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ArchivesRe: Augustine: Male or Female?
in reply to a message by Rebecca
Language and culture matter in this realm.
Augustine, Constantine, Celestine, Valentine are all masculine names in English. In French and German, these names are feminine with the terminal 'e' and masculine without. In other languages the 'e' is always an 'a,' and thus definatively feminine.
Everything is thus far as you surmise, but there are a few reasons not to care.
First and foremost, English naming culture in America is ephemeral and influenced by many sources. The naming habits of the many generations of immigrants allow for linguistic adoption. Secondly, Augustine is a name in such decline among both sexes it should cause no social stigma. Thirdly, names expressly religious in origin such as this one are commonly sex neutral when used as a second or third name. This is especially prevalent among Catholics but more recently among Protestants as an expression of devotion to a particularly potent saint. Some men might have the middle name Mary/Marie/Maria and some women might have the middle name Francis.
Augustine, Constantine, Celestine, Valentine are all masculine names in English. In French and German, these names are feminine with the terminal 'e' and masculine without. In other languages the 'e' is always an 'a,' and thus definatively feminine.
Everything is thus far as you surmise, but there are a few reasons not to care.
First and foremost, English naming culture in America is ephemeral and influenced by many sources. The naming habits of the many generations of immigrants allow for linguistic adoption. Secondly, Augustine is a name in such decline among both sexes it should cause no social stigma. Thirdly, names expressly religious in origin such as this one are commonly sex neutral when used as a second or third name. This is especially prevalent among Catholics but more recently among Protestants as an expression of devotion to a particularly potent saint. Some men might have the middle name Mary/Marie/Maria and some women might have the middle name Francis.
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