Boys names on girls...why?!

[greyer]

Artemis on a boy?! That's just awful! and makes me think the parents are none too bright!
I'd definitely still use the names I listed above on a boy,regardless of how much it had caught on for girls,parents of boys need to fight back!

Artemis is listed as both a girls' and boys' name on nameberry, and from what I can tell it was used a lot on boys in the past. A dear friend of mine has a son with the middle name Artemas (spelled this way because it honors several ancestors named Artemas) and he absolutely loves his middle name. He even asks to be called by it at times and he's 10 now. His parents are both bright, very successful people. They're wonderful parents who put an incredible amount of thought into their children's names. I understand that you don't like the trend of boys' names on girls, but I don't think it's very classy or considerate to bash the parents who have a different opinion than you.

[kasie]

If you like Aubrey for a girl, look it up and find out it is a 'boy' name, that information does not change the fact that you like it for a girl.

[kasie]

Artemis is listed as both a girls' and boys' name on nameberry, and from what I can tell it was used a lot on boys in the past. A dear friend of mine has a son with the middle name Artemas (spelled this way because it honors several ancestors named Artemas) and he absolutely loves his middle name. He even asks to be called by it at times and he's 10 now. His parents are both bright, very successful people. They're wonderful parents who put an incredible amount of thought into their children's names. I understand that you don't like the trend of boys' names on girls, but I don't think it's very classy or considerate to bash the parents who have a different opinion than you.

Thanks you. My point exactly.

[hayley88]

@kasie I didn't say you,or anyone else was was ignorant, I just don't like the trend.

[kittyx2]

I too do not like this trend, as I love really feminine & elegant names for girls. Some of my favorite boy names which are being overused on girls these days are Emerson, Elliot, Finley/Finn & Rowan. I would never use these names for a girl.

Some of the surname first names I think are ok for a girl, particularly if the name has a well-known connection with a female (i.e., Harper as in Harper Lee the novelist, Harlow as in Jean Harlow the actress, Winslet as in Kate Winslet). I wouldn't name a boy Aniston, b/c I strongly associate the name with actress Jennifer Aniston. But others like Cooper, Sawyer, etc., they're all boy to me.

I guess I'm sensitive to this too because I have a girly name, but my nickname is the more unisex Cris. Family members dubbed me Cris (my dad really wanted a boy, only got daughters). Yet men often tell me they love my first name, they like that femininity (and I like that they like it!)

Crystal aka Cris

[hayley88]

@greyer Bryn is also listed as a boys and girls name on nameberry. In the UK it is categorically a boys name,particularly in Wales it's country of origin.
So the unisex listings are influenced by American culture,nameberry being an American website.
I don't think it is rude or not "classy" to express an opinion different to someone else's.
I expressed my opinion,others have expressed their's. In my original post I did ask if any fans could enlighten me,because I am interested in why the trend is so popular.

[hayley88]

@kasie I just noticed your "wishing for a welsh girl" comment and chuckled. I don't tend to think "wished for a boy" to be honest,as I've said multiple times now,it's just not a trend I'm a fan of.
The whole point of this post was for people for and against to discuss the reasons they do/n't like the trend. And with the exception of my Artemis comment it seems,have tried to avoid being inflammatory.

[malaria]

I honestly don't see why it matters to people what gender names are assigned. Yes, there are names that are traditionally masculine and names that are traditionally feminine, but as long as a name isn't offensive, I see no argument against using it on the other gender. Artemis sounds masculine, despite the fact that it was a goddess. It has the nn of Artie, which is masculine.
The only reason not to use traditionally masculine or feminine names on different genders is to fit in to the gender binary system society has in place, and I see no problem with breaking it. What makes me upset is when people use masculine names on girls in an attempt to make them appear better suited on job applications and in the professional world.

[cicilyn]

I hate the trend. I think it is especially confusing once you add in siblings. In highschool there were two new kids (siblings) named Jordan and Taylor, one was a boy and one a girl, needless to say it took a long time for anyone to get their unisex names straight and they were being called by their brother/sister's name constantly. I think that to balance out the masculenity of a boys name you have to be georgeous, if the child is average the name will make them look even plainer, and that just isn't fair to the child.

[amberdaydream]

Can I please just ask one thing: why do parents always drop a boy's name when it becomes too popular for girls? It's still unisex; they'd still be a boy. It's not going to compromise their masculinity. I've stated previously that I'm not a fan of the trend, but you can't really blame the parents that gave the name to girls because you would the only one stopping yourself using the name on a boy, not them. I think this annoys me more than the trend itself. Why, when a name is given to a girl does it become practically poisonous for boys??? I love the name Emery, and I would give it to either gender regardless of which gender it's more popular for.