View Message

Not keen

Male name only, sorry!!

I don't like it at all

---

No! I'm sorry, but Elijah's a male name to me. It was a male name in the Bible, and has been used exclusively for boys for hundreds of years. Even if it's used for girls in your area, I believe most of the world still considers it 100% male. I liken it to Joshua or even John on a girl, really--it just doesn't wash with me.

---

Just because a male name ends in -a or -ah doesn't make it feminine. See Joshua, again, or many of the Russian diminutives for male names (Vanya, Dima, Pasha, etc), or African male names like Kobina.

---

I agree with Shantastic, in that I agree that it's particularly pointless to use Elijah for a girl when you have the oh-so-similar sounding Eliza. (Kind of like using Aubrey instead of Audrey on a girl, really.) I also agree with Carrie about encouraging this male names on girls trend.

---

Elijah Laurel does sound nice though.

---

Miranda

It is cute although, because it is a boys name where I live and most commonly a boys names its hard to picture. but it is nice,

I only like it as a boy name.

I love the name Elijah, but for me it belongs only on a boy. The way I see it, there are soooo many great girls' names out there and not so many great boys' names, so the few great boys' names that exist should not be used for girls. If this trend continues, we could end up with no more actual male names--just girls' names and unisex names. Of course, one female Elijah will not mean the end of the world, but I simply can't encourage it. My advice to anyone who loves the name Elijah is to save it for a son. (And as someone else mentioned, many people will associate this name with Elijah Wood, and this is a wonderful association imo!) Just my two cents. :)

I really dislike Elijah on a girl. It's so similar to Eliza, anyhow, that it would seem pointless to use a boy's name instead.

---

Shannon

I like it.

---

Taken in the context that it's not a boy's name in your region. I like the name on either. :)

It's ridiculous to me on a girl, sorry.

Well...I can't picture a baby girl (& definitely not a grown woman or an old lady) named Elijah at all. Laurel has been ruined for me by a girl I once knew in high school - she was very obnoxious and gave bad attitude to everyone & the teachers! Her name was spelt Lorelle though. Sorry, I haven't given very positive feedback have I?

Definately not, i think that Elijah is 100% male.

---

Elijah Laurel sounds very confused genderwise to me. And i very much dislike Laurel.

---

A female Elijah would be confused with male ones in her class or college etc.

The combo is okay, but I must confess I don't like Elijah very much. It'd probably be mistaken for Eliza a lot too.

The cross gender thing is less annoying than usual in the case of normally male biblical names ending in -ah, as far as I am concerned. The name is so totally archaic that it's probably not unprecedented to use it on a female, and it sounds alright because of the -ah ending being mostly feminine in English; not that I think a girl named Elijah is fortunate in any way.. even if no one realizes it's a man in the Bible.

---

Nice combo.

---

- chazda

Well its nice to see Kelly R. branching out. Unfortunately (or not), I do agree that Elijah sounds better on a boy (with the nn Eli pron. EE LIE (like DIE)), but its for superficial reasons (I could care less about masculine, feminine, etc. and would never insist that someone couldn't use a name, thats just so defiant & self centred)& I think Elliott could work for a girl (with the nn Ellie) as could Eleanor, Ella, or Elle.
BTW: I should clarify that when it comes to the name Cora, for my own sanity I have to urge caution (long story, LOL) & so I'll acknowledge we all have our weaknesses.

I don't like Elijah for a girl - at all. I don't like it for a boy either, but I prefer it on that gender. It may not cause confusion now, but what about in 10 or 20 years? When she's in college or in the work field? I don't care for Laurel, and I don't think the names flows.

Hmm, I guess it could work (not for me, but for others.) The name Eli is 100% feminine where I'm from, so maybe that's why it doesn't bother me too much. Elijah Laurel is a good combination.

Wow, it's amazing...you can always tell exactly what a post is going to be about if Kelly R. has replied to it.
I'm kind of indifferent to Elijah on either gender, really. I thought it was a bit girly when I first heard it, and I think on the whole it goes in my 'prefer it on a boy, but sounds too girly to use on a real live boy' (hehe, like Pinnochio!) list, along with Julian, Tristan, etc.
So, to summarise my rambling, I think it could work on a girl, I think people still might expect it to be used on a boy regardless of popularity because most people know who Elijah Wood is, and, for some people at least, is the only association they have with the name. And Elijah Laurel is pretty!

Sorry, but even though the name may be unheard of where you live, Elijah should not be used on a girl anywhere in my opinion because the name is a male biblical name. Even if biblical names aren't as "in" where you are as they are here, the name should nonentheless be used only on its intended gender, especially since it has an important reference as a male name (and none as a female name).

This message was edited 12/23/2004, 9:01 AM