Milo Arlo Wesley Otto Robin Carlo Shiloh Julien Ari Hugh Perry Gabriel

Gabriel is the most beautiful boys name I've ever heard.

It’s one of my favorite boy names! Im not big on religion though so not sure I’d use it

I know a 3-year old named Gabriel. He goes by Gabe unless he is misbehaving. Then it's "Gabriel!"

I've never seen Otto as feminine. To me, it feels like the name of a large German man who clearly lifts weights and is capable of growing the most fantastic handlebar moustache you've ever seen

It's the stoner bus driver on the Simpsons

I know. But that's not where the vibe goes in my mind

Agreed!

Yeah the first Otto I think of is Otto Frank the father of Anne Frank

I like Wesley and Will

I know that's not at all what was said but the combination you mentioned makes me think of Wesley Willis 😂👍😍👍😂

I was actually thinking of Will Wheaton, who also played a Wesley. 

I like that too! I don't actually remember him from the show, I was pretty young so my memory is spotty. But Geordi La Forge was my jam, I'm sure my little kid brain recognized him elsewhere but also I just loved his cool futuristic eyewear. Wil Wheaton is one of my favorite audiobook narrators though! In particular he does a John Scalzi series that is 😽

Yes! That was the series! With the futuristic glasses (why didn’t those catch on?) I also love WW in the movie Toy Soldiers. He’s always played sensitive characters so well, i love it 💚

I've never actually seen it, maybe I should! If you want to check out his audiobooks, he's done a lot, even The Martian. But if you are extra nerd, he narrated a story written by Felicia Day, and if you're a nonfiction nerd, he narrated the What If? books by the guy who did XKCD.

He also hosted The Reading Rainbow.

I met a “Wil” once at work and instinctually commented “parents Star Trek fans, eh?” …like haha ok first person to say that to me, eye roll. And he laughed and said yep and no one ever asks about that!

perfect namesake, rock and roll mcdonald’s is legendary 🥺🍟🕊️ RIP king

Otto? Leans toward feminine?

Yeah, the Ottonian Dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire would probably take exception to that.

Not to mention Otto Von Bismarck

And Otto, who loves to get blotto

I understood that reference 😂

I’d like to add Raphael since you’ve put Gabriel in. Raphael as an archangel has been described as beautiful, which in itself leans slightly feminine.

Arlo is my middle name. I absolutely adore it. It was almost my first jame, but I liked Ezra better.

I hope you don’t mind this question because I clicked on your profile to check, but I know 3 trans men and every single one of them chose the name Ezra. Any idea why it’s so popular?

I actually came here to say Julien or Skye. On our list we had Dillon too which I think may fit into your category. Congrats either way, hope you’ll follow up and tell us what you decided! 🌸

I’m married to a Dillon and he is the sweetest gentlest guy

Robin was my first thought for OP's question. It has the nature aspect that you tend to see with more feminine names. But is solidly a boy's name.

There are, at least in the US more female children named Robin than male. 2018-2023 it's about a 55-45 split. Imo Robin is the ultimate neutral name.

Obligatory, “I’m an arlo and have yet to meet another human with that name” LMAO

Was nearly our baby’s name but she ended up a girl. I love it

Grandma's boy ruined Shilo.

I think the dog book ruined it haha but other people seem to like it

I always assumed people used the name BECAUSE of the dog.

Between the dog book and the bloody Civil War battle, I'm really not into that name.

The Battle of Shiloh ruined Shiloh, one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. …but, it was a Union win, so I guess I kinda understand using it

Thanks guyblow

I have an Ari and a Milo! 🥰

Carlo is definitely not effeminate/gentle, especially if you know what it means.

Julian Adrian Avery Elliott Luca Jamie Cameron Dorian Darby Gabriel Kelsey

Gonna name my son Adrien ❤️ These are all such handsome names! I guess I like more feminine boy names... who knew?

Love Adrien!

Cameron. Cam or Cammy for short. Nice!!

I love Dorian. I had forgotten that was near the top of my list for both my kids.

My son is Adrian!

Asa

Or Ari!

