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[Opinions] Raven and Robin
Two bird names I loved as a teenager. I still like them, even though I wouldn't use them.Do they give you very different impressions?Which one do you prefer?Do you prefer them on boys or girls? (I guess they are more popular for girls but I think they both work well on both genders).What do you think of the alternate spelling of Robyn?Do you think they might make a comeback? Robin seems a bit 60s/70s and Raven a bit 80s/90s but both not overly so.
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Yes, they give me very different impressions. Raven seems like a teenage girl, probably in the 90s, slightly spoilt. Robin is a young boy in medieval England who steals apples from the local orchard. I prefer the latter. Raven seems strictly feminine to me, while Robin is unisex, but I prefer it on boys. Robyn is unintuitive and rather ugly. I think Raven will continue to be quietly used, mostly by black parents, while Robin will make a comeback as a masculine name.
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I like Robin more than Raven. I also like Robin better for a boy. Raven which I've also seen spelled Ravenne is better for a girl in my opinion. I think Robyn is a better spelling if used for a girl.I think Robin is still used regularly for a boy outside of the U.S. Not sure about Raven
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Raven gives me faux-Emo 90s vibes that I don't like. Despite that, I still love the name because I also think of a sleek bird. I vastly prefer it on a girl.Robin is all-boy to me and I love it. It has a nice sound, it's short, it's not hyper-masculine, and it's just pleasant all around. I think I prefer Robin. No, Raven. No, Robin. Okay, I have no idea. Raven is a great name for a girl and Robin is a great name for a boy so I just can't decide!Robyn seems way more feminine to me. I don't think I like it. There was a singer in the late 90s who had this name and I think of her.I hope they do make a comeback because they deserve to. But I also hope they don't so I can keep loving them....This post has me all kinds of wishy-washy.
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The first thing that popped into my head was Teen Titans. Ha haRobin seems more mainstream while Raven seems more “out there”. Robin sounds modern on a girl, but medieval on a boy. Raven just sounds all girl to me. I don’t really like Robyn.
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Raven is a great name. I am a huge fan of Edgar Allan Poe, so "The Raven" always comes to mind. Also it reminds me of Raven from Teen Titans, which is also a show that I love. Although it may seem a bit nineties, I think it made a comeback in the early 2000s, because I know three Ravens my age. They are all girls, so I see this as a feminine name.I LOVE the name Robin. This is one of my most favorite names and I would definitely use it some day. I love ravens, but robins will always have a special place in my heart as one of my favorite songbirds, alongside cardinals. While this is a fine name on boys, I would personally use this on a girl since it always had a more feminine connection with me. I'm not too fond of the spelling Robyn though, as it kind of takes away the bird association to me and is an unnecessary feminine element added with the "y". The fact that it was popular in the sixties and seventies doesn't bother me at all, as I actually adore and tend to gravitate to more classic, vintage names.
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Raven is a great name. I am a huge fan of Edgar Allan Poe, so "The Raven" always comes to mind. Also it reminds me of Raven from Teen Titans, which is also a show that I love. Although it may seem a bit nineties, I think it made a comeback in the early 2000s, because I know three Ravens my age. They are all girls, so I see this as a feminine name.I LOVE the name Robin. This is one of my most favorite names and I would definitely use it some day. I love ravens, but robins will always have a special place in my heart as one of my favorite songbirds, alongside cardinals. While this is a fine name on boys, I would personally use this on a girl since it always had a more feminine connection with me. I'm not too fond of the spelling Robyn though, as it kind of takes away the bird association to me and is an unnecessary feminine element added with the "y". The fact that it was popular in the sixties and seventies doesn't bother me at all, as I actually adore and tend to gravitate to more classic, vintage names.
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I prefer Robin. Robin is one of the only unisex names I love. I would gladly use it for either a boy or a girl, but I do prefer it for a boy. It makes me think of Robin Hood and Dick Grayson. It's very heroic. The bird is beautiful too. I love their little blue eggs.Robyn is silly to me because Robin is such a common word. I would automatically spell it Robin without even thinking about it. It reminds me of people who use Grayce instead of Grace. Your child is forever going to be Robyn with a y or Grayce with a y. Robin is still relatively common here (although it was never particularly popular). Raven feels like a name that hippies and teen moms use. It's very strange and feels like a celebrity or fantasy name. I don't feel like either name is particularly dated.
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Yes, I get very different impressions from them. Robin is dowdy and middle-aged, while Raven is young and Gothic. I have never liked Robin for a girl. I just don't find the sound attractive and I don't think the bird is all that attractive, either. If I have to, I prefer Robin for a girl as I find it too feminine sounding on a boy. I think the Robyn spelling makes the name more visually attractive, so again if I have to, I prefer that spelling. I don't exactly dislike Raven, but I find its dark imagery a bit too much. I see it as feminine also.
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Raven: I like it. Ravens are one of my favorite birds and I like the sleek black feel of it. On a girl it's a little overdone but I still like it. On a boy it sounds more dramatic and gothy and less potentially dated which I also like. Robin: Seems young and cheerful. I really like it on a boy (seems fresher and vaguely historical) but it sounds too dated on a girl.
I don't like Robyn, it's just extra dated.ETA: I like Robin as in the bird, not so much as a nickname for Robert but I guess if I was a boy named Robert I'd rather be called Robin than Rob or Bob or something.

