James - a female forename ? COMPLETED

[RJ_Paton]

Recently while checking some census transcriptions on  a cousins lineage I found the family in the 1901 census and one of their children  has piqued my curiosity...

This child's forename is JAMES - listed in the transcription as daughter gender as female. I must admit that I believed that the transcriber had mucked up but upon downloading the original from Sotlands People I saw that the transcriber had transferred exactly what was on the record.
I still believed a mistake had been made somewhere until this morning. Checking some old Parish Records I found another entry (from 1841) listing the burial of another child with the forename James also listed as daughter.

Although I have come across some pretty unusual names and "creative" uses of surnames as forenames this is the first time I have come across the use of what appears to be a male name for a daughter without any adaption e.g Georgina for George, Roberta for Robert etc. - can anyone throw any light on this ?

[scotmum]

Apparently http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/James, albeit unless the parents had 'foreign' influence, in Scotland I would have thought they would have used Jamesina.

[scotmum]

Did you find a birth record for the 1901 census child?

[Ruskie]

Anything is possible, but it is likely to have been an error (or errors).

Have you found "James" in the 1891 and 1911 censuses? It is so easy to tick the female rather than male child box on any census.

Have you tried looking for the births of female "James"?

[terianne]

also Jamie is a girls & boys name and Jamima is also a female for James

but it has been known for male names to be given if they really wanted a boy and have all girls to keep the grandparents happy - or names are made female like andrewina, thomasina, davina, and the like

Also some name have been used both as male/female like julian, christian, nicholas

[Ruskie]

I've had a quick look on SP for births of females with forename James - there are a few, and many with James as a middle name. The usual variation as Scotmum said is Jamesina.

[buckhyne]

I have a Stuart McDonald marrying a William Lawrie in 1919, Kincardine, Perthshire
Willie died in 1926 and the informant was Stuart Lawrie, widow.

[philipsearching]

Could it be a transcription error for Jannes (Jane, Janis or Janice)?

Philip

[Rosinish]

Assuming she died in Scotland, you could try searching her death with her maiden name & mother's maiden name?

Annie