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I was having a discussion with my brother about how boys names become girls names and it's rarely the other way around, and he asked me for a few examples of the other way around... (i.e. names that are now more common on boys, but were originally for girls)
... and I blanked. Couldn't think of one. Ideas, anyone?
Names are an important key to what a society values. Anthropologists recognize naming as 'one of the chief methods for imposing order on perception.'
David S. Slawson
Vote on my PNL, http://www.behindthename.com/pnl/14670
... and I blanked. Couldn't think of one. Ideas, anyone?
David S. Slawson
Vote on my PNL, http://www.behindthename.com/pnl/14670
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Replies
Joyce was a male name in the early Middle Ages. It died out only to be used as a girls name from the 14th century on. Personally I have a soft spot for the spelling "Joice" as a boys name but I don't think I'd ever use it due to gender confusion.
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Memphis
It was originally the name of a nymph in Greek mythology, but it is now climbing the top 1000 in the US for boys.
It was originally the name of a nymph in Greek mythology, but it is now climbing the top 1000 in the US for boys.
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Maria as an additional name for catholic males as well as Gaynor come to mind. The spelling Andree is sometimes used for men too.
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Práxedes / Práxedis
This was the name of a female saint but the name came to be used on males.
Spanish language wiki has links to several men with the name:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A1xedes_%28desambiguaci%C3%B3n%29
This was the name of a female saint but the name came to be used on males.
Spanish language wiki has links to several men with the name:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A1xedes_%28desambiguaci%C3%B3n%29
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I don't know of any off the top of my head where that is STILL the case.
There was a time in the 19th century US where Marion was used more for males than females. Marion had almost completely gone out of use as a female name, but it had given rise to a surname. After the American Revolutionary War, parents, especially in the South, began to name sons Marion after Francis Marion, a South Carolina general in the fight against the British.
Near the end of the 19th century, when the Victorians revived interest in the Robin Hood legend, Marion came back into use for girls, and the girls quickly once again overtook the boys. However, some people developed the idea that Marian should be the spelling of the female form and that Marion was the male form during that period, even though medieval accounts of Robin Hood usually spelled his girlfriend's name as "Maid Marion".
There was a time in the 19th century US where Marion was used more for males than females. Marion had almost completely gone out of use as a female name, but it had given rise to a surname. After the American Revolutionary War, parents, especially in the South, began to name sons Marion after Francis Marion, a South Carolina general in the fight against the British.
Near the end of the 19th century, when the Victorians revived interest in the Robin Hood legend, Marion came back into use for girls, and the girls quickly once again overtook the boys. However, some people developed the idea that Marian should be the spelling of the female form and that Marion was the male form during that period, even though medieval accounts of Robin Hood usually spelled his girlfriend's name as "Maid Marion".
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That's interesting! I'd always thought that Marion = Little Mary (strictly fem) and Marian = Connected to Mary (in this case the virgin Mary: either gender).
In British English Marion would have a short a sound as in clap, and Marian when used of Roman Catholic Orders etc a long a sound as in mare; but though I've met one woman named Marian who pronounced it with the mare sound, I think I'm right in saying that the short a has taken over for both spellings of the given name. Not sure what happens in the States!
In British English Marion would have a short a sound as in clap, and Marian when used of Roman Catholic Orders etc a long a sound as in mare; but though I've met one woman named Marian who pronounced it with the mare sound, I think I'm right in saying that the short a has taken over for both spellings of the given name. Not sure what happens in the States!
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Outside of New England, New York City, and New Jersey, American English just doesn't have the vowel of "clap" in front of "r" at all and only has the "mare" sound. Mary, marry, and merry are generally all pronounced the same by most Americans, with a vowel which would be closest to "merry" as people in England say these words, I think.
Marian is used as a male form in Slavic languages. Is it also really a male form in South Africa?
Marian is used as a male form in Slavic languages. Is it also really a male form in South Africa?
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Not as a given name. Just in the Catholic church, where one can be a Marian brother; or no doubt a sister ...
Some South Africans, specifically Afrikaans-speakers, have the habit of merging two given names to make a third: there's a strong tradition of naming children after their parents/grandparents/other relatives, so a whole brood of cousins can have identical names. Which can lead to blended names like Franjo from Francois Johannes or Frans Josef: that kind of thing. So Marjan would be perfectly possible as a blend of Marius and Jan (or Johannes); however, I've never encountered one.
Some South Africans, specifically Afrikaans-speakers, have the habit of merging two given names to make a third: there's a strong tradition of naming children after their parents/grandparents/other relatives, so a whole brood of cousins can have identical names. Which can lead to blended names like Franjo from Francois Johannes or Frans Josef: that kind of thing. So Marjan would be perfectly possible as a blend of Marius and Jan (or Johannes); however, I've never encountered one.
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