Really? In germany that is almost exclusively a female name.
Boys or Girls Names
- Thread starter Miss Chicken
- Start date
Male name in Italy. So is Simone.
That name exists as male and female here. Though Simone is the female spelling, the e is not silent.
Male would be Simon.
For that matter the German male version if Andrea would be Andreas.
Same here in the U.S. -- Andrea for a girl, Andreas for a boy. In fact, a lot of Americans think the ill-fated ship Andrea Doria was named after a woman.
Funny thing is, there used to be a lot of jokes about men named Bruce -- the name was considered somehow effeminate. Which is silly. I mean, Bruce Lee, Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Willis -- those guys are all pretty butch!
In the United States, there's been a tendency to give girls more neutral sounding names instead of something generally feminine. I think it may have started in the 60s or 70s. When my ex and I briefly considered having a child, if it were a girl, we were going to give her a gender neutral name.
Ashley | Girl
Aubrey | Girl
Azariah | No clue, never heard.
Brett | Boy
Cameron | Girl
Dale | Boy
Dana | Girl
Darryl/Daryl/Darrell | Boy
Favel | Boy? No clue, never heard
Frances/Francis| Girl/Boy.
Glenn| Boy
Hayden/Haydon | Both, more likely girl with 'e', boy with 'o'
Kerry/Kerry | Both. Perfer Keri if gril, though
Kim | Girl
Lee | Boy.
Leigh | Girl
Lindsay | Girl
Misha | Girl
Peta | Boy I guess?
Reece | Either, but not strong either way
Rhys | never heard
Robin | Both used, would assume girl if I heard it without a hint
Rory | Girl, but I've only seen in context of Rori, with the 'i' being more hinting of girls' names to begin with
Rowan | Girl?
Shane | Boy
Shannon | Girl
Jamie | Both used, would assume girl if no hint.
Aubrey | Girl
Azariah | No clue, never heard.
Brett | Boy
Cameron | Girl
Dale | Boy
Dana | Girl
Darryl/Daryl/Darrell | Boy
Favel | Boy? No clue, never heard
Frances/Francis| Girl/Boy.
Glenn| Boy
Hayden/Haydon | Both, more likely girl with 'e', boy with 'o'
Kerry/Kerry | Both. Perfer Keri if gril, though
Kim | Girl
Lee | Boy.
Leigh | Girl
Lindsay | Girl
Misha | Girl
Peta | Boy I guess?
Reece | Either, but not strong either way
Rhys | never heard
Robin | Both used, would assume girl if I heard it without a hint
Rory | Girl, but I've only seen in context of Rori, with the 'i' being more hinting of girls' names to begin with
Rowan | Girl?
Shane | Boy
Shannon | Girl
Jamie | Both used, would assume girl if no hint.
Probably stems from the suggestions Batman was gay. (thanks Dr Wertham)
Alexis - Girl
Ashley - Girl
Aubrey - Girl
Azariah - Girl
Brett - Boy
Cameron - Both
Dale - Boy
Dana - Girl (both seen both)
Darryl/Daryl/Darrell - Mainly boy, but can be both (Daryl Hannah)
Favel - Not sure, never heard it...but girl I guess
Frances/Francis - Both
Glenn - Boy
Hayden/Haydon - Both
Kerry/Kerrie - Both
Kim - Both (mainly Asians for Boy though, but did not a white male Drill Sergeant named Kimberly)
Lee - Both
Leigh - Girl
Lindsay - Girl
Misha - Girl
Peta - Girl
Reece - Both
Rhys - Boy
Robin - Both
Rory - Boy
Rowan - Both
Shane - Boy
Shannon - Girl
Sydney - Girl
Ashley - Girl
Aubrey - Girl
Azariah - Girl
Brett - Boy
Cameron - Both
Dale - Boy
Dana - Girl (both seen both)
Darryl/Daryl/Darrell - Mainly boy, but can be both (Daryl Hannah)
Favel - Not sure, never heard it...but girl I guess
Frances/Francis - Both
Glenn - Boy
Hayden/Haydon - Both
Kerry/Kerrie - Both
Kim - Both (mainly Asians for Boy though, but did not a white male Drill Sergeant named Kimberly)
Lee - Both
Leigh - Girl
Lindsay - Girl
Misha - Girl
Peta - Girl
Reece - Both
Rhys - Boy
Robin - Both
Rory - Boy
Rowan - Both
Shane - Boy
Shannon - Girl
Sydney - Girl
John Rhys Davies (actor Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, Sliders) Rhys Ifans (actor Notting Hill, Sherlock, Amazing Spider-Man). Rhys Williams (Character in Torchwood TV series)
Rory Williams (Character, Doctor Who) Rory Calhoun (actor in many films including Night of the Lepus with DeForrest Kelley)
I haven't read anyone else responses yet, so these are just my gut reactions.
