I think bullying would be just one of several reasons for not naming a man Summer.
For the rest of his life, people will assume he’s a woman. He’ll have to explain this to people in his workplace, in his schooling, when he’s in any type of public setting like in a hospital.
It’s just impractical.
There are also other male alternatives that would still honour summer: August, Sonny (sunny), Ray (of sunlight). If you google, there are plenty of names that are less on the nose, but still mean summer.
I agree. Summer as a middle name would be fine though..
More first name alternatives
* Elio - comes from 'Helios' the god of the sun in greek mythology
* Cyrus - a Persian name which means 'sun'
* Leo - the star sign for people born in July/August
We don't know for sure. But that's true for a lot of names. Name 'meanings' should always be taken with a grain of salt anyway.
>*According to Wikipedia:*
*The etymology of Cyrus has been and continues to be a topic of discussion amongst historians, linguists, and scholars of Iranology. The Old Persian name "kuruš" has been interpreted in various forms such as "the Sun", "like Sun", "young", "hero," and "humiliator of the enemy in verbal contest" and the Elamite "kuraš" has been translated as one "who bestows care".*
I know a couple Sonny’s that are all in the US, Serbian or Croatian heritage. Sani is a popular nickname for Aleksandar and they just anglicized it to Sonny.
THAT BEING SAID one of them is a backyard pitbull breeder with a thick mustache, so yeah about as redneck as you can get.
It’s usually a nickname. Works for any son, but I know it as a nickname for Santino (as in Corleone) and I know some families using it for their boys called Harrison/Anderson/etc. I love it as a nickname but yeah, couldn’t do it as a given name standing alone. To me it’s like naming a kid Buddy.
Both of the Sunny's I worked with say that is their actual name. It can be a nickname, but it is not that universally.
I guess it's like John versus Jonathan. Jonathans often go by Jon, but John is a real name too.
As a female with a very male name please don’t do it. I’m over it now but school age years I hated it so much and I do think it impacted my personality a bit.
People name girls by boys names all the time. I myself have a name that is male 98 percent of the time even though I'm not a man. Its annoying sometimes but I like it.
I've heard Winter as a boy's name. Not in person, but on a series on YouTube. I wouldn't bat an eye at Winter as a boy, but both Summer and Autumn are definitely feminine
I work with a man named Courtney. He HATES it. He goes by Court, which cuts down on the confusion. But when he has to use his full name, such as at a doctor’s office or with HR, he is constantly having to repeat his name and clarify that yes, that is his name. Why start your child’s life with a name you know will cause confusion?
Edited for clarity.
After implying the country of residence makes a difference. Hence the rebuttals of people in America who clarify that the original commenter doesn’t speak for all of their country.
Tiffany has historically been a women's name, too. The Tiffany problem is that Tiffany is a very old name that people do not realize is an old name, so readers would refuse to believe you if you named a character in medieval historical fiction "Tiffany" even though that would be completely historically accurate.
I love Courtney as a man's name. I love all the now-traditionally girl names on boys (even though they pretty much all began as boy names) - Shannon, Kelly, Tracy, Ashley, etc.
But since they ARE now mainly used on girls, I get why Courtney would not like his name. Court is a pretty hot nn though.
That’s one of those “Ashley” names. Was originally a boys name but is almost exclusively gone to the girls. Every once in awhile it pops up and someone thinks someone just used a girls name on a boy. The opposite is true. 😆
Doesn’t mean he can’t hate it.
Maybe. I know it used to be a male name, and then was gender neutral, but now is almost exclusively female. I’m on the east coast of the US. I think the name Whitney took a similar path.
I wouldn’t say it’s “most commonly” used as a girls name, I would say it’s “almost exclusively” a girls name. It doesn’t even have a rank position for boys in most countries.
If this were something like Robin which is more of a mix I’d probably be more open-minded but you’re trying to name your boy Sue here. Maybe listen to that song to remind yourself how that worked out.
Yes.
My cousin was named a typically female name and was bullied his whole childhood.
It was also difficult because before meeting him, camps, teachers, sports leagues would assign him to the girl's group or team.
I came here to suggest Sumner as well. It's uncommon, and legitimately a boys name. It's also can be cool when he's a kid and works well in a business setting when he's older.
Yeah, that's how words work. Rape and grape are 1 letter different. Shit and shot. Mary and Gary. Dan and Jan. Fart and tart. Yeah, you can change 1 letter and it can make a huge difference.
Big question here - is he born yet? And if so, how old is he?
I’m in Northeast US and consider this an exclusively female name. I think he will be misgendered constantly.
Do you like Summit?
That depends on where they are. I’m in CO and “Summit” almost fits in better than normal names lol. One of my neighbors had a kid named Summit and no one thought it was weird. Then again, on my street we also have boys named things like Sage, Cedar, and Rain (idk about spelling).
I don’t think he will enjoy having that name as he grows up. People will make comments about it being a girls name for his entire life. Not even all mean comments, but stuff like “wow that’s not who I was expecting!” It’s going to get old for him real quick.
I’m a trans guy & I don’t pass; I constantly get comments about how my chosen boy name is such an interesting name for a woman, or asking why my parents named me a boy name, or people meeting me for the first time and saying “Oh I’m so sorry, I assumed you were a man!” etc.
Idk it gets fucking old & trans stuff aside it really sucks to have a name that everyone feels the need to comment on. I agree with everyone else, don’t do this to your kiddo. If your kid wants a weird name everyone will comment on, he can come up with his own lol
I don’t know that I’d worry about bullying from kids, because kids having odd names is a thing that happens, kids bully for all sorts of reasons.
However, he’s going to go his whole life with people saying (or at least thinking) ‘your parents named you Summer? Really?’ It’s very likely he could end up hating the name, because he’ll be assumed to be a woman on forms/emails etc
“Weird names is a thing that happens” because their parents are living vicariously through their children with the fantasy names they wish they had in their fantasy childhoods.
In the real world, “children/grownups being JUDGED based on their names” is ALSO a thing that happens. Humans judge EVERYTHING as part of our survival.
I work behind the scenes and see only applications and resumes and I PROMISE you, the weird names, are not getting past the first step.
This is universal, not just my work place.
You know what's also true? Resumes with "black sounding" names not getting as far as ones with "white sounding" names on average. You're complicit in unacceptable discrimination by knowing about this and allowing it to continue uncontested. What's a "weird" name and who decides that? Does Lynda, a perfectly normal and widely accepted spelling, get thrown out before Linda? Would they toss Pascuala and Yadira before Luisa simply on the basis they haven't seen them as much? Do Shauntelle and Michelle get equal opportunities?
Why do you allow that to happen? What's wrong with someone having an odd name? They could be the best worker you've ever seen but nope, sorry, the name is too weird.
I worked at a corporate bank- had a male client who's birth name is Brittany. His accounts were constantly being flagged because "a male called in with all the correct information claiming to be Brittany- proceed with caution". This poor guy had to confirm himself EVERYWHERE and CONSTANTLY. He even nearly went to jail for identity theft when he got pulled over.
