# 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:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/41 "2013-01-19T00:15:09Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > That’s where the female version of that name came from. It basically didn’t exist as a girl’s name prior to _Splash_. > > Besides, I consider almost any name that ends in -son to be masculine. If little Madison were to relocate to a Scandinavian country, would she have to change her name to Madidottir? ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/42 "2013-01-19T00:27:45Z")
I have a unisex name. Do you think of Drew as a F or M name right off the bat? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/43 "2013-01-19T00:36:26Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I have a unisex name. Do you think of Drew as a F or M name right off the bat? M, Barrymore notwithstanding. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/44 "2013-01-19T00:36:32Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I have a unisex name. Do you think of Drew as a F or M name right off the bat? Male. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/45 "2013-01-19T01:00:17Z")
The [Baby Name Voyager](http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager) shows trends in names since the 1880s. Many of the names in the poll were once more common for boys, but within the past 50 years – in some cases within the past 20 years – became far more popular as names for girls. There are two on the list (Logan and Tate) that I’ve never heard of being used for girls though, and the graph more or less backs me up. By the '90s Logan had started to be used as a name for girls, but it has never become all \*that \*popular. It peaked at the 351st most common name for baby girls in 2004 and has been dropping since then. It was a top 30 name for baby boys that same year and has continued to climb. Tate doesn’t chart at all for girls, which means it has never been within the top 1,000 names for girls in the US. It’s never been particularly popular for boys either – it’s barely cracked the top 400 – but I wouldn’t describe it as a unisex name. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/46 "2013-01-19T01:08:41Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > It could be worse; I send my work product to a guy named Carmen. Every last person who has seen his name assumes he’s female. He’s about 55. If he’s Italian that is a perfectly legit male name. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/47 "2013-01-19T01:15:22Z")
In tidewater Virginia it appears to be (or was) a thing to name girls last names of relatives. At least, it was in my husband’s upper class maternal line from there. There is a cousin Beauchamps (“beechum”) and some others I can’t remember, each always called by an silly nickname, like Chipper, even as an adult. Very weird for someone raised on the west coast, where we all call each other Dusty and Pard. My opinion is that when last names or male names become a popular girl’s name it is time to stop naming boys that. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/48 "2013-01-19T01:31:41Z")
Morgan - Freeman Taylor - Ham Dana - Scully Logan - 's Run Dakota - north or south? Jordan - almonds Jamie - six million dollar woman Madison - president Reese - peanut butter cups Tate - McMahon and Tracy - Dick Whitney - Houston ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/49 "2013-01-19T01:35:16Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Taylor - Ham You from Jersey? ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/50 "2013-01-19T02:34:55Z")
I dated an Ashley, he was very much a male. He said he got teased a lot but then he named his son Ashley. I have male cousins named Kelly and Faye and one called Toots. I know a man named Kim, and another named Jan. Bob Hope’s real named was Leslie. I read some story where he said he changed his name to Bob because last name first he was called Hope, Leslie (Hopelessly). That might have been a joke though. You have Carroll and Marion as male names too, I think Taylor sounds like a boy but all the ones I know are girls. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/51 "2013-01-19T03:13:23Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > If he’s Italian that is a perfectly legit male name. Isn’t that usually spelled “Carmine,” though ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/52 "2013-01-19T03:29:29Z")
Nine of 'em are surnames and should have remained that way, especially Madison. Curses on that stupid Tom Hanks movie! I am waiting for the first ignorant couple to name their daughter Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/53 "2013-01-19T03:33:23Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Isn’t that usually spelled “Carmine,” though Not necessarily. I knew a guy of Italian descent whose first name was Carmen. Come to think of it, I’ve only known one Tait - a dude - and never a Tate of either sex. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584/54 "2013-01-19T03:35:11Z")
I only personally know one Logan and she’s an eleven year old girl. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-consider-these-unisex-names-to-be-male-or-female/647584.md?page=2)