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What's the reason for Bryn or Brynn being used as a feminine name in the USA? It's a masculine name in the UK. Was there a famous bearer, a film or TV series that caused it to switch genders in the US?
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Well, in a sense Brynn never "switched genders" in the USA because it's been predominantly female ever since its introduction here.
The original popularity of Brynn as a female name in the USA seems linked to the career of actress Brynn Thayer while she appeared as the character Jenny Vernon on the daytime soap opera One Life To Live between 1978 and 1986. Brynn seems to be her real first name, not a stage name, but so far I can't find any explanation for why her parents chose it.
http://brynnthayer.com/
The original popularity of Brynn as a female name in the USA seems linked to the career of actress Brynn Thayer while she appeared as the character Jenny Vernon on the daytime soap opera One Life To Live between 1978 and 1986. Brynn seems to be her real first name, not a stage name, but so far I can't find any explanation for why her parents chose it.
http://brynnthayer.com/
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Perhaps its gender-bending could be explained by Bryn Mawr, which is I think a women's college. Wouldn't ambitious parents give their daughter a name associated with high-flying exclusivity? And when she became famous as an actress, other parents might perhaps find both associations working for them.
Also, a single-syllable female name ending in -n is pretty familiar: Ann, Lynn, Jean and Jane and Jen, Gwen ... so Bryn(n) could fit the pattern.
Also, a single-syllable female name ending in -n is pretty familiar: Ann, Lynn, Jean and Jane and Jen, Gwen ... so Bryn(n) could fit the pattern.
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