Unisex names

[Magb]

Vaguely inspired by the Icelandic foreign name thread from the other day (viewtopic.php?f=7&t=43059), I'd like to talk about naming conventions in the languages of the world, and in particular I'd like to know a bit about the use of unisex names. I realize that this is probably as much a cultural topic as a linguistic one and that it would probably be more accurate to talk about the unisex naming conventions of countries and regions rather than languages, but whatever.

I can scarcely think of a single commonly unisex name in Norwegian, or any of the North Germanic languages for that matter. This website offers a few suggestions, but most of them seem pretty crazy to me, or at least very marginal. As I learned in the Icelandic naming law thread, unisex names don't even seem to be legal in Iceland -- or at least it isn't legal to give an established female name to a male child or vice versa. The Norwegian name laws (http://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/2002-06-07-19) seem to be a little more liberal, and there's nothing explicit in there about the genders of names, but from what I've read you're generally only allowed to use the "wrong" gender for an established Norwegian name if the name is commonly used for the opposite gender in some other language. Examples include Eli, Jan, Janne, Andrea, etc. (http://www.klikk.no/foreldre/navn/article522686.ece). As far as native names (or long-established foreign ones) go, there don't seem to be any good examples of true unisex use, although the name Iben is one possible example.

It's also pretty instructive to consider the case of the name Tore. It used to be a female name, but at some point shifted to becoming male. When this happened the name fell into disuse as a female name, being supplanted by Tora. There are apparently about 10 females still named Tore in Norway, compared to 100 times as many males. Both names have antecedents in Old Norse in the form of Þórir (m) and Þóra (f), so the "unisexiness" of the name is sort of an accident caused by sound changes. I think Inge/Inga is a similar case. Coupled with the general lack of unisex names, I believe this suggests that there's a sort of cultural resistance to it in Scandinavia, as in other cultures you might instead end up with Tore being widely used for both genders.

In English, most unisex names are diminutives like Sam, Pat, etc., and a large portion of them are diminutives that specifically end in -(e)y or -i(e). However, there are also some truly unisex full names such as Morgan and Shannon. Interestingly several of these have been borrowed from Irish, even though as far as I know, Irish itself hasn't traditionally had a strong tradition of unisex names. I'd say that unisex names are a fairly commonplace thing in the modern English-speaking world, although most names are gendered. English seems to be fairly unique among the Germanic languages in this respect.

In French you have some male/female name pairs that are distinguished only in writing, such as Daniel/Danielle and André/Andrée, and some where there's a phonetic distinction that's neutralized in some contexts, such as Denis/Denise. Clearly these aren't truly unisex names, but I expect their presence encourages French speakers to be somewhat more open to the idea. In addition to that you have the Romance Catholic thing where the name Maria/Marie is frequently given to males, but exclusively(?) as a middle name. The María thing is even more common in Spanish. But overall the Romance languages don't seem particularly receptive to unisex names either.

I've read through the obligatory Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unisex_name, but it primarily talks about the usual suspects where I mostly know the answers anyway. I'd be interested to know how common unisex names are for instance in the languages of Africa and the Americas. I'm sure the answer will be that it always depends on which particular language you're talking about, but surely there are some areal features? Also, are languages/cultures that make strong gender distinctions in nouns/pronouns/verbs/etc. less likely to have a tradition of unisex names?

[Zaarin]

In English, it strikes me that most unisex names still have a "preferred" gender. My name Blaine can be unisex but is usually male; Hil(l)ary can be male (see Hilary Tolkien) but is usually female. One of the few exceptions I can think of is Dakotah, which I've seen more or less equally for both sexes. And Morgan, as you mentioned. In the case of Shannon, I prefer it as a male name, but I can't say I've ever met any...

[linguoboy]

In the case of Shannon, I prefer it as a male name, but I can't say I've ever met any...

FWIW, I've known exactly two Shannons in my lifetime: one male, one female.

I'm fascinated by the example of "Tore". I can't name a single female given name that's become preferred for males in the English-speaking world, although I can think of plenty which have gone the other way: Carol, Evelyn, Dana, Tracy, Ashley, Chris, etc.

