I am applying for a job and the contact persons first name is Marion. I do not know if this spelling is strictly for males. I know Marian is female. I don't want to put Mr. Marion _________ if it could be for a female.
Traditionally, I believe Marion is masculine. But it's hard to tell. I have a unisex name and my parents gave me the traditionally masculine spelling even though I'm female. Things still occasionally come to me addressed Mr.
I think of it as a woman's name no matter how it is spelled. I know it can be for a man, but I would usually assume it's a woman. I agree that maybe you should leave off the Mr./Mrs.
It's got a last name listed. I can't call because it's a school and it's closed. Already been to the schools web page trying to figure it out. Not so lucky!
I think putting, "Dear Marion ______," would be ok, better than calling a man Mrs. anyway. I know I've had to do similar things in the past when I've had to address principals with gender neutral names such as Pat, Dana, etc.
If you can't call, then I'd address the letter like this:
Dear Marion Smith,
Definitely do not guess at whether it's a man or woman. If you get it wrong, Marion will be put off by your letter immediately and could even be insulted, even though it really is an innocent mistake.
Play it safe and go with Dear Marion Smith!
Even if you look something up online, it could be wrong...and that mistake would mean your resume/cover letter goes right in the trash.
I think that is the only way to go. I'm sure this person (esp. if a male) sees this confusion all the time, so you'd think they'd put the title with the name.... that it's not makes me think that it is a woman. It can be both, but I think it's more apt to be a woman.
Did you know that Marion was John Wayne's given name?