Name Popularity and Feminization Trends

Saundra K. Wright
CSU-Chico

Research on the association between gender and name popularity demonstrates that first names in English evolve from masculine to unisex to feminine (Barry & Harper 1993, 1982). My research expands on these findings and helps to account for why we see this particular trend. First, I analyze the 1,000 most popular names in American English for each decade from 1900-2000. My investigation confirms the feminization trend: over the past century, numerous names once popular for males have become more popular for females (e.g., Ashley, Lindsey, Kelly). Next I demonstrate that the male names most likely to become-and remain-popular as female names are those with phonologically female traits. Numerous researchers have shown that male and female names can be distinguished by different phonological characteristics (Wright & Hay 2002, Barry & Harper 1995, Lieberson & Bell 1992, Cutler et al. 1990, among others). My investigation indicates that these phonological traits are significant predictors of the types of male names likely to become feminized. In short, names that are characterized as having masculine features tend to remain popular male names (e.g., Scott), while names that are characterized as having feminine features are more likely to become popular female names (e.g., Ashley).