Unusual Baby Names

[Delightful Life]

I wonder what method people use to decide whether a name is male or female? To me Claire is female - but I know a guy called Claire. Chris can be either. I know girls and boys called Ashley (but I don't like the name at all). My own kids and grandkids have ordinary names spelled in the generally acceptable way except one step-grand who has a name that (to me) belongs to the other gender.

fascinatin, ennit?

like according to wikipedia: "Ashley was originally used for male children, but it gained popularity as a female first name in the United States in the late 20th century. Its sudden rise in popularity is generally attributed to the emergence of the female soap opera characterAshley Abbott on The Young and The Restless in 1982.[citation needed] In the United Kingdom the name is used for both boys and girls."

Our names operate probably just like other real words...they are first created and then over time they gain more and more usages (which is what dictionaries are for, to keep track of the most popular usages).

I'm sure some anthropologists/social scientist have studied this in detail

Like how the anointed one can be an untouchable sacred concept, Christ, and also is a name for a holy one who got high (anointed oil may have been spiked with psychedelics...frankencense & myrrh are psychedelic substances) to commune with the Divine (remember that happening in the latest Noah movie?)

I guess one can tell aboot someone's particular culture by listening to what usages of words they use...

 

[Seeler]

I knew a family that had a boy and a girl. Their names were Darcy and Tracy. I never knew which name was the boy and which was the girl.

 

[Hilary]

I am friends with a couple named Pat and Don. When I first met them, I didn't know which was the man and which the woman. Then I saw their names written on an invitation list. I wouldn't have been surprised to see "Pat and Dawn" instead.

 

[Mendalla]

One of my boss's daughter's names is honor. I'd like it better if they'd spelt it right!

Actually, when used as a name "Honor" is the correct spelling. e.g. Honor Blackman was a UK actress who starred in the Avengers TV series (1960s UK spy show, not the superheroes) and the Bond movie Goldfinger.