# Lindsay: male or female? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 12, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543 "2012-09-12T21:36:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/41 "2012-09-13T15:50:34Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Female like that don’t need no big tits. 🙂 Female like that better with small tits. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/42 "2012-09-13T16:11:20Z")
A middle-aged British Lindsay would be more likely to be male IMO. I’m interested in names, so I’m aware that Lindsay is traditionally a male anglo name. However in the states, probably 90% of Lindsays are female (and under 35). ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/43 "2012-09-13T17:06:26Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > A middle-aged British Lindsay would be more likely to be male IMO. I’m interested in names, so I’m aware that Lindsay is traditionally a male anglo name. However in the states, probably 90% of Lindsays are female (and under 35). That’s true for the uk too - it is mostly a female name here, easily 90%, with more males in scotland. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/44 "2012-09-13T18:06:30Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Shit, I clicked too fast. Just Lindsay with no other information is female. Knowing it’s a middle aged Briton switches it to male in my head for some reason. This, sort of. “Lindsay” with an A scans like the traditional male version of the name (I also picture a former mayor of NYC whose last name was Lindsay); but in my probably limited experience, “Lindsey” tends to be the spelling of the female name that has taken over in popularity, genderwise, in the past 20-30 years. That said, I don’t personally know any Lindsays/Lindseys. The only male “Lindsay” I could think of offhand is Lindsay Buckingham, the guitiarist from the band Fleetwood Mac, and a Wikipedia cross-check reveals that he spells it “Lindsey” (d’oh!). As a female name, the only one I can think of is the fictional character Lindsey Neagle from _The Simpsons_. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/45 "2012-09-13T18:20:28Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Probably female but I’d double-check to be sure. The spelling would make it much more likely, but still not definite. > > If the person were British and middle-aged then I’d be even more likely to say female, because I’ve known female Lyndsays in that age group but not male. How funny. I am a middle aged British female and my take is that a middle aged Lyndsay would be male _but_ would pretty much have to come from Scotland. All the female Lyndsays I know (of) are younger. It may of course depend on where you think middle aged starts – and I’ve got to the stage where that’s a year or so older than me. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/46 "2012-09-13T18:53:29Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Not only female, but cute and blonde. I don’t think I’ve ever known a Lindsay who was anything but. May I introduce you to an [estate agent](http://www.savills.co.uk/office-contacts/fulham-contacts.aspx)? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/47 "2012-09-13T19:22:27Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > May I introduce you to an [estate agent](http://www.savills.co.uk/office-contacts/fulham-contacts.aspx)? Well thanks, you’ve just ruined the world of Lindsays for me. ---
**Author:** ![kirk1168](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@kirk1168](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirk1168)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/48 "2012-09-13T23:42:26Z")
I voted male, given the “middle-aged and British” info, but lacking that I would have voted “female”. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/49 "2012-09-14T03:39:44Z")
Lindsay Lohan immediately springs to mind. Female. I’ve never met a male Lindsay among the Brits over here. OTOH, I’ve never personally met a Lindsay of either gender my whole life. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/50 "2012-09-14T05:19:18Z")
> [@Sally\_Mander](#): > > I’ve always thought of Lindsay as a girl’s name. I always wondered why Lindsey Buckingham had a girl’s name. > I think of Nat as a nickname for Natalie, which is definitely a female name. I can’t think of a male name which would use Nat for short, except for Nathaniel, but that would more than likely be Nate. You’re right on that, on both counts. That’s my name, and my nephew’s name is Nathaniel/Nate. Hrm…now I’m struggling to think of a guy with the nickname of Nat. I always associated it as sounding male, when I’m very much not so. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/51 "2012-09-14T05:21:32Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > You’re right on that, on both counts. That’s my name, and my nephew’s name is Nathaniel/Nate. Hrm…now I’m struggling to think of a guy with the nickname of Nat. I always associated it as sounding male, when I’m very much not so. Nat King Cole? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/52 "2012-09-14T06:23:30Z")
Nat Turner ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/53 "2012-09-14T09:10:40Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > You’re right on that, on both counts. That’s my name, and my nephew’s name is Nathaniel/Nate. Hrm…now I’m struggling to think of a guy with the nickname of Nat. I always associated it as sounding male, when I’m very much not so. Nat Young. (Surfer) ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/54 "2012-09-14T09:41:20Z")
My rule of thumb would be: Born before 1960 - male Born after 1960 - female This is based on Australian and British (primarily Scottish, as it happens :)) experience. There’s a tipping point for all these male-\>female names. I’d put Ashley at around 1970 and Shirley 1960 or so, but that’s just WAG-ing ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/55 "2012-09-14T09:56:32Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Guess I’m even older, because I read it as unisex. > > I’m sorry, but using last names as first names has always struck me as bizarre. Whether for boys or girls, it makes no difference, it has a weird ring to it either way. I think it must have started as a WASP custom, because nobody had such names in the ethnic environment where I grew up. I think you show your age in that you think of Lindsay as a last name that became a first name. Yeah, some people have that last name, but I never realized that was the derivation. Makes me wonder about other first names that are also last names, like Kelly. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543/56 "2012-09-14T10:23:23Z")
I used to have a cousin named Lindsay. Actually, I probably still do. He is a male, so therefore that’s what I immediately imagine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-male-or-female/634543.md?page=2)