# What gender comes to mind when hearing these first names? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 5, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725 "2011-10-05T20:57:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/1 "2011-10-05T20:57:30Z")
When you **hear** the following names, what gender pops into your mind first? Robin Terry Kelly Shannon Tracy Tony Jody Sidney Courtney Hilary Alex Jamie Erin Qbert ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/2 "2011-10-05T21:00:26Z")
Robin is a girl - because that’s my name! Terry - guy Kelly - girl Shannon - girl Tracy - girl Tony - guy Jody - girl Sidney - guy Courtney - girl Hilary - girl Alex - guy Jamie - guy Erin - girl Qbert - wut? that little bouncing video game guy? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/3 "2011-10-05T21:09:33Z")
Robin - Girl Terry - Guy Kelly - Girl Shannon - Girl Tracy - Girl Tony - Guy Jody - Girl Sidney - Guy Courtney - Girl Hilary - Girl Alex - Guy Jamie - Guy Erin - Girl Qbert - Guy This is the worst game of Family Feud _ever_. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/4 "2011-10-05T21:17:45Z")
Robin - F Terry - M Kelly - F Shannon - F Tracy - F Tony - M Jody - F Sidney - M Courtney - F Hilary - F Alex - M Jamie - F Erin - F Qbert - @!#?@ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/5 "2011-10-05T21:18:08Z")
Robin - female Terry - male Kelly - female Shannon - female Tracy - female Tony - male Jody - either Sidney - male Courtney - female Hilary - female Alex - either Jamie - female Erin - female Qbert - male with strange parents ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/6 "2011-10-05T21:20:11Z")
Robin - F Terry - M Kelly - F Shannon - F Tracy - F Tony - M Jody - F Sidney - F Courtney - F Hilary - F Alex - M Jamie - M Erin - F Qbert - one respects Qbert’s privacy. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/7 "2011-10-05T21:23:37Z")
The one that surprises me is Erin. Maybe because Aaron Rodgers is a god. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/8 "2011-10-05T21:27:25Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > The one that surprises me is Erin. Maybe because Aaron Rodgers is a god. Oh, sure, throw a curveball. Yeah, I see what you’re getting at now, and I did notice the bolded **hear** , but you’re not going to separate the written form that easily in a text medium without writing the names in IPA. ---
**Author:** ![Nuveena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@Nuveena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nuveena)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/9 "2011-10-05T21:30:51Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > The one that surprises me is Erin. Maybe because Aaron Rodgers is a god. I know you said when you **hear** the names, but when you spell it Erin, everyone’s going to think female. If you had spelled it Aaron, I expect everyone would have said male. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/10 "2011-10-05T21:31:05Z")
Robin - could go either way. Mostly I think Batman’s sidekick. Terry - [male](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147746/). Kelly - female Shannon - girl Tracy - girl Tony - boy Jody - girl Sidney - boy Courtney - girl Hilary - girl Alex - boy Jamie - could go either way. Erin - out loud - male, because that’s my last boyfriend’s name Qbert - neuter ---
**Author:** ![Dahnlor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahnlor/32/533_2.png) [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/11 "2011-10-05T21:31:11Z")
I think “Erin” is universally gettnig “F” replies is because it is on the list spelled as “Erin” and not “Aaron”. When the male and female versions are differently spelled but are homonymns, I’d offer both spellings, like: Erin/Aaron If only _hearing_ either of these, I usually think male before female - I work with more Aarons than Erins. the rest: Robin - F Terry/Terri - F Kelly - F Shannon - F Tracy - F Tony/Toni - M Jody - F Sidney - M Courtney - F Hilary - F Alex - M Jamie - F Qbert - androgynous ---
**Author:** ![SecondJudith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@SecondJudith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecondJudith)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/12 "2011-10-05T21:31:14Z")
Robin - woman Terry - man Kelly - woman Shannon - woman Tracy - man Tony - man Jody - man Sidney - man Courtney - woman Hilary - man Alex - woman Jamie - man Erin - woman (Aaron = man; they sound different to me) Qbert - man ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/13 "2011-10-05T21:33:12Z")
Robin - F Terry - Neither. When written, Terry is male, Terri is female. When heard, neutral. Kelly - F Shannon - F Tracy - F Tony - M Jody - F Sidney - F Courtney - F Hilary - F Alex- M Jamie - Neutral Erin - Same as Terry. Erin written is female, Aaron written is male, the name spoken registers as neutral. Qbert - M 🙂 Tony’s another one I think of as female when spelled Toni, but when I hear Tony spoken aloud, I suppose I visualize the male version. Also, when I saw Sidney, I thought of Sidney Poitier and thought male, but really, if someone said “My friend Sidney…” I’d think of a woman, unless given reason to believe otherwise. ---
**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 5, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/14 "2011-10-05T21:35:32Z")
Robin - F Terry - M Kelly - F Shannon - F Tracy - F Tony - M Jody - F Sidney - M Courtney - F Hilary - F Alex - M Jamie - M Erin - F Qbert - M Some of these I think of as unisex with barely a bias to a particular gender (Shannon, Jamie, Alex), and some I think of as gender specific even though I know they are unisex (Sidney, Erin). ---
**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 5, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/15 "2011-10-05T21:41:39Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > The one that surprises me is Erin. Maybe because Aaron Rodgers is a god. I’m Australian, and with my accent Erin and Aaron don’t sound the same so I don’t consider them the same name. Erin is unambiguously female; Aaron is unambiguously male. ---
**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 5, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/16 "2011-10-05T21:43:17Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > When you **hear** the following names, what gender pops into your mind first? Robin - (now) girl, (70s or earlier) boy Terry - boy Kelly - boy Shannon - girl Tracy - girl Tony - boy Jody - girl Sidney - (now) girl, (older) boy Courtney - girl Hilary - girl Alex - boy or girl Jamie - boy Erin - girl Qbert - @!#?@! ---
**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 5, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/17 "2011-10-05T21:47:41Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > I’m Australian, and with my accent Erin and Aaron don’t sound the same so I don’t consider them the same name. Erin is unambiguously female; Aaron is unambiguously male. Ditto. Well I’m Kiwi… and of course don’t have an accent… 🙂 But with the accents I hear around me Erin and Aaron are unambiguous. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/18 "2011-10-05T21:50:06Z")
(double post deleted) ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/19 "2011-10-05T21:51:13Z")
> [@](#): > > When you **hear** the following names, what gender pops into your mind first? Responded without looking at other answers - I suspect most of my answers are due to the fact that I know someone with that name, and therefore associate the gender of my known friend with the name: Robin male Terry male Kelly female Shannon female Tracy female Tony male Jody female Sidney male/female (could not make my mind up - know two Sidneys!) Courtney female Hilary female Alex female Jamie female Erin female Qbert some kind of sexless alien ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/20 "2011-10-05T21:51:14Z")
Am I the only one who thinks of Terry as female? Hm… must be because my sister was a Terry. During her tweens she spelled it with an “i”. With a heart. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725.md?page=2)