What do you think of using boys' names for baby girls?

What does everyone here think of the trend of giving boys' names to girls? Many of the most popular names now - Makenzie, Madison, Dylan, Riley, Bailey, and others either were once only given to boys or have a distinctly "male" feeling to them. (And yes, all of these names are on the top 100 in the US right now.)





What is the resoning behind this? Is it cute, is it sex appeal, or do parents simply prefer unusual names? Madison is currently #3 for baby girls, so there clearly is a lot of appeal there.





What do you think about this from a feminist perspective?

What do you think of using boys' names for baby girls?
I don't have an issue with the trend of androgynous naming as a general rule. As a society and culture we tend to place significance on the ability to label people and categorize them...we do it by race, gender, language, ethnicity, ect. In a way, using androgynous names slowly bridges the gap between people because on the whole, having a gender neutral name means that people are unable to neatly label someone and dismiss them based on preconceived ideas.





My first and middle names are distinctly male. They are not neutral names that cross over; they are boy’s names to the core. This has been both a blessing and a curse in many ways while I was growing up and later when I began to enter the workforce. I was always listed under the boys categories in school...the most notable instance of this was when I entered college and was not allowed to RUSH for a sorority, but received numerous letters from fraternities. People on the phone always ask for Mr. and yet they inevitably want to speak with me. I have gotten job interviews that I would not have gotten because my name is male and gotten the (amusingly) funny looks when I walk into an interview. I have to carry a copy of my birth certificate around with me to prove I was both named this way by my parents and born female.
Reply:I have noticed this for many years.


Girls don't suffer, but rather gain from having what is perceived as a strong name.(Sidney, Cameron, Ashton, etc.)


They are at this point, gender neutral.


I think you might assume you were going to meet a fellow and when she turns out to be female, you are a bit disoriented and a girl gets the advantage of being at ease while you are off your game.


Boys, however, are treated with derision, by other boys, if they have a name like Marion or Lavern or Sue.


What's in a name? Everything! Women don't mind being treated as masculine. I am called Charlie in my Martial Art classes. Men see it as demeaning to be treated as feminine. Call Louis by Loiuse and you are insulting him.


C. :)!!
Reply:I think it was celebrities who started this all off, now everyone feels they have to pick weird names.
Reply:Im not sure what point youre trying to get to, but I WILL NOT DATE A GIRL NAMED ADAM!!!
Reply:I think people name their girls with masculine names in hopes that this empowers them.





Although I'm not a traditionalist in any way, I like the idea of women's names having a softer sound to them, i.e., Anna, Sarah, (not my name) etc. Names like Mike and Bill are more manly sounding names, and belong on men.
Reply:Not to sound stereotypical but I've noticed this to be true in southern states.





Bobbie, Tommie, Lee, Billie, etc.





then u have names like Alex short for alexandria, Sam for Samantha. etc.





I guess some people like to give kids family names but want to make it gender happy so spelling it a different way does that.
Reply:I think it's stupid.





I think Madison became popular after the 1984 movie "Splash," which featured a mermaid named Madison.





I have a niece named Madison.





At least when my mother named me after my grandfather, she gave me the feminine version!
Reply:My sister and I were both given what are typically boys' names. With a more 'feminine' spelling. We were supposed to be boys! LOL! So, they hadn't even considered a girls name. Ah, well, never caused us any problems.





Conversely, these names are sometimes used as strippers or porn actress names. My Mom's name is Roxy, so when the 3 of us are out together.....LOL!!
Reply:What about a boy named sue?





I prefer traditional masculine/feminine names. Just giving a female a neutral name isn't going to make her equal across the genders. That comes from within.





Rant: If I come across one more Gen X'er named Jennifer, I'm going to go insane. It was the #1 name for baby girls born from 1970 til 1984.
Reply:I don't like it. My name is Erin and I'm constantly getting people spelling it the wrong way (Aaron). I wish I had a more feminine name.
Reply:I dislike this trend. I am a traditionalist.





Madison is a town. Peach is a fruit. MacKenizie is a last name.





John, Jacob, Harold, Juan, Paul, Peter, these are boys names





Nancy, Elizabeth, Mary, these are girls names
Reply:I have a boy's name. Jaime. Not a problem for me, expect that it is spelled a little differently than normal. I had two classmates named Jamie, one boy, one girl.





I don't mind the trend usually. I know a girl named Stanley, which I think is the oddest use of a boy's name for a girl that I've come across.





I think the worse trend is to use non-names as names (thank you celebrities). I much prefer my name to Pilot Inspektor or Banjo.
Reply:i am a girl and my name is Tyler so i have first hand experience and to be perfectly honest, i think its fun, and its pretty cool when they expect you to be a boy and then see you are a girl. also a lot of people like it and when you are older guys find it hot.
Reply:I like Charlie and Georgie for girls. Some of the names (I agree with the others) you listed sound not so masculine (especially Madison).





To answer your question though, I don't know why this is occuring..other than people are trying to combine trendy and traditional at the same time...trying new twists on traditional names.
Reply:juniper they can name them anything they like cause the parents are not the ones who have to live with it for the rest of their lives





I say go the traditional route
Reply:It really depends on the name for me. I gave my daughter the name Sarah so I don't know.
Reply:i thnk it's dumb but thats just my opinion.
Reply:Those names seem quite gender neutral to me. You do know years ago Lindsey and Ashley were strictly boys names. Now a days its the opposite. It's just the way language evolves. Sooner or later it will be hilarious to name your son Charles because that is *clearly* a girls name.
Reply:Personally I think naming my son Madison would be weirder than naming my daughter Madison.





Same goes for Makenzie. I think the only name you have listed that fits your question is Dylan.
Reply:From a feminist perspective, I really don't see the problem. Gender-non-specific names are pretty cool. I'd prefer any of those over my real name (which you will never learn).





My current favourite name for a girl is Mairead (pronounced mah-RAYD) — it might be one of the most feminine names in Ireland, but in North America, where it's much less common, it's ambiguous. (I have absolutely no Irish in me, but I like it anyway.)