# Male Names That Might Become Female Soon **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 3, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491 "2009-10-03T21:56:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [October 4, 2009, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/21 "2009-10-04T09:55:45Z")
I think any name ending in a “y” has a good chance of crossing over soon, given how many others have made the jump already (Ashley, Stacey, Tracy, Jamie, Kelly, …). So +1 to Rory, Toby and Corey ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/22 "2009-10-04T10:41:13Z")
Data point: I know a (“Mainstream” American) female Toby who is my age (45) – don’t know how many others there are/were. Also – by “going female” do you mean that a name gradually becomes **exclusively** female, or that it becomes unisex? Because going over a class list in an Israeli school, it is often a challenge to guess the gender up of to sometimes 30-40% of the class based on their name alone… **a lot** of names have become unisex, far fewer have transitioned to Female Only. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/23 "2009-10-04T11:20:24Z")
My Grandfather was named Marion. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/24 "2009-10-04T13:38:57Z")
You’re John Wayne’s grandkid? 🙂 ---
**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, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/25 "2009-10-04T13:48:28Z")
As I mentioned in the other thread, my baby girl is named Ryan. I was inspired by the graduation announcement of a young lady with the same name. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/26 "2009-10-04T15:15:17Z")
Isn’t there a celebrity’s kid out there called Noah? I don’t think it’s a bad girls’ name. Better than “Dylan”. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/27 "2009-10-04T17:15:42Z")
Sean Young anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/28 "2009-10-04T17:29:54Z")
For the doubters: Evan and Rory have crossed over in Hollywood. Evan Rachel Wood stars as Lucy in _Across the Universe_, and Rory Gilmore is the name of a character on _The Gilmore Girls_. > [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > My Grandfather was named Marion. I was recently thinking that the characters in a certain British folk legend could just as easily be Robyn Hood and Prince Marion. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/29 "2009-10-04T17:41:58Z")
Landon Brady Jaden Colton Luca These 2 threads remind me of the gender bending names used in some of Philip Jose Farmer’s novels that are set in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/30 "2009-10-04T19:38:13Z")
I know more female Kyle’s than male. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/31 "2009-10-04T20:11:45Z")
Met a girl named Brand **y** n once. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/32 "2009-10-04T20:15:31Z")
I saw a young girl named **Jordan**. ---
**Author:** ![kathmandu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kathmandu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kathmandu)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/33 "2009-10-04T22:24:05Z")
I know a couple of women named Shane (or Shayne). ---
**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 4, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/34 "2009-10-04T22:44:58Z")
A little behind the curve, Jordan has been a female name (for some) for awhile, if my 50-something co-worker’s mother-in-law is any indication. I assume said CW’s MIL did not have a sex change. I don’t know exactly how old she is. Over 70, possibly over 80. I know two men 50+ named Madison and about two dozen girls, grade-school to high-school, with that name. (Okay, I don’t know all of them, I just know there are a lot of them.) ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/35 "2009-10-04T23:50:13Z")
Elliot ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/36 "2009-10-05T00:31:41Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > For the doubters: Evan and Rory have crossed over in Hollywood. Evan Rachel Wood stars as Lucy in _Across the Universe_, and Rory Gilmore is the name of a character on _The Gilmore Girls_. On _Gilmore Girls_ Rory is a nickname, though. Her real name is Lorelei, like her mother. I don’t know if it was ever explained how young Lorelei became Rory, but I assumed it was a baby-talk version of “Lori”. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/37 "2009-10-05T00:40:04Z")
I know a couple female Jordans, too. Also Rorys, Alexes, Kyles, and Ryans. I’m rather bummed about Luca. As I mentioned in the other thread, a handful of my favorite boy’s names have made the transition and once feminized in the public mind, it’s hard to go back. It’s really too bad that it works that way. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/38 "2009-10-05T02:27:02Z")
Does it _ever_ go the other way? Why does it go in only one direction? **Tamerlane** – anybody who doesn’t know about Nikola Tesla, you don’t want to waste your time on them anyway. Tesla is badass. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/39 "2009-10-05T03:11:37Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > Data point: I know a (“Mainstream” American) female Toby who is my age (45) – don’t know how many others there are/were. > > Also – by “going female” do you mean that a name gradually becomes **exclusively** female, or that it becomes unisex? Because going over a class list in an Israeli school, it is often a challenge to guess the gender up of to sometimes 30-40% of the class based on their name alone… **a lot** of names have become unisex, far fewer have transitioned to Female Only. Whichever, whatever. Doesn’t matter, really. Exclusively male that either becomes unisex or female (but unisex tend to go exclusively female after a bit, no?) Thought of another: Logan Morgan (that’s been female for a while now) Jody (ditto) Zachary Bennett Sidney (also not new, but I can’t think of names all at once!) I know a Jordan who’s a sophomore in college now. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/40 "2009-10-05T14:30:35Z")
Oh, good calls… though [Morgan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_le_Fay) does have female historical precedence. I wonder if that’s a name that crossed the opposite direction? Were there male Morgans before then? I hadn’t thought of her in years, but I had female friend-of-a-friend in high school named Michael, and I’ve come across others since, though I sincerely doubt that one will ever become truly feminized. How about Hayden? There’s the cheerleader, of course. Cameron and Reese also come to mind. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491.md?page=3)