This message was edited 6/5/2020, 1:04 PM

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Not really fussed on either, here in Australia, Robyn for a girl, and Raven more for a girl too
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In my family, Robin is a male name, used as a variant of Robert. I find it helpful when the Robyn spelling is used as a female name. I would happily name a son Robin; a daughter not at all, with or without the -y-. And I don't think of it as a bird name; the humans got it first and then used it for the bird.Raven doesn't appeal to me at all. I'm surprised it counts as female - OK, ravens are very intelligent, but they are corvids and their feeding habits are pretty basic.
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My middle name is Raven (named after the 90's teen titan comic) some I'm hella biased.Robin on the other hand bothers me severely. I've never met a "nice" person named Robin so I genuinely hate the name.
Have you considered Dove as a name?

This message was edited 6/5/2020, 11:48 AM

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They both definitely have different feels.Raven (fully feminine) is darker, more gothic and, dare I say, kind of fake and try-hard. It seems like a name that the protagonist of an edgy vampire novel would have. It’s not for me.Robin (mostly masculine) is more bright, lively and a bit more nature-y and natural. While still not my taste, it’s Raven’s polar opposite.
Robyn is trying too hard to be feminized with the tryndee “y” like with Wynter. Don’t like it.
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I like both names, but I would use Robin while Raven is more of a guilty pleasure.Raven - It could still work on a girl, but it is dated and is heavily associated with witchy fictional characters. For a boy, it is associated with 90s goth to the extent that it's cliché. As I said, I really like it, but I wouldn't use it.Robin - I like it on a girl but love it on boys. Between Robin Hood and Robin Williams, I get a light hearted, quick thinking, prankster vibe. It is whimsical but also capable of seriousness (Robin Hood is associated with resisting tyrannical government and Robin Williams could be very serious at times). Robin is one of my favorite names for boys, and I would consider using it.
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Not very fond of either. Robin/Robyn is definitely dated. Only male Robins I’ve known are in their 50’s. I can’t imagine a boy now with that name. I’ve only known of girls with the name Raven. Something about the v feminizes it for me.
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Very different vibes. Robin is bright and cheerful, Raven is hard-edge and cold. Robin is a sixties-seventies name, and Raven is very much a nineties name. Robin has cross-cultural popularity, but Raven was most popular on black girls, or was a name goth-type girls liked to call themselves online or in person. It was almost a cliché.
I think Raven can probably make a comeback; I have a friend who lives in Alaska and apparently it's pretty popular there right now. Robin, not so much yet.
Robyn is okay and does seem to indicate for sure that the bearer is female, but it's not necessary; Robin was never especially popular for boys in the US anyway.
I should add that I knew a Robyn who was very obnoxious and was the only kid I ever had a serious physical fight with, but it doesn't rub off on the name. I still think it's a very cute and lively name.
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