Society + Culture

The 100 Most Lesbianish First Names, Ranked By Lesbianism

By

The feature image for this post is a word cloud made of the first names of everybody who’s ever signed up for A-Camp, a bi-annual week-long camp/conference hybrid event hosted by our website, Autostraddle.com.

This is a list of the most common names in the USA that the editors of Autostraddle have noted for their strong correlations with homosexual activity. If your name is on this list, you’re probably queer or gay or bisexual or whatever. If your name is not on this list, you might still be queer or gay or bisexual or whatever. My name isn’t on this list, and I like girls, so clearly there is no favoritism here.

100. Molly

YOU'RE GAY

YOU’RE GAY

99. Jane

Jane Doe? More like Jane HOMO!

98. Ryann

Girls have two breasts, and Ryann has two “n”s. Coincidence? NOTHING IS.

97. Lainy

See also: “Lane,” which is the path that leads you from heterosexuality to homosexuality.

96. Nikki

Maybe it’s short for Nicole, maybe it’s long for “Nick.” Either way, you’re gay.

95. Going By Your Last Name As Your First Name

Generally speaking.

94. Kimmy

“This might just be in the south, but Kimmy and its variations (kim/kimberly) are like power lesbians on casual fridays”

– Erin Sullivan, Staff Writer

93. Soph / Sophie

This story is gay, just like these stories

This story is gay, just like these stories

92. Marsha

MARSHA MARSHA MARSHA YOU’RE A LESBIAN

91. Mere / Mer

“Meredith” is a lot of syllables.

90. Taylor

89. Grace

Way back in the late ’00s, Grace Chu started an entire website called “Grace the Spot” and everybody who wrote for it was psuedonymed Grace. Furthermore, I had an Intern named “Intern Grace.” She lives in Ohio.

88. Maddie / Maddy

“I have three friends named Maddie/Maddi/Maddy who are all gay and I almost picked that name for myself.”
– Mey Rude, Trans Editor

87. Courtney

Alaina, Staff Writer: [A-Camper] Courtney Kist is chilling in Portland and is a budding sex educator and like, what is gayer than that?
Riese: Also she has an undercut
Alaina: Also she’s gay
Laura, Staff Writer: I used to make Courtney and Barbie kiss all the time as a kid. I assume everyone did.

86. Gloria

Hahahaha I'm gay

Hahahaha that girl just said I was gay and she’s right!

85. Carly

carly & mary (photo by marni)

I have the gum that everybody wants

84. Gill / Jill / Jillian

I know a butch lesbian named Jill from Pond Creek, Oklahoma. If you can find a lesbian named Jill in Pond Creek, Oklahoma, you can find a lesbian named Jill anywhere.

screenshot-2016-10-26-14-54-42

See?

83. Karen

wg6

82. Zoe

According to Queen Trans Mey Rude, Zoe is the #1 most popular name for white lesbian trans women.

81. Stef / Steph

This name is especially popular amongst bisexual women. Just a tip. If you haven’t kissed at LEAST two Stefs/Stephs in your life and you’re not single, I recommend non-monogamy until you get that taken care of.

80. Ari

Ari Fitz

Ari Fitz was like “name your lesbian daughters ‘Ari Fitz'” and the world was like “seriously whatever you say thank you for talking to me”

79. Brandy / Brandi

“the first gay girl i ever knew was named brandy and she was my best kindergarten friend”
– Laneia, Autostraddle Executive Editor

78. Dee

One “Dee” is gay, two “Dees” (aka “DeeDee”) are not.

77. Kacey / Casey / K.C.

If your last name starts with a “C” and you have a baby, the best way to make sure that baby is gay is to make sure their first name starts with “K.”

76. Rachel

The reason “Rachel” isn’t higher on this list is ’cause there are so many Rachels out there that inevitably, there are a lot of STRAIGHT Rachels out there. When I think about the name “Rachel” as a concept I mostly think about a male friend of mine in college, who was Jewish and only dated Jewish girls because you should always have your eye out for your future wife because your mother loves you and wants grandchildren. (I have never dated a Jewish girl, sorry Mom.) He would joke that he got a degree in “Rachelology” because he had dated SO MANY RACHELS. I just checked Facebook and it looks like he married somebody who was not named Rachel. Maybe all the Rachels turned out to be gay?

