Unisex Baby Names
Names That Work For Boys and Girls
Across 6 pages
of 6
Hollis
English
"near the holly bushes"
Hollis is a rugged, gentle and quietly used name, given to over 200 boys and 150 girls each year in the US. In 2023, it became one of the newest entries to the US Top 1000, where it fits in with the…
Frankie
Diminutive of Frank, Francis, or Franklin, Latin
"from France or free man"
Frankie used to be a name used for near-equal numbers of girls and boys. In 2015, it ranked Number 992 for both genders in the US. Now, though, the name is used for than twice as often for girls than…
Arden
English
"valley of the eagle; high"
Arden, the name of the magical forest in Shakespeare's As You Like It , is a stylish A name with a strong, straightforward image. Another reason to love Arden: its similarity to "ardent." Arden is…
Landry
French and English
"ruler or king of the land"
St. Landry was a seventh century bishop of Paris, founder of the city's first hospital, though in the US, it may be better connected with legendary Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry, an association…
Everest
Place-name, world's tallest mountain
"from Évreux"
Everest has an attractive enough sound and lofty enough meaning to come into style, à la Sierra. George Lucas bestowed this aspirational name on his baby daughter in 2013 and it has been climbing up…
Ellison
English
"son of Ellis"
Updates Ellis -- but also has a lot of feminine potential thanks to Allison/Ellie similarity.
Ever
English word name
"always, constantly, eternally"
Similar in sound to Evan and Everett, Ever is an evocative word name that's currently on the rise. Used by Alanis Morissette and Souleye back in 2010, Ever was given to more than 200 boys in 2024,…
Grey
Color name
The girls have Violet and Scarlet and Ruby and Rose, but for the boys there's a much more limited palette of color names. Grey/Gray is one exception, which could make for a soft and evocative—if…
Ellery
English
"descendant of Hilary"
Ellery is a rhythmic three-syllable boy's name that is familiar and yet rarely used--and just waiting to be discovered. It's long been identified with Ellery Queen--which was both the pen name of two…
Echo
Greek mythology name
"echo or sound"
Echo, the pretty, resonant name of a legendary nymph, was the heroine of Joss Whedon's sci-fi series Dollhouse . Nick Hexum, of the band 311, named his daughter Echo Love. In the Greek myth, Echo was…
Jules
French form of Julius, Latin
"youthful; soft, downy; sky father"
Though Jules hasn't been on the US popularity list in fifty years, it remains a hit in its native France where it's currently in the Top 10 — and has been in the Top 500 nearly every year since the…
Bowie
Scottish
"blond, yellow"
Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn put this name in play as a first name, but David Bowie (born with the considerably less marketable moniker of David Robert Jones) gave it charisma. He changed his…
Justice
English word name
"the quality of being just, impartial, or fair"
Justice, one of the rare virtue names for boys, entered the popularity ranks in 1992, and remained in the charts until the 2020s. While it has fallen out of favor in more recent years, it remains a…
Blue
Color name
Among the coolest of the cool color names, particularly popular with celebs as a unisex middle name. While most famous as the name of Beyonce and Jay-Z's daughter Blue Ivy, more than 60 percent of…
Kai
Hawaiian
"sea"
This appealing multi-cultural name, pronounced KYE, is beginning to be used for girls as well as boys. Among its many derivations and meanings: "sea" in Hawaiian, "forgiveness" in Japanese, "willow…
Bay
English word, Old English
"an inlet of the sea where the land curves inward; berry"
One of the most usable of the pleasant, newly adopted nature/water names (like Lake and Ocean), especially in middle position. It's gentle, slightly whimsical, but grounded by its similarity to May…
Keagan
Spelling variation of Keegan
While Keegan has been rising in popularity for a number of years, this variant spelling has dropped in the lists.
Lake
Nature name
Evocative modern unisex choice brought into the spotlight by actress Lake Bell.
Kiernan
Irish
"little dark one"
Kiernan Shipka, aka Sally Draper on Mad Men , brings this Irish surname into the girls' column. And, like Kieran and Tierney and Tiernan, it's one of the perfectly unisex baby names . Only 14 girls…
Ash
Diminutive of Asher, English
"ash tree"
Ash has Southern charm plus the arboreal-nature appeal. Plus your little boy will prize Ash as the name of the hero of the Pokemon cartoons. Ash can also be a dashing short form of Asher, Ashton, or…
