# first names Itzik and Sharon - male or famale?



## rusita preciosa

I'm not sure this question belongs here: it is about two Hebrew(?) names. I am corresponding with colleaguies from Israel whom I have not met personally and I would like to know if these first names are typically male or female: 
*Sharon* - I referred to that person as "Mrs / she" (as in Sharon Stone), but now I have doubts
*Itzik *- I have not made any faux pas yet 

Also, is there any general suggestions for how to distinguish f/m first names?


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## arielipi

sharon can be both f/m. mostly f.
itzik is definitely m unless her parents are wacked.

in modern hebrew names, i cant think of any particular agenda for f/m names.


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## arbelyoni

Sharon is originally a masculine name, but today it's used for both genders.
Itzik is masculine name; it's a common nickname for Yitzhak (Isaac).

Two guidlines:
1) Most names that end with "a" sound (ה) are feminine. A few exceptions: אביה, נריה, יונה that are unisex.
2) Most names that end with "it" (ית) and "at" (ת) are feminine.

These are several of the common feminine suffixes; masculine forms are usually unmarked.


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## arielipi

@arbelyoni, this apply to the more-biblical names, although even there its not that simple.

Originally all names that end with -el are masculine.


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## rusita preciosa

Thank you everybody!


arbelyoni said:


> A few exceptions: אביה, נריה, יונה that are unisex.


Could you please spell them in Latinic for me? I can't read Hebrew.


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## tFighterPilot

Names that end with "it" are always feminine, I can't think of a single Hebrew name that ends with "it" and aren't feminine. As far as names that ends with "a", I even know a guy called Noga (he's a professor at TAU). Most modern Hebrew names are unisex, at least to some degree, and even a few biblical names became unisex in modern Hebrew (Daniel mostly). When ever I want to know someone's gender I look at the person, there's often no way to tell by the name.


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## arbelyoni

> this apply to the more-biblical names, although even there its not that simple.


I didn't say it's that simple, but as a general rule (a guideline!) it works. And it does not apply to biblical names only: Sharona, Daniela, Alona, Orna, Yardena, Shira, Hila, Dana, Talya, Maya, Alma, Galya, Aya, Ela, Dafna and the list goes on and on...


> Could you please spell them in Latinic for me? I can't read Hebrew.


אביה: avi*ya*
נריה: neri*ya*
יונה: yo*na
*Bold letters indicate the stressed syllable.


> I can't think of a single Hebrew name that ends with "it" and aren't feminine.


Amit


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## origumi

arielipi said:


> Originally all names that end with -el are masculine.


Not exactly. See Genesis 36:39.


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## arielipi

good one, though this is an exception i believe, also bat-el,anael and all those.
amit wasnt originally a name, it was a word for co-worker,friend, a known person.
names that end with 'e' sound[ ariye for instance] are mostly masculine[ couldnt find names for females that end with 'e']
also names that *start *with the sound [X]i/o and end with [Y]a are mostly females.

correct me if im wrong please.


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## arbelyoni

> amit wasnt originally a name, it was a word for co-worker,friend, a known person


All names originate from existing words.


> also names that *start *with the sound [X]i/o and end with [Y]a are mostly females.


I didn't get it. Can you support this with examples?


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## arielipi

michal,liat,yifat,dina,rina,shira,bina...
noa,noga,zohar,moran,...


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## arbelyoni

> michal,liat,yifat,dina,rina,shira,bina...
> noa,noga,zohar,moran,...


I think you put too many things in one basket. These names don't follow one paradigm (they don't have the same משקל) and I can think of many masculine names that also fit in.


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## arielipi

I believe most of them are originally females names
But go ahead, bring examples.


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## arbelyoni

> I believe most of them are originally females names
> But go ahead, bring examples.


Yigal, Yiftah, Yitzhak, Yitzhar, Gilad, Pinhas, Ilan...
Yoav, Yotam, Yoram, Boaz, Lotan, Noam, Ohad, Golan...

I'm not sure about Zohar and Moran but I think they're originally masculine.


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## Yaella

tFighterPilot said:


> Names that end with "it" are always feminine, I can't think of a single Hebrew name that ends with "it" and aren't feminine.


What about Amit? I have met a number of boys with that name and no girls. OOOps, just noted a post where that name is mentioned, sorry.
@Areilipi: Yaël is most of the time a girl name. I know a baby girl Shirel.


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## anipo

Yaella said:


> Yaël is most of the time a girl name. I know a baby girl Shirel.



But Yael is written with a'yin:  יעל , while the other names ending in "el", are written with aleph: שיראל, מיכאל, גבריאל, ישראל etc.


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## Yaella

anipo said:


> But Yael is written with a'yin:  יעל , while the other names ending in "el", are written with aleph: שיראל, מיכאל, גבריאל, ישראל etc.


I know the difference of spelling in hebrew. My understanding was that Rusita Preciosa corresponds with people in latin letters, not in hebrew ones, so wouldn't see if 'ayin or aleph are used.
And I assume that my friend's grand daughter's name would be spelled שׁיראל but I did not see it writing.


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## arielipi

theres a difference arbel, at yours its
[X]i[Y][Z]a[W] - yith-khak, yif-takh.
ive given [X]i[Y]a[Z]

about the a ending... most of them end with throat sound - alef or aying, those that dont are the softer sounds while you gave the harder sounds.
noa - noam - open close.


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## anipo

Yaella said:


> I know the difference of spelling in hebrew.



I had no doubt about it, Yaella (יעלה), but I had to point out the difference so people who are learning Hebrew would know.
By the way, Amit, as lots of other names in Hebrew, is now used for both girls and boys. But as far as I know there are no boys called Yael (at least not yet...).


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## tFighterPilot

Yaella said:


> What about Amit? I have met a number of boys with that name and no girls. OOOps, just noted a post where that name is mentioned, sorry.
> @Areilipi: Yaël is most of the time a girl name. I know a baby girl Shirel.


Yeah, you're right. What I said is only true when that name isn't a word, or is the feminine from of a word. Of course Amit isn't the feminine form of Am.


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## arbelyoni

> theres a difference arbel, at yours its
> [X]i[Y][Z]a[W] - yith-khak, yif-takh.
> ive given [X]i[Y]a[Z]
> 
> about the a ending... most of them end with throat sound - alef or aying, those that dont are the softer sounds while you gave the harder sounds.
> noa - noam - open close.


I don't see how it's relevant to femininity/masculinity.
I think that the best and most simple rule of thumb for people who are not familiar with Hebrew names, is to look for feminine endings. Masculine names aren't marked, feminine names are; many boys' names become more and more popular for girls too (especially modern names), but it's not as common the other way around. Therefore it is pretty safe to say that feminine names that end with feminine suffixes (-a, -it, -at) are exclusively feminine.

It's not gospel, of course: some names in this broad category aren't feminine at all (e.g - the Tav in Amit isn't a suffix, it is part of the root letters), but usually it works.


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## arielipi

there are also letters that tend to go for each sex in the earlier names.
also tendancy of sounds at end and start of the name...


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