The word “tomboy” is not unique to nineteenth century literature yet the label began to be attached to the strong independent literary characters of the time. The first use of the word occurred during the sixteenth century and defines a tomboy as a rude, boisterous, or a forward boy. Well into the sixteenth century, Thomas is a popular name for boys. Tom was a long-established moniker for the common man hence tomfoolery. By the late sixteenth century, the word tomboy somehow switches genders and according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is defined as "a bold or immodest woman." In the seventeenth century the word came is defined as "a girl who behaves like a spirited or boisterous boy". The word tomboy, with its basis in essentialism, girls
