Message: "Julian as a feminine name"

Julian as a feminine name

by cayden

8/14/2018, 1:28 AM

Do you all think Julian could work as a feminine name? It was traditionally used for both men and women in English before becoming masculine over the last few centuries. To me it also does have a sort of feminine sound. Because of this and the history I feel like it’s usable on girls and offers a nice alternative to the more common Julia, Julie, and Juliana.

-cayden

Hike more, worry less.

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- Wisteria (Tawnee)

8/15/2018, 6:06 PM

There's already Julianne or Julienne, with the emphasis on the last syllable. I like that much better for girls than Julian.

This message was edited 8/15/2018, 6:07 PM

- Wordsmith

8/15/2018, 10:59 AM

I love Julian on a female because of its medieval air. It could definitely work nowadays.

- Barbra (barbierose)

8/15/2018, 2:45 AM

If Stephen or Steven can be Stevie or Steve; or perhaps a Stephen who goes by Steph (with the same short /e/--which a Stephanie may also use); why couldn't a boy named Julian naturally shorten to Julia or Julie? Would this make him a "girly girl"? Certainly not!

With Julian, Julien, Julianne, and even Julius - there are a myriad of different spellings--with pronunciations that may (or may not) differ by varying degrees, so why can't these all be held within the same aggregate?

- Barbra (barbierose)

8/14/2018, 7:45 PM

I love your suggestion

I also am happy for a male to have any of these names - and use a shorter firm like Julie if he likes. Why not, if he likes it?

- Dracotorix

8/14/2018, 5:30 PM

Maybe not Julian, but I can definitely see Julien on a girl.

(Also Julianne and Julienne, but those are pronounced differently)

- Pie

8/14/2018, 3:18 PM

Yes it could, in the US. But I don't like it. Unless it's on a nun. :)

- Perrine (Destry)

8/14/2018, 3:10 PM

Yes, it was a popular girls name in the Middle Ages, just like Christian. Thomasin falls into a similar category, but it isn't used for boys now so I guess there is a difference.

I always found Julian to be incredibly soft so I definitely prefer it on a girl.

- number1212

8/14/2018, 2:48 PM

Julian could work for a girl but I would much rather see something like Julienne or Julia on a girl. Leave the boy names to the boys.

- noel (glaucous)

8/14/2018, 12:18 PM

I like all the feminine Juli- names.

I'd rather be a female Julian than a Julia / Julianne / Julienne, but I'm not sure if I'd rather be Julian than Juliana (because she'd have more options, including Julian).

To me, it's not much different from Vivienne / Vivianne / Vivian / Viviana, so it works fine.

This message was edited 8/14/2018, 12:31 PM

- Gracie (YMPvt) +3

8/14/2018, 8:13 AM

I love it. Julian on a boy feels posh to me. On a girl it feels earthier. I am a big Blessed Julian of Norwich fan. I've had this argument with my husband over using it as a middle name.

- Barbra (barbierose)

8/14/2018, 7:37 PM

I love reading those texts as well - as with the Julian's cotemporaries! I haven't read that type of stuff in some time after writing something based on a quotation prior to year 1225. I love reading through that stuff every now and again...

- cayden +1

8/14/2018, 8:15 AM

Agreed completely! It has a down to earth vibe that Julia just doesn’t (as much as I like Julia). And I feel like it being a middle name would get around the whole “but it’s a boys name!”

- Barbra (barbierose)

8/18/2018, 8:48 AM

I agree - any girl can easily bear the name Julian and not seem masculine at all. She can also use short forms like Julie or Jules, and, she can also lengthen it for informal use; then again so may a guy.

- Kaesy

8/14/2018, 7:34 AM

I could imagine it on a girl, though I prefer it on a boy.

But everyone's going to assume it's actually Julia and that evidence to the contrary was just misspelled/misheard/mistaken. That or they'll assume a boy. It's going to be a headache.

- Kaesy

8/14/2018, 7:34 AM

I could imagine it on a girl, though I prefer it on a boy.

But everyone's going to assume it's actually Julia and that evidence to the contrary was just misspelled/misheard/mistaken. That or they'll assume a boy. It's going to be a headache.

- Sanmarie

8/14/2018, 7:29 AM

I don’t quite like it. But I like Juliane though. And I love Julian for a boy, maybe I’m just too stuck with that thought to like it for girls.

- ishild

8/14/2018, 4:27 AM

Nope, sorry, not at all. Julian is all boy to me. I honestly don't see it as an alternative as all name like this would do is complicate the life of the child.

- Anneza +3

8/14/2018, 3:12 AM

I don't see the point. It was used for both in the Middle Ages, as you say, but then the female form became Gillian, or Jillian, which are very nice alternatives to Julia etc without having to be gender-neutral and doomed to explaining it on a daily basis.

- cayden +2

8/14/2018, 8:14 AM

“Gender neutral” is a good thing imho. It means a person won’t be judged on gendered stereotypes based on their name alone. As someone with a gender neutral name, it honestly helps imho. Of course I’ve never really gotten the whole gender norms thing anyway so ...

- Wisteria (Tawnee)

8/15/2018, 6:11 PM

I agree that the idea of gender-neutral names is a good one, and we should aspire to have more gender-neutral names, but that's not really how it works right now. When a name becomes used more on girls and becomes seen as "feminized" it won't be used nearly as often on boys anymore. Just look at names like Ashley or even Morgan. If I named my son Ashley, he'd likely get made fun of for having a "girl's name." That's why I'm mostly opposed to using male names on girls, because the opposite doesn't happen nearly as often.

This message was edited 8/15/2018, 6:12 PM

- Anneza

8/15/2018, 1:38 AM

The whole gender-stereotyping issue is becoming a non-event, as it always was for people, male and female, who felt strongly enough about it to take a stand or just to live their own lives in their own way. Trying to work out in advance what a new baby might or might not prefer or be stereotyped as seems to me over-ambitious. Very few such guesses will be meaningful anyway. But, we are all part of history and ignoring it in favour of a trend, any trend, on any subject, is worrying.

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