Alexis - Girl. I have a sister named Alexis, I named her.
Ashley - Girl. I also have a sister named Ashley!
Aubrey - Girl
Azariah - No idea...guessing girl.
Brett - Boy
Cameron - Both
Dale - Boy
Dana - Girl
Darryl/Daryl/Darrell - Boy
Favel - Boy?
Frances/Francis - Both
Glenn - Boy
Hayden/Haydon - Boy
Kerry/Kerrie - Girl
Kim - Girl
Lee - Boy
Leigh - Both
Lindsay - Girl
Misha - Not sure. Girl?
Peta - Girl?
Reece - Boy
Rhys - Boy
Robin - Both
Rory - Both
Rowan - Boy
Shane - Boy
Shannon - Girl
Sydney - Girl
ETA: On Taylor, although I know it is being used more often as a girl's name now, I still imagine it as a very masculine male name, so when I meet a female Taylor it kind of catches me off guard for a moment.
The only response from others that surprises me is Aubrey as a boy's name. I don't believe I have ever heard of/met a male with the name Aubrey, but I do know women with the name.
Alexis - Girl. I have a sister named Alexis, I named her.
Ashley - Girl. I also have a sister named Ashley!
Aubrey - Girl
Azariah - No idea...guessing girl.
Brett - Boy
Cameron - Both
Dale - Boy
Dana - Girl
Darryl/Daryl/Darrell - Boy
Favel - Boy?
Frances/Francis - Both
Glenn - Boy
Hayden/Haydon - Boy
Kerry/Kerrie - Girl
Kim - Girl
Lee - Boy
Leigh - Both
Lindsay - Girl
Misha - Not sure. Girl?
Peta - Girl?
Reece - Boy
Rhys - Boy
Robin - Both
Rory - Both
Rowan - Boy
Shane - Boy
Shannon - Girl
Sydney - Girl
ETA: On Taylor, although I know it is being used more often as a girl's name now, I still imagine it as a very masculine male name, so when I meet a female Taylor it kind of catches me off guard for a moment.
The only response from others that surprises me is Aubrey as a boy's name. I don't believe I have ever heard of/met a male with the name Aubrey, but I do know women with the name.
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Go with 'A Boy Named Sue'.
You've never heard of Peta Wilson? She's definitely not a guy!
If one looks under the listings for the name Peta at Wikipedia it shows just how popular the name was in Australia.
- Peta Bala'c, English football (soccer) goalkeeper
- Peta Brady, Australian actress
- Peta Buscombe, Baroness Buscombe, English barrister and politician
- Peta Credlin, Australian political advisor and Chief of Staff.
- Peta Doodson, Australian television actress
- Peta Edebone, Australian softball player and olympic medal winner
- Peta Gallagher, Australian field hockey striker
- Peta Hewitt, creator of the web and print comic Terinu.
