# What would your name have been if you were born the opposite gender? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 11, 2004, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941 "2004-01-11T05:24:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/61 "2004-01-12T03:17:15Z")
Pat ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/62 "2004-01-12T03:31:45Z")
The same as it is now. ---
**Author:** ![Astra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@Astra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astra)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/63 "2004-01-12T05:13:02Z")
I would have been a Lance, had I not been a Lisa. My younger sibling would have also been a Lance, but ended up a Lorie. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/64 "2004-01-12T06:35:09Z")
I don’t know what I would have ended up if I had been a boy, but I think my older sister should be eternally grateful she’s a girl. While my mom was pregnant my dad kept saying they should name the baby Henry Herman, and call him Hank. And when he was really small they could call him Hankie. I think he was kidding, but through the whole pregnancy that baby was Hankie. I have a feeling if she had been a boy she would have been called Hankie, no matter what the actual name was. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/65 "2004-01-12T07:10:13Z")
I would have been Jessica had I not been a Jacob. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/66 "2004-01-12T07:28:11Z")
Joseph III. My older sis would have been Joseph, I would have been Joseph, but by the time my parents came up with my brother they’d changed their minds and gave the kid his own personal unique name. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/67 "2004-01-12T07:39:24Z")
John, after my dad. I might have had a different middle name than Edward, though. My mom’s family didn’t quite do juniors, they left the middle name to differentiate. If Dad had been a girl, he’d have been named Juanita. ---
**Author:** ![Spurious\_George](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Spurious\_George](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spurious_George)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/68 "2004-01-12T09:25:51Z")
Rachel. ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/69 "2004-01-12T10:32:02Z")
gummi ---
**Author:** ![Redwing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dfb087/32.png) [@Redwing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redwing)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/70 "2004-01-12T10:52:25Z")
It’s odd really, from the ultra-sound I was expected to be Amanda; when my little sister (who is not named Amanda) was born, she was absolutely going to be _Dave_ ---
**Author:** ![Daikona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Daikona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daikona)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/71 "2004-01-12T13:16:03Z")
If I’d been born a boy, I would have been Shane Patrick. Which is the only thing that has ever made me glad I wasn’t, I really don’t like the sound of that at all. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/72 "2004-01-12T13:35:40Z")
I am the oldest child, my younger brother (born a little over a year after I was) is named Troy Martin, which would have been my name had I been a boy. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/73 "2004-01-12T14:03:24Z")
My mom always said she knew I’d be a girl, and picked my name accordingly. I suppose I would have been an Eric rather than an Erika, but I don’t know. I also don’t know waht she sould have called my brother or sister if they had been opposite genders. Probably each other’s names! ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/74 "2004-01-13T01:41:35Z")
The two possible choices were Felix or Duncan. I got to be Lindsay instead. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2004, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/75 "2004-01-13T01:57:57Z")
If I were a boy, I would have been Brandon. ---
**Author:** ![Melandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Melandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melandry)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2004, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/76 "2004-01-13T02:03:44Z")
Scott, but then my dad saw a Scott paper towels dispenser in the men’s room and decided he didn’t want his son’s name in every restroom in America Yukon Euray or Utah Euray, because my dad is insane. Luckily, as a girl, I snuck by with just the middle name Rae. I’m sure my mom wouldn’t’ve let him use Utah or Yukon… ---
**Author:** ![bindera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@bindera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bindera)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/77 "2004-01-13T02:18:16Z")
Samuel Emerson. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2004, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/78 "2004-01-13T02:21:43Z")
Joyce. Not a name I’m overly fond of ( despite having had one good friend by that name ). - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![j\_sum1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@j\_sum1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_sum1)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2004, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/79 "2004-01-13T05:59:37Z")
I would have been _Justine_, which I rather like. I ended up being Julian instead. Interestingly, none of my three younger sisters has Justine in their name. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2004, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941/80 "2004-01-13T06:16:48Z")
After being told that the second choice for my name was Bridget, I was always too scared to ask what they would have called me had I been a boy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-name-have-been-if-you-were-born-the-opposite-gender/223941.md?page=5)