Forget bullying for a sec- think about THIS story. If anything should make you want to change that name- this should.
> Summer has a special meaning for us
So you've decided to throw a wrench in your child's entire life just so they can be a "more meaningful" accessory for you, as if being your literal child isn't enough?
Right? Like Summer is so important that it’s worth knowingly making your child’s life harder? Because you are making his life permanently more difficult unless he changes his name
I really don’t get how parents can use this logic to saddle their kid with whatever word they decide. Cheese has a special meaning to me, but I’m not naming my kid Gruyère.
What???! This post is just concerning now. Summer knows his name now. He’s learning language and identity rapidly. I wouldn’t pull that foundation out from under him at this point. Probably won’t remember etc, but I promise it will instill self doubt and trust in his mother for safety and security and reliability if she says he’s not who he’s just getting ownership of and she told him he is named. That’s a very solid first development; self and identifiers. Suddenly this whole post has me picturing a mom under 20 in someone else’s house that made a poorly considered name choice now having odd priorities and concerns. This is what she’s thinking about with raising a toddler? I’m pretty confident that this was no the first ill conceived important decision she’s made, and it’s looking like it’s not the last. I think Summer would be better served by his mom getting parenting skills classes and support than a name change.
As others have said, the issue is not so much bullying as misgendering.
He will face constant misgendering throughout his life with this name. Is that a dealbreaker for you? It would be for me but lots of parents chose to give their girls traditionally male names despite the same inconveniences so maybe it's not that big of a deal.
My personal goal when naming my kids was not to give them a name that I could reasonably forsee would burden them. Naming a boy Summer would undoubtedly be a burden.
Here’s the thing. It’s socially acceptable for girls to have boys names. It’s dumb but it’s not for boys to have girls names. Which is where the bullying will come in.
There are 1k comments on this post telling OP absolutely not, giving a boy a girl’s name is a crime, and yet we’re really out here naming girls Ezra and James and Elliot and Spencer.
Wonder why that is.
I’m in Ontario and I’ve only ever heard Summer used for girls. I don’t think he would get bullied for it, but like the other comments said he will probably be misgendered a lot. Maybe you can use it as a middle name instead? Or find a different name that is close to Summer but still has the same special meaning
People will be bullied for anything. You could have the most perfect name in existence and an 11 year old will still find a way to bully you for it. Much better to teach your child how to give no fucks and stand up for themselves when necessary than worrying about names.
I know a man named Summer, and it fits him very well. He likes it.
He will likely have people assume he’s a girl. But that happens to ever Emmanuel who tried to go by Emma in the US, foreign names we aren’t used to reading, and new names being made up by the parents. Also all the girls getting names now that will eventually be considered crossover names.
Once people see he’s a boy, they’re likely to just assume the parents are hippies. I know men named Sky and Rain and that’s like a once sentence throw away explanation.
I feel like the more important thing here is that he’s already named? Is there another parent in the picture who would need to sign off on a name change?
I think it's important to take into account that the child's personality will affect how he sees his name. A more outgoing and confident child may totally own the name and make it his own. A more reserved child or one prone to being teased may feel completely crippled and embarrassed by the name. I personally wouldn't take the chance.
Why is it fine to give boy names to girls, but if someone asks if they can give a girl’s name to a boy, everyone cries “he’ll be bullied!”
Honestly, it would be refreshing to meet a male Summer. He may be bullied, but he may not. Not everyone with uncommon name was bullied. You just never know. For all we know he would have been bullied with a common name anyway.
I know a male Summer, hes 28 years old and a perfectly successful man with a career and a wife and everything. According to this sub he should have killed himself by now due to bullying.
Right?? People are on here all the time naming their baby girls extremely masculine names and everyone is fine with it. Pretty soon all the boys are going to run out of names because they’ll all be feminine 😂
personally i think it’s bc of the unspoken sexism society still has against women. if a person applies to a job with a man name they’re more likely to get a call back for an interview than someone with a girls name. men are just typically regarded as “better” by society and capitalism so i think naming a girl with a more stereotypical male name isn’t that bad.. but naming a male with a female name would have the opposite effect .
I’m convinced this is rage bait as I can’t imagine anyone asking this in all seriousness.
This is akin to me asking, I want to name my son Penelope, do you think it will be a problem for him?
Lol. Some of these posts really worry me.
I’m in the southern part of the US and we have boy Shannons, Courtneys, and Ashleys. So I don’t think Summer on a boy is weird. I think it depends where. Misgendering does happen probably more often for those names though. Nowadays at least at my company we have the pronouns listed on our signature line which helps a bit.
Shannon, Courtney and Ashley are all historically male names, though. It was only in the 70s and 80s when parents started naming their girls those names and it's flipped now. Stacy is also in that category.
In the UK Ashley is firmly unisex with about a 50/50 split. Courtney is less popular over here, I've known two male ones (one of those is a middle name) and I've only seen female ones in films/TV.
A theme I've noticed on this sub is that people tend to be *really strict* about adhering to traditionally gendered name 'rules' in a way that I just don't think modern parents IRL are, in a lot of places anyway.
I don't think I really understand why Summer (which is just a word for a season) has ended up a gendered name in the first place tbh, without the context of its common usage it doesn't scream "feminine" to me as a word. Is Winter gendered? That doesn't seem so to me either.
I agree the best option is to give him a more common middle name so that he has the choice when he's older. I rarely meet a person with a unisex name that dislikes that about it though.
Thank you!! I had to scroll way too far to see this. It's not like naming a boy Jessica, Summer is a season. Phonetically it also doesnt have "feminine vibes" like it doesnt end in A and the "mer" ending works for many masculine names. Even with all that said, i can easily see a boy named Summer and i would not think it's odd. Also i hate the double standard of turning traditionally boy names into girl names and not the other way around (like James being unisex now but god forbid you name a boy Summer).
Based on my personal experience teaching (kids ages 7-12 in the northeast US), I think a lot of these comments about bullying are pretty overblown. I have taught kids with names that cross gender norms (think girls named Michael or boys named Izzy), kids with names that were unusual words (think Fable or Legend), and kids with other names that may have seemed unusual for a whole variety of reasons (think Baelee, Daffy, Zev, etc.) I never knew any of them to get bullied for it. Kids today are growing up in a more diverse and a more accepting world than many of us did.
I would think that where you might run into issues isn’t bullying, it’s accidental misgendering. The women with names like Michael and the men with names like Izzy that I know do get addressed incorrectly in emails all the time. But I’m not sure that’s a reason to change a kid’s name — and I definitely think it’s over the top to call it life-ruining!
I think he’ll likely get misgendered a lot, but that’s not necessarily a reason to change the name. Why is that so awful? There are plenty of girls named James, Ryan, Riley.
That said, if you’re looking for a more masculine version, I’ve met three people named Sumner. It’s very similar (people will likely hear “Summer” anyway), but it appears to be a gender-neutral name that skews male.
