how do you feel about unisex / androgynous baby names?

Question

what do you think about them?

names like
Avery
Jordan
London
Gabriel
Blakley
Yuri
Carson

actually Yuri is male Russian name but its also Japanese and its meaning there is Lily

Answer 1

When I was having my children, I gave them names that were not too common but not too strange, either. Some of the name you have listed above are actually quite nice. However, I do believe Yuri is a Russian boy's name, not an androgynous name.

Answer 2

Depends on WHAT unisex name you choose. I have a friend named Fran (Francis). He doesn't like the name because it is associated with the feminine. My name is Robin, which is typically a girl's name in the US, but more often a boys name in the UK. Though I have known a couple of guys with the name, like the baseball player Robin Ventura. A girl can carry off a name that's considered masculine better than a boy can carry off a name considered feminine. Common names like Pat, Chris, Aaron/Erin, Peyton, etc., are much less likely to be associated with one gender over another. When looking at unisex names, these may be the best ones to consider. As a woman, having a unisex name can be an advantage in the job market. A prospective employer won't necessarily assume that the resume he or she is looking at belongs to a female. Whatever you do, find names that both you and your husband like. Good luck!

Answer 3

Most "androgynous" names started out as boys' names and gravitated to girls'. We were watching an old show at my dad's yesterday, and the little boy was named Jody. I don't think anyone's named a boy Jody in probably 40 years, because when I was growing up in the 70s, it was already considered a girls' name. Kelly is another one. In 1974-75, we had a boy Kelly and a girl Kelly in our kindergarten class. I misread a seating chart the other day when I was substitute teaching at a high school and called a boy Kelly. Mind you, there was a boy named Tracy sitting behind him. But boy not named Kelly, who sat in front of girl named Kelly who was absent, really copped an attitude with me.

It's a trend thing. I love the name Stacy for a boy, but he'd probably get the s*** beat out of him on a daily basis, since Stacy is no longer really considered a boy name. Ryan, Devin, Avery, Jordan, are all becoming more girlish than boyish.

Answer 4

They can be nice, but personally, I probably wouldn't give my kid any of those names. Lately it seems to be a little too overdone. Taylor and Hunter and Madison and Avery are becoming the Jennifer and Jessica and Jason and Matthew of this generation.

No offense to anyone. I like the names, they're just becoming way too common. I prefer names that have personal meaning to the parents.

Answer 5

I would go to www.behindthename.com to see which of the names are really for both male and female and go from there. But the names there I don't like. You could go searching for the 100 most popular names for this year somewhere on the web too.

Answer 6

I think they can be really cool - but only if it turns out to be a girl. I've always loved the name Harper Lee (as in the author of To Kill a Mockingbird), or just Lee for a girl.

Out of all of those I only like Avery.

Answer 7

I'm fine with them. There is nothing bad about names that a boy or girl can have. I'd just think about your kid before you name a boy Taylor. I know six Taylors. 5 of them are girls. The boy always get made fun of for having a 'girl's name'. Other than that they are fine.

Answer 8

My daughter's name is Sydney, named after her dad, which is an unusual name for a boy. I wouldn't name a boy a femine name though, like the boy named Sue. Luckily, my husband goes by Syd, which sounds manly.

Answer 9

I also like Aiden very much, especially for a girl. I also had a friend name her little girl after her father, her name was Jaysin, pronounced just like Jason, but the spelling would give it away as a girl. I thought it was a great idea.

Answer 10

I've always liked names that change between the two though I like to change the spelling up a bit sometimes.

Like:
Jordan/Jordyn
Reagan/Reegan
Hayden
Harley