New Post
Search
HelpThoughts on opposite gender MNs?
I made a poll about this but now I’m kind of curious, what do people think of masculine MNs on girls and feminine MNs on boys?
Personally I really enjoy it! Ethan and Toby are some of my favorite MNs on girls, while Mary and Guadalupe are my favorites for boys. People rarely get called by their MN so there’s less concern of being ‘too’ strange with it.
But what are y’alls thoughts?
______________________________________________
Aspiring writer—I like odd names too much (◡‿◡✿)
Personally I really enjoy it! Ethan and Toby are some of my favorite MNs on girls, while Mary and Guadalupe are my favorites for boys. People rarely get called by their MN so there’s less concern of being ‘too’ strange with it.
But what are y’alls thoughts?
______________________________________________
Aspiring writer—I like odd names too much (◡‿◡✿)
1
Replies
As long as it still sounds good and flows with the first name.
In terms of 'feminine' and 'masculine', I'd just want the names to match. So for a boy with a girl middle name I'd want the first name to be somewhat feminine too (still a boy name, but stylistically matched with the middle name) and vice versa. I see a lot of girl combos with that problem, where they use a boyish name but combine it with something frilly and girly. I think the idea is "the kid can pick which name to use depending on which one fits their personality", but then the name doesn't work at all. "Charlotte Riley" will never make sense as a name even if Riley is established as unisex because they styles don't fit. An opposite gender middle name *can* sound good, but the first and middle names have to be the same style, otherwise it's just unattractive. So I think names like Ethan and Toby would need some short, snappy, boyish girl first names to work but boy names like Isidore, Alastair, and Jasper would work well as middle names for girls with frillier first names like Charlotte, Sophia, Isabel, etc.
Mary and Guadalupe make sense, I assume those would be used as a boy's middle name for religious reasons. Ethan and Toby don't seem to 'make sense' to me in that same way, and I wouldn't choose either of those, but I can see using something like James for a girl's middle name. Another one that comes to mind is Mars (as in the god and the planet, but I've also heard it used as a nickname for girl names starting with Mar-). Also dittoing Hope and Fern as boys middle names from another comment.
For the most part I do think middle names should be usable. They can definitely be "weirder" than first names, but I think it's just a good idea to give your baby a middle name they can use if they don't like their first name. At least a nickname for the middle name should be usable.
In terms of 'feminine' and 'masculine', I'd just want the names to match. So for a boy with a girl middle name I'd want the first name to be somewhat feminine too (still a boy name, but stylistically matched with the middle name) and vice versa. I see a lot of girl combos with that problem, where they use a boyish name but combine it with something frilly and girly. I think the idea is "the kid can pick which name to use depending on which one fits their personality", but then the name doesn't work at all. "Charlotte Riley" will never make sense as a name even if Riley is established as unisex because they styles don't fit. An opposite gender middle name *can* sound good, but the first and middle names have to be the same style, otherwise it's just unattractive. So I think names like Ethan and Toby would need some short, snappy, boyish girl first names to work but boy names like Isidore, Alastair, and Jasper would work well as middle names for girls with frillier first names like Charlotte, Sophia, Isabel, etc.
Mary and Guadalupe make sense, I assume those would be used as a boy's middle name for religious reasons. Ethan and Toby don't seem to 'make sense' to me in that same way, and I wouldn't choose either of those, but I can see using something like James for a girl's middle name. Another one that comes to mind is Mars (as in the god and the planet, but I've also heard it used as a nickname for girl names starting with Mar-). Also dittoing Hope and Fern as boys middle names from another comment.
For the most part I do think middle names should be usable. They can definitely be "weirder" than first names, but I think it's just a good idea to give your baby a middle name they can use if they don't like their first name. At least a nickname for the middle name should be usable.
3
Well I have one. I was named after my mom's grandfather, and she didn't want to alter it even for gender. I've always liked my MN.
I think they're fine.
I think they're fine.
This message was edited 10/8/2023, 6:11 PM
2
Generally, its unattractive, unneccesary, inapproprate and unkind. And I use middle names all the time.
3
I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I think it'll be a nice thing, actually. It'll be neat to see some feminine names be transitioned into unisex names over time, even if its via middle name usage
3
It doesn't make much difference; middle names are seldom used so any effect that the namer was hoping for would hardly happen at all. So I don't understand why anyone would bother IRL. In fantasy games, fine!
4
I think it's good, it's just usually kinda boring. A few weeks ago I learned of an artist named Jeffrey Catherine Jones, which I thought was pretty cool. In her case she added Catherine because she transitioned, but it was still pleasantly unexpected.
I think it's easier to be safely creative with giving girls a male middle name, because there's already an established practice of putting maiden names in the middle, so something like "Lucy Frank Belvedere" is just.... a name. To me, anyway. I guess that can sometimes happen the other way, too; a name like "Patrick Rose MacArthur" isn't very unusual.
I think names like Hope, Crystal, Faith, Charity, Fern, Holly, etc would be sweet middles for a boy.
I think it's easier to be safely creative with giving girls a male middle name, because there's already an established practice of putting maiden names in the middle, so something like "Lucy Frank Belvedere" is just.... a name. To me, anyway. I guess that can sometimes happen the other way, too; a name like "Patrick Rose MacArthur" isn't very unusual.
I think names like Hope, Crystal, Faith, Charity, Fern, Holly, etc would be sweet middles for a boy.
3
I think some can work, but a lot of them might be just embarrassing.
Maria and Marian names could be used for guys traditionally, and something like Benjamin or Howard (no feminine forms) could seem spiffy as a gal's mn, if her personal name weren't ambiguous. But a man with the middle name Mary, or a woman named, say, Sophia Ethan - I don't think it seems flattering. I wouldn't be eager to tell people my middle name if it were Louis, for example (it's Lynn, which is actually not gendered and that's fine with me).
I often find that gender-bending seems creative and liberating. But - especially lately, since gender-bending is so very trendy - I feel there's a limit to how far gender can be bent, before sexiness is extinguished. I guess the borderline is just subjective. And it depends on the person bearing the name, too.
Maria and Marian names could be used for guys traditionally, and something like Benjamin or Howard (no feminine forms) could seem spiffy as a gal's mn, if her personal name weren't ambiguous. But a man with the middle name Mary, or a woman named, say, Sophia Ethan - I don't think it seems flattering. I wouldn't be eager to tell people my middle name if it were Louis, for example (it's Lynn, which is actually not gendered and that's fine with me).
I often find that gender-bending seems creative and liberating. But - especially lately, since gender-bending is so very trendy - I feel there's a limit to how far gender can be bent, before sexiness is extinguished. I guess the borderline is just subjective. And it depends on the person bearing the name, too.
This message was edited 10/7/2023, 1:06 AM
3
I dont like it at all
2