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[Opinions] Mai for a boy
We all think that Mai is a girl's name, but it turns out that Mai is used as a boy's name in Slovenia and here's where it gets surprising. While Mai was and is a popular girl's name in Japan, it's also used as a boy's name, albeit occasionally, where 95 boys were given 舞 for Mai from 1989-2003 compared to 18801 girls in the same period.I'm starting to like Mai more for a boy, though I don't think anyone outside of Slovenia would want to use it for a boy. We've got Kai, so why not Mai?Do you like (at least a lil' bit) Mai for a boy? What would be good middle names for a boy Mai?My ones would be:
Mai James
Mai Lucas
Mai Edward
Mai John
Mai Sebastian~I luv London Tipton 'cause she's an idiot like moi~My pinool: http://www.behindthename.com/pnl/149249

This message was edited 3/9/2015, 4:32 AM

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Mai is also Welsh for May, which is how I like to think of it. And I really like the thought of it in that sense on a boy. Maybe that's totally silly irl, but whatevs. I'd make a combo like
Mai Delbert
Mai Ivor
Mai Norman
Mai Walter
Guess I like it with something tweedy.I'm totally digging this. Thanks!

This message was edited 3/10/2015, 10:40 AM

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Mai is too close to Maya/ Maja for me. I can't see it as a boy's name.
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I would characterize that usage as rare rather than occasional. Kind of like boys name Marie or girls name Michael. However, I do like Mai and I can see it as unisex with no problem. I do, inherently, prefer the sound on girls though. I would go with a traditional, and maybe standard, middle name with Mai. Mai Anthony
Mai Frederick
Mai Alexander
Mai Nicholas
Mai barnaby
etc... Honestly, I prefer it as a middle name for longer, stately names like:
Roderick Mai
Solomon Mai
Isadore Mai
Horatio Mai
etc...
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I don't like it as a FN. I don't see any problems with using Mai or May as a MN though
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I see Mai as a girl's name but with some thinking I think it could work on boys too.
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I am torn, as I am torn with all cross-gender names. There's the traditionalist in me that wants names to be kept to their original genders and there's the liberal in me that wants to say, "f– gender binaries," and that we should use whatever names we like for whoever we like. And I know how frustrating it might end up being for you when you get a number of responses telling you just how bad an idea it would be to name a boy Mai; I adore Linnet (LIN-ət) for a boy, but when I've mentioned it on here, I've been told repeatedly how it's "too feminine", yet Robin, originally masculine, has been used on a girl an innumerable amount of times, and few bat an eyelid. That bloody double standard! In any case, to me, since Linnet and Mai are both comparatively underused, they're more versatile than, say, William and Anna on the opposite genders (though why shouldn't they be more versatile, too?), and you should go right ahead and use Mai on whichever gender you please if you have the chance and truly want to, just as you should with any name.
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