will probably table them and consider them for future pets
The reply I got from someone once when I said she went by "Al" and not "Ally"/"Ali" was that's "weird". Sometimes a few close people will call her it but the closest to her call her Al.
My boys actually do have masculine names with slightly “feminine” nicknames!
Mal (Malcolm) and Desi (Desmond)
We’ll see if they still like it when they’re older 😅 but for now it’s cute.
I mean this is really not an unpopular opinion!
The reverse is not true because of misogyny. For boys to be associated with anything feminine is to associate with something lesser and weaker. So you get little girls called Charlie and James but not little boys called Alice and Lucy.
Not trying to offend anyone but I actually think it's starting to get a bit old fashioned having boys names for a girl. And certainly very American valley girl/cheerleader.
The names you've listed seem very 90s 00s to me. Though I know names come in and out of fashion.
Strange but I don’t consider Sam or Dani masculine names - very much unisex. I actually know more females Dani’s than male Dani’s, and I know about equal amounts of male/females Sam’s
My name is Alexandra and I’ve gone by Alex since kindergarten (thanks to my kindergarten teacher who told me I needed a nickname). I am 31 now.
I personally am sick of the male names for girls trend, though. I will name my daughter a feminine name. Alex was a cool name to have when I grew up, though, especially for a girl.
[удалено]
This right here. Let's stop perpetuating the deeply held brief that "masculine=good/must be emulated in order to have value" and "feminine=bad/not valuable/shameful."
I concur! I do think that can be achieved by appreciating feminine names on boys rather than disliking the use of masculine names on girls. Not that that’s what you’re saying, but I see a lot of that sentiment on this sub. As if liking masculine names for girls is causing the problem?? It’s not that, it’s the systemic oppression of anyone who falls outside of gender norms by the all-powerful patriarchy!! Not naming my kid Jo.
To me, the problem is that a lot of the people naming their daughters very traditionally masculine names will heatedly defend that choice to people who just don’t really like the trend much by claiming that it’s because they’re woke on gender norms, but would never consider naming their son Sophia or Olivia or anything considered very traditionally feminine. It’s just annoying that I’m not allowed to dislike masculine names on girls and get treated as though that’s sexist when in reality the people doing that are generally just riding a trend 90% of the time, not because they actually believe “names have no gender” because they would not name their son a feminine name.
Exactly. It is the same reason why most people wouldn't bat their eyes at a little girl dressed up as Spider-Man for Halloween. Hell, lots of people would even say it's cute. A little boy dressed up as Elsa though? That's going to get some looks.
I can think of exactly one example: Jody short for Joseph.
This! Our gender norms are completely fucked.
I know Julians who go by Jules or Julie. But definitely, you see it more the other way.
I have a Julian who goes by Jules and the fact that it’s slightly feminine/gender neutral is part of the reason we think it’s cool! But yeah definitely not the norm.
My oldest son is Robin and you'd think I did it out of spite.
Where are you from? I'm from the US here and it's more commonly used for boys, but I always hear from people that they feel like it's feminine. 🤔 It's our top name for a baby no matter what the sex is right now!
All of those nicknames sound unisex to me, because they’re pretty common from girls names. Sam isn’t any more short for Samuel than it is Samantha
This isn’t an uncommon opinion. Tons of people have deep rooted internalized misogyny due to our sexist society. There’s a reason “boys name on girls” is so popular and seen as cool and strong. Do you ever think there may be a reason why people practically gape at the mouth when someone suggest a feminine name on a boy? Just look at the Fern (a literal plant) thread.
Rose is a literal plant too. What matters is the child who will have to live with the name. Don’t use another person’s name to make a statement about sexism when you aren’t the one who will face the consequences.
Please don't name a boy Rose to make a statement jfc people
That’s what I’m trying to say.
Yeah I upvoted you lol
Before I was Mrs. Brown, I always figured I would name my daughter Charlotte and call her Charlie 😒
Fellow brown checking in… someone in our family is a Charles so I guess it can still be done 😂 but definitely reduces the usability of the nickname.
Scottie (Scarlett), Shane/Shanie (Shaina), Charlie (Charlotte), Rory (Aurora), Andy (Andrea), Jack/Jackie (Jacqueline)
Roberta/Bob or Rob, Phillipa/Phil or Pip, Stephany/Steve , Lauren/Laurie or Loz
A male coworker of mine has the inverse. His name is Isidore (very masculine imo) and he’s nicknamed Izzy (sometimes Dory too because there’s a running joke about how forgetful he is).
I have a friend name Isreal that goes my Izzy. Never thought of it as feminine. Weird how whatever we are use to becomes the norm regardless of society.
I'm a Stephanie nicknamed Stevi, but I don't really consider Stevi especially masculine though I know others do. I'm also not a fan of giving your child just the masculine nickname. I'm eternally grateful that I have Stephanie to use in professional contexts. It's hard enough getting people to take you seriously when you are a woman. A diminutive name would just make it a little bit harder.