- Peta Hiku, New Zealand rubgy league footballer
- Peta Janossi is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away
- Peta Lily (Peta Wilhelmina Gottschalk), London-based physical theatre performer and director
- Peta Lindsay, 2012 U.S. Presidential Candidate on the Party for Socialism and Liberation ticket
- Peta Murgatroyd, New Zealand/Australian professional dancer
- Peta Murray, Australian writer
- Peta Nocona (1820-1864), a chief of the Comanche band Noconi
- Peta Rutter (1959-2010) New Zealand actress
- Peta Scholz, Australian netball player
- Peta Seaton, former Australian politician
- Peta Sergeant, an Australian actress
- Peta Stephens, Australian netball player
- Peta Taylor (1914-1989) an English cricketer
- Peta Teanet, South African disco musician
- Peta Todd, English glamour model
- Peta Toppano, British-born Australian actress
- Peta Verco, Australian cricketer
- Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model
- Peta-Gaye Dowdie, a Jamaican international sprinter
- Peta-Kaye Croft, Australian politician
- Peta-Gaye Gayle, Jamaican track and field sprinter
Alexis is a girl's name. This comes as some shock to Alexis Denisov.
Ashley is a unsex name, though most male Ashley's go by Lee or Ash like Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead.
Aubrey sounds like a familial name. I've known several women who were named after branches of the family that had no sons, so, girl.
Azariah is obviously the name of the bogey man. I have never stuck around long enough to check the sex of the bogey man, so no answer.
Brett is a boy's name.
Cameron goes both ways. Er, that didn't sound right.
Dale is a family name, though I have met several men named Dale. Somewhere, Aubrey just snickered at me.
Dana. The only Dana I ever knew was a girl. Somewhere, Dana Carvey sits not caring about what I think.
Darryl, his brother Daryl, and his other brother Darrell are boys. Daryl Hannah was in Splash.
Favel is a boy.
Frances was a girl I knew as a boy. However a different Frances was a man who tried to kill Michael York in Logan's Run. Francis is some sort of foreigner, and who can trust them?
Glenn is a place. And also a man who cross dressed in Glen, or Glenda?
Hayden played the boy who would be Darth Vader. Hayden on Heroes looked great in a cheer leader skirt. I'm so confused. I'm pretty sure Haydon is a subatomic particle.
Kerry/Kerrie are girls.
Kim is a girl. Unless he's the guy from that book.
Lee is a brand of jeans worn by both men and women.
Leigh is a girl.
Lindsay Wagner forever shaped my impression of the name Lindsay. John Lindsay did not.
Misha sound like a hot female cold war spy who seduces James Bond. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure Misha like Sasha is a guy's name.
Peta is an organization.
Reece is John Connor's father. Reece Wotherspoon has a guy's name.
Rhys is a very pretty name. Somewhere Rhys Ifans is flattered. Or he doesn't give a $€£¥. I forget which.
Robin is a girl's name, no matter what BatMan says.
Rory is an English schoolboy. Unless he's Rory Calhoun, who just stands there. Like Rory Calhoun.
Rowan Atkinson is Blackadder.
Shane is a boy's name.
Shannon is in Dale and Aubrey territory, though I've met more female Shannon's than male.
Sydney is a city. And the man I guess who came to dinner. And JJ Abrams' lady spy.
The whole thing reminds me of one of those twenty questions magazine articles I read once. It was with Leslie Neilsen. The first question was ,"What's the one thing you want people to know?"
His response, "It was a boy's name first."
Ashley is a unsex name, though most male Ashley's go by Lee or Ash like Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead.
Aubrey sounds like a familial name. I've known several women who were named after branches of the family that had no sons, so, girl.
Azariah is obviously the name of the bogey man. I have never stuck around long enough to check the sex of the bogey man, so no answer.
Brett is a boy's name.
Cameron goes both ways. Er, that didn't sound right.
Dale is a family name, though I have met several men named Dale. Somewhere, Aubrey just snickered at me.
Dana. The only Dana I ever knew was a girl. Somewhere, Dana Carvey sits not caring about what I think.
Darryl, his brother Daryl, and his other brother Darrell are boys. Daryl Hannah was in Splash.
Favel is a boy.
Frances was a girl I knew as a boy. However a different Frances was a man who tried to kill Michael York in Logan's Run. Francis is some sort of foreigner, and who can trust them?
Glenn is a place. And also a man who cross dressed in Glen, or Glenda?
