Beavering away

[David]

Tabouli:

> << Reminds me of the tendency for given names to start out as male 
and 
> then become almost exclusively female after too many girls had 
been 
> given them (e.g. Meredith).  >>

Catlady:

> Beverly (thus staying on the thread's subject), Shirly, Clare ... 

When was Clare (or Claire) a male name?  St Frances' female 
associate Clare lived in the thirteenth century.

Of course in some cultures there is much more interchangeability of 
names between genders, and Clare is AFAIK French meaning 'bright' 
or 'clear'.

Evelyn is another example of the tendency Tabouli refers to.  Jesse 
may be another, though that may just be confusion with Jessie, 
presumed diminutive of Jessica.

Then there's that business whereby Jonathan is dying out, to be 
replaced by Johnathon or Jonathon, which sounds like a fund raising 
event or an elementary particle to me:  "Get a sponsor now!  This 
year's Jon-a-thon will be the biggest ever!"; "Physicists at Los 
Alamos yesterday announced the discovery of the Jonathon, a particle 
with zero Charm, Spin 25, and Credibility -1."

Bless me, what *do* they teach them in those schools

David