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Girls names for boys?
In the top 1000 boys' names, I see names like Anna (during 1900-1909), Maria (several decades) and Melissa (1970-79) in the top 1000 BOYS names. Has anyone ever met a male with this name, and does anyone know why these names would have been popular (somewhat) for males? Were these the OrangeJellos of previous generations or was there some trend toward this that everyone strangely forgot about?
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I know a man in his fifties named Joseph Mary. He had 10 siblings, and all of them (including all his brothers) had the middle name Mary._____________________________________________________________________"Heaven's not a place that you go when you die, it's that moment in life when you actually feel alive."Elinor
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My name Allison is used by males and it's a female name. I still see men w/it as a mn. In fact Drew Carey the comic's mn is Allison.My mother's name Carol was used by men.Drew, Leslie,Ashley,Mckenzie,and Morgan started out as boy's names

This message was edited 5/29/2005, 11:52 PM

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Allison was never a boy's name.It may have been used once or twice, but it has always been a traditonal girl's name. The only time it is used for males is if it was a surname, and passed on that way. (Which is what the majority of unisex names started out as.)
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Maria has been used for boysBut I don't think they were ever CALLED Maria, it was a mn. The same may be true of Anna. Maria and Anna are both biblical names.Like the author Erich Maria Remarque.
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yes, using Maria as a mn for a boy happens a lot in Catholic families.~Lully Lulla~
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IT HAS A REFENCE BACK TO MORIAH, THE MOUNTAIN WHERE GOD PROVED TO ABRAHAM THAT HIS FAITH WAS REAL IN THAT HE COUNTED HIS BELOVED SON OF PROMISE, ISSAC, AS DEAD FULLY EXPECTING TO SACRIFICE HIM ON GOD'S ALTAR, BUT THAT IS NOT THE SACRIFICE GOD WANTED OR WAS ASKING HIM TO DO, IT WAS ABRAHAM'S HEART GOD WANTED NOT HIS SON'S LIFE, SO GOD MADE HIS OWN SACRIFICE - THAT RAM WITH ITS HEAD CAUGHT IN THE THORN BUSH. I DO NOT KNOW HOW COMMON IT IS ANYMORE, BUT "MOREY" WAS A POPULAR NAME IN THE JEWISH COMMUNITY SOME 4O OR SO YEARS BACK. THERE WAS A FAVORITE LATENIGHT TALK SHOW HOST WHO CARRIES THAT NAME, BUT I THINK HIS IS SPELLED DIFFERENTLY - "MOREY POVICH". AS FAR AS MARIA OR ANY OF THE OTHER NORMALLY RECOGNIZED AS FEMALE NAMES BEING GIVEN TO MALES, COMMON CULTURAL PRACTICES WILL ASSIGN A MATRIARICAL NAME TO A BOY. IT IS A TRADITION OF HONOR, TO THE MOTHERS WHO MAY NOT BE SEEN OR RECOGNIZED, BECAUSE WE TRADITIONALLY HEAD OUR HOME'S LIFE AND LAW AS THE MASTER OF THE HOME. I THINK IT LOST IT'S VALUE AND PRACTICE WHEN THE SO CALLED WOMEN'S LIBERATION MOVEMENT AND BATTLE OF THE SEXES ROSE UP AND A MAN HAVING A WOMAN'S NAME IN HIS TITLE WAS MOCKED AND RIDDICULED. REMEMBER THAT SONG JOHNNY CASH SANG "A BOY NAMED SUE?" BUT IT IS NO SHAME OR DISGRACE
THE MAN KNOWN AS JOHN WAYNE, HIS REAL NAME WAS MARION.FUNNY HOW FEEBLE AND FICKLE WE ARE ABOUT OUR NAMES.SR
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Morey was probably a pet form of Morris / Maurice, the vernacular form of Moshe.
~~ Claire ~~
My ! are Alia, Eidel, Enola, Israel, Dudel, Yuri, Lina, Lorelei, Leilani, Owen, Julian, Glorinda, Mirinda
My ? are Hillel, Meshullam, Johnny, Ginny, Cordelia, Fiammetta, Yocheved
My ~ are Tehila, Tilda, Hailey, Gillian, Huldah
My / are Aglaia and July
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It's Maury Povich--his real name is Maurice.
Miranda
Image hosted by Photobucket.comProud adopter of 15 PPs. See my profile for their names.
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same root name different spelling.hannah and maria are not the same name either but they are related.sr
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Hannah and Maria (Channah and Miriam) are *not* related, sorry. Maria and Maurice aren't either.
~~ Claire ~~
My ! are Alia, Eidel, Enola, Israel, Dudel, Yuri, Lina, Lorelei, Leilani, Owen, Julian, Glorinda, Mirinda
My ? are Hillel, Meshullam, Johnny, Ginny, Cordelia, Fiammetta, Yocheved
My ~ are Tehila, Tilda, Hailey, Gillian, Huldah
My / are Aglaia and July

This message was edited 5/29/2005, 2:44 PM

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They're largely transcription or recording errorsThe majority of them were not really boys with feminine names (or girls with masculine names for that matter), the sex of the child was just recorded incorrectly. The site where that data comes from used to carry a disclaimer to that effect.
ChrisellAll we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.
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