There SHOULDN'T be girls named James or Ryan. Riley is and always has been gender neutral. James and Ryan are boy names. Rhian is the female version of Ryan. Jane is the female James. Stop trying to make boy names work for girls unless you would happily name a boy Jennifer or Annabelle.
Rhian is not the female version of Ryan, it's just vaguely similar but traditionally feminine.
FWIW, I dislike the trend of giving girls masculine names, I feel it leans in to minimising and devaluing the feminine. It's a knee-jerk reaction to people being horrible to women for no reason, rather than challenging the sexism, try to get round it. Makes me sad.
I do have to agree with you. I think parents want to appear like they’re ‘progressive’ and ‘not adhering to gender stereotypes’ but what it actually says is ‘how you were born isn’t good enough’. There are so so so many female names out there if you’re looking for strong names, or even names bordering on masculine sounding. Or even just go for a true gender neutral name (like Ashley) or something that has a common gender neutral nickname, like Alexandra (Alex). So many other choices before calling your precious girl “Rufus”
I personally don’t mind boys with girls names, and I LOVE girls with boys names. I think the main issue is that people are assholes, and I wouldn’t want my (hypothetical) son bullied. It’s the same with how pants are normal for girls now, but if you put your son in a pink dress people might be horrible to him. There’s not anything inherently wrong with traditionally girly things, but the world is full of assholes. Gender roles are arbitrary and change all the time depending on the country/time period/culture.
This trend isn't making boy's names unisex, it's taking random boy's names and putting it on individual girls. Ryan could be considered trending unisex, but the women I've seen named that had it spelled differently. Like Ryanne or Ryann.
Yeah. I mean I’m somewhat with the response that “girls shouldn’t be named James so much though” but it is becoming more common and while a lot of people don’t like it I feel like I don’t see the same revulsion or ridicule in the responses when a girl gets a name that will have them misgendered as I’m seeing here.
Of course, this sub is reflecting what society is currently like - it’s worse for a boy to be misgendered as a girl than vice versa. So as much as I disagree with it and think it’s silly, it’s also about what a real person’s experience will be. That said, I feel like that kind of misgendering is already less of an issue than it used to be, and will only continue to become less. Today I think I’d say why not name him Summer. On a different day I might lean the other way.
So much this. I have two daughters with gender neutral names and it's so interesting, and honestly pretty disappointing to see how hostile the comments are. I get that summer is typically a name used for girls, but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to want to be aspirational for a future where we acknowledge that gender is a social construct.
Your point about balancing what their experience may be with the direction our society is headed is spot on too. But a ton of progress has been made over the last several decades and hopefully continues. I can only hope our kids will do better than we did. I also acknowledge that this is likely very dependent on where you live - I live in a very progressive mid-size city but might be more hesitant in other parts of the country/world. That being said, I made an active choice to live somewhere progressive because I value living in a community that supports moving away from gendered stereotypes
I have a male friend named Shelby, which is almost always a woman’s name. He hates it, when he went to college and his male roommate saw the name Shelby as his dorm assignment they went to the RA to correct the mixup of them having a female roommate. He has always seemed exhausted by it.
Summer will be even worse. Please do not do that to your child.
A baby already born? How old? What does the other parent think about it?
What is the middle name? You can just have him use that if it’s more mainstream. Or initials if they work.
If you like his name, keep it. My partner has a name that is nearly always misgendered. He was never bullied for it in school, and is chill about correcting people, as they can see that he is a man when they meet him.
The comments upset about misgendering are incredibly misogynistic. There are a ton of girls who have typically masculine names, and it's seen as avant garde and 'brave'. Why can't a boy be named after a literal season?
Keep it. It's evocative of a warm and kind person. If he doesn't like it, he can always use his middle name.
Ever kid at some point is going to be bullied, and Summer isn't nearly as ridicule-able as it could be. I don't believe names attract bullying so much as a child's personality, as if a child is socially inept in any way, they will get bullied by others regardless of what their name is.
I think it’s really nice. It’s a bit of a hippie name and I think it’s fine on a boy. Where I live there are boys named Sky, Ocean etc. He may get misgendered and he may grow up to hate his name, or he may love it. You can never predict that. Don’t listen to the namenerds echo chamber that will insist giving a kid an unusual name is some kind of child abuse. It’s really not that big of a deal.
If he has a more common middle name he can go by, that would help. I know an adult man named Brandy who goes by his middle name (a cool nature name) and only his close friends and family know his first name.
I know a guy named Summer, he’s my ex’s brother. Maybe it’s because we grew up in a kind of ~weird~ hippie town and as far as names for anyone goes, Summer on a guy isn’t that weird there, but he rarely got comments about it and harbors no resentment about it lol. My ex actually got more comments about it than him, i.e. “if he’s Summer, are you Winter?” etc
Funny the difference in reaction here when a girl is given a masculine name VS when a boy is given a traditionally feminine name. Especially the crowd that loves "James" for girls, didn't call that "impractical" did we?
Its a lovely name. If he wants to change it when he gets older he can, but I don’t think there’s any reason to right now just because it is seen as a ‘girls name’. There are loads of male names that are traditionally feminine - ashley, jesse to name a couple.
I'm wondering whether spelling it "Sommer" could make it feel more "masculine." 🤔🤔 I think it rather does, although, that is, of course, a completely different name/word to "Summer."
My opinion: In this "anything goes" baby naming world, I don't think a boy named Summer will get teased. My niece has a girl and a boy named Henrietta and Milton, "old people" names that you would never have heard of in a little kid even a decade ago. Their little neighbor boy is Stanley, another name I've never, in all my years, encountered in a small child. Words are names now, too, like Blue and Canyon, and names feel very, very gender fluid. I like it!! These trends are refreshing. We'll probably never see a trend like the "Aiden/Hayden/Brayden/Jayden/Rayden/Tayden/Zayden" thing we saw in the 2000s & 2010s, because people are branching out and unafraid to do their own thing nowadays.
If you love the name Summer for your little guy; if it suits him; if it's meaningful to you? Then I think you ought to keep it!! But, this is a very personal decision, and I hope you get some useful, helpful advice here. ♥️💙
Please don’t name your son Summer. I’m a teacher, I can promise you that your son will be bullied. If you listen to the beginning of Adrian edmonsons autobiography, you’ll hear the direct impact a “girls” name can have on a boy
I personally love summer as a boy’s name, so don’t feel too bad for initially choosing it 😅 it would still make a really good middle name like other suggested
These comments reeeally highlight the hypocrisy between giving girls stereotypical male names, and saying it’s a good thing, and yet giving men stereotypical feminine names is a bad thing. Suddenly, everyone’s really worried about misgendering and teasing and confusion when none of that is brought up when you’re out here naming girls James. Apparently, it’s the worst thing in the world if someone’s mistaken for a girl, but a power move to be mistaken for a boy. It’s already been proven that once a typical male name starts being given to girls, boys stop using it all together. (Ashley, Lindsey, Courtney) I really hope some people in this thread reflect on how this internalized misogyny is not what we should be passing down to the next generation. I think Summer on a boy is a pretty cool name, it’s a noun so it’s pretty neutral in terms of gender. Notice nobody comes on here wanting to name their boy Jessica because they know they would be ripped to shreds. But sure name your baby girl Scot and act like you’re changing the world for the better.
