# American Girls Names = British Boys Names? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 26, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395 "2003-11-26T15:48:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/1 "2003-11-26T15:48:04Z")
I am curious if a UK Doper can tell me if names like Robin, Stacey, and Leslie are strictly male names in the UK? Here, in the US, they are primarily thought of as being female, but are used by males to a lesser degree. I guess I have always heard the male application of such names comes from the UK, so I am curious to know if they are strictly male in the UK? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/2 "2003-11-26T16:14:35Z")
In my experience: Robin is mainly a male name, Stacey is a female name and Leslie is either gender. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/3 "2003-11-26T16:18:15Z")
In my experience, Robin is either (but mostly male), Stacey is always female, and Leslie can be either, but if it’s male it’s usually just “Les”. ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/4 "2003-11-26T16:25:14Z")
It is mostly Robin when males but Robyn when female. Similarly Leslie when male and Lesley when female. I also have only heard of Stacey as a girls name. If you want more there is Lindsay (boy) and Lindsey (girl) too. Others? ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/5 "2003-11-26T16:40:46Z")
Ashley is usually male too. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/6 "2003-11-26T16:44:37Z")
There are many names in English that started out as masculine names, but have, over time, drifted in the public mind towards the feminine – Leslie, Stacy, Tracy, Terry, Vivian, Adrian, Lynn, Kelly, Ginger, Alexis, Randy, Christy, Shelly – My guess is that to the extent that you might still find men who have such names (and they do, both in America and in England), you’ll tend find more of them in England, just because of the stronger traditional influences. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/7 "2003-11-26T16:46:41Z")
There are many names in English that started out as masculine names, but have, over time, drifted in the public mind towards the feminine (to varying degrees) – Leslie, Stacy, Tracy, Terry, Vivian, Adrian, Lynn, Kelly, Ginger, Alexis, Randy, Christy, Shelly, Beverly, Marion, Hilary, Evelyn, Jamie, Julie, Jill, Georgie – My guess is that to the extent that you might still find men who have such names (and they do, both in America and in England), you’ll tend find more of them in England, just because of the stronger traditional influences. ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/8 "2003-11-26T16:55:43Z")
Out of that list my guess would be that, in the absence of any more information, an English, probably a British, audience would think the following are male rather than female (i.e. more commonly male): Terry, Adrian, Jamie and Vivian (latterly if only from the legacy of “The Young Ones”). Maybe Evelyn too - as in Waugh? ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/9 "2003-11-26T17:39:32Z")
American here… How about actor Stacy Keach (Mike Hammer)? I’ve also had male friends named Stacy and Leslie. My brother-in-law’s name is Terry. However, I think in most cases, Terry is short for Terrence. Also, as mentioned above, Christy is a male name (as with baseball legend Christy Mathewson). When women are named Christy, I believe it’s usually the diminuative of Christine. The only Robins I’ve ever known were female. though I am of course familiar with Robin Hood and baseball players Robin Yount and Robin Roberts. ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/10 "2003-11-26T17:51:27Z")
In my experience, Stacey is a male name down in Dixie. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/11 "2003-11-26T18:12:15Z")
Of course, I did specify “to varying degrees” with regard to that list. If I had thought of them I’d have added Robin, Ashley, and Lindsay as well. And I think I’d add Jan as well. I know about Stacy Keach, but all the Stacys I know personally are women. Re “Terry” and “Christy” – It seems to me that most of the Terrys (however they’re spelling it) you meet these days are girls and aren’t using them as diminutives for Terence and Christopher. I’ve known two Robins personally – the older was male, the younger was female. Originally, Robin is a diminutive of Robert. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/12 "2003-11-26T18:15:54Z")
There are guys named Ginger in England? Really? No,seriously, for real? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/13 "2003-11-26T18:16:57Z")
Just curious, has anyone ever heard of “Shirley” used as a man’s name? My great-grandfather, born around 1890, was named Shirley. His background was English/Dutch. My mother was named after him. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/14 "2003-11-26T18:19:13Z")
Leslie is male, Lesley is female… Jody is a unisex name over here. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/15 "2003-11-26T18:19:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Long Road \* > \*\*There are guys named Ginger in England? Really? No,seriously, for real? \*\* You never heard of Ginger Baker? ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/16 "2003-11-26T18:26:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skammer \* > \*\*Just curious, has anyone ever heard of “Shirley” used as a man’s name? My great-grandfather, born around 1890, was named Shirley. His background was English/Dutch. > > My mother was named after him. \*\* Yep … there was a very famous English wrestler known as [Big Daddy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Daddy) . Julie ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/17 "2003-11-26T18:29:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skammer \* > \*\*Just curious, has anyone ever heard of “Shirley” used as a man’s name? My great-grandfather, born around 1890, was named Shirley. His background was English/Dutch. > > My mother was named after him. \*\* There was a famous wrestler here in the UK called " Big Daddy " . His real name was Shirley Crabtree. Here is his biog :- [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,391071,00.html](http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,391071,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/18 "2003-11-26T18:29:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ruadh \* > \*\*You never heard of Ginger Baker? \*\* Nope, never heard of him. I looked him up and found [http://www.jackbruce.com/cream/ginger.htm](http://www.jackbruce.com/cream/ginger.htm). I see he changed his name though, so his parents did not name him Ginger. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/19 "2003-11-26T18:42:38Z")
IIRC, “Ginger” was a common nickname in England for men who had red hair (I think). In other words, you wouldn’t usually be named “Ginger” by your parents. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395/20 "2003-11-26T18:46:37Z")
Here is another useful article about gender and names :- [http://histclo.hispeed.com/gender/name.html](http://histclo.hispeed.com/gender/name.html) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-girls-names-british-boys-names/215395.md?page=2)