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ArchivesNames that have gone "the other way"
I very seldom post on this board, but I felt that since my posting about names that have gone "the other way" is fact-based, I decided to repeat the post over here.
One time, someone was asking if there were any names that have gone from primarily female to primarily male. I did some looking, and I found no traditionally girl's names that were taken over by the boys, but I did find two boy-girl-boy names.
One of those was Elisha. It is a male biblical name (and so it has been recognized as a male name for thousands of years). It was in the U.S. top 1000 for males during the first three decades of the 20th century, and then fell out. It then appeared as a girl's name during the 1970s, peaking in the 1980s at #460, and fell out of the girl's category in the late 1990s. On the other hand, while Elisha declined on the girl's side, it started to reappear on the boy's side. As of 2003, the name is #612 in the boy's category and not at all on the girl's side.
Another boy-girl-boy name I found was Jan. It was first a male name in the 1900s, then fell out. The name reappeared on each side in the 1930s, but rose more quickly on the girl's side. The name peaked on the girl's side at #145 in the 1950s, and started to decline as a boy's name (as is typical). However, when the name fell out of the girl's equation in the 1980s, Jan began to pick up on the boy's side, and as of 2003 was #546 for boys, but not in the top 1000 for girls.
The popularities of each of these names on both genders can be seen at the links below:
http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=Elisha&popterm=&gender=both&extra=p
http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=Jan&popterm=&gender=both&extra=p
If any of you know of any other boy-girl-boy or "girl's name turned boy's" names, let me know.
One time, someone was asking if there were any names that have gone from primarily female to primarily male. I did some looking, and I found no traditionally girl's names that were taken over by the boys, but I did find two boy-girl-boy names.
One of those was Elisha. It is a male biblical name (and so it has been recognized as a male name for thousands of years). It was in the U.S. top 1000 for males during the first three decades of the 20th century, and then fell out. It then appeared as a girl's name during the 1970s, peaking in the 1980s at #460, and fell out of the girl's category in the late 1990s. On the other hand, while Elisha declined on the girl's side, it started to reappear on the boy's side. As of 2003, the name is #612 in the boy's category and not at all on the girl's side.
Another boy-girl-boy name I found was Jan. It was first a male name in the 1900s, then fell out. The name reappeared on each side in the 1930s, but rose more quickly on the girl's side. The name peaked on the girl's side at #145 in the 1950s, and started to decline as a boy's name (as is typical). However, when the name fell out of the girl's equation in the 1980s, Jan began to pick up on the boy's side, and as of 2003 was #546 for boys, but not in the top 1000 for girls.
The popularities of each of these names on both genders can be seen at the links below:
http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=Elisha&popterm=&gender=both&extra=p
http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=Jan&popterm=&gender=both&extra=p
If any of you know of any other boy-girl-boy or "girl's name turned boy's" names, let me know.
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Replies
I suspect that on girls, people were using Elisha (pronouncing it "eh-LEESH-uh") as just another corruption of Alicia, along the lines of Alisha, Aleesha etc - probably not connecting it to the male Biblical name.
Again, the male and female names Jan are separate (although not unrelated: both are forms of John).
It's not quite the same thing, but from the 1100s to the 1400s, Julian was one of the most popular girls' names in England, being the Anglicized form of Latin Juliana. Julian on a male was not found until the 1200s, and was less common. So in this particular form, it was used on females first. Then, as happens with all names, it went out of fashion for both genders. When revived in the 1700s, Julian was used mainly for males, and the variant Gillian for females: occasionally Juliana as a learned form. So if you're looking for a name that was female to male, then Julian is one ... See Withycombe for detailed analysis of this.
Again, the male and female names Jan are separate (although not unrelated: both are forms of John).
It's not quite the same thing, but from the 1100s to the 1400s, Julian was one of the most popular girls' names in England, being the Anglicized form of Latin Juliana. Julian on a male was not found until the 1200s, and was less common. So in this particular form, it was used on females first. Then, as happens with all names, it went out of fashion for both genders. When revived in the 1700s, Julian was used mainly for males, and the variant Gillian for females: occasionally Juliana as a learned form. So if you're looking for a name that was female to male, then Julian is one ... See Withycombe for detailed analysis of this.
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There can be many names whose masculine and feminine forms coincide. E.g., there are many French names of that kind, some even with identical spelling (Dominique etc.).
Elisha for a male is a byblical name.
Elisha for a female is a diminutive for Elisabeth (Elisaveta) in some Slavic languages.
For Jan, there is godd explanation in the database.
Elisha for a male is a byblical name.
Elisha for a female is a diminutive for Elisabeth (Elisaveta) in some Slavic languages.
For Jan, there is godd explanation in the database.
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Hmmm....
Well, Lee was at one point quite popular for both boys and girls, but it dropped off the girls' top 1000 in 1992--but it's still on the boys' list. http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=lee&popterm=&gender=both&extra=p
Angel is popular for both boys and girls, but it's a great deal more popular for boys! It was at 43 for boys in 2003 and only 121 for girls. This is one to watch--it might go the way of Lee. http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=angel&popterm=&gender=both&extra=p
Marion hasn't been on the charts lately at all, but the most recent was for boys, at 999. It might come back someday. http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=marion&popterm=&gender=both&extra=p
Robin may yet make a comeback, since it's been waning in popularity since the 60s--plus, the boys' side had managed to hang on for quite a while. It'll be another to watch, I think. http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=robin&popterm=&gender=both&extra=p
Alex wasn't particularly threatened by the female hordes, but for the first time in over ten years, it only registered on the top 1000 boys' names. http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=alex&popterm=&gender=both&extra=p
Those are the best I've found. I'll keep my eyes peeled for other ones, though!
Array
Well, Lee was at one point quite popular for both boys and girls, but it dropped off the girls' top 1000 in 1992--but it's still on the boys' list. http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=lee&popterm=&gender=both&extra=p
Angel is popular for both boys and girls, but it's a great deal more popular for boys! It was at 43 for boys in 2003 and only 121 for girls. This is one to watch--it might go the way of Lee. http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=angel&popterm=&gender=both&extra=p
Marion hasn't been on the charts lately at all, but the most recent was for boys, at 999. It might come back someday. http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=marion&popterm=&gender=both&extra=p
Robin may yet make a comeback, since it's been waning in popularity since the 60s--plus, the boys' side had managed to hang on for quite a while. It'll be another to watch, I think. http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=robin&popterm=&gender=both&extra=p
Alex wasn't particularly threatened by the female hordes, but for the first time in over ten years, it only registered on the top 1000 boys' names. http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=alex&popterm=&gender=both&extra=p
Those are the best I've found. I'll keep my eyes peeled for other ones, though!
Array
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