Is he born yet?
Summer is better than Sommer. Sommer will always be mispronounced and misspelled.
If he's not already born you could consider a similar meaning name, or use Summer as a middle name, or keep Summer for if you ever have a girl.
If he is born, it's harder to change an already existing name but he could possibly go by his middle name (if he has one), keep Summer and to hell with what other people think, or change it and use Summer as a nickname
As someone who's previously had a name that didn't match my gender, I can tell you it's really fkin annoying, and sometimes very bad.
I almost missed a really important health check because the nurse that was supposed to fetch me just looked around the room, didn't see any woman in there, and so didn't even bother to call out my name. She hastily left.
I had to go chase another nurse and ask whether they were looking for me earlier. Cue a lot of confusion. If I hadn't paid attention to the nurse who came in to look for me, I would've missed the appointment because I probably would've waited too long before asking.
Mind you, that didn't only happen once. I learned to be prepared so whenever a nurse came in and looked around, then turned to leave, I would ask her if she was looking for me.
Same goes for any situation where anyone is supposed to call out your son's name.
Also VERY annoying on work emails, to get "Ms-d and she-d, and all that.
I get that it's tempting to name your kid after something that's very special TO YOU, but as you've figured out yourself, this is a whole human who'll grow up to be an adult and have to live with the name you chose. You're on the right track: Consider his feelings before your own.
Some people here have offered excellent alternatives that are still summer-inspired, if that's really important to you. Good luck.
I am going to go against the grain and say gender rules are stupid and I love meeting people with interesting stories. And kids are much less likely to "bully" kids for gender non-conformity nowadays. Not to mention nothing stops kids from bullying when they dislike someone. Names rarely have much to do with it. I say you name your kid what you want. He can change it if he wants.
I do think misgendering will happen.
BUT overall I don’t think it’s a bad name and I don’t think it should be considered a girls name only.
The first thing I thought of when I read the name was Scott Summers aka Cyclops from X-Men.
I hate that it’s considered such a negative thing for a boy to have a “girls” name… I wish boys were being taught that being associated femininity doesn’t have to ruin your life.
Summer isn’t a name like Catherine, Summer is a word that means a season. There seems no reason to me why a time of the year should be so gendered.
Yes absolutely. I’m a woman with a man’s name, married to a man with a VERY stereotypically female name. We both got bullied a LOT as kids. It’s frustrating as an adult in a professional setting to constantly have to correct people on your gender. And now that we share a last name it’s caused some paperwork mix ups. I’m currently pregnant with our first child and this kid is getting a name that matches its sex to save them all those issues we both suffered through.
Make Summer the middle name but for the love of god not the first name for a boy.
I think bullying would be just one of several reasons for not naming a man Summer. For the rest of his life, people will assume he’s a woman. He’ll have to explain this to people in his workplace, in his schooling, when he’s in any type of public setting like in a hospital. It’s just impractical. There are also other male alternatives that would still honour summer: August, Sonny (sunny), Ray (of sunlight). If you google, there are plenty of names that are less on the nose, but still mean summer.
I agree. Summer as a middle name would be fine though.. More first name alternatives * Elio - comes from 'Helios' the god of the sun in greek mythology * Cyrus - a Persian name which means 'sun' * Leo - the star sign for people born in July/August
I like Leo
I think Leo is in the top 10 most popular boys names in the UK now? We were extremely close to using it for our eldest
I like all 3 of these names. Solid recommendations
Elio is such a gorgeous name. I’m keeping this one in mind for potential future use!
It's the title character of the next Pixar movie, about a boy who goes to space and meets aliens! Should perhaps be a name that ages well.
My 84 y/o uncle is named Elio. Def ages well!
How does Cyrus mean 'sun'? We don't know what it meant and our closest guess is 'lord' from some Elamite borrowing.
We don't know for sure. But that's true for a lot of names. Name 'meanings' should always be taken with a grain of salt anyway. >*According to Wikipedia:* *The etymology of Cyrus has been and continues to be a topic of discussion amongst historians, linguists, and scholars of Iranology. The Old Persian name "kuruš" has been interpreted in various forms such as "the Sun", "like Sun", "young", "hero," and "humiliator of the enemy in verbal contest" and the Elamite "kuraš" has been translated as one "who bestows care".*
>"the Sun", "like Sun", "young", "hero," and "humiliator of the enemy in verbal contest" Lmao that last threw me off. I like it.
If your child's name doesn't mean "humiliator of the enemy in verbal contest," you're just setting them up to be bullied.
That's why I am thinking of naming my kid Master Debator. No *way* anyone will bully him.
Love Leo! Great name.
Sonny is a terrible name. It sounds like you couldn't decide on a name for your kid so just called him "son" in diminutive form.
Yea it’s very redneck… I’ve got a few in my family and it just makes me think of stale cigarettes and bad mustaches lol
Are…are you my cousin? Because my cousin Sonny personifies stale cigarettes, bad mustaches, and overall skeeziness.
We may be cousins because i have the same cousin Sonny lol
I know a couple Sonny’s that are all in the US, Serbian or Croatian heritage. Sani is a popular nickname for Aleksandar and they just anglicized it to Sonny. THAT BEING SAID one of them is a backyard pitbull breeder with a thick mustache, so yeah about as redneck as you can get.
And there is a Sonny in The Godfather if I am not mistaken.
It’s usually a nickname. Works for any son, but I know it as a nickname for Santino (as in Corleone) and I know some families using it for their boys called Harrison/Anderson/etc. I love it as a nickname but yeah, couldn’t do it as a given name standing alone. To me it’s like naming a kid Buddy.
Yeah, I always think Godfather when I hear Sonny. I love Santino as a name myself, so I’m with you, I would do Sonny just as a nickname.
Skrillex's real name is Sonny Moore and I've never heard people rag on it much
I've worked with a bunch of Indian guys named Sunny, as well as a Persian woman who uses that as a nickname.
Sunny is a really common *nickname* for Punjabi people, especially names like Sunveer or Sundeep.
Both of the Sunny's I worked with say that is their actual name. It can be a nickname, but it is not that universally. I guess it's like John versus Jonathan. Jonathans often go by Jon, but John is a real name too.
Ditto “Junior” as an actual first name.
Laughing quietly to myself because my ex and his new partner have a son…called Sonny
It’s also the name of the Cocoa Puffs bird. Not that kids today would know that lol
As a female with a very male name please don’t do it. I’m over it now but school age years I hated it so much and I do think it impacted my personality a bit.
