# About your first name **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 11, 2024, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718 "2024-06-11T00:43:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/181 "2024-06-18T16:49:44Z")
My Dad would sometimes address us as “Dudes and Dudettes”. He would also call us “Sports Fans”. Dad was, in his own way, Peak Boomer. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/182 "2024-06-18T17:36:41Z")
It think Dudette is about the best as can be expected. Dudess doesn’t have the same ring and Dudie would be a mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/183 "2024-06-18T17:37:18Z")
Or La Duderina, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/184 "2024-06-18T19:21:48Z")
or, if you are using the Xerox machine, It’s the Dudemeister / Dudemistress ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/185 "2024-06-19T11:15:10Z")
I’m thinking a _Dudemistress_ probably wears tall boots with spike heels. Probably not the best term for random women, and especially not random children of the female variety. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/186 "2024-06-19T20:01:38Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Dude is, believe it or not, gender neutral in Southern California as a form of address, kind of, which started in the late 80s. > > So anyone can say to anyone, “Dude, you need to chill”. Of course it’s informal and only really used by people under 50. I’m over 70, and, yes, in Southern California, and I use dude all the time. Not linked to gender. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/187 "2024-06-19T20:23:05Z")
You’re just young at heart ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/188 "2024-06-19T20:28:14Z")
I heard a snippet on npr some years ago (maybe 15) that some urban youth (Philly area IIRC) had taken to using a gender-neutral third-person pronoun which seemed to have arisen somewhat organically. The word was “yo” – obviously it did not spread. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/189 "2024-06-19T20:28:49Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > You’re just young at heart Ha. Nicest thing said about me in ages. 😊 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/190 "2024-06-20T12:28:45Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > You’re just young at heart I like David Lynch’s take: > This whole world is wild at heart and weird on top. No idea what it means, but I like it. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/191 "2024-07-04T02:18:33Z")
Dudarino? Dudster? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/192 "2024-07-04T04:34:31Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > No idea what it means, but I like it. Lynch made a movie called _Wild at Heart_ in the early '90s. It was, IMO, possibly his best piece. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/193 "2024-07-05T23:31:21Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Lynch made a movie called _Wild at Heart_ in the early '90s. It was, IMO, possibly his best piece. I agree with you. It’s the only Lynch movie I really like. His others are always try-too-hard for me. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/194 "2024-07-06T02:28:04Z")
> [@chela](#): > > So our local BK has their minions ask for your first name at the drive thru. I don’t know why and I hesitated giving it, I was the only car in the lane, it just seemed like forced friendliness on my part. If there’s a next time I’m going with an oddball name. **Gaylord** , immediately springs to mind ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/195 "2024-07-06T03:55:43Z")
Georg would be a good one. “My name is Georg Naseyzhen”. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/196 "2024-07-06T17:13:55Z")
They’d probably tell me I’m at the wrong BK, Gaylord is 150 miles away. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2024, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/197 "2024-07-07T17:36:11Z")
> [@themapleleaf](#): > > I hate the concept of the “plural you”, I see it as a relict of feudalism that does not belong in a progressive society. I live in Switzerland. Many people who are above 50 like to bemoan the fact that most under 30s use only “du”. I’m not Swiss, so I think the whole language switching due to formality is tedious. But I follow the rules. After 20 years of getting my hair cut at the same salon, I am now at “du” form with the woman who cuts my hair. Mostly because I screwed up and called her by her first name, and we discussed it and decided to go to a first name basis. She’s 2-3 years older than me. > [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve actually heard someone use “dude” and “dudette” in the wild. It was quite common in my highschool, but most of the time we were “dudes” whether female or male. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/198 "2024-07-07T19:11:07Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > It was quite common in my highschool, but most of the time we were “dudes” whether female or male. For me, too. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2025, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/199 "2025-11-16T22:04:31Z")
> [@themapleleaf](#): > > I hate the concept of the “plural you”, I see it as a relict of feudalism that does not belong in a progressive society. A singular pronoun should be enough for all individuals; I don’t want to address one person as if they were multiple people. As an aside, if you ever get to Chicago I have to introduce you to my GF who is an editor. She would absolutely agree with you. I have no doubt you two would be instant friends. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718/200 "2025-11-17T01:04:46Z")
I’m confused; is your GF objecting to having separate pronouns for the second person singular vs. second person plural, or to having separate words for the familiar vs. formal (the [T-V distinction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%E2%80%93V_distinction))? Standard English has lost both distinctions, and while I agree that T-V is an obsolete relic of class hierarchy, I think it’s unfortunate that we have lost the distinction between singular and plural in the second person, which results in many misunderstandings (“are you talking about me or the group I’m in?”). It would be equally unfortunate if we lost the distinction in number in the first person (used the same word for “me” and “us”), or in the third person (used the same word for “him” and “them”). (And we should also have different words for the [inclusive first person plural vs. exclusive](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clusivity), but that’s another topic.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-your-first-name/1002718.md?page=11)