75. Ash / Ashley

Stef, Vapid Fluff Editor: ashley is gay but also probably kind of a bitch (sorry ashley)
i don’t think ashley who works here is a bitch
just the ashleys i haven’t met, who are bitches
Riese: ash is like a good nickname for an ashley in a YA novel about a young masculine of center lesbian who could’ve be played by Ellen Page in the film adaptation if they’d done it ten years ago
Stef: ashleigh was the name of a girl in a YA series about horses that i loved as a kid
Ashley, Staff Writer: I hate most Ashleys and I don’t know a lot of gay ashleys
Stef: nobody believed in the runty sickly foal but ashleigh did and then she won all the kentucky derbies forever.
in retrospect this was very gay

74. Jodie Foster

28 May 1990 (Image by © E.J. Camp/Corbis)

73. Shannon

Stef: before shannon watters there was nothing, only darkness
and now there is only the soft glow of shannon
Carolyn, NSFW Editor (shannon watters’s wife): same
Stef: carolyn please tell me you get a slack alert for shannon’s name
Carolyn: um yes sure do
Stef: i feel like i thought shannon was a pretty straight name but then shannon happened to me
Carolyn: yhat’s what happened to her too
Riese: when i hear shannon, i think “soccer”
i think “girl in a fleece jacket who plays soccer”
Stef: i see shannon smiling jauntily and saying ‘oh hey’ and probably wearing a blazer
Mey: i think “girl with cute short hair”

72. Phyllis

“Jane makes almost twice as much money as Phyllis, they jointly own property and vehicles, and they have assigned each other as beneficiaries on wills and power of attorney forms.” – Counseling Lesbian Partners, by Joretta L. Marshall

71. Shane

If you’re straight and your name is “Shane,” you should change your name.

70. Vicki / Vikki

maxresdefault-4

YOU BET

69. Becky / Becca

“Every Becky I’ve ever known has been gay. Everyone knows a gay Becky.”
– Cameron, Cartoonist

68. Carmen

Carmen De La Pica Morales. Has a more beautiful name of a fictional character, besides “Cookie,” ever sounded so sweet? Nope.

67. Idgie

I'm so gay I had to make up a new name and give it to myself to reflect precisely how gay I am

I’m so gay I had to make up a new name and give it to myself to reflect precisely how gay I am

66. Marissa

“Marissa Paternoster. End of story. Queen of the Marissas.”
– Stef Schwartz, Vapid Fluff Editor

65. Gladys

Check out this picture of me being gay!

Check out this picture of me being gay!

64. Cameron

  • Cameron, The Miseducation Of
  • Cameron, The Esposito Of
  • Cameron, The Glavin Of

63. Liz

Lizz Rubin: Happy To Be Alive

Honestly just searched for “Liz” in our media library to find a picture of our former Fashion/Style Editor Liz Rubin and this was the first picture of Liz Rubin that came up

64. Poussey

Like, objectively.

63. Lisa

“Lisa is the Jackie Warner of southern women.”
– Erin Sullivan, Staff Writer

62. Emily

“I dated two Emilys with the same first and last name.”
-Stef Schwartz, Vapid Fluff Editor

61. Kayla / Kaylah

First name Kaylah Last Name Cupcake Middle Name Queer

First name Kaylah Last Name Cupcake Middle Name NOT STRAIGHT

60. Julia / Julie

A lesbian love story

A lesbian love story

Once I had an erotic third named Julia who had an ex named Julie.

59. Marisol

“Marisols are like, cool Mexican girls who wear high wasted shorts and flirt with you at the corner store.”
-Mey Rude, Queen Trans

58. Dusty

Remember that time in The L Word when Helena Peabody went to prison and ended up hooking up with a woman named Dusty? She was played by Ilene Chaiken’s personal trainer, Lucia Rijker, who is known as “the most dangerous woman in the world.”

57. Jordan

Let Her Know That She's Gay

Let Her Know That She’s a Homo

56. AJ

This one’s for all the Ashleys and Ariels and Amelias out there who just cannot handle being Ashleys and Ariels and Amelias.

55. Mel

It started with Mel B and now there are Mels EVERYWHERE.

