# Do you consider these unisex names to be male or female? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2013, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584 "2013-01-18T03:49:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/1 "2013-01-18T03:49:32Z")
All of these names could be male OR female. But what do you consider them, in your mind – like what assumption would you make if you saw the name on someone’s job application or on a class attendance list, if you did not know the gender of the person? Morgan Taylor Ashley Dana Stacy Kelly Logan Dakota Jordan Jamie Hayden Madison Reese Riley Tate Tracy Whitney ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/2 "2013-01-18T03:52:58Z")
> [@the\_apples\_fell](#): > > All of these names could be male OR female. But what do you consider them, in your mind – like what assumption would you make if you saw the name on someone’s job application or on a class attendance list, if you did not know the gender of the person? Seriously…why would people name their boys Kelly, Ashley, Madison, Whitney? I can’t imagine them having ANY sort of male qualities to the name. ---
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/3 "2013-01-18T03:53:51Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > Morgan- Female > Taylor- Male > Ashley- Female. Never male. Wth? > Dana- Female > Stacy -Female. Again…male? wth? > Kelly - Female. But I did know a man named this. Pitied him. > Logan - Male > Dakota - Either or…hard to say > Jordan - Male > Jamie - Male > Hayden - Male > Madison - Female. Really? People name their boys this? > Reese - Male > Riley - Male > Tate -Male > Tracy -Female > Whitney - Female. A joke right? no one would name their boy this…right? Ashley is originally a guy’s name. I know a guy named Stacy. Madison also was originally male. Whitney, I have heard can be either but I have not known any men with it.. I assume it was originally male. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/4 "2013-01-18T03:57:19Z")
> [@the\_apples\_fell](#): > > All of these names could be male OR female. But what do you consider them, in your mind – like what assumption would you make if you saw the name on someone’s job application or on a class attendance list, if you did not know the gender of the person? > > Morgan M > Taylor F > Ashley F > Dana F > Stacy F > Kelly F > Logan M > Dakota F > Jordan F > Jamie F > Hayden M > Madison F > Reese F If it was spelled Rhys I’d say male. > Riley M > Tate M > Tracy F > Whitney F That’s my take on it. Jamie is tricky, for an adult to call themselves that I’d assume female. Kid, more difficult. ---
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/5 "2013-01-18T03:58:33Z")
The interesting thing is, with the possible exception of Tracy, all of these started out as male names. The one I never considered female is Morgan. If someone mentioned a friend with that name I’d assume a guy. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/6 "2013-01-18T03:58:52Z")
Ashley, Dana, Stacy, Tracy, and Whitney all seem to me to be female names nowadays. The rest could go either way, except for Tate and Logan, which seem male. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/7 "2013-01-18T03:59:58Z")
For the names I have a strong feeling about, it’s because I know someone with that name. For others, I’ve known more people of one sex than the other who have the name. _For Kelly - well, I married one, so I’m bound by loyalty to consider the name male, regardless of how it’s gone since 1960 or so._ ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/8 "2013-01-18T04:03:28Z")
Many of these I associate with entertainers of some sort, so that influences my “default”: Taylor (Swift), Dakota (Fanning), Hayden (Paniterr—can’t spell it, too lazy to google.), Reese (Witherspoon). While I think of Stacy Keach and Ashley Wilkes when you ask me about these “gender neutral” names, in real life, I’m going to assume Stacy and Ashley are girls. My brother has one of these names, so it gets “boy”, but I’ve known only one other guy besides him named Morgan and about 4 gazillion women named Morgan (and many female black cats), so that’s the hardest one for me. ---
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/9 "2013-01-18T04:04:31Z")
What about Casey, Cameron, and Ryan? I can see those going either way. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/10 "2013-01-18T04:07:01Z")
male names that are adopted as female names seem to be more common than the other way round. in fact, what are the names that were originally females and are now males? ---
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/11 "2013-01-18T04:07:55Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > male names that are adopted as female names seem to be more common than the other way round. in fact, what are the names that were originally females and are now males? I can’t think of any. Usually any name that can also be a surname, is originally male, which is why Whitney is originally a guy’s name. I can’t believe Taylor is a girl’s name for most of you. I always think of Taylor Lautner. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/12 "2013-01-18T04:18:22Z")
Taylor Swift is the first Taylor I think of. A. Whitney Brown is a male Whitney that comes to mind. What about the name Corey? Male or Female? ---
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/13 "2013-01-18T04:19:44Z")
Corey is male, Cory female to me. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/14 "2013-01-18T04:19:45Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > male names that are adopted as female names seem to be more common than the other way round. in fact, what are the names that were originally females and are now males? I really can’t think of a single one, and google’s no help. [This article](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/magazine/28wwln-idealab-t.html?_r=0) suggests Angel and Logan were once more unisex and are now more male. That’s about as close as I think we’re likely to get. ---
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/15 "2013-01-18T04:20:56Z")
Angel is common amongst Hispanics. I’ve never heard anyone with it who was not of Spanish-speaking background. ---
**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/16 "2013-01-18T04:24:52Z")
How about Alexis? Male or female? It comes from Russian “Alexey” or “Alexei” and exists as Alexios in Greek and Alessio in Italian. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/17 "2013-01-18T05:07:58Z")
> [@the\_apples\_fell](#): > > How about Alexis? Male or female? It comes from Russian “Alexey” or “Alexei” and exists as Alexios in Greek and Alessio in Italian. Alexey / Alexios are unambiguously male in their native languages but have established female variants (Alexia–but that’s an extremely uncommon name, this name comes from a similar etymology as Alexander “defender of men” or Alexandros in Greek, and is thus considered extremely masculine in all the cultures where it was originally used.) But Alexis is so uncommon a name in America I don’t know how people would take it, despite knowing the etymology of it and its history I think a lot of Americans would almost think of it s a stripper-esque style name (but maybe that’s just me.) Alexander is a good example of an unambiguously male name in America though, you’d name a woman Alexandra for sure, only extreme outliers would name a woman Alexander. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/18 "2013-01-18T05:13:39Z")
Once you hear of a girl or two having a certain name that was associated with boys, parents seem to dump it from consideration for their sons. The first Madisons were considered trendy with a unisex name; for the last 20 years or more it seems to be just a girl’s name. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/19 "2013-01-18T05:19:54Z")
and when a mermaid calls herself by that name, that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/20 "2013-01-18T05:33:19Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > But Alexis is so uncommon a name in America I don’t know how people would take it, despite knowing the etymology of it and its history I think a lot of Americans would almost think of it s a stripper-esque style name (but maybe that’s just me.) We have three Alexises in our middle school, all girls (and none strippers, as far as I know). We generally have one or two Angels per year, about evenly split between boys and girls. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584.md?page=2)