Child Development: Baby Names
Unisex Baby Names
Topend Kids > Development > Baby Names > Unisex Names
An interesting phenomenon is the naming of boys with girls names and vice versa, and the gradual blending of some names that are commonly used for either sex.
Examples
- Kim, Corey, Jessie
Sounds the same but spelled differently
- Ashley, Ashlee
What Not to Do
There was apparently a song in the past which had a line about a ‘boy named Sue’. Sure enough, someone actually named their boy child Sue, which I am sure would be changed as quick as possible as he grew up.
Celebrities
A celebrity example of this category is Jessie James, the daughter (one of twins) of media mogul Diddy and his girlfriend Kim Porter. The name is obviously a reference to the famous male Wild West outlaw Jessie James, though according to a Diddy spokesperson, the name was in honor of Diddy’s grandmother, Jessie.
Confusion when shortening
Sometimes when similar but different boys and girls names are shortened they result in the same and gender confusing names. For example the boy Alexander and girl Alexandra are often both called Alex. Similarly Daniel and Danielle are shortened to Dan. Samantha is often shortened to Sam, a common boy’s name.