54. Patti / Patty / Peppermint Patty

“I’ve had like 12 writing instructors, all named Patty/Patti, all of them lesbians.”
– Kayla Upadhyaya, Staff Writer

53. Diane / Diana

“Kathy and Diane started couples’ therapy to improve their sexual relationship. At the beginning of their three-year-old relationship they were sexually active with each other, but they had been having sex infrequently when they came into therapy.” – Lesbian Psychologies: Expectations and Challenges, by the Boston Lesbian Psychologies Collective.

52. Brittany / Britney / Brittney

THOSE ARE GAY EYEBALLS AND I KNOW IT

THOSE ARE GAY EYEBALLS AND I KNOW IT

51. Brittani

screenshot-2016-10-13-20-48-28

50. Amanda

Stef: i know two amandas who are married
Riese: to each other?
Stef: yes
and one took the other one’s last name
they’re queer porn stars

49. Chris / Cris

t148152764-i68615176_s400

this is lesbian slang for “yeast infection”

48. Kelsey

“you’re practically turning your daughter gay if you name her kelsey. you did that to her.”
-Laneia, Executive Editor

47. Brianna / Brianne / Bri / Bre

We have so many Briannas at A-Camp I can hardly keep them straight, BECAUSE THEY’RE ALL GAY.

46. Lauren

“have we talked about how gay all laurens are? there are at least five gay laurens in austin. I don’t know if that says something about laurens or austin.”
– Intern Raquel

45. Alaina / Alanna / Alainna / Alana

AHAH

HELLO ALAINA

44. Morgan

Once upon a time I wrote a screenplay with my friend Carly, who as you can tell by her name; is gay. The lead character of our screenplay was named “Morgan.” I always wished that my name was Morgan, but it isn’t, so. That’s why I picked it.

43. Kristin / Kristen

Last year “Kristen” came in at 76, but this year it jumped many spaces because Kristen Stewart is out and about with her girlfriend St. Vincent. (There was no list last year)

42. Erin

erin dressing for the patriarchy

– Erin Sullivan, Staff Writer

41. Sarah

This would’ve ranked higher but it seems like there might be a lot of lesbians and bisexuals named Sarah because there are a lot of PEOPLE named Sarah. I didn’t want to have to fight with a commenter about this.

But! I will say that we have had so many Sarahs work here that at one time they were all assigned numerals for easy identification. For example we have published works by Sarah Palmer, Sarah Croce, Sarah Hansen, Sarah Hall, Sarah Fonseca, Sarah Sarwar, Sara Wiseman, Sara David, Sara Century, Sarah Rosenblatt and Sarah Szabo! I COULD GO ON.

40. Amy

“speaking of first girls, amy is gay
amy is almost always gay
aimee, less gay but still probably gay”
– Stef Schwartz, Vapid Fluff Editor

39. Anna

anna_nicole_smith_001

38. Nat

Autostraddle-autoNatic-978x1024

37. Cheryl

If you’re a social worker and your name is Cheryl, you’re probably gay.

36. Sarah Waters

I know of two lady-loving-ladies named Sarah Waters. How many do you know? DM me.

35. Abby

They named a bar after all the lesbian Abbys

They named a bar after all the lesbian Abbys

34. Jess

“Lesbian Jess has been made a synonym of Lesbian Jessica. Works and bookmarks tagged with Lesbian Jess will show up in Lesbian Jessica’s filter.” – Archive of Our Own

33. Alice

What does bisexual author Alice Walker have in common with bisexual TV character Alice Piesecki? Their first name. It’s “Alice.”

32. Jo

Winona

Oh I’m doing “Pony” at the drag king show tonight and you are NOT gonna stop me

31. Del

tumblr_mmi5jrog2i1qh5hmso1_1280

Phyllis + Del = Lesbians

30. Kai

“i’ve almost dated 8 kais
all the kais were slightly masculine of center, wore glasses, had dreadlocks.
also, i have a type
lmao”
-Alaina Monts, Staff Writer

29. Jamie / Jayme

Jamie and Jessie are not together, but they’re still gay.

28. Christie / Chrissie

What do you get when you take a Christina and you teach her how to scissor? You get a CHRISSIE!!!!