Also, I think in addition to diminutives, there's a fair proportion of unisex names in English which were originally surnames. Tracy and Ashley both fall into this category as do Cameron, Cassidy, Quinn, Riley, Taylor, and many others.

[Salmoneus]

In English, it might be useful to distinguish two classes of unisex names.

One class are male names that have become female names over time. Hilary, Verity, Clare, Tracey, Lesley, Ashley, Evelyn, Carol, Rose, Hyacinthe, Vivian, and more recently things like Robin. These names start out male, go through a period in which a few women get the names, then go through a period where a few men get the names, and then are female names.

The other class are the ones I automatically think of as 'American made-up names', which are unisex because society hasn't yet decided which gender they should be allocated to. These are usually surnames that have been repurposed as first names: Shannon, Taylor, Spencer, Riley, Quinn, Cameron, Mackenzie, Skylar, etc. And probably Morgan, although it was a first name before it became a surname. These names have until very recently been limited to the US (or, at least, not the UK*). I suspect they've exploded in popularity precisely because they're unisex.

*There are always exceptions, of course. The one that leaps to mind is Spencer - Spencer Compton and Spencer Perceval were both Prime Minister. However, in this case it was a male name seemingly specific to the Compton family (Perceval was a Compton through his mother), rather than something found in general society.

So I think there's really two processes. One is what you might call the transgendering of names, which at least in our culture almost always involves giving girls 'male' names, presumably to encourage a degree of boyishness in a society where boyishness has been considered both ideologically superior and in practice safer/more profitable than girlishness. The other process is the attempt to find new, non-gendered names, by making them up or by importing them from other cultures, or in most cases by repurposing surnames. [Of course, over time some of these may become generally male or generally female]

I wonder whether the surname thing is a specific reflection of a) the pre-1950s English middle-and-upper-class naming system, in which children were given the surnames of their mothers as middle names, and b) the similar-era American tendency to go by the middle name rather than the first name?

I know it's not exactly social realism, but there's an example of exactly this in PG Wodehouse: when he wants to think of a stereotypically american name for a character (a buffoonish millionaire), he comes up with 'J. Washburn Stoker'. 'Washburn' was presumably his mother's surname, but he goes by it as his first name.

Of course, this doesn't happen so much anymore (although I've been looking at some academic references recently and Americans still seem much more likely to be 'inital secondname' than the english are), but it may be the reason why americans have recently come to think of surnames as acceptable first names. [I don't think 'Washburn' is used, but I think I've heard of Stokers]

It may be worth noting as well that sporadically surnames have become first names, but before the American influx I think they always became male names
- Dudley, for instance, or Gordon.

---

Actually, it's probably worth considering a third class of unisex names as well: those that become unisex through homophony. There are a few cases of this with full names (Vivian, mentioned above, is partly a case of this, a confusion of Vivian and Vivianne), but it's rampant in diminutives, some of which can then be given as full names in their own right. This is probably different from the two processes above in that it's driven by the women themselves rather than their parents: women adopt intentionally gender-ambiguous nicknames as part of their persona, which then become acceptable unisex names. [Sam, Jo, etc - recently I've noted there are a number of female Jacks too].

[Civil War Bugle]

I've always thought of Shannon as a female name and Morgan as a male's name, but that is an artifact of the fact that I can only think of one person I've known or heard of named Shannon, who happened to be a girl, and the people I think of when I think of the name Morgan are all male.

I have nothing further of any use to add at this time.

[KathTheDragon]

I always thought that Cameron was a boy's name, as everyone called Cameron I knew was a boy, but then I met a girl named Cameron.

[Salmoneus]

I always thought that Cameron was a boy's name, as everyone called Cameron I knew was a boy, but then I met a girl named Cameron.

And by far the most famous Cameron in the world...

