History Sandbox / GenderBlenderName

* Merideth in ''Literature/{{Dreamsnake}}'', whose [[AmbiguousGender gender]] is [[GenderNeutralWriting left entirely up to the reader.]]

[[SheIsTheKing Titles]] and initials can be [[GenderMisdirection misleading]] too, since many are [[DoubleStandard assumed to be male]]. Expect SamusIsAGirl reaction when the actual gender of the title bearer is revealed. [[note]]This seems to be even worse in languages with grammatical gender, such as French or German. For example, in German most nouns are gender specific (A "Polizist" is a male police officer ("Polizisten" is the plural form), a "Polizistin" is a female police officer ("Polizistinnen" as a plural)) but when you don't ''clearly'' mean a woman or women (and sometimes even then) often the male form is used. e.g. A group of nine female and one male police officer would be referred to with the term that grammatically means many male police officers ("Polizisten").[[/note]]

* The ButtMonkey main character in ''LightNovel/BludgeoningAngelDokuroChan'''s name is Sakura which means "Cherry Blossom". But there are rare cases in which it's a guy's name.

* Claire Stanfield from ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}''. It doesn't help that he's also a [[AxCrazy murderous psychopath]]. No wonder he prefers to go by nicknames. This is lampshaded in the LightNovels, where Isaac points out that it's not too uncommon for men to have feminine names, [[spoiler:[[{{Foreshadowing}} "and who knows what sort of name a *monster* would have."]]]]

* In-Universe, Nezumi in ''LightNovel/{{No6}}'' chose to go by the stage name Eve because he plays female roles.

** Ayumu ([[Manga/AzumangaDaioh Kasuga]] and [[Manga/HayateTheCombatButler Nishizawa]] are female. [[LightNovel/IsThisAZombie Aikawa]], [[Manga/{{Spiral}} Narumi]], [[VideoGame/InazumaEleven Shourinji]] and [[Creator/AyumuMurase Murase]] are male.)

** Haruhi ([[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya Suzumiya]] (girl), [[Manga/OuranHighschoolHostClub Fujioka]] (girl [[{{bifauxnen}} pretending to be a guy]]))

** Hinata ([[Anime/{{Naruto}} Hyuga]], [[VideoGame/RivalSchools Wakaba]] and Hakamada of ''Ro-Kyu-Bu!'' are female while [[Manga/MaidSama Shinatani]] and [[LightNovel/ItsukaTenmaNoKuroUsagi Kurenai]] are males.)

** Itsuki ([[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya Koizumi]], [[Manga/AirGear Minami]] - shortened to Ikki - , [[Manga/CorpsePrincess Yamagami]], and [[Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure Myoudouin]] -- the latter's unisex name and androgynous appearance became a large point of contention in the fandom until she was revealed as a [[{{Bifauxnen}} very boyish-looking girl]].)

** Nagisa ([[Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch Shirai]] and [[Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure Misumi]] or [[VisualNovel/{{Clannad}} Furukawa]] or [[Anime/{{Free}} Hazuki]] or [[LightNovel/StrawberryPanic Aoi]] or [[Manga/AssassinationClassroom Shiota]].)

** Sakura ([[LightNovel/BludgeoningAngelDokuroChan Kusakabe]], [[Manga/CardcaptorSakura Kinomoto]], [[Franchise/StreetFighter Kasugano]], [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Haruno]], [[FanFic/PrettyCureFullColor Tsuitei]], and [[FanFic/PrettyCureHeavyMetal Cobain]])

** Shiki ([[LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners Ryougi]] (girl [[spoiler: (with a [[SplitPersonality male split personality]]]]), [[VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}} Tohno]] (guy), [[VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou Misaki]] (girl), [[Manga/BlackCat Black Cat]] [[spoiler:female in manga, male in anime]] )

** Taiga ([[LightNovel/{{Toradora}} Aisaka]], [[Manga/KurokosBasketball Kagami]], and [[Series/KamenRiderExAid Hanaya]])

** Yuki ([[Music/HelloProject Maeda]], [[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya Nagato]], [[Manga/FruitsBasket Sohma]])

** Kyrie is a kind AllLovingHero who [[FeminineWomenCanCook is a kitchen whiz]] and [[TheChick wants nothing more than for everyone to get along]] so he can be with his LoveInterest instead of worrying about the end of the world. In Greek, Kyrie means "Lord" and is normally used [[ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming in reference to]] UsefulNotes/JesusChrist (this Kyrie is an AntiAntiChrist, supposed to cause the end of the world but ''really'' not up for it). In modern English, however, that "ie" ending looks feminine, so it's considered a unisex name at most.

** Inverted by [[NamesTheSame Mikazuki]] in ''VideoGame/KanColle''.

** Ryan is mostly a male name, but is not that uncommon of a female name: for example, actress Ryan Newman ([[NamesTheSame not to be confused with the male NASCAR driver]]) or [[Characters/WWEDivas Ryan Shamrock]], storyline sister of Wrestling/KenShamrock in late-'90s WWF. (Her real name is the unquestionably feminine Alicia Webb.)