27. Carol

CAROL-1

Well toodle-doodle-do

26. Cara / Kara

Stef: oh circling back to jill, another jill i know tried to make out with me AT her wedding to a man. jill, you’re gay.
Alaina: There was a Jill in my a cappella group who’s only goal was to date someone in the a cappella group…she did it. Now they’re married
Stef: Kara was the girl i DID make out with at jill’s wedding, i made jill’s new husband take her home
Alaina: STEF THE JILL I KNOW MARRIED A KERA!
Stef: wow

24. Gabrielle / Gabriella / Gabby / Gaby

This name is so queer that FIVE lesbian, bisexual and/or queer women by that name have written for Autostraddle.com! Can you even?2016-07-261

23. Danielle with one “n”

GAY

22. Dannielle with two “n”s.

GAYER

21. Dani

GAYEST.

20. Robin

A young Robin Roberts is stoked to be queer

A young Robin Roberts is stoked to be queer

19. Kelly

Kelly has the van, Kelly will drive to the show, everybody it’s cool, don’t worry, Kelly has got this on lock. Kelly brought Gatorade for halftime, okay? She’s ready.

18. Tiana

tumblr_np1gvhyuvh1uwoowfo1_1280

17. Sue / Susan / Suzanne / Suze

She who Suzes
Never loses.

  • Lesbian Proverb

16. Meghan / Megan / Meagan

I'M GAYYYYY!!!!!!!

I’M GAYYYYY!!!!!!!

15. Dana

As we mourn the loss of Dana Fairbanks, we remember all the Danas who are still with us.

14. Tara

There were so many queer Taras in my life in the late ’00s that we had to start developing code names for ease of conversation. This was unfortunate for my first Tara, who was given the nickname “DevilKitty” ’cause when you pick “DevilKitty” for your myspace handle in 2005, nobody should ever let you forget it. It was fortunate for Tara #3, who was somebody’s wife, I believe. They’ve since divorced.

13. Heather

Our Senior Editor Heather Hogan could’ve nominated herself for this position, but she didn’t have to because I already had “Heather” on the list.

12. Kate / Cait / Katie / Cat

“There were four Katies in my first A-camp cabin.”
– Laura Mandanas, Staff Writer

Is it short for Kaitlyn? Is it short for Katherine? Kathleen? Catharine? Caitlyn? You don’t need to know the answers to these questions, you just need to be her friend, even if she changes her name to “Kade.”

11. Alexis

Who here is gay?

Gay, party of one?

10. Al

This is short for the #1 most  popular lesbian name “Alex” which is short for “Alexandra,” or else it is short for the #9 most popular lesbian name “Allison” or else it is short for the aforementioned “Alexis.”

9. Allison / Allyson

See “8”

8. Ali / Alley

When people ask me what kind of folks attend A-Camp, I usually say “people named Allison or Allyson, who often go by “Ali” or “Al.” I’m not lying. That’s who goes to A-Camp. The “A” is for Allison.

7. Nancy

If you were a lesbian feminist in the ’70s or ’80s, you probably went to a women’s music festival with somebody named Nancy.

6. Barb / Barbara

“One day, Lore looked Barb in the eye and said, ‘You are a lesbian.”
-Michael S. Kimmel, The Sexual Self: The Construction of Sexual Scripts

5. Jen / Jenn

Remember Jenn? From Field Hockey? She’s gay now.

4. Deb

“Every Deborah I’ve met over 45 has worn well pressed jeans and button ups tucked into them, but still gets their nails done. She’s a very specific kind of woman.”
-Alaina Monts, Staff Writer

3. Ellen

Ellen DeGeneres, the world’s most famous lesbian, is named “Ellen,” which inspired the website named AfterEllen. Ellen Page is also named “Ellen” and she is the namesake for our website right here, AfterEllenPage.com.

2. Sam

If you give birth to a lesbian, you might want to save yourself the ink and not bother naming her “Samantha” because she’s gonna drop that “antha” like a hot potato / her middle school boyfriend, who was also named Sam. Isn’t that cute? They were both named Sam!

1. Alex

Whether you’re gay, kinda gay, or just know gay people — you know a gay person named Alex. See also: Top 5 Queer TV Characters Named Alex.

