Gender neutral names for both boy and girl?

[elektra]

I know when it comes to names only your own opinion really matters but I was just wonderin' what you all thought about having two potentially gender neutral names for your boy/girl children.
DD's name is gender neutral. I have met a few girls/women with this name but it's mostly a boy name.
And now some of the boy names I like are also gender neutral depending on spelling.
ex. Adrian.
DH just told me he likes the name Rhys. I like it too, but the spelling is a little weird. But then Reece or Reese is pretty much a girls name these days, right?

I feel like with the number of boy names that could also be girl names these days, it might just be that I end up with two names that could go either way unless I go the very classic route which DH doesn't seem as into as I am.

Boy names are hard.

[JBaxter]

I like Rhys for a boy. I have a mom in my moms club who used that for her son. Now for a girls spelling I like Reece.

[katydid1971]

I think its cute to put formerly boys names on girls (like Peyton, Morgan, Alex, etc) but not the other way. Little kids can be mean so IMHO its better to give boys a boy name.

[american_mama]

I'm not sure I understand your question. Are you concerned that BOTH of your children will have a gender neutral name?

If so, although it makes sense from a taste perspective, you might consider the effect if you have a son and a daughter, yet it isn't clear from their names who is who. Your kids may hate hearing their whole childhood, "Now, is Chris your son or daughter?" "Is Chris your brother or sister?" If you had Chris (or any unisex name) and another name that was clearly of one gender - Chris and Isabelle, or Chris and James, then it's obvious which one is the boy and the girl. I know a lot of people remember one sibling's name, or even all of them, but they don't know which goes with which. I have recently met a family with a Reese, Gannon, and Campbell and, while I like the names, I have to think for a second about which goes with which (FTR, Gannon is the only boy).

Another factor to consider is that you have a child already with a somewhat unisex name. If your next child is also a girl but has a very clearly masculine name, will that leave JUST your older child hearing the "Is that a boy or girl?" question and how will that make her feel or be treated. (ETA: This is only an issue if the ultrasound turns out to the wrong and you have another girl.)

As for Rhys, I think the spelling makes it a boy's name. There are always names where the gender is clear based on the spelling - Frances/Francis, Adrian/Adrienne, Bobby/Bobbi, etc. And some names, like Ryleigh, can be spelled in ways to make the gender more clear.

There was a thread a few weeks about favorite gender neutral names, if you want some ideas.

[elektra]

I'm not sure I understand your question. Are you concerned that BOTH of your children will have a gender neutral name?



Yes, this is basically it. DD's name's spelling (IMO) makes it a little girlier but people don't hear spelling. I'm so dumb too because I myself have one of those names that everyone always misspells and I always told myself I would name my kids names that were spelled just like they sounded. And of course I didn't do that with DD!
We are probably not going with Adrian since A) DH isn't that into it and B) with DD's name pretty much everyone would assume that Adrian was an "Adrienne" and the girl, and that DD was the boy when I tell them my kids' names. So just like your friend's kids.

[Tondi G]

I know of one little boy named Rhys and another named Reece and a 3rd boy with the MN Reese. I don't actually know of any girls IRL with the name Reece aside from Reece Witherspoon.

I like the name Rhys and this traditional spelling!

[Twoboos]

I myself have one of those names that everyone always misspells and I always told myself I would name my kids names that were spelled just like they sounded. And of course I didn't do that with DD!


I did this w/DD2!! I could kick myself sometimes. I remember being little and never being able to find personalized stuff - stickers, pencils, etc. - b/c my name spelling isn't common. I vowed I would never do that to one of my kids and now... poor DD2!! (While DD1 has one of the most common top-5 for the past bazillion years names.)

Anywho - my nephew's middle name is Rhys. I wasn't crazy about it at first but I really like it now! If he had been a she, her name would have been Reece/Reese. SIL loved it and wanted to use it for boy or girl.

[pinkmomagain]

Reece is one of my favorite names for a boy...but I didn't have any boys. I prefer the way I spelled it in this message.

[fivi2]

My sister and I both have gender neutral names (not really with the spellings, but spoken they are). My husband and I both have gender neutral names... It has never really bothered me. (except my sister and I have both always been convinced our parents wanted boys... )

But, my neighbor's grandkids were over one day, both had gender neutral names and they asked me to guess who was who. Unfortunately the boy's hair was much longer than the girl's, and I guessed wrong. I think it really upset the 7 or 8 year old) girl.

So, I can see it both ways!

eta: oh yeah, to answer the question, I think of Rhys, Reese, and Reece as boy names. Reese Witherspoon hasn't changed that for me! I am not against it in girls, but I consider it still a "boy" name - not really even gender nuetral now that I think about it!

[KCR4]

If you like Rhys/Reece but want something more "boy" - how about:

Rylan
Ryder
Reid
Declan
August
Kellen

[Corie]

My daughter has a unisex name but I chose a definite boy's name
for my son. Personally, I didn't want a unisex for my son. I think
it's cute on a girl but not for a boy.