Apparently sexism is n't just a social problem -- if you 're in the path of a hurricane , gender bias might actually kill you . A study suggests people prepare differently for hurricanes depending on whether the storm has a male or female name . `` Feminine-named hurricanes ( vs. masculine-named hurricanes ) cause significantly more deaths , apparently because they lead to a lower perceived risk and consequently less preparedness , '' a team of researchers wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . In other words , a hurricane named `` Priscilla '' might not make people flee like a hurricane named `` Bruno '' would . The study analyzed death rates from U.S. hurricanes from 1950 to 2012 . It suggests that changing a severe hurricane 's name from Charley to Eloise could nearly triple its death toll . `` For severe storms , where taking protective action would have the greatest potential to save lives , the masculinity-femininity of a hurricane 's name predicted its death toll , '' the study said . Hurricane Katrina in 2005 , which left more than 1,800 people dead , was not included in the study because it was considered a statistical outlier . Neither was Hurricane Audrey in 1957 , which killed 416 people . The study does note that both of those very deadly hurricanes had female names . Forecasters : Fewer storms in the Atlantic this year ? Questioning the data . But not everyone buys the team 's hypothesis . Jeff Lazo of the National Centre for Atmospheric Research said the pattern is most likely a statistical fluke , according to National Geographic . He notes that all hurricanes had female names until 1979 -- meaning the study included 29 years without male hurricane names . That 's significant because hurricanes have generally gotten less deadly over time , Lazo told National Geographic . `` It could be that more people die in female-named hurricanes simply because more people died in hurricanes on average before they started getting male names , '' Lazo said . Study : Experiments back up the claim . But the researchers said they did n't just analyze death tolls from actual hurricanes , they also conducted a series of experiments to test their hypothesis . In one experiment , participants predicted the intensity of 10 hurricanes -- five with female names and five with male names . The male hurricanes were deemed more intense -- regardless of the gender of the participant . In another test , participants were asked to judge the risks of a hypothetical `` Hurricane Alexander '' and a `` Hurricane Alexandra . '' Despite being told both had uncertain intensity , respondents considered Hurricane Alexander to be riskier . A third experiment tested whether participants would be more likely to evacuate due to a `` Hurricane Christopher '' vs. a `` Hurricane Christina . '' As expected , more people would flee their homes if Hurricane Christopher came barreling toward them compared to an impending Hurricane Christina . Why name hurricanes anyway ? Giving hurricanes short , easy-to-remember names helps reduce confusion when two or more tropical storms are brewing at the same time , the National Hurricane Center said . For decades , all hurricanes were given female names in part because hurricanes were unpredictable , the study said , citing the `` Encyclopedia of Hurricanes , Typhoons and Cyclones . '' `` This practice came to an end in the late 1970s with increasing societal awareness of sexism , and an alternating male-female naming system was adopted , '' the report said . Each year 's list of hurricane names is alphabetical , alternating between male and female monikers . If you 're trying to get your name on the hurricane list , do n't bother . A U.N. World Meteorlogical Organization committee has already set up six years ' worth of names . The lists repeat after each six-year cycle . `` The only time that there is a change is if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate for obvious reasons of sensitivity , '' the National Hurricane Center said . This year 's list of names include `` Omar '' and `` Sally . '' It 's unclear how people might prepare differently if caught in the paths of those storms . Breaking down the climate report by region . Fast facts : Hurricane statistics . A look at the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season .
Female-named hurricanes cause `` significantly more deaths , '' a study finds . Researchers analyzed over six decades of death rates from U.S. hurricanes . Experiment participants considered hypothetical male storms deadlier than female storms . One critic says earlier hurricanes , which were deadlier , were only given female names .