Okay, time to yell at us about how wrong our list is! What names are egregiously missing? WHO HAVE WE WRONGED TODAY. Remember to use all-caps, lots of punctuation, and language that expresses vitriolic incredulity if you want us to take you seriously. Threats to our livelihoods and well-being are encouraged.

[ETA: I’d like to pre-emptively apologize to all ye Hannahs and Lauras out there. You were in an earlier draft but something happened between then and now, and I lost you. I’ll make it up to you next year.]

Related:

Riese is the 37-year-old CEO, CFO and Editor-in-Chief of Autostraddle.com as well as an award-winning writer, blogger, fictionist, copywriter, video-maker, low-key Jewish power lesbian and aspiring cyber-performance artist who grew up in Michigan, lost her mind in New York and then headed West. Her work has appeared in nine books including "The Bigger the Better The Tighter The Sweater: 21 Funny Women on Beauty, Body Image & Other Hazards Of Being Female," magazines including Marie Claire and Curve, and all over the web including Nylon, Queerty, Nerve, Bitch, Emily Books and Jezebel. She had a very popular personal blog once upon a time, and then she recapped The L Word, and then she had the idea to make this place, and now here we all are! In 2016, she was nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Digital Journalism. Follow her on twitter and instagram.

Riese has written 2741 articles for us.

222 Comments

  3. This is worse than those damn key chains of names, or those damn coke bottles. I can’t find my name on those things and I can’t find my name here either. I don’t know about you guys, but Angelica is a gay name. I know 2 bisexual Angelicas and 3 extremely gay Angelicas. I have a really gay name. We are so gay. Angelica is also a plant. Plants are pretty damn gay……..

    I just need a gay name hug.

  7. I will take #41, but you are definitely right on the fact that with so many Sarahs in the world, there just has to be a significant queer contingent. So many Sarahs that I really love pulling a #95. My last name is much cooler.

  11. Hmmm the list has Diane, but not Diana… other names with variations they were careful to include Julie/Julia, must be a reason Diana isn’t on the list.

    So obviously, I guess I’m not gay, my girlfriend is going to be heartbroken but I didn’t make the rules.

    Guess I have to be straight, all because of some list, still not ready for a boyfriend, that’ll come in time right? I’m just in denial.

    Till then I’ll get a lot of cats, nothing gay about that right?

    • this was an error that happened b/c i had them separately on the list and then forgot to merge them when i began merging names in order to fit more names onto the list. thank you for alerting me to this issue, i promise you that you are still gay.

  13. I know a lot of LBTQ Lauras, also a bunch of Tannys/Tannis/Tanis.
    #1 is spot on though, and the Sarah/Sara one killed me because I think every single Sara/Sarah I know is queer, and I know a lot of them!

  20. Erin is right about Kims. I also live in the south and one of the first out lesbians I ever hung out with occasionally was a Kim. “Power lesbian on casual friday” also describes her perfectly. And she used to brag about stealing dudes’ girlfriends. Good ol’ Kim.

  25. I’d have to disagree with Mey on Zoe; in my experience, at least 75% of lesbian trans women are called a variation of Alice / Alicia / Alison / Alyson / Allison / Ellison / etc.

    It always made me feel weirdly self conscious about my name.

  26. LMAO “She who Suzes, never loses.”

    If I were single, this would become my new pickup line

    In lieu of that, I will use it on my gf at my earliest entertaining opportunity

    I will report back 😀

  28. Variations of both my first name and middle name are on here. I go by Ash. Holy shit.

    Also I mixed up Stef Schwartz and Stef Schrader of Jalopnik for a second and now I have to put my aching heart back in my chest

  29. Ok so I have reduced my name down to one syllable, because lord I hate it and all it’s flounce which doesn’t match my me-ness, but here we go; I’m a Harriet. We are rare as Fuck, our names are on NOTHING, and in no shows – unless we are a spinster aunt, and I don’t mean that as a euphemism. HOWEVER – I dated a Harriet, with a gay best friend called Harriet… we used to go to the bar with our other friend, and folks would come over and be like what are your names… “I’m Harriet, she’s Harriet, that’s Harriet and she’s Leanne…” Weird times. So glad I married a Liz. I’ve also spotted a couple of other Hattie/Harry/Harriets on AS, so imho it’s pretty effin gay.