* An example that probably came about because of lack of knowledge of French; ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'''s [[HotScientist Professor Augustine Sycamore]], local professor of the Kalos region, is male. "Augustine" is even the DistaffCounterpart of the name "Augustin".

** Mackenzie/[=McKenzie=]: [[Creator/MackenzieAstin Astin]] (m), [[UsefulNotes/CollegiateAmericanFootball former NCAA quarterback Milton]] (m), Foy (f), [[Creator/MackenzieDavis Davis]] (f), [[Creator/MackenziePhillips Phillips]] (f)[[note]]Milton is a "[=McKenzie=]"; the others are Mackenzies[[/note]]

*** It may be a female name in India, but it's not Haley's first name. Try ''Nimrata''. Nikki, which is her actual ''{{middle name|Basis}}'', is occasionally used as a feminine name in her ancestral Punjab region, but in the Anglosphere is more common as a nickname for Nicole, or as a name in itself.

* Abe from ''LightNovel/SpiceAndWolf''. It's not her birth name, but being a female merchant has its difficulties, so it's better for business. She also [[{{Bokukko}} calls herself "ore"]].

*** It may be a female name in India (more specifically, in Haley's ancestral Punjab region), but it's not Haley's first name. Try ''Nimrata''. "Nikki" is her {{middle name|Basis}}.

*** It may be a female name in India, but it's not Haley's first name. Try ''Nimrata''. ("Nikki" is her {{middle name|Basis}}.)

*** It may be a female name in India, but it's not Haley's first name. Try ''Nimrata''. ("Nikki" is a nickname her Indian immigrant family used from her birth.)

* Pascale and Pascal (in French)

* Emmanuel and Emmanuelle

* Claire and Clare, leading to the male character in ''Baccano!'' having the feminine spelling of the name, while the female protagonists of Claymore uses the masculine spelling. In ''Series/{{Fleabag}}'', the unnamed protagonist’s sister Claire dates a man named Clare.
* Valer(i)y/Valerie: The former is a masculine Russian name.
* Ivan (Russian) and Yvonne/Ivonne (in English accents with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father-bother_merger father-bother merger]])
* Elisha and Alicia (averted if the former is pronounced like ''Elijah'')

** A site listing names [[http://www.shemli.co.il/hebnames/unisex_names.seam?letter=%D7%90&pageID=1 gives]] [[UpToEleven over a thousand names]] which are gender-neutral. That's 40% of all the names given on the site. Of course, most of them tend to be more common for one gender than another.

* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'': Sir Integra is a woman. A very scary woman who will kill you at a moments notice and a knight of the Queen of England. Usually when females are knighted, their title is "Dame", i.e. "Dame Integra". Another page on Wiki/ThisVeryWiki states that she's legally a man as a requirement for holding her position, so "Dame Integra" would therefore be legally incorrect, or the the writer did not understand the British [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peerage peerage]] system and used 'Sir' since it is more common for government officials.

* If [[Music/StanRogers Stanley Allison Rogers]] and [[Music/GordonLightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot]] are any indication, the Canadian folk scene is paradise for men with feminine middle names. Except that Meredith was an exclusively male name until late in the 20th century -- as Meredith Hunter could have told you, if he hadn't been killed by Hells Angels during Music/TheRollingStones' performance at the Altamont Free Concert in 1969. Meredith Blake from Creator/AgathaChristie's ''Literature/FiveLittlePigs'' is another example. It has been speculated that Merida from ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' was planned to be Meredith, until the writer found out about this.

** Jamie: On the feminine side we have Creator/JamieLeeCurtis and Jamie Lynn Spears. On the masculine side we have comedians Creator/JamieFoxx and Jamie Kennedy.

*** Almost exclusively female, except in the U.K., where it is/was a common nickname for Laurence/Lawrence. A good example is singer Laurie London, who made "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" into a pop hit in the late 1950s -- as a 14-year-old boy who may have sounded like an adult female to some.

** Lindsay/Lindsey (male US Senator Lindsey Graham and actress Creator/LindsayLohan)

** Tony/Toni (as diminutives of Anthony or Antonia)

** Mackenzie/[=McKenzie=]: Astin (m), current NCAA quarterback Milton (m), Foy (f), [[Creator/MackenzieDavis Davis]] (f), [[Creator/MackenziePhillips Phillips]] (f)[[note]]Milton is a "[=McKenzie=]"; the others are Mackenzies[[/note]]

** Page/Paige (male wrestler Page Falkinburg, a.k.a Wrestling/DiamondDallasPage, though he did change his name to "Dallas Page" in 2003, and female wrestler Wrestling/{{Paige}})

** Of course, Karol (as in Karol Wojtyła, later known as [[UsefulNotes/ThePope Pope John Paul II]]) is the Polish version of Carol/Charles, just as Karel (as in playwright [[Creator/KarelCapek Karel Čapek]]) is the Czech version.