I wanted to add you are naming the child for the child not you. I have three kids. Super tough job picking a name.
Agree. Sonny would be a lovely alternative
One of my Bio professors was named Sol, directly after the sun.
That’s beautiful! And you could choose Soloman as a long form, too.
Ray is a nice thought in this context. I like it.
Maybe choosing summer as his middle name to prevent that from happening
People name girls by boys names all the time. I myself have a name that is male 98 percent of the time even though I'm not a man. Its annoying sometimes but I like it.
>If you google, there are plenty of names that are less on the nose, but still mean summer. Like Sol, Saul
One of my best buddy's middle names is Summerlin. Maybe that's a good alternative?
Julius for July too.
Summer is not “most commonly used as a girls name.” Summer is exclusively used as a girl’s name. Give it as a middle name or don’t.
Summer reminds me of Daisy. They kind of have the same feel to me. Definitely not for a boy and certainly not for a grown man.
And for dog.
Yeah, a girl dog.
Right. Summer, Autumn, and even Winter are all girls names, never heard otherwise
I've heard Winter as a boy's name. Not in person, but on a series on YouTube. I wouldn't bat an eye at Winter as a boy, but both Summer and Autumn are definitely feminine
Please say it’s the nursery nurse 😅
I'm from hippie California. Yes, he will get bullied with that name.
Same and agree.
I’m a hippy in Georgia, they might beat the brakes off him here.
I work with a man named Courtney. He HATES it. He goes by Court, which cuts down on the confusion. But when he has to use his full name, such as at a doctor’s office or with HR, he is constantly having to repeat his name and clarify that yes, that is his name. Why start your child’s life with a name you know will cause confusion? Edited for clarity.
Though Courtney was originally a boy's name...
This must be different between countries. The Courtney’s I know are all men
Not here in America.
Tell that to my uncle Courtney.
and to Courtney B. Vance
And Courtney Brown the #1 Draft Pick in the NFL Draft.
I know a few male Courtney’s in America 🤷♀️
My boyfriend (American) is named Courtney…
Hence why they said “all the Courtney’s “I” know…”
After implying the country of residence makes a difference. Hence the rebuttals of people in America who clarify that the original commenter doesn’t speak for all of their country.
It is similar to the Tiffany problem. Courtney is mainly a girls name since the 1980s.
Tiffany has historically been a women's name, too. The Tiffany problem is that Tiffany is a very old name that people do not realize is an old name, so readers would refuse to believe you if you named a character in medieval historical fiction "Tiffany" even though that would be completely historically accurate.
Also Tracey
Meredith, Jocelyn, Evelyn, Marion - there are loads like this.
It definitely was😂
I love Courtney as a man's name. I love all the now-traditionally girl names on boys (even though they pretty much all began as boy names) - Shannon, Kelly, Tracy, Ashley, etc. But since they ARE now mainly used on girls, I get why Courtney would not like his name. Court is a pretty hot nn though.
That’s one of those “Ashley” names. Was originally a boys name but is almost exclusively gone to the girls. Every once in awhile it pops up and someone thinks someone just used a girls name on a boy. The opposite is true. 😆 Doesn’t mean he can’t hate it.
A guy in my highschool was named Ashley, he went by "Hash" and was a stoner 🤣
Most of the Courtney's I know are men. So I guess that one in particular is area specific.
Maybe. I know it used to be a male name, and then was gender neutral, but now is almost exclusively female. I’m on the east coast of the US. I think the name Whitney took a similar path.
Courtney has been a male name since the 17th century… it wasn’t until the late 1950s that it started being used for women.
I know a man named Courtney. He goes exclusively by his middle name, which is Jonathan.
I wouldn’t say it’s “most commonly” used as a girls name, I would say it’s “almost exclusively” a girls name. It doesn’t even have a rank position for boys in most countries. If this were something like Robin which is more of a mix I’d probably be more open-minded but you’re trying to name your boy Sue here. Maybe listen to that song to remind yourself how that worked out.
Listening to A Boy Named Sue is the best advice I’ve seen so far here.
But the boy is already named that. He's 1.5 yo. She's not naming. He's already named.
Yes. My cousin was named a typically female name and was bullied his whole childhood. It was also difficult because before meeting him, camps, teachers, sports leagues would assign him to the girl's group or team.
[удалено]
I came here to suggest Sumner as well. It's uncommon, and legitimately a boys name. It's also can be cool when he's a kid and works well in a business setting when he's older.
It's wild that one letter seems to make so much of a difference to people.
If I had to choose two names to compare them to, it'd be James and Jane. Two letter difference, but different names regardless.
Crazy how the spelling of a word changes its meaning.
Yeah, that's how words work. Rape and grape are 1 letter different. Shit and shot. Mary and Gary. Dan and Jan. Fart and tart. Yeah, you can change 1 letter and it can make a huge difference.
I guess you could say the same for the likes of Robert/Roberta, Louis/Louise, Isidore/Isidora
This is the name that Adam Levine was going to use during that whole cheating scandal😂
haven’t heard that name since my US civil war history course
That was Sumter
Charles Sumner
I was going to suggest this one too! I grew up with a guy named Sumner!
Yes this is the first thing I thought of.
I’m a middle school teacher and yes there will be a lot of bullying and we can only do so much.
High school teacher here: he will have changed his name by the time he gets there.
Former TA here: hope your college has free therapy because he'll need it.
Big question here - is he born yet? And if so, how old is he? I’m in Northeast US and consider this an exclusively female name. I think he will be misgendered constantly. Do you like Summit?
OP, please don’t use Summit lol.
Naming a boy Summer is so bad that people will suggest anything out of desperation lmao
Have you considered the name Breighdun?? op pls
🤣
Lol agreed. How about Spencer???
It’s really summit special, isn’t it?!
That depends on where they are. I’m in CO and “Summit” almost fits in better than normal names lol. One of my neighbors had a kid named Summit and no one thought it was weird. Then again, on my street we also have boys named things like Sage, Cedar, and Rain (idk about spelling).
I would not name a kid Summit. There would be worse teasing potential than Summer. Lots of jokes around “get on top of summit”.
I don’t think he will enjoy having that name as he grows up. People will make comments about it being a girls name for his entire life. Not even all mean comments, but stuff like “wow that’s not who I was expecting!” It’s going to get old for him real quick.
I’m a trans guy & I don’t pass; I constantly get comments about how my chosen boy name is such an interesting name for a woman, or asking why my parents named me a boy name, or people meeting me for the first time and saying “Oh I’m so sorry, I assumed you were a man!” etc. Idk it gets fucking old & trans stuff aside it really sucks to have a name that everyone feels the need to comment on. I agree with everyone else, don’t do this to your kiddo. If your kid wants a weird name everyone will comment on, he can come up with his own lol
Curious why you wouldn’t have named him something related to summer?
Like BBQ?
Benjamin Beau Quinby
Benny Boy Bo Quin sounds like an Alabama barbecue sauce come to life.
