Your opinion?

[followingwords.livejournal.com]

I am completely and utterly in love with the name of Jayne (pronounced like "Jane") for a boy. I heard the name on "Firefly" and fell immediately in love with it. Hubby isn't totally against it, but he's not totally for it either; he's worried that our future son would be picked on.

Thoughts?

Comments

[mommyaubrey.livejournal.com]

Almost as bad as a boy names Sue. Really John Doe Jane Doe. Whoever came up with that pretty well made the genders to go with those names set in stone.

[u2angel.livejournal.com]

Personally, I like it. Sure, he might get picked on for it but then what name won't get you picked on? Kids will find a way to tease no matter what your name is.

[alyssa22.livejournal.com]

Heard of the song A Boy Named Sue?

Kid will get the crap kicked out of him. If you go ahead with it, you'd better also save up for his counselling sessions.

[freaky-nea.livejournal.com]

Jayne Cobb is so badass! I love that name, too!

[rocklobstah84.livejournal.com]

i strongly dislike it

[ma-ee-uh.livejournal.com]

Horrible.

[spaceandclouds.livejournal.com]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1BJfDvSITY

A boy named Sue.

I definitely wouldn't do it. And if you HAVE to...make it a middle name :).

[orange-poptart.livejournal.com]

Anyone who's a firefly fan will applaud you, but everyone else will make fun of him or silently think to themselves that it's a cruel thing to name your child. River said it herself "Jayne is a girl's name"

[hikerpoet.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I love either spelling as a girl's name, but not on a boy. Maybe, just maybe, I'd give it as a middle name and if they decide they like it as much as I do they can go by it later.

[birdsonthewire.livejournal.com]

So wait, you want to give him a girls name that is also spelled with a gratuitous 'y' in it? To what? Ultra feminize it even more?

I know you mean well but seriously this would be a huge issue for him. Realize he will have to be his own individual person and carry that name around forever, even after you cease to exist. Is it really fair to inflict that on a person just bc you like some book or something (whatever it is)?

I think you should get a male dog/cat/hamster/fish and name THAT Jayne.

[iamunicorngirl.livejournal.com]

I really like that name too, but honestly he will get picked on. it's rather a shame, but it's true. it's a "boy named sue" type of name - he'll need the masculinity to live up to it, and that's a lot of pressure. Maybe as a middle name instead? Or at least give him a very masculine middle name so he can chose to go by it if he doesn't like the femininity of jayne.

[joereaves.livejournal.com]

I was coming here to ask if anyone else was now singing A Boy Named Sue, but given the comments I think I know the answer to that lol.

If you like it and the character that much, make it a middle name. But also remember that a character you adore now and think you will always love might *not* be a character you care much about in a few years time (also the reason fandom tattoos are a bad idea unless you've put a lot of thought into them first).

Edited to fix a typo that turned one of the sentences into gibberish...

edited for clarity

[vanish.livejournal.com]

If you like it that much, then go for it. The reality is that he'll always be mistaken for a girl "on paper" and he probably will endure some teasing, but kids tease each other for just about any reason, anyway.

Two of my favorite boys' names are Lynn and Shannon, which tend to be used on girls moreso than boys, so I'm a little biased!

[ghostpassenger.livejournal.com]

You've kind of missed the point of naming that character Jayne. It was supposed to be ironic to contrast his brutish manner. But names like Jay, Jason, Jaisen, can work instead.

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

I have really mixed feelings on this. As you can see by my icon, I am a fan of Firefly. In fact, it is my all-time favorite show. I like Jayne. I think he has hidden depths. That said, I think there would even be some fans of the show that would question that pick, not only because it is a girl's name but because many see him only as the rough-n-tumble, rude-and-crude (not to mention dumb), amoral mercenary.

Outside of fandom, there is still the girl's name issue. I am all for names that were once considered male being put back on boys (Lindsay, Mackenzie, Lauren, Shannon, Kelly, Quinn, etc.), but you wouldn't even have the "it's technically unisex" thing to fall back on, and even if it was, kids on the playground probably wouldn't care about a technicality anyway. Jayne is big and strong; he can have that intimidation factor to keep people from making fun, but what if your boy is some skinny, soft-spoken, geek? (NOTE: I find nothing wrong with these qualities in a boy, but other people will stereotype.)

I would probably suggest putting it as the middle name with a masculine first name. You can still call him by his middle name instead, but it puts a more boyish name on the school rosters so he can choose if he wants the class to know what he goes by or can choose to be known by the masculine name.

[tokibee.livejournal.com]

I like it as a middle name :)

[ezekiel-stryker.livejournal.com]

I think it's a great name. And with the next generation of kids, it could be easily ignored as far as bullying. It's not nearly as bad as "Ashley" which is also a boys name. Then again I grew up with a guy named Courtney Joy- everyone called him CJ. His parents were very set on the name. He was one of the coolest guys I knew and everyone loved him.

But as someone else said it will always be a girls name on paper. It could be paired with another androgynous middle name. Like Chris. Or an ultra masculine name like Alexander or Thomas.

If you like the name, go for it. You could also pick something else from the series. Atherton was nice but not the pillar of masculinity in names.

[vesper-l.livejournal.com]

I'm in love with Jane for a girl, so I can't say I'm a huge fan of Jayne for a boy. I think that kids will pick on him. And, if he goes into an interview or a meeting with someone he's never met, if they see Jayne Smith, they're (probably) going to assume that it's a woman they are meeting which could lead to awkward situations for your future son. As someone who has a more masculine name, it's a situation that I've (unfortunately) found myself in, and it is very uncomfortable. Just something to think about.

[julia-michelle.livejournal.com]

I love it as the character and show, but wouldn't use it on a baby for many of the reasons pointed out here already.

DH suggested it for our boy due in February, but I turned it down in spite of him kicking and dancing when played Jayne's Song on my iPhone on my belly. Good to know the baby wants to be a badass, but he'll have to suffice with a different name ;)

[iantosgal.livejournal.com]

Ueoshgosdgiaeroikajofkj\;df!!! JAYNE! FIREFLY! :DDDDDDD

Sorry, I am a huge Firefly fan so this made me very happy. I have to admit though, as much as I love Firefly, I don't know if I'd call my son Jayne. I think your hubby's point about being picked on is valid. BUT my dad nearly called me Stevie so...you know, each to their own.

My friends name is India and she was teased a lot at school and called "China", "Asia", stuff like that. But it's a beautiful name and she loves it now.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, he might get picked on but he might love it. Jayne is a very feminine name though.

I'm not being very helpful am I?

[kitchen-poet.livejournal.com]

So wait, you want to give him a girls name that is also spelled with a gratuitous 'y' in it? To what? Ultra feminize it even more?

This. The Y makes it even more girly. Think Jayde, Aidynn, Kaylee, etc.

[turple-purtle.livejournal.com]

No, no, no. I like that spelling, but it's not a boy's name. Grandpa Jayne...?

[being-lola-star.livejournal.com]

All I'm singing now is The Ballad of Jayne! It would be difficult to pull off the name simply because of it's associations as a female name. Had Firefly managed to run for a few more seasons and more people knew about it then I'd go for it. Otherwise, proceed with caution.

Personally I love it but that's because Jayne is one of my favourite characters.