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| Inspiration :: Paris (a name that became female in the 1990s) |
Some names metamorphosise like
butterflies - changing gender. They start as an egg, then grow into a caterpillar, form into a
chrysalis and finally emerge as a beautiful painted lady or red admiral. Many
names do not go through a gender change but most names that do go through a
similar pattern. Most gender-switched names started life as male. It may
surprise you that well known female names such as Lauren
and Allison were male at birth. But don’t
worry; names like John, Peter, and Paul that
have been masculine since their debuts in the New Testament are unlikely to
transform into the ultimate ‘girly-girl’ names any time soon.
The next stage of the life cycle is
where a few brave souls make the decision to use the boys’ section of their
baby name Bible for their darling daughters. This effect is magnified if the
name reached its peak and is having a dip in popularity. Parents start to look
at dated boys’ names which will sound fresh again if used for daughters. The
name may even become androgynous for a while, wavering between masculinity and
femininity. At the moment, names such as Emerson
and Emory are unisex after being entirely
masculine for a hundred years.
The period of being androgynous can
last more than 50 years. Paris started to be unisex at the
beginning of the 1940s but it was only in the 1990s where it became
significantly feminine. But some names, like Hilary switch
in only a few years. At the moment, occupational names (names that come from
work names) such as Harper or surname names such as Cameron
are becoming
popular as unisex names. No doubt the actress Cameron Diaz and little Harper
Seven Beckham have helped these names rise through the ranks.
After the indecision of being
androgynous, names draw nearer into old age as they become feminine. Names such
as Kelly and Kelsey
started life as masculine, became unisex, then feminine and are now slowly
dying as they decline in popularity. Brooke
and Alexis,
which were both male names, have seen a boost in popularity for females over
the past few years but I fear that their time to shine may be over as they
plummet down the ranks for both genders. Maybe in 100 years, they will appear
back in the popularity charts as male.