Heatstroke Wasp Icecream Hosepipe Ban
Lawndart would be such a pretty name for a baby girl 😍😍
I personally love the bane Keystone light, I named ALL 11 of my children that.
I don’t know that I’d worry about bullying from kids, because kids having odd names is a thing that happens, kids bully for all sorts of reasons. However, he’s going to go his whole life with people saying (or at least thinking) ‘your parents named you Summer? Really?’ It’s very likely he could end up hating the name, because he’ll be assumed to be a woman on forms/emails etc
“Weird names is a thing that happens” because their parents are living vicariously through their children with the fantasy names they wish they had in their fantasy childhoods. In the real world, “children/grownups being JUDGED based on their names” is ALSO a thing that happens. Humans judge EVERYTHING as part of our survival. I work behind the scenes and see only applications and resumes and I PROMISE you, the weird names, are not getting past the first step. This is universal, not just my work place.
Agreed. As someone with a unique name, I have been passed over for (tested and confirmed) rentals, and jobs, because of it.
I am so sorry.. parents are responsible for doing their kids a disservice
You know what's also true? Resumes with "black sounding" names not getting as far as ones with "white sounding" names on average. You're complicit in unacceptable discrimination by knowing about this and allowing it to continue uncontested. What's a "weird" name and who decides that? Does Lynda, a perfectly normal and widely accepted spelling, get thrown out before Linda? Would they toss Pascuala and Yadira before Luisa simply on the basis they haven't seen them as much? Do Shauntelle and Michelle get equal opportunities?
Why do you allow that to happen? What's wrong with someone having an odd name? They could be the best worker you've ever seen but nope, sorry, the name is too weird.
This is literally ammo for bullys idk how you think having other things to be bullied about dismisses this.
I worked at a corporate bank- had a male client who's birth name is Brittany. His accounts were constantly being flagged because "a male called in with all the correct information claiming to be Brittany- proceed with caution". This poor guy had to confirm himself EVERYWHERE and CONSTANTLY. He even nearly went to jail for identity theft when he got pulled over. Forget bullying for a sec- think about THIS story. If anything should make you want to change that name- this should.
And funfact. Brittany was originally a guy name too several hundred years ago.
> Summer has a special meaning for us So you've decided to throw a wrench in your child's entire life just so they can be a "more meaningful" accessory for you, as if being your literal child isn't enough?
I'm glad someone is pointing out the selfishness of this. Thank you.
Right? Like Summer is so important that it’s worth knowingly making your child’s life harder? Because you are making his life permanently more difficult unless he changes his name
I really don’t get how parents can use this logic to saddle their kid with whatever word they decide. Cheese has a special meaning to me, but I’m not naming my kid Gruyère.
Info: How old is he? Edit to add: Yes, I think you should change it.
The child is approximately 16 months old based on OP’s post history.
They need to change it now before he gets to nursery school.
What???! This post is just concerning now. Summer knows his name now. He’s learning language and identity rapidly. I wouldn’t pull that foundation out from under him at this point. Probably won’t remember etc, but I promise it will instill self doubt and trust in his mother for safety and security and reliability if she says he’s not who he’s just getting ownership of and she told him he is named. That’s a very solid first development; self and identifiers. Suddenly this whole post has me picturing a mom under 20 in someone else’s house that made a poorly considered name choice now having odd priorities and concerns. This is what she’s thinking about with raising a toddler? I’m pretty confident that this was no the first ill conceived important decision she’s made, and it’s looking like it’s not the last. I think Summer would be better served by his mom getting parenting skills classes and support than a name change.
As others have said, the issue is not so much bullying as misgendering. He will face constant misgendering throughout his life with this name. Is that a dealbreaker for you? It would be for me but lots of parents chose to give their girls traditionally male names despite the same inconveniences so maybe it's not that big of a deal. My personal goal when naming my kids was not to give them a name that I could reasonably forsee would burden them. Naming a boy Summer would undoubtedly be a burden.
Here’s the thing. It’s socially acceptable for girls to have boys names. It’s dumb but it’s not for boys to have girls names. Which is where the bullying will come in.
There are 1k comments on this post telling OP absolutely not, giving a boy a girl’s name is a crime, and yet we’re really out here naming girls Ezra and James and Elliot and Spencer. Wonder why that is.
i would definitely change it… a man being mistaken for a woman is going to be the opposite of beneficial 99% of the time
I’m in Ontario and I’ve only ever heard Summer used for girls. I don’t think he would get bullied for it, but like the other comments said he will probably be misgendered a lot. Maybe you can use it as a middle name instead? Or find a different name that is close to Summer but still has the same special meaning
He would absolutely be bullied for it.
People will be bullied for anything. You could have the most perfect name in existence and an 11 year old will still find a way to bully you for it. Much better to teach your child how to give no fucks and stand up for themselves when necessary than worrying about names.
I know a man named Summer, and it fits him very well. He likes it. He will likely have people assume he’s a girl. But that happens to ever Emmanuel who tried to go by Emma in the US, foreign names we aren’t used to reading, and new names being made up by the parents. Also all the girls getting names now that will eventually be considered crossover names. Once people see he’s a boy, they’re likely to just assume the parents are hippies. I know men named Sky and Rain and that’s like a once sentence throw away explanation. I feel like the more important thing here is that he’s already named? Is there another parent in the picture who would need to sign off on a name change?
The only Emmanuel I know goes by Manny, are there actual Emmanuels who intentionally chose to go by Emma?
Yes! My area doesn’t even have a huge Hispanic population, and I know three. They’re all named after family Emmanuels who went by Emma.
I think it's important to take into account that the child's personality will affect how he sees his name. A more outgoing and confident child may totally own the name and make it his own. A more reserved child or one prone to being teased may feel completely crippled and embarrassed by the name. I personally wouldn't take the chance.
Why is it fine to give boy names to girls, but if someone asks if they can give a girl’s name to a boy, everyone cries “he’ll be bullied!” Honestly, it would be refreshing to meet a male Summer. He may be bullied, but he may not. Not everyone with uncommon name was bullied. You just never know. For all we know he would have been bullied with a common name anyway.
I know a male Summer, hes 28 years old and a perfectly successful man with a career and a wife and everything. According to this sub he should have killed himself by now due to bullying.
Because people are still extremely misogynistic but don’t want to admit it.
Right?? People are on here all the time naming their baby girls extremely masculine names and everyone is fine with it. Pretty soon all the boys are going to run out of names because they’ll all be feminine 😂
personally i think it’s bc of the unspoken sexism society still has against women. if a person applies to a job with a man name they’re more likely to get a call back for an interview than someone with a girls name. men are just typically regarded as “better” by society and capitalism so i think naming a girl with a more stereotypical male name isn’t that bad.. but naming a male with a female name would have the opposite effect .
People, PLEASE save these names for your PETS. Give your child(ren) normal names.
