Masculine and incorrect

[amyeliz.livejournal.com]

A friend on facebook just announced the arrival of her NIECE:

Eliot Dru

This is a triple offense, in my opinion.

1) Those are both male names

2) *Elliot

3) *Drew

I WILL concede that, when I really think about it and remove all memory of Elliot being a male name...it actually sounds feminine and pretty. But I imagine it being spelled Elliette (which is hideous, but I can work on it).

Thoughts? Judgements? Snarky, witty observations?

Comments

Optimistic comment!

[trishy-h.livejournal.com]

They might have spelled it like that to honour TS Eliot? A female Eliot makes me think of the doctor from Scrubs. And I quite liked her so...yeah. I have nothing to say about Dru. Oh no, wait, LOL, what if it's a tribute to that R&B boy band from the early 00s, Dru Hill? What a postmodern name!

[bloojanuary.livejournal.com]

Hmm...I actually like Elliette! I've been looking for a name to use with the nickname Ellie (my hubby hates Eliana, which I love).

As for the original name, Eliot Dru: Meh.

[blosmbee.livejournal.com]

I don't see anything wrong with the name. I've known a couple of baby girls named Elliot (I'm not sure of the spelling, but Eliot doesn't seem unreasonable to me).

I think it's kind of funny you're pointing out all the "wrong" in this name while ignoring the fact that Drew isn't really a proper name, but is instead a nickname for Andrew. I mean, if we're going to be purists in here...

[duckduckcaboose.livejournal.com]

While Elliott is the spelling I prefer, Eliot is an accepted spelling of the name, a la T.S. Eliot. Eliot/Elliot/Elliott is becoming more popular for girls, unfortunately. I think partially because of Scrubs.

Dru spelled like that does seem more feminine. It makes me think of Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Spike called her "Dru" a lot. I don't like it as a stand-alone name though, it seems incomplete.

Re: Optimistic comment!

[duckduckcaboose.livejournal.com]

Ah, I said the same thing about Eliot. I should type faster. There were no comments when I started typing.

[ex-thegreyl.livejournal.com]

I was going to make these exact points, but you have done it for me. :D YAY

[amyeliz.livejournal.com]

I'm not a "purist" - and I do realize that Drew originated as a nickname of Andrew, but it is common enough to be considered a name in and of itself (like Betsy from Elizabeth).

[retrodancekitty.livejournal.com]

After Scrubs (tv show) I don't see it as a problem for Elliot to be used as a girl and from what I've always gathered, Elliott, Elliot and Eliot are all legit versions, although I prefer Elliot.

I'm with you on the fact that the double androgynous name is an epic fail.

Elliette wouldn't quite be pronounced the same, and I personally would be induced to say Elly-ET.

[amyeliz.livejournal.com]

I read Elliette almost like "Elite" in my mind, and am trying to think of another way to spell it.

I LOVE Ellie! And Eliana is lovely.

Elliotte? Meh. I can't improve it.

Like I said, the name Elliot really DOES sound feminine and pretty in my mind. I sort of wonder why it was ever a boy's name to begin with!

Re: Optimistic comment!

[amyeliz.livejournal.com]

I have never watched Scrubs, but I DO remember Dru Hill. Haha, I'm going to pretend you're correct, because it tickles me.

[amyeliz.livejournal.com]

Yes. ElliETTE is how it ends up reading in my mind, too.

[amyeliz.livejournal.com]

I never watched Scrubs nor Buffy, but definitely feel that Dru is incomplete. I guess it's the more offensive of the two, to me.

[amyeliz.livejournal.com]

And, back to my main point...TWO male names? Double whammy. Eliot...Danielle? I'm trying to think of another D that would feminize the name.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

I like it.

Eliot is a perfectly correct way to spell the name, and as a surname has some wonderful literary echoes (I much prefer it to the bland Elliott). Sure, using a surname as a first name is more common with boys, but why not girls?

And Dru could be a contraction of Drusilla - again, a perfectly normal practice.

It's a coolly elegant name that will wear well, especially when she grows up.

[amyeliz.livejournal.com]

I can agree that, if it IS in honor of the surname, Eliot is more acceptable.

But "coolly elegant?" For a female? To me, it reads "screamingly trendy."

[octobre09.livejournal.com]

Elliot and Drew are two names that I like for both girls and boys. Honestly I associate them more to girls because I know a girl named Elliot and when I hear Drew (Dru), I think Barrymore so...But I guess I also generally love boy names for girl.

[amyeliz.livejournal.com]

I think what makes is so awful to me is that they're BOTH boyish names. Like I said, I think Eliot/Elliot/Elliott etc etc sounds pretty and feminine...even more so if you threw a feminine middle name in.

But when I imagine the name on a roster, I just think it SCREAMS little boy, with a trendy spelling.

I am actually fond of boy names for girls (NEVER the reverse) in certain scenarios. But I guess I just feel strongly that it has to be followed by a feminine middle name, OR be a masculine nickname derived from a longer female name.

[bonobaby.livejournal.com]

Both names are actually unisex and I think it is a lovely name. I have known female Elliots (often shortened to Eli) and I have known a Drew or too. The spelling of Dru doesn't bother me, nor does the spelling Eliot.

It's an awesome name and I picture a very strong woman, with a lovely view of the world wearing it.

[coendou.livejournal.com]

I've heard/seen Dru as a nn for the female name Drusilla, so maybe it's from that? And yeah, I halfway think of Eliot as a girl's name due to Scrubs, and since this isn't the first female Eliot I've heard of recently, I wonder if it's getting set to become unisex like Jordan did 20 years ago.

[cremepuff.livejournal.com]

At least they didn't spell the middle name Jrue. I have seen that before, in professional sports, in fact. And yes, it was pronounced "Drew."

[amyeliz.livejournal.com]

NO! Are you serious? Jrue? *shudder*

[amyeliz.livejournal.com]

I really do think it SOUNDS pretty for a girl. I just struggle with separating it from the masculine place it has always inhabited in my mind!

[amyeliz.livejournal.com]

Too modern of a spelling for me, as a first name. I do realize T.S. Eliot lived long ago, but that was a surname. The first name, until recent years, was always Elliot or Elliott.

[retrodancekitty.livejournal.com]

OMG that made LOL IRL. How sicilian do you have to be for that to happen?

[retrodancekitty.livejournal.com]

HAHHAHAA your icon + this reply = TOO much!!