My father once made a home visit to the family of a girl named “Female” (pronounced fe-MAH-le). He said to the mother, (either an immigrant or poor black woman), “That’s a pretty name. What does it mean?” She replied, “I don’t know. The doctor named her at the hospital.” He realized that she probably saw a certificate of live birth stating that the baby was female. My father didn’t tend to make this kind of thing up.