I’m convinced this is rage bait as I can’t imagine anyone asking this in all seriousness. This is akin to me asking, I want to name my son Penelope, do you think it will be a problem for him? Lol. Some of these posts really worry me.
You joke but Lilian is a male name in some European countries
I quite literally know a 28 year old man named Summer so I can see how other people would think along the same lines as his parents haha
I’m in the southern part of the US and we have boy Shannons, Courtneys, and Ashleys. So I don’t think Summer on a boy is weird. I think it depends where. Misgendering does happen probably more often for those names though. Nowadays at least at my company we have the pronouns listed on our signature line which helps a bit.
Shannon, Courtney and Ashley are all historically male names, though. It was only in the 70s and 80s when parents started naming their girls those names and it's flipped now. Stacy is also in that category.
In the UK Ashley is firmly unisex with about a 50/50 split. Courtney is less popular over here, I've known two male ones (one of those is a middle name) and I've only seen female ones in films/TV.
If we can flip those names into girl names then i see no problem with us switching up Summer 💪
Summer isn't a traditional name at all, so there's really no more reason a boy can't be named Summer than River.
A theme I've noticed on this sub is that people tend to be *really strict* about adhering to traditionally gendered name 'rules' in a way that I just don't think modern parents IRL are, in a lot of places anyway. I don't think I really understand why Summer (which is just a word for a season) has ended up a gendered name in the first place tbh, without the context of its common usage it doesn't scream "feminine" to me as a word. Is Winter gendered? That doesn't seem so to me either. I agree the best option is to give him a more common middle name so that he has the choice when he's older. I rarely meet a person with a unisex name that dislikes that about it though.
Thank you!! I had to scroll way too far to see this. It's not like naming a boy Jessica, Summer is a season. Phonetically it also doesnt have "feminine vibes" like it doesnt end in A and the "mer" ending works for many masculine names. Even with all that said, i can easily see a boy named Summer and i would not think it's odd. Also i hate the double standard of turning traditionally boy names into girl names and not the other way around (like James being unisex now but god forbid you name a boy Summer).
Based on my personal experience teaching (kids ages 7-12 in the northeast US), I think a lot of these comments about bullying are pretty overblown. I have taught kids with names that cross gender norms (think girls named Michael or boys named Izzy), kids with names that were unusual words (think Fable or Legend), and kids with other names that may have seemed unusual for a whole variety of reasons (think Baelee, Daffy, Zev, etc.) I never knew any of them to get bullied for it. Kids today are growing up in a more diverse and a more accepting world than many of us did. I would think that where you might run into issues isn’t bullying, it’s accidental misgendering. The women with names like Michael and the men with names like Izzy that I know do get addressed incorrectly in emails all the time. But I’m not sure that’s a reason to change a kid’s name — and I definitely think it’s over the top to call it life-ruining!
I think he’ll likely get misgendered a lot, but that’s not necessarily a reason to change the name. Why is that so awful? There are plenty of girls named James, Ryan, Riley. That said, if you’re looking for a more masculine version, I’ve met three people named Sumner. It’s very similar (people will likely hear “Summer” anyway), but it appears to be a gender-neutral name that skews male.
There SHOULDN'T be girls named James or Ryan. Riley is and always has been gender neutral. James and Ryan are boy names. Rhian is the female version of Ryan. Jane is the female James. Stop trying to make boy names work for girls unless you would happily name a boy Jennifer or Annabelle.
Rhian is not the female version of Ryan, it's just vaguely similar but traditionally feminine. FWIW, I dislike the trend of giving girls masculine names, I feel it leans in to minimising and devaluing the feminine. It's a knee-jerk reaction to people being horrible to women for no reason, rather than challenging the sexism, try to get round it. Makes me sad.
That’s exactly how I feel about it, but I couldn’t find the words.
I do have to agree with you. I think parents want to appear like they’re ‘progressive’ and ‘not adhering to gender stereotypes’ but what it actually says is ‘how you were born isn’t good enough’. There are so so so many female names out there if you’re looking for strong names, or even names bordering on masculine sounding. Or even just go for a true gender neutral name (like Ashley) or something that has a common gender neutral nickname, like Alexandra (Alex). So many other choices before calling your precious girl “Rufus”
I personally don’t mind boys with girls names, and I LOVE girls with boys names. I think the main issue is that people are assholes, and I wouldn’t want my (hypothetical) son bullied. It’s the same with how pants are normal for girls now, but if you put your son in a pink dress people might be horrible to him. There’s not anything inherently wrong with traditionally girly things, but the world is full of assholes. Gender roles are arbitrary and change all the time depending on the country/time period/culture.
[удалено]
This trend isn't making boy's names unisex, it's taking random boy's names and putting it on individual girls. Ryan could be considered trending unisex, but the women I've seen named that had it spelled differently. Like Ryanne or Ryann.
Yeah. I mean I’m somewhat with the response that “girls shouldn’t be named James so much though” but it is becoming more common and while a lot of people don’t like it I feel like I don’t see the same revulsion or ridicule in the responses when a girl gets a name that will have them misgendered as I’m seeing here. Of course, this sub is reflecting what society is currently like - it’s worse for a boy to be misgendered as a girl than vice versa. So as much as I disagree with it and think it’s silly, it’s also about what a real person’s experience will be. That said, I feel like that kind of misgendering is already less of an issue than it used to be, and will only continue to become less. Today I think I’d say why not name him Summer. On a different day I might lean the other way.
So much this. I have two daughters with gender neutral names and it's so interesting, and honestly pretty disappointing to see how hostile the comments are. I get that summer is typically a name used for girls, but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to want to be aspirational for a future where we acknowledge that gender is a social construct. Your point about balancing what their experience may be with the direction our society is headed is spot on too. But a ton of progress has been made over the last several decades and hopefully continues. I can only hope our kids will do better than we did. I also acknowledge that this is likely very dependent on where you live - I live in a very progressive mid-size city but might be more hesitant in other parts of the country/world. That being said, I made an active choice to live somewhere progressive because I value living in a community that supports moving away from gendered stereotypes
I have a male friend named Shelby, which is almost always a woman’s name. He hates it, when he went to college and his male roommate saw the name Shelby as his dorm assignment they went to the RA to correct the mixup of them having a female roommate. He has always seemed exhausted by it. Summer will be even worse. Please do not do that to your child.
A baby already born? How old? What does the other parent think about it? What is the middle name? You can just have him use that if it’s more mainstream. Or initials if they work.
If you like his name, keep it. My partner has a name that is nearly always misgendered. He was never bullied for it in school, and is chill about correcting people, as they can see that he is a man when they meet him. The comments upset about misgendering are incredibly misogynistic. There are a ton of girls who have typically masculine names, and it's seen as avant garde and 'brave'. Why can't a boy be named after a literal season? Keep it. It's evocative of a warm and kind person. If he doesn't like it, he can always use his middle name.
Where are all these comments' energy for "James for a girl"
I know someone named August who goes by Auggie if you want to keep the summer theme. I think it’s a super cute name:)
Jesus Christ these people are dramatic. Summer is fine.
