Category: Unisex Baby Names
There’s no two ways about it: unisex baby names are red hot right now!
The latest Top 100 lists for both boys and girls are peppered with unisex names, from once-unisex options now all but abandoned for one gender, like Evelyn and Madison, to names that are increasingly leaning one way or the other, like Aubrey and Avery, Riley and Cameron.
But there’s a difference between unisex baby names and gender-neutral ones.
Truly gender-neutral baby names are still, on the whole, a pretty rare phenomenon. Just take a look at our comprehensive list of the 50 most popular gender-neutral baby names in the US today: only the top two or three (Charlie, Finley, Skyler) feel anywhere near mainstream. The rest of the list is populated by under-the-radar or plain invented picks, like Campbell and Ridley, Ocean and Timber, Kylin and Eastyn.
So, today we’re asking you to nominate your gender-neutral favorites — the names you like equally well for girls and boys. (You can find the thread that inspired this question here.)
What’s your favorite name on Nameberry’s truly gender-neutral list?
Are there any unisex names that you prefer on the less popular gender?
Are there any 100% male names you’d consider for a daughter, or female names you’d love to use for a son?
What do you think of the trend for unisex names in general? What’s behind it, and where might it be leading?
Share your thoughts in the comments below, or head on over to Facebook or Twitter to join the conversation!
This week’s news includes names from this year’s biggest movies, inspiration from cities, soccer players and mythical heroes, and the perennial question: when to reveal the name?
Names from the movies: Solo and Shuri
If you’re a movie-goer, you might have already clocked some great names in cinemas this year. To refresh your memory, here’s a lovely long list of stand-out character names from recent and coming-soon films.
Some of them seem optimistic. In all the years the world has loved Star Wars, neither Han nor Solo has ever seen much use. Will another sequel really change that?
But others could be ones to watch. Carlyle (from The Greatest Showman) and Reynolds (Phantom Thread) are both underused surnames. Mera (Aquaman) and Via (Wonder) are tiny rare names that are showing signs of rising.
Many name-watchers believe that Black Panther will have an impact – but whether parents will feel inspired to use T’Challa, Shuri or a name no one expects, we won’t know until the 2018 statistics come out next year!
Irish baby names only continue to get more popular in the US, with Liam, an Irish short form of William, at Number 2 on the boys’ list, all forms of Aiden continuing to be widely-used, and surname-names Riley and Kennedy popular for girls.
Other new Irish names increasing in style and popularity include Finn and Declan on the boys’ side, Maeve and Saoirse for girls, and Finley and Quinn among the most popular unisex baby names.
But what is the next wave of Irish baby names prime to emigrate beyond their Emerald Isle? What new names can you use, whether you’re looking to honor your Irish heritage or simply love the sound of Irish names? Luckily, the supply of fresh and appealing Irish names seems never-ending.
Here, the new crop of Irish baby names to consider in 2018.
This week’s baby name news includes the latest trends in Ireland, girls with traditional male names, and the new Big Bang baby
Banned baby names: Liam and Marseille
You’ve probably heard the saying that when a dog bites a man, it’s not news, but when a man bites a dog, that’s news. This week we may have found the baby name equivalent.
When parents call their son Liam, it’s not news. Thousands of boys called Liam are born every year, all over the world. When parents call their daughter Liam, though, it’s more noteworthy. And when those parents are French and the local authorities try to reject the name, then it’s news.
Many unisex baby names are not truly unisex, meaning they’re used predominantly for one sex and only rarely for the other.
I’m thinking of names like Addison and Madison, which started as boys’ names but are now used nearly exclusively for girls, and names like James, in the Top 10 for boys but receiving a lot of attention as the middle name for a couple of high profile celebrity baby girls.
But which names are most evenly split between the sexes, so that they can truly be called genderless names? We analyzed all unisex names to find the most popular choices with at least a 40-60 split in either direction.
The Number 1 truly unisex name is, surprisingly, Charlie, which started as a boys’ nickname-name but is now used exactly evenly for girls and boys. Surname-names Finley and Skyler rank second and third, with word-names Justice and Royal rounding out the Top 5.
Here, the Top 50 truly androgynous baby names, with the gender split by percentage according to the most recent Social Security statistics.