[Sacemd]

I recently discovered the Flemish name "Lieve" can also be masculine... It was originally a feminine name "Godelieve", a variant of masculine Germanic Goteleib. I have no idea how this shift occurred, because "lieve" as an adjective means "kind, lovely, sweet", which doesn't really sound like the kind of name you'd give a boy.
On the other hand, I also discovered that the name "Mignon" is exclusively (for as far as I know) feminine while the form is masculine. I don't think "Cute" is the kind of name you should give to a boy if you don't want him bullied, though.

[KathTheDragon]

I always thought that Cameron was a boy's name, as everyone called Cameron I knew was a boy, but then I met a girl named Cameron.

And by far the most famous Cameron in the world...

Is likely not actually known by me. If I do know said Cameron, you'll have to jog my memory with a surname.

[Dewrad]

Cameron Diaz. Jesus, what's wrong with you people at times?

[KathTheDragon]

I only know the name, not the person.

[Nortaneous]

I know it's not exactly social realism, but there's an example of exactly this in PG Wodehouse: when he wants to think of a stereotypically american name for a character (a buffoonish millionaire), he comes up with 'J. Washburn Stoker'. 'Washburn' was presumably his mother's surname, but he goes by it as his first name.

Of course, this doesn't happen so much anymore (although I've been looking at some academic references recently and Americans still seem much more likely to be 'inital secondname' than the english are), but it may be the reason why americans have recently come to think of surnames as acceptable first names. [I don't think 'Washburn' is used, but I think I've heard of Stokers]

Initial Secondname is often a disambiguation thing -- I know an Initial Secondname who does his name that way because his first and last name are both very common. Sometimes it's a way of getting rid of a lame first name -- I might become Initial Secondname someday for this reason, and the most famous Initial Secondname I can think of got saddled with the first name "Willard".

[linguoboy]

I wonder whether the surname thing is a specific reflection of a) the pre-1950s English middle-and-upper-class naming system, in which children were given the surnames of their mothers as middle names, and b) the similar-era American tendency to go by the middle name rather than the first name?

I know it's not exactly social realism, but there's an example of exactly this in PG Wodehouse: when he wants to think of a stereotypically american name for a character (a buffoonish millionaire), he comes up with 'J. Washburn Stoker'. 'Washburn' was presumably his mother's surname, but he goes by it as his first name.

I had no idea this was an English thing, too. I associate it with WASPs, particularly those with Southern roots.

Another very Southern thing is to go by the initials of those names, e.g. J.D., R.J., C.J.. This used to be a predominately if not solely masculine practice, but recently I've come across more female examples. (Some from the publishing industry, where unisex names are often considered more marketable, e.g. J. K. Rowling, K. A. Applegate.)

[Hydroeccentricity]

These names have until very recently been limited to the US (or, at least, not the UK*).

I saw a British talk show where a woman was critical of parents who name their child Tyler because it's so trendy. I was confused because that name peaked in popularity in Canada *years* ago. I guess it's only now making it across the pond.

[richard1631978]

It seems to be a Scottish thing to give boys surnames as a first name.

Certainly some Scottish surnames see common as first names, ie. Gordon, Cameron, Grant. I've heard of at least one Campbell as a first name.

[linguoboy]

It seems to be a Scottish thing to give boys surnames as a first name.

Certainly some Scottish surnames see common as first names, ie. Gordon, Cameron, Grant. I've heard of at least one Campbell as a first name.

Campbell Scott is a well-known American actor. (Come to think of it, "Scott" is another example of a Scottish surname which has become a popular given name, is it not?) "Campbell" is his father's middle name. (Not sure how George C. Scott came by it; his mother's maiden name was "Slemp".)

If it is a Scottish practice, that would help explain its prevalence in the Southern US.

[jmcd]

It seems to be a Scottish thing to give boys surnames as a first name.

Certainly some Scottish surnames see common as first names, ie. Gordon, Cameron, Grant. I've heard of at least one Campbell as a first name.

Most of these are fairly recent; Gordon is the only one I would imagine someone already having had in the nineteenth century though the others are acceptable. It's patronymics as forenames e.g. Mackenzie (or Wilson for that matter) that I really don't think are appropriate and they rarely, if ever, appear in the country from which the name originated.

