# 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:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**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 6, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/61 "2011-10-06T21:01:11Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > I know Alex is traditionally a male name, but there were three female Alexes in my high school class (of 100) and no male Alexes, so I usually think of one of them. > [@Shakester](#): > > They’re **all** names that **used to be** male names and have **become** female names in recent decades. Re. Alex… kinda… sorta… not exactly. 🙂 Alex is commmonly a short form of both Alexander and Alexandra… though I have no doubt that some of the people named “Alex” were actually christened with the short form (I know a chap named “Lex” where that is the full form of his given name). I opined “boy or girl” for Alex up-thread – my son is named Alexander (and goes by Alex), and within my circle of friends there are several girls with Alexandra as a name (mostly as a middle name as it happens). And Alexandra is not a recent decades name, but rather one dating to Roman times, and – so wiki informs me – was an epithet of the goddess Hera. (I did not know that…) 🙂 > [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > No. James is a male name. [Jamie can be a girls name.](http://www.behindthename.com/name/jamie) The actress / model James King might be surprised at your assertion… though as she goes by Jaime now… ---
**Author:** ![Soliloquy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Soliloquy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soliloquy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/62 "2011-10-06T23:13:51Z")
Robin - Girl, though I went to school with a boy named this. Terry - Boy with a “y”. My sister is Terri. Kelly - Girl. My best friend. I’ve known boys. Shannon - Girl, though I know a couple of guys. Tracy - See Shannon Tony - Boy with a “y”, girl = Toni Jody - Boy… This is my Brother’s name. Sidney - Girl Courtney - Girl Hilary - Definitely girl Alex - Either Jamie - Either Erin - Girl with this spelling, though I work with a guy who spells his name this way. Qbert - Video game… Boy. I think I even played that a few times. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/63 "2011-10-07T00:22:46Z")
Robin - Male Terry - Male Kelly - Female Shannon - Female Tracy - Female Tony - Male Jody - Female Sidney - Female Courtney - Female Hilary - Female Alex - Male Jamie - Female Erin - Female Qbert - Robot ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/64 "2011-10-07T02:41:19Z")
Robin- girl Terry- guy Kelly- girl Shannon- girl Tracy- girl Tony- guy Jody- girl Sidney- older guy or younger girl Courtney- girl Hilary- girl Alex- guy Jamie- guy Erin- girl Qbert- Huh? ---
**Author:** ![Makeitstop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@Makeitstop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Makeitstop)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/65 "2011-10-07T04:59:48Z")
All girl except: Tony Alex Qbert ---
**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 7, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/66 "2011-10-07T16:33:58Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > The actress / model James King might be surprised at your assertion… though as she goes by Jaime now… Just because she has a male name doesn’t make it a female name. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/67 "2011-10-07T18:08:28Z")
All female except Tony and Alex. ---
**Author:** ![Cryptic\_C62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cryptic\_C62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cryptic_C62)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/68 "2011-10-07T19:44:57Z")
What pops into my head: Robin - Bird Terry - Coma Kelly - Female Shannon - Female Tracy - Devin Townsend’s wife Tony - Male from New York Jody - Female Sidney - Australia Courtney - Female Hilary - Female Alex - Male Jamie - Female Erin - Female Qbert - Meep? ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/69 "2011-10-07T21:26:56Z")
> [@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. American here, and Erin and Aaron also sound different. For me, they differ in both vowels. In fact, I believe there are four different vowels total, or that’s what I hear when I think of the names. ---
**Author:** ![Wisp00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/977dab/32.png) [@Wisp00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wisp00)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725/70 "2011-10-08T05:52:21Z")
Robin- female Terry- female Kelly- female Shannon- female Tracy- female Tony- male Jody- female Sidney- female Courtney- female Hilary- female Alex- male Jamie- female Erin- female Qbert- alien. All of these names could certainly be both, except perhaps Courtney and Hilary - I can’t think of any male Courtneys or Hilarys. Erin should definitly be a girl, with the boy’s version spelled Aaron, or maybe Arin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gender-comes-to-mind-when-hearing-these-first-names/598725.md?page=3)