** Haley/Hayley/Hailey etc: On the masculine side, we have actor Creator/HaleyJoelOsment and former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour; on the feminine side, we have actress Creator/HayleyMills, as well as Haley Starshine from ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''.

** Asuka ([[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Langley Sohryu]], [[Anime/YuGiOhGX Tenjoin]], [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Kazama]], [[Anime/InazumaEleven Domon]] or the one from ''Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger'')

** Ayumu ([[Manga/AzumangaDaioh Kasuga]] and [[Manga/HayateTheCombatButler Nishizawa]] are female. [[LightNovel/IsThisAZombie Aikawa]], [[Manga/{{Spiral}} Narumi]], [[Anime/InazumaEleven Shourinji]] and [[Creator/AyumuMurase Murase]] are male.)

** Hikaru ([[Manga/KimagureOrangeRoad Hiyama]], [[Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico Amano]], [[Manga/MagicKnightRayearth Shidou]] or [[Manga/HikaruNoGo Shindo]], [[Creator/HikaruMidorikawa Midorikawa]], [[Anime/InazumaElevenAres Ichihoshi]]) [[Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross Ichijo]],[[Anime/StarTwinklePrettyCure Hoshina]],[[Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureMaxHeart Kujou]], [[VideoGame/ApeEscape Jimmy's]] [[Main/DubNameChange japanese name]].)

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' has an interesting example: the dad has nowadays-rather-feminine name Lynn, while his fifth daughter is [[PassionateSportsGirl Lynn Jr.]] Presumably he gave up on having a boy to pass it on to, which is ironic, since [[OutnumberedSibling Lincoln]] was the next one born.

** Tsubasa ([[spoiler:the real name of both protagonists, male and female,]] in Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle. Also, [[Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear Kazanari]] and [[Manga/ComicGirls Katsuki]] (female)) / [[Manga/CaptainTsubasa Oozora]] and [[Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger Ozu]] (male)

** Hibiki ([[Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple Kugenin]] a.k.a. Siegfried, one of [[Manga/{{Change 123}} Motoko's]] SplitPersonalities, [[VideoGame/TheLastBlade Takane]], [[Anime/SuitePrettyCure Houjou]], [[Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear Tachibana]] or [[VideoGame/TheIdolmaster Ganaha]])

-->'''Sir Edith Moser:''' [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY It's pronounced edd-ith!]]

** Mary, the maker of the Bundys' couch, is a man. He insists that his name is a male name [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY and emphasized on the last syllable]] whereas the usual female version is emphasized on the first syllable.

** Subverted with Lea and Isa. Both may look feminine, but they have [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY unusual pronunciations]] (LEE and AY-za). Were it not for the spelling, the former is certifiably a masculine name.

* ''Fanfic/TalesOfTheUndiscoveredSwords'': This being a ''VideoGame/ToukenRanbu'' fanfic, ''all'' the unreleased swords featured in the series receive male personifications, even ones with nowhere near masculine names like ''Himetsuru'' Ichimonji, ''Hatsuzakura'' and ''Sasanoyuki''.

** ''Fanfic/HopToIt'' has Jaclyn Smith, who chooses to go by Jack after getting sick of people guessing (correctly) that she's named after the ''Series/CharliesAngels'' actor. It's stated that Jackie elicited the same reactions, but Jack does not.

** Cioccolata from ''Manga/VentoAureo'' is a guy whose name comes from the feminine equivalent to "cioccolato", [[EdibleThemeNaming the Italian word for "chocolate"]].

** Similarly, in VideoGame/PuyoPuyo 7 the protagonist is named Ringo. Her best friend and classmate is named Maguro, which means "tuna" in Japanese. This is also an example of ThemeNaming, since Ringo's family runs a greengrocers and Maguro's family is a fishmonger.

* Charlie from ''Webcomic/KhaosKomix'' is a {{transgender}} woman. Her name can be gender-neutral, however it's rare as an actual name for a girl (it's typically a nickname).

** Chaz/Chas can also be short for "Chastity", as with {{transgender}} activist Chaz (born Chastity) Bono.

*** Jordan Todosey (who is a girl) plays Adam (who is [[{{Transgender}} a transgender boy]]) on ''Series/{{Degrassi}}''.

** Aoi ([[Anime/AiYoriAoshi Sakuraba]] (Girl), [[Manga/MaidSama Hyodou]] (Guy pretending to be a girl) and [[Manga/YoureUnderArrest Futaba]] ([[{{Transgender}} woman]]), [[Anime/KiraKiraPrecureALaMode Tategami]] (girl) [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc Asahina]], [[Manga/CaptainTsubasa Shingo]])

** Tohru ([[Manga/FruitsBasket Honda]], [[VideoGame/{{Persona 4}} Adachi]], or [[Manga/TokyoGhoulRe Mutsuki]], with the bonus that the latter is a {{Transgender}} man)