Changing Gender Relations in Canada: The Rise of Gender-Neutral Forenames

Abstract

Historically, gender-neutral or androgynous first names have been relatively rare, showing little sign of upward or downward temporal trend in Canada or elsewhere. Using digitized birth registration records from three provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario) and for all of Canada, we highlight a rise, beginning around 1990, in the proportional representation of gender-neutral forenames. Examples of such names include Avery, Charlie, and Riley. Our analyses show that different measures of androgynous names, from different provinces or for all of Canada, produce similar results, revealing a recent and unprecedented temporal rise. We frame a discussion of this acceleration within the context of changing gender relations in Canada. The weakening of gender as a dominant status characteristic, a historical decline in the effect of gender contamination on naming, and the increasing diversity of girls’ and boys’ first names all play roles in the recent rise of gender-neutral names in Canada.