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ArchivesRe: androgynous names
in reply to a message by emsvie
The key factor is usage. Names like Ashley and Mackenzie used to be exclusively male names, but later were also used as female names. Now they are considered unisex names.
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thanks Kate - so it's just enough that they are used - in order to be recognised by name experts (etymologists?) (they don't need to be used for a certain number of generations - or by a significant proportion of both genders?). Appreciate that there are probably no hard and fast rules - but just wondered if there were general factors that meant they were defined as unisex or not.
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There is no rule on exact proportions of male vs. female or anything like that that would be recognized by language experts. I am sure that Mike Campbell, the owner of this site, has his own criteria for making his decisions in these matters. :)
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Mike C., to the best of my knowledge, uses popularity charts and history of usage to decide
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Sometimes it takes just one celebrity, or celebrity baby, to change the sexual orientation of a name ... Cameron for girls springs to mind.
This kind of problem often comes up on the Interactive Polls - should Aubrey or Cameron or Taylor or Kennedy be male or female? Opinions seem to be pretty well divided, which would I suppose make these names acceptable for both. Except that we don't know if the poll respondents actually use these names themselves, so it can't be reliable for research purposes...
This kind of problem often comes up on the Interactive Polls - should Aubrey or Cameron or Taylor or Kennedy be male or female? Opinions seem to be pretty well divided, which would I suppose make these names acceptable for both. Except that we don't know if the poll respondents actually use these names themselves, so it can't be reliable for research purposes...
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