# Girl names that used to be boy names **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 2, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371 "2009-10-02T17:35:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [October 3, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/61 "2009-10-03T15:09:20Z")
[Clears nasal passages, too](http://www.wekenshop.com/images/7682.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/62 "2009-10-03T15:33:56Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > How do you all see the name Tristan? > > I had a female student last year named Tristan and this year, I have a boy named that. That’s weird. Of course it’s a boy’s name, the only “Tristan” I’ve ever heard of (and which this Tristan is doubtlessly named after) is the hero of the famous medieval story of Tristan and Yseult (Isolde), with Tristan being a knight of the Round Table in most tellings (though apparently, the tale of Tristan is older than that of Arthur and was eventually conflated). They even made a movie of it not too long ago, “Tristan and Isolde”. Naming a girl “Tristan” would be sort of like naming a girl “Romeo”… A name that really is only known to modern people by association with a famous tragic love story. Though R&J is probably much better known to the general public than T&I, I still don’t see how anyone would even know the name “Tristan” except that they heard, saw or read about some reference to “Tristan and Yseult/Isolde”. I started [a thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=520198) similar to this not too long ago (a pre-poll-feature poll) to discover why the name “Kendall”, a name I only knew as a rare man’s name from two professional athletes in Kendall Gill (NBA) and Kendall Gammon (NFL) and gave to my son as a more euphonious version of “Kenneth” (which my wife hated), was frequently thought to be a girl’s name, but in my experience generally only by women. My wife had no idea why either. Apparently it was one of those “crossover” names that was still mostly male (if known at all) until some time in the late 1980s when a female soap opera character was given the name, and it skyrocketed in popular association as a girl’s name since then. Oh well. “Robin” is definitely (to me) a woman’s name, I’ve met quite a few female Robins but never a man… but it’s true that it must have happened at some point long after “Robin Hood”. Or for that matter, “Robinson Crusoe”, though that’s a last-name-turned-first version of Robin. I’ve always thought it was a reference to the red-breasted bird, like naming a girl “Sparrow” (which I have also heard or read of). “Dylan” is a name that has begun to cross over in the US, and since I seem to be at least 10-15 years behind the curve, perhaps has done so more than I think. To me “Dylan” as a first name only echoes the poet Dylan Thomas (“do not go gently into that good night…”), and the musician Bob Dylan, but I’ve met at least two girls named Dylan, both born since the late 1980s. In fact one girl Dylan (as I mentioned in my other post) has a sister named “Devyn”, a y-ified girl name version of “Devon” which is itself what I would have thought of as a rare boy’s name, but has also lost the battle like “Kendall” because it went through a phase of being a _popular_ girl’s name, which trumps “rare boy’s name” any time. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/63 "2009-10-03T15:48:20Z")
Dylan and Ysolde / Iseult are originally Welsh, too; like Tristan, they are recorded in medieval narrative. Dylan (masculine) is pronounced DULL-an and has been a Welsh given name for centuries, but only recently been borrowed into English (probably with Dylan Thomas). Other Welsh names (Geraint, Glenys, Guto, Ianto, Hawys, Luned, Angharad, etc.) are relatively common in Wales, rare in England, and unknown in America. Ripe for borrowing! Es(s)yllt is probably unpronounceable for English speakers and was feminine. I’ve never met a woman called Esyllt; it may have been a purely literary or mythological name, like Culhwch or Pwyll. (Of course, that hasn’t stopped the creation of veritable herds of Rhiannons.) On Celtic names in English: whenever I have a student called Caitlin, I always call role with the Irish pronunciation (which sounds, not coincidentally, very much like Kathleen). They always insist that “it’s pronounced Kate-Lynn.” Yeah, you child of ethnocentric cultural imperialists, sure. PS: And “Devon” (the place-name) derives from the tribal name “Dumnoni-,” ultimatelly “World + [augmentative],” the same Celtic etymon which survives as the Don- in “Donald.” ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/64 "2009-10-03T16:29:15Z")
Some baseball players of the not-too-distant past: LYNN McGlothen TRACY Jones KELLY Gruber KIM Seaman FRAN (Francis Xavier) Healy JODY Reed SHANNON Stewart SHELLEY Duncan DANA Eveland And I’m pretty sure there’s been a Leslie and maybe a Robin lately too, but I can’t come up with them. Some of these names (other than Fran) might be nicknames for something a little more obviously masculine…but all of them I associate just about exclusively with women. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/65 "2009-10-03T20:40:15Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Do you have some examples of this? Tiiffany Ellsworth THAYER, 1902-1959, American actor, author, and founder of the Fortean Society (whatever the hell that was). See wikipedia [entry.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffany_Thayer) ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/66 "2009-10-03T20:44:47Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > I will never be able to stomach McKenzie as a girl’s name, no matter what kind of tortured girlie spelling (Makenzie, Makynzi, Mykenzie, etc.) is applied. It will always be a crotchety old fart name. > > Soon we’ll be seeing little girls named Arthur, Ralph and Manchester. I was at college with a girl who went by “Stu.” HOWEVER, it was her middle name–there’s a certain subset of young ladies whose middle name is their mother’s maiden name, and she was one. So her name was Caroline Stuart Somebody, and she went by Stuart. My mother’s lawyer was named Fred. I suppose this was a great advantage for a woman who got out of law school in the '30s. (She became a judge. I think she might have been Oklahoma’s first female judge.) ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/67 "2009-10-03T21:47:25Z")
I worked with Stacey (boy). My age, too (about thirty). There’s a couple at a friend’s church who are named Lindsay (female) and Lindsey (male). Oscar Wilde’s son’s name was spelled Vyvyan. I think. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/68 "2009-10-03T22:07:35Z")
Oklahoma State’s star running back is Kendall Hunter. A sports blog I name refers to him as the “guy with the hot sorority chick’s name”. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/69 "2009-10-03T22:19:10Z")
