[Opinions] Jan
When you see Jan on paper, do you assume it is male or female? Any thoughts on this name?
Replies
most of the time i think female, but because it is my pa's name (as he is dutch and it is the dutch form of John) I dont get suprised if it is a guy
Living where I do, I assume it's male all right. But the context usually helps, if it isn't.
I prefer it as a fem form of Janet or Janice, both dated; but that doesn't mean I like it.
I prefer it as a fem form of Janet or Janice, both dated; but that doesn't mean I like it.
In the United States I would assume female if I saw it written. My uncle and his grandson are both names Jan though.
I pronoucne it defferently for males and females. If I saw it written where I live I'd assume it was female.
I'd assume female but I wouldn't be utterly surprised to see a male one. No thoughts, reminds me of jam pronounced the English way.
This message was edited 7/11/2010, 12:38 PM
Male - since it is the full first names of both my dad and a male cousin. No naming after, long story.
And it is a name only for males here in Denmark, so that's how I'm always going to see it here.
However if I were outside my country, it would be a toss up for how I'd see it then.
And it is a name only for males here in Denmark, so that's how I'm always going to see it here.
However if I were outside my country, it would be a toss up for how I'd see it then.
If it were implied to be a full name based on context, then male. I don't think I've ever encountered a woman named just Jan, and Jan on a male isn't terribly uncommon around here. I also like it on a guy, so my brain would instantly go to that.
I think it's a nice strong name, but it's gentle at the same time. It's my friend's dad's name, so it also makes me think of him.
I think it's a nice strong name, but it's gentle at the same time. It's my friend's dad's name, so it also makes me think of him.
I've met more females Jans, but oddly enough I assume it is a male when I see it written.
Female, as a NN for Janet or Janice.
It's sporty, but not one of my favorites. I like Janet and Janice, though.
It's sporty, but not one of my favorites. I like Janet and Janice, though.
Jan is used as a male name here and I would find it really confusing and strange to meet a female Jan. My grandpa was named Jan and my brother's MN (one of them..)
Male, but it bores me to death. It's really common here in Germany and I actually know more guys named Jan than with any other name. I've also seen Jann and endlessly annoying combos like Jan-Hendrik and Jan-Christoph. BORING. For a girl I find it homely.
Either
If it's somewhere I'd expect to see a formal name, like the arrest blotter or a class roster, I like to assume it's a male. In more casual contexts I just can't say. I think Jan is a terribly handsome name for a boy and pretty meh for a girl.
I used to work with a man called Janis. Customers who called for Janis did not generally interpret his name correctly.
If it's somewhere I'd expect to see a formal name, like the arrest blotter or a class roster, I like to assume it's a male. In more casual contexts I just can't say. I think Jan is a terribly handsome name for a boy and pretty meh for a girl.
I used to work with a man called Janis. Customers who called for Janis did not generally interpret his name correctly.
I think of Jan as a female name, but that's probably because all of the Jans I know are female and I live in the US.
I've met men named Jan (pronounced "YAHN") and women named Jan ("JAN"), so I don't really have a strong tendency to assume that the person is either male or female. It depends on what the name is paired with. If it's paired with a Scandinavian or German surname, I wonder if the person is male, but if the last name is something like Miller or Smith, I'm more inclined to think that the person is probably female.
I don't really care for it either way to be honest. I think it would be refreshing to meet a little girl named Jan, but I don't have a very good association with the name, so I wouldn't use it myself. Jan ("YAHN") reminds me of the word "yawn", so I wouldn't want to use it for a boy either.
I don't really care for it either way to be honest. I think it would be refreshing to meet a little girl named Jan, but I don't have a very good association with the name, so I wouldn't use it myself. Jan ("YAHN") reminds me of the word "yawn", so I wouldn't want to use it for a boy either.
That's funny because I actually really LOVE the name Yan. Oh well. :)