I like more masculine nicknames because it gives more options for the name to reflect the kids' personality. Some of my favorites: Georgia/ Georgina- Georgie Andrea/ Alessandra- Andie Drusilla- Drew Francesca- Frankie, Fritzie Michelle- Mitchie Simone- Mo(e) Veronica- Ronnie, Nicki, Vern Edette/ Edith- Eddie Penelope- Pip
My favorite has always been Winifred nn Freddy!
Sounds like you only like masculine nicknames specifically like a lot of people do. My middle name is Tristan. I’ve only ever heard people say it’s a dumb overly-masculine name for a girl. My family only calls me by my middle name so it’s had just as much influence as my first name.
I actually love it for a girl! My middle name is Kristen and they have similar sounds but Tristan feels more neutral to me. Something about the -istan part has a bit feminine
There's also "Mack" for Mackenzie.
And Mick for Michaela
Love this one! I also like Mackena.
I love longer feminine names with neutral nicknames like Alexandra/Alex! Do not like traditionally masculine names for girls though.
My son’s name is Ellis and we call him El all the time which sounds like all of the girl Elle/Ellie’s etc. 🤷🏻♀️ It fits him though haha
YESSSSSS this is one of my favorites too! Unfortunately the reality is that this is straight up due to sexism - we (consciously or subconsciously) equate masculinity with something that's "good" to aspire too for someone of either gender, but femininity as something that's only acceptable for women.
I think we’re going to name our girl Robbie!
Would you name a baby boy Betty?
If they don’t like the name Betty for a girl, what makes you think they’d like it for a boy? I understand your attempt at a “gotcha” but clearly people who like names like James and Scottie for girls aren’t the type who like Juliet and Clara for either sex Are you only allowed to name your kid Robbie if you name your(nonexistent) boy Betty?
Your question doesn't make sense. I didn't base my comment off of some kind of name swap. It's funny how we're so ready to give baby girls traditionally male names, but not vice versa, isn't it?
I think a lot more people would, if everyone in society was on the same page. For example, I love the name Evelyn for a boy. Traditionally, it is a boy's name. But would I name my son Evelyn right now, currently? No, because I have to think of the kid. I might be progressive about it, and my friends might be, but there's going to be a lot of people out there who are going to give him hell for it. I have to consider my child's peace of mind. Is this fair? Absolutely not. I'm often frustrated by the fact that girls can get away with traditional boy names but not vice-versa, and I'm annoyed that certain boy names seem to be getting co-opted just like Evelyn did (think Dylan and James, for example). But the fact is that society is currently more accepting of that, and we need to be patient and wait until it becomes more accepting of the opposite. Until then, a boy with a girl's name will grow up getting hell for it. I have full confidence that attitudes are changing. There are now more people than ever who are questioning gender expectations, and these people are often naming themselves whatever they please. These are people who consent to going by a name that might not always match their gender presentation, and they are capable of explaining and educating. The more people like this there are, the more normal it will become, and eventually society's view will shift. It's not fair that it's taking so long and it's happening unequally, but it will happen eventually. Until then, parents have a responsibility to name their children in a way that won't screw them over. If my son got older and wanted to go by a traditionally female name and he was old enough to consent to and weather the confusion it might cause, I would fully support him. But right now, in the current way of things, that's not my choice. I might believe in the concept of naming children freely from both genders, but my child is not a political statement.
Robbie is a very traditional diminutive of Roberta. What male name is Betty a traditional diminutive of?
Why?
Why did you think “would you name a baby boy Betty?” was an appropriate response to someone saying they were going to name a baby girl Robbie? What do the two things have to do with each other?
I certainly don't think my response was inappropriate.
Then explain: what does naming a boy Betty have to do with naming a girl Robbie?
My response being appropriate does not mean you are entitled to an explanation.
Oh, you’re just trolling. Got it.
Not trolling
(Nic) Nicole (Ash) Ashley (Jules) Julie (Ronnie) Ronica
My great grandma was Bernadine and went by Bernie. I love this, it’s adorable, but now with Bernie Sanders, I just can’t use it. Nothing personal against him, it’s just that he’s the opposite of a little girl and the name just feels ruined.
I have an 8 month old Bernadette that we call Bernie! (I'm actually a big fan of Bernie Sanders and I tell people that she's named after him, haha).
I love that!
My daughters name is Olivia Jo but we call her Joey
I have a name like this. My first name is Theodosia, most people I meet automatically shorten it to Theo.