> [@ThirdOne](#): > > Laurie was a male character in Little Women, shortened from Lawrence. It’s funny that in the book, Theodore Laurence uses the name Laurie because the boys were shortening Theodore to “Dora.” So he made them call him Laurie instead. Because it was so much more manly. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/70 "2009-10-03T23:02:24Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > “Robin” is definitely (to me) a woman’s name, I’ve met quite a few female Robins but never a man… but it’s true that it must have happened at some point long after “Robin Hood”. And after 1776, presumably, because, as I said, it is _still_ a man’s name in Britain. I went to school with a boy called Robin. He wasn’t teased about it. Robin Cook was a prominent British politician, who was Foreign Secretary (equivalent to the American Secretary of State) under Tony Blair from 1997 to 2001, and Leader of the House of Commons until 2003. British comedians mocked him for his Scottish accent, his shortness and his red hair and beard. I do not recall ever hearing him being mocked for having a weird or girly name. I do not know of any American males called Robin, however, so I think that, west of the Atlantic, it must have made the transition from male to female some time ago. I also do not ever recall meeting or hearing of a British woman or girl called Robin (though I dare say there are some now). Robyn is just a [less common](http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#prefix=ROB&ms=true&sw=f&exact=false) variant of the American female name Robin. Incidentally, the [Baby Name Wizard](http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager) provides some actual data very relevant to the issues being discussed here (although I have no idea where it gets its data, or how reliable it is - it does show Robin as both a male and female name, so perhaps it aggregates British and American statistics). It is fun to play with, too. To find the info on any particular name (and names that begin similarly), just start typing it at the cursor on the page. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/71 "2009-10-03T23:12:36Z")
> [@Lissla\_Lissar](#): > > I worked with Stacey (boy). My age, too (about thirty). There’s a couple at a friend’s church who are named Lindsay (female) and Lindsey (male). > > Oscar Wilde’s son’s name was spelled Vyvyan. I think. Well, if he was Oscar Wilde’s son what would you expect? (Huh! Oscar Wilde had a son! 😕) Stacy Keach was a fairly big star with a pretty macho image not so long ago, though according to the [Baby Name Wizard](http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#prefix=STAC&ms=false&sw=f&exact=false), Stacey (with or without an e) has always been more common for girls than for boys. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/72 "2009-10-03T23:35:56Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I believe the female spelling is now **Robyn**. “Robyn” is just a variant spelling. I’d be surprised to see a man using that spelling, just as I’d be surprised to see a many using the spelling “Kelli”, but it’s not like Francis/Frances. > [@njtt](#): > > Well, if he was Oscar Wilde’s son what would you expect? (Huh! Oscar Wilde had a son! 😕) Oscar Wilde was married and had two sons. After he went to prison, Mrs. Wilde (nee Constance Lloyd) changed her and the children’s last names. Wilde’s older son Cyril died childless (killed in action in WWI), but Vyvyan had a son who’s still alive. He’s a father himself, so Wilde also has one great-grandson who’s now about 30. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/73 "2009-10-03T23:52:42Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > René has swung both ways in my lifetime. René is a boy’s name, Renée is a girl´s name. Both pronounced the same, both mean “reborn”. I’m sure some parents have messed this up, but there you go. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/74 "2009-10-04T00:17:28Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > And I’m pretty sure there’s been a Leslie and maybe a Robin lately too, but I can’t come up with them. Robin Yount, Hall of Fame shortstop/outfielder for the Brewers. ---
**Author:** ![Shig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Shig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shig)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/75 "2009-10-04T00:32:20Z")
Some that I don’t think I saw in the thread so far that seem to have gone from one gender to both genders: Jordan (my favorite girl name) Stacy Blair Morgan Lynn (?) Lesley Also, I don’t know if these are common at all, but I know a female Ryan and a female Spencer. I had a boss at one point named Davey. I’m guessing that one isn’t common and was maybe a family thing. What do I know though? ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/76 "2009-10-04T02:16:14Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Robin Yount, Hall of Fame shortstop/outfielder for the Brewers. DUHHHH! So I remember Kim Seaman and Jody Reed, but can’t come up with Robin Freakin’ Yount. Thank you… ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/77 "2009-10-04T02:58:24Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > Some baseball players of the not-too-distant past: > … > And I’m pretty sure there’s been a Leslie and maybe a Robin lately too, but I can’t come up with them. Robin Ventura, 3B for the Chicago White Sox, Mets and Yankees. I shoulda known that. ---
**Author:** ![hocow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hocow/32/4112_2.png) [@hocow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hocow)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/78 "2009-10-04T13:04:23Z")
My 2.5 month old daughter is named Ryan. I got the idea for her name when I saw a young lady graduating high school with the name. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/79 "2009-10-04T13:48:11Z")
> [@Jelymag](#): > > When I first started hearing the name Rory it was only for girls, and now I hear it more frequently for boys. Rory entered the [US Top 100](http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/) for boys in 1947 at 808 and has featured every year since, climbing to the 280th spot in 1959. Conversely, Rory as a girl’s name entered the top 100 in 2003 at 988 and did not feature again until 2008, when it was the 982nd most popular girl’s name for the year. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371/80 "2009-10-04T14:03:33Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > Some baseball players of the not-too-distant past: > > FRAN (Francis Xavier) Healy [And a pop singer too](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Healy). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-names-that-used-to-be-boy-names/512371.md?page=5)