UNSOLICITED OPINION ON NAMES
I don't know why I was thinking about this today. But it's a little pet peeve of mine. I know this topic can be rather charged with emotion, so as a disclaimer, I don't want to start a debate and I'm sorry if I ruffle up some feathers. This is just my opinion.

Here's what I think is happening. Girls are stealing all the boys' names. They have been doing it for a long time. So boys have had to resort to being named a surname, like Carter and Hanson.

I have met or know of men named Shannon, Kelly, Kim, Ashley, and Courtney. The names Tracy, Stacy, and Allison were also men's names. Then there's Gayle, Evelyn, Leslie, Marion, Vivian, Beverly, Dana, Carol, Whitney, Kimberly, Sidney, Jodi, and Tiffany. If you were to read these names in a list, you'd probably think they're all women.

There are lots of names in transition right now. Think about all the Taylors and Jordans you know. How many are girls and how many are boys? It's sort of 50-50 now, but I think it's leaning in the female direction.

Then there are a few that I'm not sure of, like Kendall. That sure sounds like a boys' name. You know, Ken? I've never heard of a girl named Ken, but that's the obvious nickname for Kendall.

And then there are the more trendy girl names like Ashton and Peyton and Grayson. Ashton Kutcher is a man, and Peyton Manning is a freakin' huge football player! Despite Allison being a very much accepted girls' name, I don't think I can ever name a girl anything that ends in "son." Because Grayson really means, "the son of Gray." Maybe Gray Davis? I mean Joe Davis? (former Governor of CA who did a poll and found that if he changed his name to Gray, he'd get more votes.)

Really, are there not enough names for girls? They're going to take them ALL!!! It's not like they're not making up new ones for girls, too. I had never heard of a Brinley or Kaylie 5 years ago, but there are lots and lots of them now. So why take boy names?

Here's another thought. As I was searching for more boy-names-now-turned-girly names online, I found this quote:
"Yeah and what about the boys who have names that were boys names when they were born but now their name is a girl name. That could screw with your head..."

I always wanted a little boy named Ryan. I got a big one instead :) But now the girls are stealing that one, too. Once we went out to eat and the waiter, busboy, and hostess were all named Ryan.

I may be spreading rumors, but I remember the boom in girls named Ryan came after a soap opera named one of its female characters Ryan. My research (however unreliable) says that Courtney became a girls' name when a female protaganist in a trashy novel hit bookstands in the 50's. Hip hip hooray, we're naming our kids after trashy books and tv shows!

There are names that go for both genders, like Terry, but they're not super popular at this point in time. And there are other names that have the same nickname, like Samuel and Samantha. And then there are the ones that sound the same but are spelled differently, like Aaron and Erin. At least with these, the girls aren't stealing the name so boys can't use them anymore!

I've got to say that I love the name Kelly for a girl. Probably because I have a sister with that name. But I still feel bad for all the men named Kelly who had their name girlified.

And just when you thought that you'd heard it all, I've caught wind of girls named Bruce, Jeremy, and Richard.

If you have an opinion you'd like to share in comments, please do, but keep it nice. I think I did!