That is one theory as to the origin of the word anthropos, which does strictly mean “man.” It is unfortunate that many words for our species seem to refer only to the male. “Human,” for example, is cognate with homo, the Latin for “man.” Thus “humanity” rudely leaves out half the species. “Folk” and “people” aren’t so specific. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that “man” is actually connected to mens (mind) and manus (hand), and was in fact gender neutral until perhaps a thousand years ago.