[Magb]

All this stuff about surnames becoming unisex names in English is interesting, and also logical since most surnames don't carry very clear implications of gender. I find it funny how English seems to be just about the only European language where this happens. I'm still looking for insight about unisex names in non-IE languages, if anybody has anything to share.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of linguistic literature on the subject of unisex names on the web in general, but I did find this paper: http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/Lingui ... _annie.pdf. It talks about phonetic and morphological cues to the genders of names in English, and discusses different ways of assigning a "gender score" to a name. It also tackles the diachronics of names a little bit, in particular the male->female shifts that have been discussed in this thread. The main argument is that people prefer "safe" names for boys, so the process is usually a sort of treadmill from "boy" to "unisex" to "girl".

[Dewrad]

All this stuff about surnames becoming unisex names in English is interesting, and also logical since most surnames don't carry very clear implications of gender.

It's also interesting that all those surnames ending in -son tend not to become recycled as unisex names (unlike surnames beginning in Mac-, because people are stupid): while you can find girls named Tyler and Mackenzie, you don't find as many female Masons.

[tezcatlip0ca]

All this stuff about surnames becoming unisex names in English is interesting, and also logical since most surnames don't carry very clear implications of gender.

It's also interesting that all those surnames ending in -son tend not to become recycled as unisex names (unlike surnames beginning in Mac-, because people are stupid): while you can find girls named Tyler and Mackenzie, you don't find as many female Masons.

There are quite a lot of female Addisons and Madisons, though...

[Dewrad]

All this stuff about surnames becoming unisex names in English is interesting, and also logical since most surnames don't carry very clear implications of gender.

It's also interesting that all those surnames ending in -son tend not to become recycled as unisex names (unlike surnames beginning in Mac-, because people are stupid): while you can find girls named Tyler and Mackenzie, you don't find as many female Masons.

There are quite a lot of female Addisons and Madisons, though...

A good point, I'd forgotten about those (neither's particularly common here yet). In which case it's just weird then. People should stop doing this.

[linguoboy]

All this stuff about surnames becoming unisex names in English is interesting, and also logical since most surnames don't carry very clear implications of gender. I find it funny how English seems to be just about the only European language where this happens.

Isn't part of the reason that most European countries have stricter laws on the books regarding namegiving than the UK and the USA? From what I've seen, most of them require the names be sex-specific or allow unisex given names only in conjunction with a second name which is. Some of the rules have been relaxed recently (often in response to lawsuits brought by parents), but people are still generally very conservative when it comes to namegiving.

[Magb]

Isn't part of the reason that most European countries have stricter laws on the books regarding namegiving than the UK and the USA? From what I've seen, most of them require the names be sex-specific or allow unisex given names only in conjunction with a second name which is. Some of the rules have been relaxed recently (often in response to lawsuits brought by parents), but people are still generally very conservative when it comes to namegiving.

That sounds likely. And maybe that in turn is related to the English-speaking world being somewhat more laissez faire when it comes to language than the rest of Europe, cf. there being no "English Language Academy" or suchlike.

[linguoboy]

That sounds likely. And maybe that in turn is related to the English-speaking world being somewhat more laissez faire when it comes to language than the rest of Europe, cf. there being no "English Language Academy" or suchlike.

I don't know that it's a "language" issue as much as a cultural one. I say this as an American who came from a namegiving tradition at least as restrictive as that of most European countries. I grew up thinking it was a canon of the Roman Catholic Church that given names had to be saints names (or Biblical names since "everyone in the Bible is a saint"). Only after I left the Church did I find out it was only a tradition, one mostly promulgated by Irish clergy. Still, throughout most of the 20th century, the parish priest's word was law, regardless of what canon law said (let alone the laws of the state or Federal government). My spouse's father wanted to give him a surname as a given name, but the priest refused to baptize him until the parents tacked on the name "Joseph" with a hyphen.

[Qwynegold]

I read recently about Robin being a unisex name even in Swedish, though few girls have that name. I've never heard of anyone but the artist Robyn (Robin Miriam Carlsson).