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Help"Legitimate" English Unisex names? (added more)
I was wondering if there are any names that are originally both feminine and masculine in English. There are several examples in French (Claude, Dominique, Maxime - which are both the feminine and masculine form of the names Claudius, Dominic, and Maximus). The only ones I can think of are Hilary (the English form of both Hilarius and Hilaria) and Evelyn (from Aveline, later adopted as a surname and given to boys as the masculine form). Any more examples?
I'm ignoring names with modern unisex usage like Alexis or Jocelyn, androgynous nicknames like Alex or Sam, surnames, or nature names like Rowan or Jade (which I suppose could go either way).
ETA:
Robin - for boys, a form of Robert; for girls, the name of a bird
Joyce - for boys, the English form of Judoc; for girls, a form of Jocosa.
Morgan - for boys, from the Welsh name Morcant; for girls, as in Morgan le Fay
Florence - English form of Florentius / Florentia
Vivian - English form of Vivianus / Viviana
Marion - for boys, a form of Marianus; for girls, a form of Marian
I'm ignoring names with modern unisex usage like Alexis or Jocelyn, androgynous nicknames like Alex or Sam, surnames, or nature names like Rowan or Jade (which I suppose could go either way).
ETA:
Robin - for boys, a form of Robert; for girls, the name of a bird
Joyce - for boys, the English form of Judoc; for girls, a form of Jocosa.
Morgan - for boys, from the Welsh name Morcant; for girls, as in Morgan le Fay
Florence - English form of Florentius / Florentia
Vivian - English form of Vivianus / Viviana
Marion - for boys, a form of Marianus; for girls, a form of Marian
This message was edited 2/6/2011, 9:41 AM
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Replies
Do you count names that sound the same but usually have different spellings depending on the gender? Course, in the old days, there were no set spellings.
Clair (m) / Clare (f)
Loren (m) / Lauren (f)
Francis (m) / Frances (f) - feminine form from the masculine form, but it dates back to the 1600's.
Also, Julian. It's been used on both genders since the middle ages.
Clair (m) / Clare (f)
Loren (m) / Lauren (f)
Francis (m) / Frances (f) - feminine form from the masculine form, but it dates back to the 1600's.
Also, Julian. It's been used on both genders since the middle ages.
This message was edited 2/6/2011, 8:50 PM
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That reminds me
Julian reminded me of Christian. It used to be used more on females, but now is more masculine. Still, I'd consider it pretty unisex.
And I'm glad to see someone else mention Clair being masculine on here! It's a family name for me, but it's so rarely mentioned or recognized around here.
Julian reminded me of Christian. It used to be used more on females, but now is more masculine. Still, I'd consider it pretty unisex.
And I'm glad to see someone else mention Clair being masculine on here! It's a family name for me, but it's so rarely mentioned or recognized around here.
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Celestine maybe?
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oooh, great sight! thanks!
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There are very few. Really.
Unisex names are rarely featured in European languages. They are more part of non-European cultures.
Unisex names are rarely featured in European languages. They are more part of non-European cultures.
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Marion is a good one! It has two different etymologies, but they're both used in English.
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ditto Jules [m]
I definitely think Jules is a unisex name. I work with a girl from England and her name is Jules (it's not a nickname) and I've come across Jules on English men several times, so I think Jules is a legitimate English unisex name.
I definitely think Jules is a unisex name. I work with a girl from England and her name is Jules (it's not a nickname) and I've come across Jules on English men several times, so I think Jules is a legitimate English unisex name.
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Would Tracey be one? I see it as equally feminine and masculine.
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I consider Robin to be one. Robin as a boy's name is short for Robert, and Robin as a girl's name is from the bird. There is a song from the 1600's about "Robin hermaphrodite", so Robin as a girl's name has a long usage. Because of the long usage in both genders, it's one of the few names I really like on both genders.
This message was edited 2/5/2011, 9:10 PM
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Robin is a great suggestion! I didn't know it had been used on girls for so long.
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I think Dana might be one of those names... I'm not entirely sure because it comes from many different cultures. In Persian, the name has been used on both genders for a long time now.
All of the other names I am thinking of that aren't originally male or female are surnames. You can't really call them one or the other.
Names like Casey, Avery, Addison, ect. are equally masculine and feminine.
Also, what about Dakota? It's a place name originally, so both genders adopted it from there.
All of the other names I am thinking of that aren't originally male or female are surnames. You can't really call them one or the other.
Names like Casey, Avery, Addison, ect. are equally masculine and feminine.
Also, what about Dakota? It's a place name originally, so both genders adopted it from there.
This message was edited 2/5/2011, 9:05 PM
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Thanks for the feedback!
I edited my OP to make clear I'm excluding surnames - in any case, Avery (a form of Alfred), Addison (son of Adam) and Casey (from an old Gaelic name) all strike me as traditionally masculine names.
Dana is a good example but I'm looking for English names only - likewise, Joan is a male Catalan name but I don't consider the English name Joan unisex.
Dakota is a good suggestion, though!
I edited my OP to make clear I'm excluding surnames - in any case, Avery (a form of Alfred), Addison (son of Adam) and Casey (from an old Gaelic name) all strike me as traditionally masculine names.
Dana is a good example but I'm looking for English names only - likewise, Joan is a male Catalan name but I don't consider the English name Joan unisex.
Dakota is a good suggestion, though!
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Dana is traditionally unisex in the English language, but it is taken from a surname (which originally denoted a Danish person).
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I'm looking for legitimate first names (what you would call "Christian names"), and ignoring the English-language phenomenom of using surnames as first names.
In any way, I would argue Dana is "traditionally" unisex - surnames were used on boys because they were the ones who passed down the family names. The usage of surnames as first names for girls (rather than middle names, which has been a common pratcise for many centuries) goes back only to 20th century America.
In any way, I would argue Dana is "traditionally" unisex - surnames were used on boys because they were the ones who passed down the family names. The usage of surnames as first names for girls (rather than middle names, which has been a common pratcise for many centuries) goes back only to 20th century America.
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