# Curious: Unisex Names **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 19, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520 "2005-05-19T02:02:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/61 "2005-05-20T14:55:05Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > There used to be a woman named Kevin working here. I’m thinking this is still pretty rare, though. > > They are nicknames, but I also know women who go by Donnie, Tommy, and Frankie. I sold a fishing license to a woman named Kevin once. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/62 "2005-05-20T15:09:16Z")
My mother’s name is Shelley Dale. That was chosen long before she was born, and it was to be the name even if she was a boy. ---
**Author:** ![La\_Llorona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@La\_Llorona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/La_Llorona)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/63 "2005-05-20T15:39:54Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Over 40 posts and no one mentions Jamie/Jaime? > > Is one spelling considered the more masculine verson and one the feminine? That one’s confusing. Jaime is a Spanish form of James, but it seems increasingly to be pronounced as in the English “Jamie” and used as a female name (influenced, I suspect, by one of those fictional female superheroes–Bionic Woman? Wonder Woman?–whose real [fictional] name was Jaime). So Jamie = male or female. Jaime pronounced as in “Jamie” is _usually_ a female name, and Jaime pronounced in the proper Spanish way is (again, usually) a boy’s name. > [@elfkin477](#): > > It never occured to me that Shirley might not have been weird for a little boy back in the day. Shirley’s one of those surname-y names that was used almost exclusively for boys–wasn’t there a Bronte book in which the heroine’s parents were disappointed she wasn’t a boy, but they went ahead anyway and named her Shirley as planned? But the popularity of Shirley Temple catapulted the name over almost solely to the female side of the arena. That’s also why you meet so many seventy-year-old Shirleys…it unnerves me to think that in another half-century, we’re going to have a whole lot of seventy-year-old Ashley/Ashlee/Ashleighs running around. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![stargazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@stargazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stargazer)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/64 "2005-05-20T16:30:26Z")
Did anyone mention Dale yet? By the time it came to my mind, I was already more than halfway through the thread and was too lazy to go back and check. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/65 "2005-05-21T00:30:48Z")
I know someone that named her daughter Michael after The Waltons star Michael Learned. ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/66 "2005-05-21T00:34:12Z")
Both my first and middle names are unisex. I once posted a poll in my Livejournal asking what people would assume based on seeing my name alone on paper somewhere. Most chose woman, though I’m not really sure how much of that was skewed by the fact that they obviously already know I am a woman. Both names have been listed in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2005, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/67 "2005-05-21T05:20:29Z")
Sidney/Sydney goes back a ways. A female neighbor of mine actually is a Sidney, the only woman I’ve seen using that spelling. There’s a woman who writes about food named [Peter G. Rose](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=stripbooks:relevance-above&field-keywords=%252522peter%252520g%252520rose%252522&search-type=ss&bq=1&store-name=books/ref=xs_ap_l_xgl14/102-3869398-2112152). My mom was waited on in New York by a saleslady named Harry. (Not short for Harriet, either. Mom asked; she said so.) I once met a very charming young woman named Grayson. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/68 "2005-05-22T04:19:43Z")
> [@La Llorona](#): > > That one’s confusing. Jaime is a Spanish form of James, but it seems increasingly to be pronounced as in the English “Jamie” and used as a female name (influenced, I suspect, by one of those fictional female superheroes–Bionic Woman? Wonder Woman?–whose real [fictional] name was Jaime). > > So Jamie = male or female. Jaime pronounced as in “Jamie” is _usually_ a female name, and Jaime pronounced in the proper Spanish way is (again, usually) a boy’s name. Jaime Sommers the Bionic Woman. How I wanted to be her when I grew up! I’ve also heard of James being used for a girl’s name. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/69 "2005-05-22T04:35:03Z")
Adding to the confusion, there are a fair number of names that are men’s names in one culture and women’s names in another. In French, Jocelyn, René, and Jean are men’s names (the female equivalents are Jocelyne, Renée, and Jeanne). Likewise for Joan (a man’s name in Catalan) and Nicola and Andrea (men’s names in Italian). ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/70 "2005-05-22T13:49:42Z")
As well as Marie and Maria. (Which is really confusing when you run across someone called Jean-Marie.) > [@Sternvogel](#): > > Pearl was the actual first name of the novelist who gained fame as Zane Grey. He and your grandfather could have commiserated. Ironically enough, “Zane” sounds more like a female name to me than “Pearl”. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/71 "2005-05-22T14:07:00Z")
I’m a Kelly and my brother is a Dale. My great-grandmother believed my parents were nuts and gave the wrong name to the wrong (gender) child. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Big\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@The\_Big\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Big_Cheese)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/72 "2005-05-22T14:49:19Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > Can “Marion” be a guy’s name? Regardless, what other unisex names are out there? born Marion Morrison, aka John Wayne. > [@cazzle](#): > > Some parents seem to think that any boys name ending in -an (-anne) is fair game for girls, thus Ryan becomes Ryanne, Logan becomes Loganne… others don’t bother to modify the spelling. Now with these names, I’d pronounce them differently. I’d say them more like ‘Joanne’. It would sound to me more like Lo gannn, and not “Lo gin”. Our old governor, and former H&SS secretary Tommy Thompson has a daughter named Tommi Thompson, though she’s married and changed the last part now. Carrie…Cary/Carey ?? ---
**Author:** ![AThingWithFeathers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@AThingWithFeathers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AThingWithFeathers)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/73 "2005-05-22T16:09:21Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > In French, Jocelyn, René, and Jean are men’s names (the female equivalents are Jocelyne, Renée, and Jeanne). Likewise for Joan (a man’s name in Catalan) and Nicola and Andrea (men’s names in Italian). My parents wanted to name me Nicola, after my grandfather. They had the sense to realize it was a male name (after being chastized by my grandmother) and _not_ give it to me though. Some more: Sasha America (A wtf name to begin with, but true. There was a book awhile ago about an abused boy with this name.) Vivian Scout Stacy Dana The last two might’ve been mentioned already. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/74 "2005-05-22T16:15:03Z")
One of my grandfathers (Dad’s dad) was a Marion. His oldest daughter is a Marion as well. I’m a Kelly and my sister is Ashley. My cousin Grayson is never called that; she goes by Gracie or Grace. ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/75 "2005-05-22T16:20:26Z")
Two I’ve run into lately that I haven’t seen mentioned yet: Griffin Hunter ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/76 "2005-05-22T16:43:49Z")
Dana. Has anyone said that one yet? I know three Terry’s. Two of them are guys, one is a woman. My cafeteria lady in elementary school was named Johnnie. ---
**Author:** ![mike1dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mike1dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike1dog)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/77 "2005-05-22T16:48:17Z")
My uncles name was Shirley Dean(he went by Dean), my sisters name is Jo Allyson(she goes by Allyson). ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/78 "2005-05-22T17:27:29Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > My cafeteria lady in elementary school was named Johnnie. There is a set of parents at my kid’s daycare named Johnny and Adrian. They were there two years where I’d only seen their names on paper before I realized Johnny was the mom. ---
**Author:** ![Tazmanian\_Devil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@Tazmanian\_Devil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tazmanian_Devil)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/79 "2005-05-22T17:47:22Z")
Courtney ---
**Author:** ![mike1dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mike1dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike1dog)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2005, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520/80 "2005-05-22T18:05:55Z")
Oh yeah, I forgot about my great aunts. I have one called Johnnie, and another one called Dean. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-unisex-names/304520.md?page=5)