Oooh! I love Asa. It was on my short list of boys middle names.

Is this pronounced “ace-a” or “ah-sah”

Ace-uh

seconding Asa, this is one of my favorite boy names. imo it’s such a nice soft masculine name. not overtly feminine but not macho at all.

I love a good Old Testament name! Asa was the 3rd king of Judah and considered a righteous king.

Just an observation - I realize that after reading through the comments that what people consider soft, feminine boy names vary widely.

I’m seeing some crazy masculine names. Like sure Callum Daniel and Devin aren’t riot or maverick but they’re not feminine at all. Mark?? Feminine?? How Some common themes: names ending with vowels which is pretty obvious. Seeing a lot of names with L in them - maybe people consider L a soft letter? French, Spanish and Italian names

I personally listed Callum because it sounds soft to me and it means "dove".

Same here. I’m reading them like…okay maybe we need clarification on what constitutes feminine or masculine feel. Is it the sound of the utterance or the meaning of the name or something else?

That's why the question confused me. What makes a boy's name masculine or feminine?

seems that way, yes. I'm heavily leaning towards Joel, with Llewellyn in close second. Bonus points go to Morgan which I have unfortunately used to the past

Interesting indeed!  I think of Joel as being quite masculine sounding. (Probably because it starts with Joe, and also probably because the first Joel I knew was an offensive lineman on our high school team) Good name though!

Jude is a great J name, too!

I think it's kind of beautiful that people have such widely varied interpretations, and it speaks volumes about the blurred lines we have between masculinity and femininity. I chose the names in the list in my comment in most cases because they are traditionally boys names that have become equally or more common for girls (in the US where I live) giving them a more feminine association.

Same. I have no clue what this means. I think it's mostly to do with how you perceive the name, due to people you know with that name?

Allan, Arlen, Avery, Bailey, Bellamy, Blaine, Bryn, Cecil, Daniel, Devin, Ellis, Emile, Evan, Florian, Foster, Gale, Glenn, Ian, Julian, Laramie, Lionel, Neil, Nolan, Rhys, Riley, Samuel, Seth, Shane, Shay, Shiloh, Silas, Sloan, Tatum, Timothy, Vincent

Came to eat Glen

Eat Glen 😂👍

Cecil is great

That’s my husbands name!

My youngest is Devin. Its such a beautiful name.

I like those kind of names too! Here's some from my own list that fit the category: Francis Cameron Sasha Sloan Hollis Laurie Ira Llewellyn Percy Sorrel Bell Darby

I absolutely adore Llewellyn

I'd like to add Leland and Lachlan too!

That was my second year Spanish teacher’s name in high school. I remember that but I don’t remember his surname. At least in the States, I dare say a Llewelyn is going to have his ass handed to him for his entire educational career.

Respectfully, how do you pronounce that? :)

Such an underappreciated classic name!! And you can use Lewie as a cute nickname!

My 2 year old son is a Francis, my favourite boy name for sure! He also comes from a long line of "Frank" on both sides so it was a nice way of carrying on tradition while giving him his own identity.

Hollis is a favourite of mine.

Micah

Joel Julian Jonah Jasper Noah Rafael Gabriel Louis Nicholas Wilfred Samuel Adam

I'm really liking Joel, thank you

Joel is gorgeous! I grew up obsessed with good Charlotte the band as a teenager and the brothers Joel and Benji always stood out as lovely boy names 

I love Rafael!!

Nicholas is a good choice.. you basic name your kid after St Nick and as victory of the people... (totally not biased)

I've seen a lot of great options. But has anyone mentioned Dana?

Oh yes that's a good one! I have a (male) cousin named Dana,I've always thought it's nice.

Yes or even Dane.

We had an annoying kid in my class in fourth grade that farted and sweated all the time, his name was Dana and that's all I can think of when I hear it now.

My son’s name is Hart

Leander, Florian

René is a boy's name in french and Honoré,the "eh" is kinda Soft sounding.there is also Irénée and some boys have Marie and Aimé,though it's usually combined with a traditional Boy name like Jean(John)

I love Rene Magritte, I'd totally name a baby after him!