  31. I’m currently being ghosted by a Kate. I asked her out in April, she said yes, we texted for a bit and now eight months later she ignores my Whatsapp messages for months on end and I’ve not seen her since. She is the kind of hot I’m willing to be pathetic for though.

  43. Okay but seriously, WHERE ARE THE JACKIE/JACKI/JACKYs??? Am I the ONLY gay Jacki out there?? This is an OUTRAGE!

    (Ok I’m exaggerating! This article and website are both amazing and I love you! Have a great day and stay hydrated!)

  44. *arriving at a-camp
    staff member: what’s your name?
    me, overly confident: brianna
    staff member: brianna…. who?
    me: there are other brianna’s here?
    staff member: oh you have no idea.
    me: do you think i could take them?
    staff member: well that’s a weird question.
    me:….
    staff member: probably not.

    • Heya name twin! You should know that I’ve represented the good name of Brianna at all eight a-camps. You could probably take me.

      Honestly it’s news to me that there’s been so many Briannas at camp. I thought there were like, three of us. Total.

      • so i have all the cabin assignment emails archived and went and searched Brianna/Briana/Brianne in all of them. not counting anyone who might’ve been left off the list/signed up after, there’s three whole different Briannas and a couple Briannes:

        april 2012: just me
        september 2012: just me
        may 2013: just me, and two Briannes
        october 2013: just me
        2014: just me
        2015: two Briannas, one Brianne
        june 2016: two Briannas
        fall 2016: two Briannas, one Brianne

        your unofficial a-camp historian,
        …brianna

  53. Gah I was really hoping to see Annalise (my name, although spelled differently) because of HTGAWM and that John Stamos show that I think was cancelled?

    After having basically no representarion in the media of my name while growing up and no one ever knowing it it’s pretty awesome that two queer characters have the name at once.

    If people recognize my name bc of the bad ass Annalise Keating I’m thrilled.

    • As I was reading through this list, the further I got the more suspense I felt until I got to our name b/c I guessed Abby/Abbie/Abi would be on here and it is! I have joked about being a bi Abi before and noticed the gay in Gail/Gayle too, so yes, very queer!

    • Okay but what about “Rachael” or “Rae/Ray/Rey” I feel like Rae is pretty gay

      …and anyone who knows me is going to recognize me lmao

      also top 100 NB names next pls

  58. No Cassidy? I feel like my name is pretty gay. It used to be a surname and then it was a boy name. Growing up it wasn’t even considered a boy & girl name. Just a dude name. Here I am. Lesbianing it up.

  59. Well shit. First the terfs on Twitter say I’m not really a lesbian and now my names not even gay enough. ? *Sigh* Well at least my wife’s name is on the list so there’s that. Lol

    (Not surprised my names not in the list, it’s not exactly a popular name)

  60. I know my name is kind of unique but I feel like it’s a super lesbian name! Autumn is like pure lesbianism. Think of how lesbians LOVE the fall! All the flannel, the fires, the forests it’s a lesbians dream and all of this encompasses why Autumn is such a lesbian name. Even though I’m the only lesbian I know named Autumn I’m positive there are a lot more of us out there :p.

    Also fuck all lesbian Alex’s… she will basically stalk your girlfriend for months pretending to be her friend then sleep with her and steal her away from you. As far as I’m concerned she’s the worst kind of lesbian (sorry if you’re actually a nice lesbian Alex lol I may still be bitter about the Alex that slept with my ex and is now dating her)

  66. I feel like if there was a list of the straightest names, that is where I would find mine, I am the only queer Savannah I have ever seen. But I have a friend who routinely calls me by my last name so I feel a little bit better. I need a gayer nickname!

  68. I’m married to an Allison that goes by Alex. Does that make her like, double gay?

    (ironically, she’s technically bi).

    (Also, not going to lie, was kind of hoping to see Tess on there, but ah well…)

  69. I am /delighted/ that the name of every non-male person in my immediate circle of people I love (my partner, my BFF, both my sisters, my /mum/) is on this list, and I’m taking it as confirmation that my suspicions/hopes about my sisters’ queerness are true.

