WDYT?

[myiris.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to get a general feel for what the opinion is on the name Dante? I love it and it was one of the first names I ever campaigned for; out of nowhere today my wife suggested we add it to The List of possibilities for future baby Ward.

Is it a male-only name, or could you imagine it on a female?

Also, wdyt of the name Trevor? It's not one I hear every day and we've taken a shining to it.

Any MN suggestions? : Dante _____ Ward; Trevor ______ Ward

Comments

[schexyschteve.livejournal.com]

Dante is alright. I knew a little boy named Dante, and he was really sweet.

Stop trying to put male names on girls!

[myiris.livejournal.com]

lol, I'm not TRYING to, I wouldn't use this name on a girl. But in general, I don't understand what makes certain names more masculine than feminine. I can understand why you wouldn't name a girl Robert or Richard or Phillip, but names like Dillon, Jared, Billie, Bobby, Elliott, Levi, Cameron, etc seem perfectly comfy on girls. And I tend to like them better than frilly and traditional names like Catherine, Elizabeth, Molly, Isabelle, etc. :)

[schexyschteve.livejournal.com]

I guess I'm just very traditional, but I hate seeing Dillon, Jared, Billie, Bobby, Elliott, Levi and Cameron on girls. Nothing seems feminine about those names. I guess I just like my girls names to sound feminine.

[jeweledvixen.livejournal.com]

...names like Dillon, Jared, Billie, Bobby, Elliott, Levi, Cameron, etc seem perfectly comfy on girls.

NO THEY DON'T! All of those are strictly male names to me. People simply insist on using them for girls. Maybe I'd be ok with that if people also started naming their boys Catherine, Elizabeth, Molly, Isabelle, etc.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

I'm all for names like Mackenzie, Quinn, Dana, Whitney, Courtney, and Paige back on boys.

[jeweledvixen.livejournal.com]

Yes, I agree with you 100%. That would be great. Ryan, Marion and Robin, etc. as well. (My name is Robin, which I have never liked, partly because it was traditionally a male name.)

But the trend now is to put conventionally male names on females. Why doesn't it go the other was as well? Why aren't conventionally female names being used on males? Like Catherine, Elizabeth, etc.? Why is it ok for a girl to be given a boys name, but, god forbid that you give your boy baby a traditionally female name? If anyone named their boy Rebecca or Daisy, not only would the parents' entire circle of family and friends, even strangers, look at them like they had two heads, the poor boy would be mocked mercilessly his entire life. Not so for a girl named Dillon or Levi. I really dislike the double standard. /rant ;)

[ahsavka.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to say ... me too. Boyishness is valuable in girls and girlishness is poison to boys. Yay lingering sexism. :(

[aftondays.livejournal.com]

I don't like any of those names on girls at all and think they're all very masculine...but I know what you mean about what makes certain names more masculine or more feminine. One of my daughters is named Evelyn, and that used to be a boy's name but now it's almost exclusively used for girls. I really don't understand why people would use any of the names you mention for a girl, but then, there must have been a time when I would have felt the same about a name I have now used for one of my own children. I don't know...

[kilobites.livejournal.com]

Definitely a male-only name. I don't think it would work at all on a female. I don't tend to like male names on females in general, but this would really not work.

Trevor Dante Ward actually sounds pretty good to me if you wanted to combine those names.

[myiris.livejournal.com]

What's funny is that we had not thought about combining them, and then when I said Trevor Dante Ward out lout, my wife says "Oh, that's very cute!" lol, so I guess sometimes it just takes an extra set of eyes, thanks :)

[requiem-morrow.livejournal.com]

I went to school with a female Dante. Definitely more boys named Dante, though. I'm ehh about it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/___heyvanity/]

I see Dante as being very masculine. I like it but don't love it.

I don't really like Trevor.

[let-letitbe.livejournal.com]

I love Dante and I think it could work for a female, but then again I'm a female Hunter so I may be biased.

[thellamaqueen.livejournal.com]

One of my cats is named Dante, so that's all I think of when I hear/see that name... but he is a very cute cat. ;)

I like Trevor, but it's not a name I would use personally. I think probably because I grew up with a few Trevors so it seems a little to 'common' for me.

[hwar.livejournal.com]

I think Dante is distinctly masculine, partly because it's strongly associated with Dante Alighieri. If it wasn't strongly associated with one person you might be able to get away with more gender bending. In general though, I wonder why bother putting a boy name on a girl? There are SO many girl names compared to boy names...there must be one among them that appeals to you?

[myiris.livejournal.com]

Not all my favorite girl names are "gender blended." Mine and my wife's favorite just happens to be Levi Daisy, but other more feminine names we like are Maya, Chloe, Sophia, Natalie, Laney, and so on - they just didn't make the cut for whatever reason. I have a hard time drawing lines in the sand when it comes to names. If you love a name, it's masculine or feminine trend will not change the masculinity/femininity of the child attached to it. It's just some sounds strewn together, and the ones that sound good to me, sometimes but not always, are categorized one way or another and don't coincide with the gender I prefer them for.

