# Gender ambiguous given names (in Anglo-American/Anglophone culture)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-ambiguous-given-names-in-anglo-american-anglophone-culture/363061>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 3, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-ambiguous-given-names-in-anglo-american-anglophone-culture/363061 "2006-07-03T16:25:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**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:** [July 5, 2006, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-ambiguous-given-names-in-anglo-american-anglophone-culture/363061/61 "2006-07-05T23:46:32Z")

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I guess I should also say that I have an Uncle Carroll, who I met once for 20 minutes in 1960 (OK, it was a week-long vacation around 1962. I was five.)

And my husband has a daughter Stacy who of course married a guy named Tracy. :eek:

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**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-ambiguous-given-names-in-anglo-american-anglophone-culture/363061/62 "2006-07-06T01:19:13Z")

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[QUOTE=Rayne Man]  
I think Carroll (note the different spelling) is of Irish origin, but I have never seen **Carol** as a man’s name.  
[/QUOTE]

The difference in spelling is why I bolded it 😉

[QUOTE=OneCentStamp]  
Did he tell you your fortune, in a really bad Jamaican accent?  
[/QUOTE]

Sadly, no, but my first thought upon seeing it was responding to this thread, which tells me that I spend _way_ too much time here 🙂

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**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-ambiguous-given-names-in-anglo-american-anglophone-culture/363061/63 "2006-07-06T02:16:47Z")

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[QUOTE=ninevah]  
…But I’ve never heard of a bloke called **Fay**  
[/QUOTE]

Fay Vincent, formerly commissioner of major league baseball.

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