# 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:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/41 "2009-10-05T14:38:16Z")
I know a girl named Sean. Her sister is named Sidney. ---
**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, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/42 "2009-10-05T14:39:18Z")
Quick Wiki: looks like it’s [historically unisex](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_(given_name)), maybe making it one of only a very few names that have been used as unisex long-term? ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/43 "2009-10-05T16:38:13Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I wonder if there’s been a noticeable upswing in numbers post-_Gilmore Girls_? Maybe. [http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#prefix=RORY&ms=false&sw=f&exact=false](http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager#prefix=RORY&ms=false&sw=f&exact=false) ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/44 "2009-10-05T16:56:29Z")
Sure, but show me a girl named Otto. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/45 "2009-10-05T17:04:03Z")
There are no stable unisex names. Once a name becomes unisex, it is doomed to become female over time. {though I’m sure there are always exceptions…I’m sure there is at least one boy named Sue out there 🙂 } I don’t know why it is. Parents of baby girls continually encroach on boy names…and when they succeed parents of boys will tend to avoid those names from then on. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/46 "2009-10-05T23:30:41Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Does it _ever_ go the other way? Why does it go in only one direction? > > . No. It only goes one way… …because people think females, or anything “feminine”, is inferior. Thererfore, once a name becomes feminine/inferior, parents cannot give an “inferior” name to a male. Not only names, but colors too. Pink, purple, most pastels, etc. are now feminine colors. Riding horses used to be a “male” activity back up until the 1960’s. Today, horseback riding is now mostly a girls sport/activity. (very similar to : … its ok/great for a girl to be/act/dress a tomboy, but its shameful for a boy to want to act/look feminine ) It may be subconscious, people may deny it, people might not want to admit it… but its there. ---
**Author:** ![gurujulp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@gurujulp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gurujulp)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/47 "2009-10-05T23:43:12Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Inspired by this thread: > > [Names](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=534405) > I got to thinking about this last night when I couldn’t sleep. Here are some traditionally male names that I think may become female in the next few years. This is complete speculation and without any scientific basis whatsoever. Feel free to jump in. > > Sean > Dean > Toby > Owen–it just sounds like it could pink somehow to me. > Rory > Clark > Justin (perhaps spelled Justyn) > Can anyone think of some others? > I meant to add in the other thread that I know a young female Madison, Devon, Dylan and Kendall. I know females named Sean, Rory and Toby. I also have a cousin named Madison. I live in a place with a plethora of odd names, and I am not sure what would or would not make the list. I am pretty sure I know some odd form of Justine like Justyn or something, but that was a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![CAT\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@CAT\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CAT_1)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/48 "2009-10-06T18:59:48Z")
We know a girl named Aidan who is my son’s age(5). We also know half a dozen boys with that name as well. I have heard of girls named Sean for years. Most were spelled Shawn, or Shaun, but some were spelled Sean. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/49 "2009-10-07T01:53:38Z")
> [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > Parents of baby girls continually encroach on boy names…and when they succeed parents of boys will tend to avoid those names from then on. > [@Susanann](#): > > …because people think females, or anything “feminine”, is inferior. Thererfore, once a name becomes feminine/inferior, parents cannot give an “inferior” name to a male. Following the same logic then: _People think males, or anything “masculine” is superior. Therefore a masculine name is superior, and parents of a girl will select unisex or somewhat masculine names for their child in an attempt to elevate her status._ No idea if it’s the true reason or not, but following from **Susanann** ’s assertion… > [@](#): > > Not only names, but colors too. Pink, purple, most pastels, etc. are now feminine colors. Pink I’ll give you (formerly masculine as a shade of red), but Purple was claimed / taken / used by the suffragette movement, and may well have feminine associations because of that. To the OP: Jody doesn’t surprise me was a name that’s gone feminine, and neither does Stacey. Toby seems a little odd (to me), but given the similarity of form – the “y” ending – it might have only been a matter of time. Mary, Sally, Judy, Kathy, Jody, Stacey, Toby, Harry… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/50 "2009-10-07T12:45:01Z")
> [@anu-la1979](#): > > Elliot Dr. Elliot Reed I knew a female Brian once (though it was spelled Briann, and not pronounced Bree-anne). I had a customer bring in her baby the other day. The baby was named “Bradley” so I thought it was a boy. It’s not. It’s a girl named Bradley… and I’m an embarrassed bank teller. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491/51 "2009-10-07T17:15:30Z")
Is this just an American thing? As a Brit so many of these just sound utterly wrong to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-names-that-might-become-female-soon/512491.md?page=2)