A unisex name, also known as an epicene name, is a given name that is often given to either a boy or a girl. Some countries, however, require that a given name be gender-specific (see German name). This list does not cover names in cultures where the names are often not gender specific, which is common in many cultures. For example, some African peoples have unisex names, and so do cultures which use names which are derived from properties, such as the Amish or many cultures in India.
Unisex names are often nicknames that are also used as given names, such as Alex and Chris. Alex can be considered a shortening of Alexander (a masculine name) or of Alexandra/Alexa (a feminine name); Chris can be considered a shortening of Christopher or Christian (both masculine names), or of Christina or Christine (feminine names).
Some names that were once predominantly used as masculine given names are now primarily feminine given names in the United States, including Alexis, Ashley, Beverly, Carol, Evelyn, Hilary, Jocelyn, Kelly, Meredith, Shirley, Shannon, Sharon, and Vivian. Sometimes the modern adoption of a predominantly masculine given name follows the use by an actress (e.g. Drew Barrymore) or fictional character (e.g. Tracy, Blake).
Some unisex names are homophones, pronounced the same for both genders but spelled differently. One common example of this is a final "y" for the masculine form and an "i" or "ie" for the feminine. (e.g. Terry and Teri, Jerry and Jeri, Tony and Toni, Johnny and Johnnie, Billy and Billie). Others have less regular spelling variations (Francis and Frances, Robin and Robyn, Sidney and Sydney, Lee and Leigh, etc.). In many cases, the spelling of what used to be a predominantly masculine name was altered to create a feminine variation. If the feminine variation becomes sufficiently popular, the use of the masculine variation may dwindle, and ultimately the name may be deemed feminine under any spelling.
Some names vary their gender from country to country or language to language. For example, Anne, which is feminine in English, is normally masculine in some Dutch provinces, but normally feminine in the rest of the country; or Jean, which is normally feminine in English and Scottish, is masculine in French. Laurence, which is normally masculine in English and Scottish, is feminine in French (the masculine form being Laurent).
Different parents may adopt the same unusual name for children of opposite gender.
Unisex names can be the source of humor, such as Julia Sweeney's sexually ambiguous character "Pat" on Saturday Night Live. A running joke on the TV show Scrubs is that almost every woman J.D. sleeps with has a unisex name: Jordan, Alex, Danni, Elliot, Jamie, etc. Similarly, the sex of the baby Jamie in Malcolm in the Middle was purposely kept ambiguous when first introduced at the end of the show's fourth season leading to speculation that it would remain unknown. However, the character's sex was revealed at the end of the first episode of season five.
In mystery fiction, unisex names have been used to tease readers into trying to solve the mystery of a character's gender. The novels of Sarah Caudwell feature a narrator named Hilary Tamar, a law professor who is never identified as either male or female.
Many Indian names become unisex when written with Latin characters because of the limitations of transliteration. The spellings Chandra and Krishna, for example, are transliterations of both the masculine and feminine versions of those names. In Indian languages, the final as of these names are different letters with different pronunciations, so there is no ambiguity. However, when they are seen (and usually, spoken) by someone unfamiliar with Indian languages, they become gender ambiguous. Other Indian names, such as Ananda, are exclusively or nearly exclusively masculine in India, but because of their a ending, are assumed to be feminine in Anglophone societies. Many unisex names in India are obvious and are never ridiculed. For instance Nehal is used commonly to name baby boys or girls in western state of India namely Gujarat. Most Sikh first names such as Harpreet, Gurpreet, Sukhjinder and Harjeet are unisex names and equally commonly given to either sex[1].
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Unisex names in the United States
For 2008, there were 64 names that were both in the Top 1000 lists for boys and girls. Jessie was ranked as the most gender neutral name, with 479 boys named Jessie and 484 girls named Jessie.[2].
See also
References
External links
- 1990 Census Name Files
- Behind the Name
- Unisex Names
- MFnames.com - Masculine and Feminine Names - Database of masculine, feminine, and unisex names.
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