I haven’t been around much lately–busy summer!–but my interest in names (of course) remains keen. Here’s an unsolved question I’ve turned over in my head for a long time: were the spellings [name_u]Leslie[/name_u] and [name_u]Lesley[/name_u] gender-specific, once upon a time? One of my [name_m]Bruce[/name_m] Lansky baby name books indicates that they were; that one spelling was used for boys, the other for girls. I haven’t been able to find any more information on the subject. Does anyone know the answer? Was there a time when [name_u]Leslie[/name_u] and [name_u]Lesley[/name_u] were gender-specific? If so, where and when? And which was which?
[name_u]Leslie[/name_u] [name_u]Howard[/name_u] portrayed [name_u]Ashley[/name_u] [name_m]Wilkes[/name_m] in Gone With the Wind, but I know of men named [name_u]Leslie[/name_u] and [name_u]Lesley[/name_u]. [name_u]Lesley[/name_u] “looks” more masculine to me, only because I’m so used to -lie at the end of names like [name_f]Kaylie[/name_f], [name_f]Haylie[/name_f], [name_f]Ashlie[/name_f], etc.
[name_u]Leslie[/name_u] is somehow hanging on at #284 for girls. It’s certainly on the decline though, as it is rather dated. I like the idea of [name_u]Lesley[/name_u] on a boy, but I’m not sure how versatile it is. [name_m]Wesley[/name_m] is very similar, and I think its popularity could help.
It’s funny how perception changes. If you didn’t know how [name_u]Leslie[/name_u]'s been used over the past century, you’d hear [name_m]Wesley[/name_m] and assume [name_u]Lesley[/name_u] was a boy’s name too, wouldn’t you? I actually first heard [name_u]Leslie[/name_u] on a boy, and he was only a few years older than I was, so it isn’t dead yet. And isn’t it funny that a male [name_u]Leslie[/name_u] got to play a male [name_u]Ashley[/name_u]? I really would like to know about those spellings, though.
Great to “see” you, by the way. I’ve missed it.
[name_u]Leslie[/name_u]: girl
[name_u]Lesley[/name_u]: boy
There was a kid in my grade named [name_u]Leslie[/name_u] [name_u]Jordan[/name_u]. [name_u]Leslie[/name_u] was a family name, but he went by [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] because he thought [name_u]Leslie[/name_u] was too feminine. People teased him a little, not just about his name but they would bring it up sometimes and laugh. He hated his name.
Most likely masculine, due to it originally being a surname: Meaning, origin and history of the name Leslie - Behind the Name
Thanks for the info (and the link, splinteredruler). So you think this is the way it was till both spellings went pink? With exceptions, obviously (I know of several male Leslies and several female Lesleys; [name_m]Robert[/name_m] [name_u]Frost[/name_u] had a daughter [name_u]Lesley[/name_u]–and a son [name_f]Carol[/name_f]!)
Australia here. [name_u]Leslie[/name_u] for a boy, [name_u]Lesley[/name_u] for a girl.
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I had forgotten this topic. Thanks for another reply!
Know what’s funny? I now have a sister-in-law named [name_u]Leslie[/name_u]. If I recall correctly, it’s a family name, but her parents gender-bent it: I believe she was named for a great-grandfather.