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Re: androgynous names
in reply to a message by Kate
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...
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Have to be used to a great extent.And occasionally, they switch genders altogether. My first name, Haven, was considered to be an unusual male name when I was growing up. Now it's considered to be a unusual (but rapidly gaining in popularity) female name due to its' usage.
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again many thanks everyone - this is the first time I've ever researched a name in detail - so trying to get my head around the issues. Thanks for the responses. (and Siri - had never heard of the name Haven for either a girl or a boy - it's beautiful). Cheers. E.V.
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