  72. I was at a local queer-lady camping event this past spring and we were joking about how there were too many Jackies, Pams etc. to keep track of. I made a comment about how I never have that problem, and then not even half an hour later, a new couple shows up – one of whom is named Shandra. I also once met a lesbian poet named Chandra Mayor before I knew I was queer. So that’s at least three of us! Given the comparative rarity of our name I definitely feel we deserve a spot on this list. I will be forwarding a petition shortly.

  74. LOL. My wife’s name is Alex and I saw this article and asked her “where do you think you’ll end up?” We were sure it’d be in the top ten, but were pleasantly surprised to find her #1, with representation from Al repeated in the top ten!

    I’ve long said that a female TV character being named Alex gives about a 90% chance that she will go gay eventually.

  78. This is hilarious bc I almost went with Al as a (nick)name, but felt it leaned a bit too masc for my tastes (because I’m pretty cool with being read as a dude, but being Al would have solidified being read as a dude 5ever which ain’t me). But also my feeling it’s too masc for me is probably because my dad is Al and my grandfather was Al, and also it would have been Really Confusing to have that may Als around. Also, really glad I kept a variant of Alex as my middle name instead of first name because things would have been MORE CONFUSING because my brother picked Alex as his name when he came out.

    Also I have a hard time viewing Alex as the Quintessential Lesbian/Queer Lady Name because I know soooo many trans dudes and transmasculine people who are Alex/Alexander. I totally see Sam and Allie/Ali/Ally/Aly as Quintessential Lesbian/Queer Lady Names though.

  81. I saw my name in the lead-in image so I barged in here looking for it, BUT ALAS. I’ll console myself by mentioning that I tried really hard to go by AJ when I was 8, but no one got on that boat with me.

  86. Leigh/Lee is an uncommon name, and I’m sure that’s why it slipped under the radar. But you should know that a solid 100% of the female Leighs I have encountered in my lifetime have been queer. Do you know a straight Leigh? I don’t think so

  90. This makes me so happy haha. Also every time I see name things I get a little sad to never be included in lists because my name “Samaya” is too obscure for that, but I go by Sam a lot as well so it being #2 on the list made up for it!! especially since it said Sam and not specifically Samantha (which a lot of people assume is my name) so I feel a lot more included! Yeah Sam is queer af but Samaya is super queer too because like do you know any straight Samaya? Didn’t think so 😉

  93. My parents almost named me Rachel. If parallel universes are a thing, there are definitely versions of me named Rachel. And there’s probably versions of me named Rachel Clarke (which isn’t my last name, but it should have been, long story). So there’s probably some alternate me’s named Rachel Clarke who just go by Clarke, which is probably the gayest way to go about your life, right?

    What I’m trying to say is that between me not being the gayest version of myself, and the dumpster fire getting elected, this is definitely the parallel universe that story protagonists visit and go “wow this is terrible I can’t wait to get back to the real, good universe and out of this horrorscape.”

  107. I cannot believe that not only is my relatively obscure name on this list, but that my even rarer spelling is listed first!!! Thanks autostraddle for the Official Gay Name confirmation

  112. Tara? Tiara? Eh, close enough.

    Also I keep running into queer Caseys and Sophias.

    My current girlfriend has a name so rare I can’t even find anyone else in the world with the same name. She says she got it from some French book somewhere and it stuck with her, but it is a mystery.

  114. My name is Sarah. But at one point I also worked with a ton of Sarah’s, so they renamed me Alex. I feel like I need to go flirt with a bunch of girls and earn it retroactively!

  115. Yay for Kai!!! I often go by Kai, Kailey too sounds pretty gay though, no? Hate it when people pronounce “kay-lee,” I feel like screaming in their faces “it’s spelled with an i, not a y!”

  127. I also find that, while my first name is not very gay, the fact people call me by my first and a short form of my last name (Lori DK) to be very gay. Spoken outlook first name-last name is oh so very gay.

  131. My name is Anika and I wasn’t expecting to see it here, but they had Nikki which is what some people call me. I’ve never thought about Alex being a queer name until this haha

  134. I’m SHOCKED that Chloe isn’t on there.

    When I got on Tinder/okcupid/Her, i realised I’d have to divide my choices by at least 2 because I refuse to date someone with the same name as me.

    Obviously I’ve been doing it wrong?

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