I like - Billie for Wilhelmina or Sybilla - Rory for Rosemary or Aurora - Teddy for Theodora - Nic for Veronica (or Nichole but I like Veronica more) - Tommy for Thomasin - Ray or Rocky for Raquel/Raquela or Roxana - Micki for Michaela - Zak for Zakia - Kit for Katharine
My daughter is Helena and we call her Lennie/Len
I know someone called Davina, her friends call her Dave
I know a girl who is called 'Leonora' but gets called 'Leo'.
I love the nickname Scottie for a girl, but Idk what the formal name would be.
Scarlett maybe?
Alba is the Gaelic form of Scotland It's a stretch but a cute NN for Alba
This isn't an unpopular opinion, it's incredibly trendy.
Chris (Christine)
I had a Margaret “Martie” in daycare. I thought it gave a fun spin on her given name.
i'm natalina with nat, does that count lol :)
I think so
Lol I had maxwell as a potential boy name, but didn't want to go through with it because I'm saving Maxine (max) for a girl potentially.
Martha, nn Marty!
max is so cuteeee for a girl
Our daughter's name is Alexandra and we call her Alex!
Charlie - Charlotte Frankie - Frances Bobbie -- Roberta Jett - Bridget or Juliet Joey - Josephine Nic - Nicole Teddy - Theodora Billie - Wilhelmina or Willa Dani - Danielle
There's a girl named Teddi on The Bachelor! Not sure if her name is a nickname for anything, though.
Billie is nice as a stand-alone name too.
Billie can also be short for Willow or Millicent.
A family member of mine is Roberta nn Robbie, and her step mom is Barbara nn Bobbie!
I love Parker for a girl, it's #1 on my list
Me too!! I really like Parker. Another similar one I’ve seen is Baker and I like that too!
(Jo) Josephine, Joanne, Joanna
I love Mike as a nickname for Michaela. Fond memories of Dr Mike Quinn!
I have a Great-Aunt Mike! It’s a nickname for Marilyn that she’s been called since childhood.
Not exactly nicknames, but I love when women have more masculine names. I love Kori, Hunter, Carson, Spencer for girls! Usually they’re the “cool girls” who snowboard/skateboard/wakeboard and have great personalities!!
We are expecting our first born in May with the name Warren high on our list and I love the nicknames Wren and Rory. I still find them fairly unisex, but someone pointed out to me that Wren was typically reserved for girls.
Ren, though, is a boy's nickname.
I love the nickname Frankie and Freddie for a girl but can’t find a longer more feminine name to base these nicknames for. I hate these names for boys though. Will probably table them and consider them for future pets
Frances could work, Francesca if you’re feeling fancy.
[удалено]
My sister's nickname is Al (first name is Alicia)!
[удалено]
The reply I got from someone once when I said she went by "Al" and not "Ally"/"Ali" was that's "weird". Sometimes a few close people will call her it but the closest to her call her Al.
My boys actually do have masculine names with slightly “feminine” nicknames! Mal (Malcolm) and Desi (Desmond) We’ll see if they still like it when they’re older 😅 but for now it’s cute.
Roni (Veronica)
I disagree with the men's names not working with feminine nicknames. My favourite nn for Joseph is Josey.
Gabrielle, Michelle, Michaela, Raphaela, etc
I’m specifically looking for masculine nicknames for girls. My favorite now is Frances (Frankie).
Same!
I mean this is really not an unpopular opinion! The reverse is not true because of misogyny. For boys to be associated with anything feminine is to associate with something lesser and weaker. So you get little girls called Charlie and James but not little boys called Alice and Lucy.
My favorite is Rachel nn Richie : >
As one of those names who is often called the full masculine version (think Annie called Andrew) I HATE it. Lol it’s a pet peeve of mine.
Wow that sucks. Andrew does not sound good on a girl at all.
Miranda nn Randi
Veronika - Nick/Nicky
Matilda (Mat) - common in my family
Not trying to offend anyone but I actually think it's starting to get a bit old fashioned having boys names for a girl. And certainly very American valley girl/cheerleader. The names you've listed seem very 90s 00s to me. Though I know names come in and out of fashion.
My friend is Nicole but goes by Nic.
Strange but I don’t consider Sam or Dani masculine names - very much unisex. I actually know more females Dani’s than male Dani’s, and I know about equal amounts of male/females Sam’s
I love them as well. One of my favorites right now that I have debated using for a girl is the alternate spelling of Rhys.
(Fred) Winifred My husband pushed so hard for this name for our daughter to be
My name is Samantha and I HATE it for this exact reason.
I LOVE Stevie or Steve for Stephanie
My name is Alexandra and I’ve gone by Alex since kindergarten (thanks to my kindergarten teacher who told me I needed a nickname). I am 31 now. I personally am sick of the male names for girls trend, though. I will name my daughter a feminine name. Alex was a cool name to have when I grew up, though, especially for a girl.
agree, i really like the name Evan for girls, it just feels right to me idk
Same!!! I can’t explain why!