> According to this, only the "i=female" part of my theory works, the "y=male" part does not. Thanks for the information.

That's generally accurate. I can't think of a single male, real or fictitious, that has a name ending in 'i.' Similarly with 'ie' (Ginnie, Susie), though a few guys use it (Jackie Chan, for example.)

Generally American names ending in both 'i' and 'ie' are spelling variations of names ending in 'y.' So someone might decide they wanted to be Kelli or Kellie instead of Kelly. For Americans, this tends to give the name a cuter, bouncier image, which is probably why boys or the parents of boys prefer to stick with 'y.'

Then there's 'ey' (Kelley, Kimberley), which can be either a spelling variation or the original (as in Shirley or Wesley). This one doesn't really have a gender bias... I don't think most parents of boys would add the 'e' in if it wasn't originally there (like Terrey), but it doesn't really make the name look more feminine or more masculine. And, in fact, a boy named Leslie is much more likely to spell it Lesley.

Lire"would be an onomastician if it paid better"lyn