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[Opinions] James...for a girl (sort of)
I_Love_Jesus's post about James got me thinking....could James be conceivably used for a girl... as a middle name? I've long wanted to honour a special person (named James) who affected my life in a great way by naming a child for him, but James always struck me as a tad dull (for my outlandish tastes) and besides, I dislike the inevitable nickname Jamie with a burning passion (too many bully Jamies in my past I'm afraid - bad associations)I wrote out some of my current girls favourites with James as a middle name, and to me they look so elegant...but I may be biased. What do you think of the possibility?Mirabelle James
Christabel James / Christobel James
Ivy James
Isadora James / Isadore James
Winifred James
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Please no-!James is far too masculine; it's akin to naming your son "Marguerite" or "Isabelle". Jamesina and Jacqueline already exist and are perfectly lovely; use them. If people keep giving boys' names to girls (like Ashley, Kelly, Madison, Leslie, and the like), these names will gradually be exclusively female turf, and to boot there is no place for men who bear feminine names.
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I think it would be a really great second middle:Mirabelle Ivy James LN?
Rose Isadora James LN? (or some other one syllable name)You could probably come up with something better than these!
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No . . . (really)No. No. No. And again -- No.Jacqueline, yes. James, no.No.

This message was edited 2/8/2009, 4:30 PM

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I like Ivy James. I dislike James for either gender but think it's okay on a girl.
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No...Meet a man who's surname is James instead. ;)
James on a girl is just horrible if you ask me. It's totally masculine. You wouldn't name a son Elizabeth, would you? And hopefully you wouldn't name a daughter Matthew either? James on a boy is handsome, on a girl it's just awful...
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Agreed. James is a handsome, masculine name and it does not belong on a female; Ashley, Kelly, Casey, Madison, and Leslie seem to have been claimed by girls, and would somebody please explain to me why gender-neutral names gradually become female-only territory?
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I think it's because most parents are terrified at the idea of giving their sons names that could be thought of as feminine in the least amount, whereas parents of girls are more creative and less afraid to look outside the box for names. Just my take on it.
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Oh No! Only Jamesetta or Jamesina.
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My brother Garrett James named his daughter Leah James. She is an adult, and uses both names.
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I firmly believe that with mns, anything goes. So I see no problem with James as a mn for a girl, especially since it's honoring.I think Ivy James is cute. :D
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If at all, use it as a middle name only.James is far too masculine to give to a girl as a first name.
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Yes [m]I'd use James as a first name for a girl. I think it's cute, and spunky. James is handsome on a boy as well.I don't think you need to explain to other's why you chose it, it has a meaning to you and that's what matters. If you like it use it. I really hate when people say "why not use *insert girl version here*". I honestly think if you wanted to use that you would, but your asking about James.

This message was edited 2/7/2009, 6:03 PM

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Admittedly it's not my cup of tea, but at the same time it doesn't strike me as awful.These sound good to me-Mirabelle James
Isadora James / Isadore James
Winifred JamesI noticed in a post before you used the name Jamesina. Why not use that? It's a lovely name (somewhere along the line of Thomasina, though of a different feeling.) I think Jamesina would sound good as a mn for all of the female names listed above.
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It's true, I had thought of Jamesina, but I'm still not sold on it. I suppose it is because it's so very unusual, and I'm not sure if it would properly honour the original James...wouldn't it come across as something like "We named the baby after you! Well...sort of."?Although, I do like Jamesina. I do love things that are a little different! I definitely will think on it, never fear!
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Aw, I love Jamesina for a girl! Feminine names that are obviously derived from male names like this one are delightful. It's the same feeling I get (well, almost) when I see a man walking down the street with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. You just know they're for the woman in his life. Even if it's for his mother in the hosptial, it still warms my heart. Men showing their softer, more vulnerable side always makes me melt. That's how I see names like Jamesina, Georgina, Isadora, etc. (But I'm a hopeless romantic and weird to boot.) How could names like these not be seen as honoring the male name they derived from?
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Wonderfully put! I could not have said that better. Why give a girl an obviously masculine name when there is a perfectly good female equivalent to it?
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I don't think it's like "We named the baby after you! Well...sort of." because it's a feminine form of the name James, and James is still visible in the name itself. It's not like you're honoring someone named Violet by using Ione, you know (which I think is a wonderful idea besides)?
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True enough!!
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Oh no! But Jamesina is too beautiful a name to go unused! :)I truthfully do not like James on a girl at all, MN or no, honouring or no.Here:
Ivy Jamesina (I really like this)
Christabel Jamesina
Winifred Jamesina
Mirabelle JamesinaSome other suggestions:
Ruby Jamesina
Sophie Jamesina
Iris Jamesina
Lucy Jamesina
Charlotte Jamesina
Beatrix Jamesina
Alice Jamesina
Claudia Jamesina
Isabel Jamesina
Marie JamesinaI know it seems strange at first, but you should think about it. Not so long ago I would have laughed at Jamesina, but now I think she is charming. Think about it.:-D
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Ivy Jamesina is lovely!!And, you're right - I should give Jamesina a chance.
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I like Ivy James & Isadore James they are beautiful!
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It may have been Isabella James
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Thanks!So, to you the James doesn't look odd tacked on there?
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Not at all! Its fresh :)I think I may have seen James as a mn for a girl before :) can't remember fn
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