Hayden played the boy who would be Darth Vader. Hayden on Heroes looked great in a cheer leader skirt. I'm so confused. I'm pretty sure Haydon is a subatomic particle.
Kerry/Kerrie are girls.
Kim is a girl. Unless he's the guy from that book.
Lee is a brand of jeans worn by both men and women.
Leigh is a girl.
Lindsay Wagner forever shaped my impression of the name Lindsay. John Lindsay did not.
Misha sound like a hot female cold war spy who seduces James Bond. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure Misha like Sasha is a guy's name.
Peta is an organization.
Reece is John Connor's father. Reece Wotherspoon has a guy's name.
Rhys is a very pretty name. Somewhere Rhys Ifans is flattered. Or he doesn't give a $€£¥. I forget which.
Robin is a girl's name, no matter what BatMan says.
Rory is an English schoolboy. Unless he's Rory Calhoun, who just stands there. Like Rory Calhoun.
Rowan Atkinson is Blackadder.
Shane is a boy's name.
Shannon is in Dale and Aubrey territory, though I've met more female Shannon's than male.
Sydney is a city. And the man I guess who came to dinner. And JJ Abrams' lady spy.
The whole thing reminds me of one of those twenty questions magazine articles I read once. It was with Leslie Neilsen. The first question was ,"What's the one thing you want people to know?"
His response, "It was a boy's name first."
Alexis - Both
Ashley - Girl
Aubrey - Both
Azariah - Boy
Brett - Boy
Cameron - Boy
Dale - Boy
Dana - Girl
Darryl/Daryl/Darrell - Boy
Favel - Boy
Frances/Francis - Both (girl for the former, boy for the latter)
Glenn - Boy
Hayden/Haydon - Boy
Kerry/Kerrie - Girl
Kim - Girl
Lee - Boy
Leigh - Girl
Lindsay - Girl
Misha - Girl
Peta - Girl
Reece - Boy
Rhys - Boy
Robin - Girl
Rory - Boy
Rowan - Girl
Shane - Boy
Shannon - Girl
Sydney - Girl
Ashley - Girl
Aubrey - Both
Azariah - Boy
Brett - Boy
Cameron - Boy
Dale - Boy
Dana - Girl
Darryl/Daryl/Darrell - Boy
Favel - Boy
Frances/Francis - Both (girl for the former, boy for the latter)
Glenn - Boy
Hayden/Haydon - Boy
Kerry/Kerrie - Girl
Kim - Girl
Lee - Boy
Leigh - Girl
Lindsay - Girl
Misha - Girl
Peta - Girl
Reece - Boy
Rhys - Boy
Robin - Girl
Rory - Boy
Rowan - Girl
Shane - Boy
Shannon - Girl
Sydney - Girl
Actually, I've always been under the impression that this was, like Frances/Francis or Leslie/Lesley, a name that could be given to either a boy or a girl, but is spelled differently. Lindsay for boys, Lindsey for girls. Though Lindsay Lohan and Lindsey Buckingham flip that around.
That's another one - I've always thought that Sydney was a girl's name, but Sidney was a boy's name.
I think I grew up a generation before these names (Sydney, Lindsay, Cameron, Ashley, Daryl etc) were ever used for girls. However Lesley and Robyn were girl names when I was at school. During my school days , Lee, Leigh and Kim were unisex names. I had a girl cousin and a female school friend called Kim but ended up having a boyfriend called Kim and I knew another male called Kim. Also back in the 50s to 60s I think that there were as many males called Kerry as girls called Kerri/Kerrie.
If you look at the earlier male Sydney/Sidneys both spellings were equally used.
This is an interesting site that lists some of the names mentioned and the date they crossed over from being mainly a boys name into being a name that was given to more girls than boys. It is only for names in the USA and it would seem to me that the morphing of male names into female names is more common in the USA.
If you look at the earlier male Sydney/Sidneys both spellings were equally used.
This is an interesting site that lists some of the names mentioned and the date they crossed over from being mainly a boys name into being a name that was given to more girls than boys. It is only for names in the USA and it would seem to me that the morphing of male names into female names is more common in the USA.
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Not too regal either but definitely male.