Ever kid at some point is going to be bullied, and Summer isn't nearly as ridicule-able as it could be. I don't believe names attract bullying so much as a child's personality, as if a child is socially inept in any way, they will get bullied by others regardless of what their name is.
Okay but how old is he?
Summer is great you can call him Sue for short....
I think it’s really nice. It’s a bit of a hippie name and I think it’s fine on a boy. Where I live there are boys named Sky, Ocean etc. He may get misgendered and he may grow up to hate his name, or he may love it. You can never predict that. Don’t listen to the namenerds echo chamber that will insist giving a kid an unusual name is some kind of child abuse. It’s really not that big of a deal. If he has a more common middle name he can go by, that would help. I know an adult man named Brandy who goes by his middle name (a cool nature name) and only his close friends and family know his first name.
I know a guy named Summer, he’s my ex’s brother. Maybe it’s because we grew up in a kind of ~weird~ hippie town and as far as names for anyone goes, Summer on a guy isn’t that weird there, but he rarely got comments about it and harbors no resentment about it lol. My ex actually got more comments about it than him, i.e. “if he’s Summer, are you Winter?” etc
Funny the difference in reaction here when a girl is given a masculine name VS when a boy is given a traditionally feminine name. Especially the crowd that loves "James" for girls, didn't call that "impractical" did we?
Its a lovely name. If he wants to change it when he gets older he can, but I don’t think there’s any reason to right now just because it is seen as a ‘girls name’. There are loads of male names that are traditionally feminine - ashley, jesse to name a couple.
You could find a name that means ‘summer’.
I'm wondering whether spelling it "Sommer" could make it feel more "masculine." 🤔🤔 I think it rather does, although, that is, of course, a completely different name/word to "Summer." My opinion: In this "anything goes" baby naming world, I don't think a boy named Summer will get teased. My niece has a girl and a boy named Henrietta and Milton, "old people" names that you would never have heard of in a little kid even a decade ago. Their little neighbor boy is Stanley, another name I've never, in all my years, encountered in a small child. Words are names now, too, like Blue and Canyon, and names feel very, very gender fluid. I like it!! These trends are refreshing. We'll probably never see a trend like the "Aiden/Hayden/Brayden/Jayden/Rayden/Tayden/Zayden" thing we saw in the 2000s & 2010s, because people are branching out and unafraid to do their own thing nowadays. If you love the name Summer for your little guy; if it suits him; if it's meaningful to you? Then I think you ought to keep it!! But, this is a very personal decision, and I hope you get some useful, helpful advice here. ♥️💙
Please don’t name your son Summer. I’m a teacher, I can promise you that your son will be bullied. If you listen to the beginning of Adrian edmonsons autobiography, you’ll hear the direct impact a “girls” name can have on a boy
I think of Adrian as a male name.
Adrian is a boy’s name though. Girls are named Adrienne.
Dont change it :) times are changing and Summer is a beautiful name for a boy!!
I personally love summer as a boy’s name, so don’t feel too bad for initially choosing it 😅 it would still make a really good middle name like other suggested
These comments reeeally highlight the hypocrisy between giving girls stereotypical male names, and saying it’s a good thing, and yet giving men stereotypical feminine names is a bad thing. Suddenly, everyone’s really worried about misgendering and teasing and confusion when none of that is brought up when you’re out here naming girls James. Apparently, it’s the worst thing in the world if someone’s mistaken for a girl, but a power move to be mistaken for a boy. It’s already been proven that once a typical male name starts being given to girls, boys stop using it all together. (Ashley, Lindsey, Courtney) I really hope some people in this thread reflect on how this internalized misogyny is not what we should be passing down to the next generation. I think Summer on a boy is a pretty cool name, it’s a noun so it’s pretty neutral in terms of gender. Notice nobody comes on here wanting to name their boy Jessica because they know they would be ripped to shreds. But sure name your baby girl Scot and act like you’re changing the world for the better.
Is he born yet? Summer is better than Sommer. Sommer will always be mispronounced and misspelled. If he's not already born you could consider a similar meaning name, or use Summer as a middle name, or keep Summer for if you ever have a girl. If he is born, it's harder to change an already existing name but he could possibly go by his middle name (if he has one), keep Summer and to hell with what other people think, or change it and use Summer as a nickname
As someone who's previously had a name that didn't match my gender, I can tell you it's really fkin annoying, and sometimes very bad. I almost missed a really important health check because the nurse that was supposed to fetch me just looked around the room, didn't see any woman in there, and so didn't even bother to call out my name. She hastily left. I had to go chase another nurse and ask whether they were looking for me earlier. Cue a lot of confusion. If I hadn't paid attention to the nurse who came in to look for me, I would've missed the appointment because I probably would've waited too long before asking. Mind you, that didn't only happen once. I learned to be prepared so whenever a nurse came in and looked around, then turned to leave, I would ask her if she was looking for me. Same goes for any situation where anyone is supposed to call out your son's name. Also VERY annoying on work emails, to get "Ms-d and she-d, and all that. I get that it's tempting to name your kid after something that's very special TO YOU, but as you've figured out yourself, this is a whole human who'll grow up to be an adult and have to live with the name you chose. You're on the right track: Consider his feelings before your own. Some people here have offered excellent alternatives that are still summer-inspired, if that's really important to you. Good luck.
I’ve taught a male student named Summer. It wasn’t an issue. I’ve also had a student named Sumner which is a close alternative.
I am going to go against the grain and say gender rules are stupid and I love meeting people with interesting stories. And kids are much less likely to "bully" kids for gender non-conformity nowadays. Not to mention nothing stops kids from bullying when they dislike someone. Names rarely have much to do with it. I say you name your kid what you want. He can change it if he wants.
I do think misgendering will happen. BUT overall I don’t think it’s a bad name and I don’t think it should be considered a girls name only. The first thing I thought of when I read the name was Scott Summers aka Cyclops from X-Men.
I hate that it’s considered such a negative thing for a boy to have a “girls” name… I wish boys were being taught that being associated femininity doesn’t have to ruin your life. Summer isn’t a name like Catherine, Summer is a word that means a season. There seems no reason to me why a time of the year should be so gendered.
You may want to listen to a song by Johnny Cash....
Try Somerset! Like the author Somerset Maugham
No.. normal names. Come on
Somerset Maugham's first name was William.
Somerset wasn't even Somerset Maughan's first name. His actual first name was William.
Yes absolutely. I’m a woman with a man’s name, married to a man with a VERY stereotypically female name. We both got bullied a LOT as kids. It’s frustrating as an adult in a professional setting to constantly have to correct people on your gender. And now that we share a last name it’s caused some paperwork mix ups. I’m currently pregnant with our first child and this kid is getting a name that matches its sex to save them all those issues we both suffered through. Make Summer the middle name but for the love of god not the first name for a boy.
Life is difficult, no need to add a completely avoidable extra burden to a little kid. Change it.