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[Facts] Kristen (M)
I discovered a male Kristen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kris_Holden-Ried) and I was rather surprised. I know Kristian is a male name, but I had no idea that Kristen could be used as masculine. How common is this usage?
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I'm not sure about Kristen on a male, but I know Kristinn is a masculine Icelandic name (the feminine version is Kristín, I think)
My legal name is Kristin... I definitely prefer it on a guy.
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In Scandinavia, where these names originated, Kristen was originally the male form and Kristin was the female form. Kristen was originally the Danish and Norwegian form of the male name Christian, while Kristin was a form of the female name Kristina. These names only became considered spelling variations of the same girls' name when they moved to North America. It was Americans who started naming girls Kristen, and any parents who named sons Kristen were simply using what was originally the male form of the name.
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I went to grad school with a guy names Kristen...
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