How would you react if you saw someone of the opposite gender with your name?

[Jordana]

Please try to be honest. Would you find it odd, laugh at them, laugh inside but not let them know you were finding it funny, tease them, be angry or upset, feel sorry for them.

[LawrieMarlow]

I would be very surprised tbh

[Boozilla]

Depends on the name really. My daughter has a name that is a boy's name in another language, I'm fairly indifferent.

If I met a little boy called Geraldine or something then I might feel differently?

[Ooopsadaisy]

My name is so traditional and ancient that I can't imagine it would ever happen.

Are we talking Robin (man) /Robyn (woman) or Tony (man) / Toni (woman)?

Or are we talking about a woman called Barnabas or a man called Emily?

[mrsravelstein]

if it was an adult man called jennifer or an adult woman called Robert, I'd probably wonder why they hadn't changed it.

[meditrina]

It depends on the name.

Some are genuinely unisex and have been for years and some are in transition (and there are some that make me think "what on earth were you're parents thinking" when they are on the other sex).

It also depends on the age of the holder (especially for names that are changing - lots of boy Kims my age, mainly girls younger).

[Jordana]

Sorry, just to be clear, I am taking this random poll as part of social studies project for school. I am talking about YOUR name, whether it's Mark, John, Rachel or Lucy on the opposite gender. And I probably should have asked, not just what do you think, but how you would react, like would you hide what you think or not hide it, that type of thing.

[meditrina]

Oh, and on the nationality as well. I find it really, really odd when the boys names Sascha, Nikita and Mischa are given to girls, owing to my background; I've seen another poster here with French connexions who has a similar reaction to Laurence on a boy.

[LetThereBeRock]

My name is pronounced in pretty much the same way, as the French masculine version of my name,so if I only heard the name I wouldn't think much of it.

[GastonTheLadybird]

Surely it's not going to tell you anything with people in isolation saying how they would react without knowing what name it is?

[ajandjjmum]

DD is Alex - it's happened once or twice

No issue whatsoever.

My name can actually be male or female and I've always liked that - one of the influences in choosing DD's name to be honest.

[smashingtime]

My son's name is unisex but I still think it is a weird choice for a girl so I would feel sorry for her if I met one in this country! We met females in America with his name which was odd but they often mess around with the traditional gender of names. I once met an African man with the same name as me but not likely to happen here!

[darleneconnor]

A sleb has recently called her dd my friends boys name. I did feel a bit sorry for friend. A boys name on a girl is much less embarassing than a girls name on a boy.

[nickelbabyhatcher]

mine is a boy's name in Italian.
and the diminutive of mine is a boy's name here

I don't mind at all (i'm not very girly either)

[nickelbabyhatcher]

in fact, i quite like the fact that it does that.
(it's Andrea, so Andy being the dim. )

[Ephiny]

It's unlikely to happen with my name, so I suppose I'd think it was a bit unusual - but wouldn't have any problem with it, or laugh at them or anything

[memphis83]

mine was originally a boys name, i didnt meet a girl with my name until in my teens, its never bothered me, in this country it is thought of as a girls namenow but not when i was born, it is a boys name 99% of the time in austrailia

[DramaInPyjamas]

My name would be ridiculous for a male. I don't think anyone would ever consider it.

Although, my daughter has a name that is typically a boys name.

[TheRealDarkMavis]

Happens to me all the time. Tbh, i do feel a little embarrassed sometimes but mostly i just think "why have you got a girl's name?!" even though it's a unisex one...

[nikki1978]

I have a male friend called Stacey. Somehow he gets away with it as he is confident but it is odd and other people do laugh.

[nocake]

I was at university with someone of the opposite sex who had the same name as me - first name and surname. We used to joke about it (normally after beer - it was funnier then!) but no-one ever thought it was an issue.

[rachel1970]

It depends on the name. Names like
Sam (Samantha, Samuel)
Charlie (Charles, Charlotte)
Alex (Alexandra, Alexander)
Jo (Josephine, Joseph)
Andy (Andrew, Andrea)
Robin
Rowan
Morgan
Leslie
Andrea
Sasha
Laurence (male version of Laurent)
are either unisex or the other gender in another language, so it wouldn't be odd.

However if I met a man called Sarah or a woman called Steve, I'd be surprised and probably show it!

[Firawla]

I would probably say something like oh I have never seen this name on a male how unusual, something like that, because my name is very much a well known girls name and not unisex at all, so may be weird to just pretend like it was normal to come across a man with it?

[oohlaalaa]

I have a friend called Jordan. He is 28 years old, and I thought he had a cool name, till Katie Price came along.

It doesnt bother Jordan, but his parents dont like the name association.

[TheBolter]

Piss myself laughing - i have a feminine sounding name ending with an a. Even the male equivalent (and there is one) sounds rather effeminate. Not much help, sorry!

[posypoo]

I'd be pretty surprised, but each to their own!