Gender differences on names (US vs UK)

[chelspa]

As a Brit who now lives in the US I am intrigued how some names in the UK and US are popular on completely the opposite genders. For example, Ashley ranks around 154 for boys in the UK and in the 400s for girls. In the US it is top 20 for girls and not in the top 1000 for boys. Robin is a boys name in the UK and a girls name in the US, Tracy/Tracey is more the opposite. Brooklyn is number 34 for girls in the US and not in the top 1000 for boys yet ranks around 184 for boys in the UK and much lower for girls.

Any thoughts on why there are so much differences with some names?

[ragged]

Some others for you: Taylor, Laurie/Lauren, Bailey, Charlie, Devon, Jordan, Casey.
Why not? Name choices are just capricious fashion, any way.

[MyBloodyChamber]

A lot of US names are a bit silly.

Chase or Jace for example.

Then again we get Harper and Brooklyn which are equally as stupid.

[jenniec79]

Is it not just local fashion?

Brooklyn is only a boys' name in the uk because of the one with famous parents - never on the radar before that.

I think there's more of a tradition of "family names" in the US - lots of "Monty Junior"s and "Randolph The Third"s whereas in the UK I don't think that really happens so much.

Mum's maiden name as a middle name not so common in the UK either.

[Bandwithering]

A name expert (etymologist I think they call it) wrote that in America any name that ends in 'ley' will become a girls name. EVEN Stanley. Finley is already used for girls in the US. At first I thought, no way, how could STanley ever be seen as a girls name even by americans! but then Stella starts with St, and Stanley also has 'ann' in the middle of it.

I think latin names sound romantic and beautiful, and middle class, but to wannabe wasp Americans perhaps they sound hispanic (?) I am just guessing here, trying to understand why they call their daughters mckenzie and parker and their cows Daisy and Flora. They want to be 'more aspirational'. They choose names that could have come over on the mayfair. Perhaps that's why names that are very English sounding are popular as names. eg Spencer, Parker, Harper !!! mad. eeeooow.

[mathanxiety]

Yes, same for Carrington, Madison, Leighton, Emerson, Jackson, Peyton, Addison.. all English-sounding names, all have the N ending that is so 'now'.

Kennedy, Delaney, Cassidy, Casey, Reagan, McKenzie, McKenna, Logan are all vaguely Celtic fringey -- Irish and maybe by extension Scottish ethnicity are very aspirational in some sections of US society. Reagan obviously wouldn't be a name found in many Democratic homes.

Riley, Aynsley, Hailey, Bailey, Presley (and Stanley, Finley) all have that 'lee' ending

Some of them can be shortened, to Carrie, Maddie, Emmie, Jack, Addie, Cassie, Lainey -- the longer and gussied up versions may have been used to honour relatives whose names were a bit more prosaic.