Boy Names for Girls

Unisex name around for several decades for boys and now ripe for girls.

This once-trendy name has been fading for both boys and girls. A Top 10 name from 1992 to 2000, it is now at Number 38 and falling. It was the surname of the tenth U.S. president.

A modern unisex update for Rebecca.

Though Tristan was the male figure in the romantic legend and his name has become trendy for boys, it's used now for girls, too: About 15 percent of the baby Tristans are female. And about three times as many girls are named Tristan as are named Isolde, Tristan's mythical female counterpart. There are also feminizations of Tristan, such as Tristana and Tristine, but these are much more rare than the original.

Aidan is an ancient Irish saint's name with a fire meaning that's mega popular for boys, most often spelled as Aiden. The name is occasionally used for girls, sometimes as Aidyn or Ayden, as well. Aidan was the name of a famous seventh-century Irish saint, and is related to the Irish word for fire.

Bodhi relates to the Buddhist concept of enlightenment and has been a hot baby name in recent years, most notably for boys. Sunny yet calm, Bodhi conveys a state of being free from hatred and greed and also connects to the sacred fig tree in India, under which the founder of Buddhism received enlightenment.

When you look at its etymology, Anderson might be a surprising choice for a baby girl: the son ending confers a meaning that's literally masculine, which is then reinforced by Anders ("manly, masculine") giving it the overall meaning "son of the manly, masculine one".

Not as popular for girls as Kylie or Kyla, but we prefer its simplicity.

This tailored Welsh surname is an attractive option for girls, fitting in with other single-syllable prepster girl names such as Sloane and Quinn.

A male name occasionally borrowed by the girls, as in Dorian Cramer, a long-running female character on the soap One Life to Live and famous midcentury model Dorian Leigh.

Fading boys' name making fresh start for girls, aided by -ley ending.

Sonny is one of the term of endearment names on the rise, and it feels like a fresh option for girls as an alternative spelling of bright nature name Sunny or a cute gender-bending nickname name.

Rarely given as a full name for baby girls, but occasionally used as a nickname for names such as Harriet and Henrietta.

Has the energetic-Irish-slightly-boyish image that many modern parents love.

In centuries gone past, no one would have considered this occupational surname for their daughter; tanners were associated with terrible smells and stained skin as a result of the processes used to treat hides to make leather. But now, we see increasing numbers of parents in the US choosing this for their girls. Given the popularity of other two-syllable T names like Taylor and Tyler, Tanner has some appeal for those looking for a non-frilly name for their girls. For what it is worth, we prefer the Greek name Tana, which has an infinitely more pleasant meaning.

Now a mostly-male name, in its earliest incarnation Douglas was used equally for girls and boys and could certainly make a comeback as one of the new boy names for girls".

This ancient Greek male name, well-used in Britain, also has an herbal quality that may explain its increasing use for girls. While as a name it rhymes with dazzle, the herb has a long a, making the pronunciation BAY-zel.

Mercer is one fashionable occupational name that can work as well for girls as boys, perhaps because of the soft c or the conventionally feminine nickname Mercy.

Mason is a supertrendy name for boys that's starting to cross over -- Kelsey Grammer used it for his daughter. Creative speller's delight.

Ever since singer Michelle Branch gave it to her daughter in 2005, Owen has started to be used for a small number of girls each year as well. Just 39 baby girls received the name in 2021, compared with over 8700 boys.