A Guy Named Brook

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Girls Whose Parents Can't Spell :-)

I spent my grade school years explaining to people that Brook is the boys name and Brooke is the girls name.  Yet I am encountering more and more girls whose parents have chosen to use the "masculine" spelling.  Although, I do agree that the e at the end does seem superfluous, if it were not to differentiate.

There does seem to be precedent in naming children to having the same name for boys and girls, but just altering the last letter.

Below is a list of girls whose parents have spelled their name "wrong".
  • Brook Wilson - Girl I went to high school with. She was a Freshman when I was a Senior. She was a volleyball player.
  • Brook Mahealani Lee - Miss Universe 1997
  • Brook Roberts - Girl who lost the Amazing Race in season 17.  Her teammate Claire took a watermelon to the face.
  • Brook Roberts - Sister of a 3 year old little boy, Petr M. Klembara, who was killed by being kicked by a horse in December 2010.

2 Comments:

  • Interestingly... in the last two male Brooke's were elected. J. Brooke Hern is the new mayor of New Providence NJ and Brooke Matthews is now on the St. Mary's County MD School Board.

    By Blogger CitizenDuke, At January 19, 2011 at 7:41 PM  

  • I feel your pain. I am a male Brook. I blame Brooke Shields mom for my tortured childhood. She had to go and name her daughter a boys name. That Blue Lagoon movie came out in theaters 15 days after I was born in June. Her breakout role. There were subsequently 5 Brooke girls in my grade in elementary school. I was teased hourly K-12. We moved when I was in 6th grade and going to a different middle school I attempted to change over to my middle name to avoid the harassment. Worked out fine for a couple of weeks until I ran into someone I had previously known. Then I got teased bi-hourly once they knew my name bothered me. Only other guy named Brook I have ever met in person was flamboyantly gay, which was swell, let me tell you. Besides that, the next closest was a Brooks, and in PC terms I would describe him as mentally challenged. If someone asks for my name at a restaurant or to hold an order I only give out my last name, its just less awkward. There is always a pause, like they are waiting for my full name, but they never get it. I bite back on my anger daily when I get "the look" from confused people who don't under stand and assume my parents hated me, or I had a sex change operation, or they ask again pretending they didn't hear me right the first time. No one should have to go through life having to explain their name to people on a daily basis. If I thought I could get away with changing it now, I would in an instant. But once you settle down and start a family it would be kind of difficult. I like your blog and will definitely be back. I guess it is comforting to know I don't suffer alone. - Brook

    By Blogger badcomp, At June 29, 2011 at 2:57 AM  

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