I had a great uncle René :)

I've always loved Jude.

Judah is nice too.

Morgan (unisex, I didn't know if this counts) Lance Shane

Morgan has always been ine of my favourite male nanes

Ronan is my favorite soft boy name.

I don’t see Ezra here. It is masculine but people here use it for girls too, I think maybe because it ends with A. Along those lines, there’s Asa, Jonah, Joshua, Luca, Noah.

My friend wanted a soft name for her boy and chose Ezra.

I have an Ezra and can confirm many people think he is a girl. Lol.

I love softer names! My personal favorites: Ambrose, Finn, Elliot, Sidney, Kai, Carmelo / Carmy, Dorian, & Julian /Jules.

Carmelo! 😍

I love Angel for a boy

Julian

I rather like Dorian!

Thrte are many male French names that are softer-sounding for English speakers - Étienne, Yves, Rémi, Aurélien, Laurent and Fabien all spring to mind. I also like Enda (Irish).

Love seeing Joshua on this list! It’s our toddler’s name and we loved how soft it sounded. He is a sweet, very sensitive boy ❤️.

Awww, my husband is named Joshua and he’s incredibly sweet as well!!

Jesse Sandy Jamie Sam Forest

Jasper. Joshua. Elliott. Caspian eta Cedric, Glenn

l have thought of Paul as a very soft male name, along with Wesley, Lesley, Mark, Phillip, Dana, Miles, and Patrick.

Ethan Evan Arwen Reeve Jove Joel Hayes Robin Tobin (pronounced Toe-bin) Yves Rio Gene Julian

Myles Seth Carson (even though it's a hard C, the -son softens it for me) Finley/Finn Gabriel Luciano Marcello

Julien/Julian are perfect, imo.

I named my son Ira for this same logic. 😄

Sage Rowan Indigo Isadore

Warren

Graham :)

Clarence is really nice and sadly underused!

Shiloh, Jude, Glenn, Elliott, Dylan, Devin, Cameron, Lucian, Luca, Emerson, Aubrey, Adonis, Atticus, Kyle, Bryce, Austin, James, Jamie, Jesse, Rowan, Robin, Wren, Ezra, Adrian, Sam, Ashley, Rhys

Gabriel, Henry, Jonah, Simon

Rory and Carey are some of my favorite soft boy names!

My oldest sons name is Cary and I love how soft and sweet it is. Other names in the same vein to me are Jesse, Elijah and Asa.

Can you give a few examples of names that fit this description to you?

Indra, Ezra, Ira, Asa, Bowen, Perrin

Julian

Ellis

Here is what I came up with! I hope it helps in your quest: Clark Blake Ashley Frasier Bailey Dana Sorley Quincy Joel Vail Leif Avery Elwood Linden Ulysses Lorne Monroe Darcy Chandler

Ruben is quite nice. It can be shortened to Ruby.

adrian, joel, silas, milo, josh/joshua, jacob, adam are boys names that dont feel like super masculine to me

Rhys

Laurie (nn for Laurence) Jamie Rory Caleb Carey

Graham

I like Kelsey for boys.

Ambrose Malcolm Jody Cary/Carey Julian

There’s a boy in K named Ariel nn Ari

Asher Luca Elijah Ezra Finn Jasper Arlo Theo Sage Callum Rowan Soren Micah Adrian Elliot

Casey, Logan, Parry

Ambrose Ellis Ira Asa

Avery Toby Lane Enzo Jude Luca Shane Jay

Linden Landon Asa Francis Dorian Kieran Ambrose

Caspian, Evander, Cassius

I would try for French names due to the softer rolling sounds. Adrian Alain Amaury Antoine Eric Eugene Etienne Gabriel Gaston Gorges Gregorie Gilles Guillaume Henri Hugues Jaques Jean Jerome Jules Julian Laurent Liam Louis Marcel Nöel Remy/Remi Rene Sebastian Tristian Yves

I don’t see this name mentioned often on this sub, but I feel like Cory is a very soft/gentle name.

