Tell me what your name is without telling me what your name is

[BatsatHalloween]

My name has a male and female variant
It was number 36 the year I was given it
It was acceptable in the 80s
It's a bit French
It's also a little bit Essex
Most people shorten it

Mine is the same as a Duchess of Aquitaine who was both Queen of France and Queen of England.

Ruby?

More "generalised"......along the right lines though

Eleanor

Notorious scandal involving a high profile politician back in the day.

Nicola?

@maras2. Sarah/Sara?

You are also Christine!
Unless you are a man. Then you are Norman. 😂

I’m in the sky in a Beatles song!

Lucy?

Nicola

Nicola?
Did you know that's a boy's name in Italian, like Andrea.
Caused endless amusement amongst officials checking my petite blonde friend's passport when we were back packing in Italy many moons ago.

Gem/Gemma?

Yes - that was too easy

Haha, me too.

Do you remember?

Welsh female sounds very much like pink stuff you clean your windows with

Kayleigh?

Correct

Gwendoline?

It’s more often known as the surname of the author of what’s commonly cited as the first science fiction novel.

Gwendoline

Got it in one 🌟

Gwendoline?

I was born in the 70s and have never met anyone else ( even younger or older) with this name, even though it’s a very old name you’d think of as being very British.

It’s in a song.

You can shorten it and I have the shortened version. Very few people believe that the shortened version is an actual name and assume that my name is the longer version. I have had people actually argue with me about what my name is and what’s written on my birth certificate. (Not because it’s that unusual but because they are stupid and don’t understand that the shortened version is actually a name too).

I googled a list of famous people with my name and recognised only one person with my shortened version. A couple more with the longer version, but still not loads.

I don’t mind it now, but I hated it as a child. I would advise any parent wanting to call their child this name to think again.