[hwar.livejournal.com]

I understand where you're coming from. That's how kids end up named things like Beach, or Fletcher, or Dante on a girl. Unlike some I don't think it's evil or anything, I just LOVE names and find so many I like on both sides of the aisle that I don't have a problem abandoning a male name if I have a girl baby, since there are plenty of feminine names I also love.

I often think about what I would name an intersex child. Since I would not surgically or otherwise choose a gender for them, I would want to give them a name that could be both masculine and feminine. It's tough because the unisex style of naming doesn't generally appeal to me. I guess what I'm saying is that I wouldn't use Dante for an intersex child because people would assume the child was a boy, and the goal would be for people to make no assumptions. So in your place I would probably be going for names that are either truly unisex (like Quinn) or match the gender of the child. But clearly I am not in your place! :)

Also I never said it, but I like the name Dante.

[after-the-ashes.livejournal.com]

I hate Trevor, love Dante, if you must name a girl something like that go with Bronte!

[lind-saay.livejournal.com]

I love Dante. Trevor is okay but feels slightly dated to me. I mean, I graduated high school (six years ago) with several Trevors, but I don't know a single one under the age of 21. That might be a good thing, but I also feel like the name is very 80s/90s.

I can only see Dante on a boy. There are some names that are unisex to me, and honestly I think that a boy who is super feminine could pull off Dante, just like a girl who is super masculine could pull off Liliana or something, but I just feel like, as parents, it's best to make the kid's life as easy as possible from the beginning and give them a name that isn't going to make people say, "wtf?" constantly.

Dante is great, though, for a boy. Maybe if you really like Trevor, you could use it as a middle name? Dante Trevor Ward? (Trevor Dante Ward is okay, too, if you're really into the name Trevor. Like I said, it's a great name, but it just seems dated to me. I could be wrong about that, though, since I only have anecdotal evidence.)

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

I kind of like the sound of Dante but there's still just something about it that's off-putting to me. Trevor sounds a little dated, but it's okay. They're both fine names I wouldn't mind seeing others use. As others have said Dante Trevor Ward or Trevor Dante Ward both sound good.

[adamantplatypus.livejournal.com]

Isn't Trevor Ward a hockey player?

[becomingun.livejournal.com]

I babysat a Trevor who I am convinced, legit convinced, was the spawn of the devil. The boy took a golf club to my face once, a baseball bat to his 3-year-old sister's skull, and when I babysat the kids next door, he broke in and tried to stab someone.

So Trevor is a little ruined for me :P It's a good name though. Makes me think of a studious boy, maybe a little geeky in an adorable way.

Dante is nice, but I think it sounds a little schmancy. It would be a good middle though!

[nothingtolose19.livejournal.com]

D:

Oh my gosh!!! How old was he??? I hope he's getting the help now he so obviously needs!

Trevor makes me think of this guy from where I'm from that enjoys speeding, and a boy in my little sister's class who had a crush on her and therefore, teased her mercilessly ;) so not the best connotations for me, either.

I really like Dante. It reminds me of a character from some game .. I'm not a gamer, but maybe someone more game savvy here might help :p (my roommate used to play it all the time .. I want to say Devil May Cry??) Dante is definitely all male to me.

[solitudete.livejournal.com]

Trevor is a name that doesn't age well, IMO. I've known a few Trevors but always felt that their name was really awkward for an adult.

I like Dante! It's NMS but I think it's a really nice name. Definitely not for a girl though.

[babyjess8.livejournal.com]

I knew a little boy named Dante. He was very sweet. The name matched his firey red hair as in Dante's Peak/Dante's Inferno etc.

I'm not a fan of Trevor, but I think Dante Trevor Ward flows nicely :)

[frost.livejournal.com]

Dante is definitely male to me, though I'm pretty sure I've seen a female character named Dante before... Ugh, I can't remember. X(
I don't like Dante or Trevor, but of the two, Dante is MUCH better.

[laminy.livejournal.com]

Dante = strictly male-only, I think it's uber masculine; plus, I hate it, because it makes me think of Hell, which makes me think of the Devil, so not a fan.

Trevor was a name I remember hating and making fun of when I was like, 10. "It looks like Tree-vor, that's stupid." Now I'm just sort of indifferent; I think it might be a little dated to the '80s.

[pegasus2o5.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine Dante on a girl, but I do like the name, and Trevor, too. Trev is a very awesome nickname.

[chadwah.livejournal.com]

My nephew is named Dante, mn Lemieux (French for "the best"). But his great-grandpa still sometimes calls him "Dan-tee." I could imagine it on a girl, but I think it would work better for a boy. I've known him long enough now that I think he really suits his name.