Feminization in Names: Historical Phonological Shifts across 18 Regions in Four Continents (1880–2023)

Abstract

The evolution of gendered naming has been widely examined, yet most studies focus on single languages or limited cultural contexts. This study broadens that scope by analyzing the phonological evolution of gendered names across six countries—Korea, Bangladesh, the United States, Britain, Canada, and Australia—spanning 143 years (1880–2023). Using official national and subnational name series for 18 units, the design combines nationwide data with decade-relative contrasts between hyper-urban and traditional regions, employing topname lists as proxies for cultural salience. The analysis identifies consistent main effects of culture, time, and region type. Male names show a historical decline in plosive-final forms, whereas female names display a persistent predominance of vowel-final endings. These patterns indicate a cross-national, though not universal, trend toward phonological feminization of names, reflecting the interplay of modernization, urbanization, and evolving gender ideologies. By integrating a comparative, cross-national, diachronic and regional perspectives, this study shows how language evolves alongside shifting gender norms and how naming practices embody both recurrent sound-symbolic tendencies and culturally specific trajectories of change. The scope remains limited by the concentration of Anglophone cases and binary gender classifications.