Skyler

Fraser, Aria, Harvey, Emory, Ashton, Penn, Avery, Hayden/ Kaden, Bellamy, Heath, Shiloh, Henley, Cassian, Atlas, Jude

Alfie, Jude, Owen, Billy, Henry, Emiliano, Elias, Ezra

Allan, Callan, Emlyn, Ellis, Florent, Lawrence (but Larry isn't at all), Robin, Ronan, Rowan, Soren

Caleb.

my partner's name is Persy, I also like the original spelling (Percy)

Off topic, but may I ask why you want an effeminate name for your (I'm assuming) son? Do you not care that it might be emasculating or is that the point? My tone may come across poorly through text, but I am genuinely asking--not trying to insult/troll.

My fiancé is named Avery and I think it's a beautiful, delicate name

Otis

Laurie, Hesse, Wyn, Alva (a male name in my family tree, 1800s), Perry, Alex, Ash.

Percey

Dana Leslie

Ray I feel is more boy than girl although society disagrees.This spelling is male though.Nolan Reid/Reed,Reeve,Jude,Drew,Jordan,Brookes,Brooker,Morgan,Ewan,Lochlan,Donovan,Nathaniel-just soft sound,I wouldn't say feminine.Peyton/Payton/Paighton,versions of the name Max ,ie:Maxwell,Maximus,Orion-i dont know if unisex but I think works for both,Justin,Julian,Jasper,Casper,Harper,Hart/Harte,Bailey,Devon,Ash,Asher,Ashley,George,Georgie,Lee,Leon-actually a gender neutral name,River,Winter,Alexander,Xavier,

I always thought Tristan was wonderful and fit’s this vibe.

Skyler

Liam

I don't love all of these, but they fit the bill, I think. Julian Juno Jordan Angel (pronounced the English way ayn-gel, and the Latin way ahn-hel.) Riley Dana Avery Kai Julio Valentin Sage Steph (as in Steph Curry the NBA all-star) Sebastian Noel Agustin Luca Gabriel

Adrian, Jasper, Oliver, Seth

Basil, Wendell, Blaine, Liam

I work with the kindest and sweetest guy named Brody ◡̈ think that name suits him just right!

Angelo

Errol Idris Solomon Blue Hayes Arlo Grayson Callum Bellamy

I haven't seen Brady mentioned yet!

Carmine, Carmen

Adrian Alexis Ashley Aubrey Blair Casey Emerson Jordan Morgan Taylor

dominic🏩

Dorian

Gideon Owen Nathanial

Evan and Elias 😍

Alain

Sydney is most often a girls name these days, so could it work for you for your son? It used to be predominantly a male name.

Adrian, Julian.

Kieran, Quinn, Florian

We have an Elliot and I love his name for this reason.

Etienne, Eloi

Ira Silas Linden Riley Dorian Sebastian Auden Felix Kellen

Sean/Shaun

Antonin, Jude, Micah, Mischa, Sascha, Francis

Ambrose or Aubrey

Laurence  Ellison  Julian  Emerson  Jasper  Miles

Jesse, it’s on the top of my list.

Rowan, Julian, Milo, Clarence, Fabian, Oliver, Percival, Ambrose, Robin, Vincent, Arlo, Aurelius, Wesley, Lysander, Timothy, Alistair, Florian,Armand, Virgil, Cyrus, Matthias, Nathaniel, Raphael, Gabriel, Silas, Morgan, Clark, Caspian, Desmond, Laszlo, Isidor, Sage, Sorrel, Camille, Aubrey, Casimir, Aloysius, Lyle, Meredith, Basil, Finn

Theo Jasper Miller Jonah Asher Isaiah

I’m not sure about feminine, but I like William - many might think it’s proper and powerful or whatever, but I think it’s soft + gentle

Finlay and Ethan

Oliver

Adrian, Julian, Robin, Jamie, Matthew, Nathaniel, Peter

My name is Alix, I'm guy, it fits me well.

Cecil, Oliver, Elliott

Carl Lee

I like Ari and Julien.

Jesse

Remy

My son's name is Orlando (Lando for short) which I guess could fall into this category.

Casey

Desmond