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Helpapples and oranges
in reply to a message by Sabrina Fair
I don't think Beverly and Addison can be compared like that. Addison has never been used much for either gender until just here a few years ago. Whereas Beverly has been used on women for quite a few generations and has already established itself, Addison is a trendy newcomer.
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well true how about Sidney then? I love that name for a boy!
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what about it?
It's been used for men for a couple hundred years, and on women for nearly as long. Right now, on girls it's kind of trendy, and on boys it's very outdated. YOu don't see a male Sidney under the age of sixty, it seems, but you see female Sidneys/Sydneys from birth right up to old age.
When I was little I liked a series of books about "ALl of a Kind Family." They were written by Sydney Taylor, a woman, who as near as I can figure was born right around the turn of the last century.
I consider it to be truly unisex, because at one time it was as common boys as it is now for girls.
However, having said all that... I don't like the name. The Sid sound is sly and sneaky to me. I picutre a male Sidney as being a smooth-talking, kind of oily, used-car-salesman/shyster lawyer guy. On a female I picture a snobby, "socialite" type woman who doesn't work, her whole occupation is buying things adn going to parties.
The Sid sound also puts me in mind of SIDS, and Sid Vicious. Sidney Biddle Barrows, the "Mayflower Madam" (she really is the type of Sidney I described, and got into trouble many years ago for running a call girl ring.)
There is Sidney Poitier, and some other Sidneys, and I know two Sydneys (both female) who I like, but I still don't like the name.
It's been used for men for a couple hundred years, and on women for nearly as long. Right now, on girls it's kind of trendy, and on boys it's very outdated. YOu don't see a male Sidney under the age of sixty, it seems, but you see female Sidneys/Sydneys from birth right up to old age.
When I was little I liked a series of books about "ALl of a Kind Family." They were written by Sydney Taylor, a woman, who as near as I can figure was born right around the turn of the last century.
I consider it to be truly unisex, because at one time it was as common boys as it is now for girls.
However, having said all that... I don't like the name. The Sid sound is sly and sneaky to me. I picutre a male Sidney as being a smooth-talking, kind of oily, used-car-salesman/shyster lawyer guy. On a female I picture a snobby, "socialite" type woman who doesn't work, her whole occupation is buying things adn going to parties.
The Sid sound also puts me in mind of SIDS, and Sid Vicious. Sidney Biddle Barrows, the "Mayflower Madam" (she really is the type of Sidney I described, and got into trouble many years ago for running a call girl ring.)
There is Sidney Poitier, and some other Sidneys, and I know two Sydneys (both female) who I like, but I still don't like the name.
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Sidney/Sydney has been used for boys since the 17th century
For example Sidney Godophin (a poet, born 1610)
There was some use for girls from the 19th but until the last few decades it's always been a lot more popular for boys. And here where I live (albeit England) I've seen it more on boys than girls in BAs.
For example Sidney Godophin (a poet, born 1610)
There was some use for girls from the 19th but until the last few decades it's always been a lot more popular for boys. And here where I live (albeit England) I've seen it more on boys than girls in BAs.
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Yes but...
Beverly was also an established male name. Its a surname, and therefore, despite loathing surnames on females (and in general for most cases), its been a long time tradition to pass on surnames to both females and males.
Beverly was also an established male name. Its a surname, and therefore, despite loathing surnames on females (and in general for most cases), its been a long time tradition to pass on surnames to both females and males.
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ever notice...
(in best Andy Rooney voice)
That it's only a certain type of surname that was usually handed down as a fn? Beverly, Ashley, Sidney, Cooper, Tucker? You never see people with the first name oh... Feldman, Rivera, Lefkowitz, Shucmacher, Lefebvre, Spinelli?
Basically it's a relatively small collection of "white Anglo-Saxon Protestant" type surnames that turned into first names.
This topic would make somebody an interesting research paper, no? :)
(in best Andy Rooney voice)
That it's only a certain type of surname that was usually handed down as a fn? Beverly, Ashley, Sidney, Cooper, Tucker? You never see people with the first name oh... Feldman, Rivera, Lefkowitz, Shucmacher, Lefebvre, Spinelli?
Basically it's a relatively small collection of "white Anglo-Saxon Protestant" type surnames that turned into first names.
This topic would make somebody an interesting research paper, no? :)
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Oh, I was writing this research paper! But there were no print sources, as in books. Thousands of articles, but my teacher needed a book. So I had to abandon it and switch to Sylvia Plath. :'(
But she's very interesting, too. So, it wasn't so tragic. : )
But she's very interesting, too. So, it wasn't so tragic. : )
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You know...
I was thinking about this the other night. If I would have thought of this even last fall I could have written that research paper. Too bad my paper writing days in college are over.
I was thinking about this the other night. If I would have thought of this even last fall I could have written that research paper. Too bad my paper writing days in college are over.
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