Only in the past decade or so, there has been an increasing rise in the trend of using traditional boy names for girls' names. I am not talking about what is usually thought of as unisex baby names, names like Pat or Terry that have a long tradition of being used on girls and boys alike. Rather a new baby name trend coming into fashion is to take a common boy’s name (like Ryan or Avery) and use it on a girl. When looking at the name history, these names and several others like them, never had a history of been used on a girl, but rather had a long history as being solely a boy's name.
Thoughts on Using Boy Names on Girls
I would first like to point out that for as many people who will tell you their strong opinion one way or the other on this trend, I am certain that there are plenty of people who will tell you that they do not care one way or the other what someone names their child. They might say you could name your daughter Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore if you wanted to, it makes no never mind to them.
Support for Gender-Swapping Names
Then there are others who will avidly support using a traditional boy name for a girl. Some might uphold that using a male name on a female is a way to offer a “strong” sounding name that could possibly have a positive effect on the child's confidence and success later in life. Others might simply think that a well-liked name should be used – regardless of gender. Still others might want to break-away from gender roles and gender bias, and they see this name gender-swapping as a vehicle to achieve that.
Opposition for Using Boy Names on Baby Girls
And the other camp, that group of people who find the name trend to be less than desirable, they of course have a completely different set of arguments. One, they like having clear cut names for boys and girls. They might say that this trend is robbing boys of masculine names. Two, they might question why a girl needs a “boy” name in order for it to sound strong. Why not use a "strong-sounding" female name? And three, they might play devil’s advocate and say that if you really want to break free from gender bias, why not use a traditional girl name on a boy instead? Wouldn’t a boy name Sarah (or Sue if you are a Johnny Cash fan) make an even bigger impression?
History of Male Names Becoming Unisex Names
Whatever your feelings are on the matter, it is a baby name trend that is definitely picking up steam. I will point out that this gender-swapping has certainly occurred throughout time. Think of the names Ashley, Leslie, and Sidney. At one time these names were solidly masculine names (remember Ashley Wilkes, Scarlett’s first love in Gone With the Wind, the late Leslie Nielsen, or Sidney Poitier?) However, these names have seemed to make a decisive shift in gender association. Most people would assume that these names are solidly and solely female names.
It makes me wonder what will happen to the new names that are currently being snagged from the "boy's camp" into the "girls camp." Check out this list of popular boys names for girls that are currently being used. Most of these names did not appear on the girl's charts until the early 90s, a period in grunge pop-culture that may have influenced the naming trend. Will these names eventually move from being thought of as boy names to unisex name to eventually exclusively girl names? Or will this trend drop in popularity in a few years? Time will only tell.
