Glee’s Quinn
One’s name is meaningful, often because of its relation to gender identity. Sadly, having a name normally assigned to males on a professional resume often gets an individual more interviews. Many transgender individuals choose to legally change their legal names to reflect their identities. Names matter, and unisex names are on the rise.
Most of these names, like Hunter and Blake, are traditionally thought of as boy names, but in the last decades, parents have been using them to refer to females. Names like Harper are split down the middle; parents are choosing it for children of all genders. Many of these names become popular because they appear in pop culture: Glee features a Quinn, and ABC Family’s The Lying Game showcases a girl named Sutton. Hopefully this growing trend will allow for more gender equality professionally and culturally.
Baby-namer Laura Wattenberg coined the term andro-girly to refer to name that feature “girlie” spellings of traditionally male names. What exactly is a “girlie” spelling, you might ask? Given in primarily conservative states, these often spellings feature the letter y, as in Baylee or Nayvie. Also popular in girls are names traditionally given to boys with an ley added to the end: Finnley, Riley, and Ashley.
Whether the spelling is coded “masculine” or “feminine,” girls’ names are becoming more complex and individualized. A name doesn’t necessarily defines one’s gender in the way it once did. Girls have more naming options, and that’s pretty cool.
Thanks to Apellation Mountain and Baby Name Wizard
Image via FanPop
