Names That Work for Boys and Girls

This name of a character played by Kirsten Dunst in the movie Virgin Suicides, originally a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, is gaining attention, also thanks to the heroine Lux, Lady of Luminosity in the League of Legends games. Luz is the Spanish version.
 
Influencer Brooklyn Larsen named her daughter Lux in 2026.

Jupiter's partner Juno has entered the mainstream, so it's possible that her divine mate could follow. But not necessarily for boys — Jupiter is currently mostly female in the US, thanks to its similarity to Juniper. Stars including Ed Sheeran and Ashley Tisdale recently welcomed daughters named Jupiter, which could shift the balance even more towards the girls.

The name of the supreme Roman deity and the largest planet has until recently had either too hippie or too grandiose a feel for most mortals, but with the rise of sound-alike Juniper and space names such as Orion and Mars, Jupiter may find new favor.

Short form Jupe is adorable.

More background on that deity: Jupiter was the king of the Roman gods, and god of the sky, the equivalent of Greek Zeus. His name may have originated as a title. It can be interpreted to mean "father of the sky" or "father of the gods" (dyew-peter > iou piter > iuppiter (the form of the name used in Latin) > Jupiter). With Juno and Minerva, he made the Capitoline triad, whose worship was at the very centre of Roman religion.

Jupiter

One of the sweet simple <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">unisex names</a> balanced enough to stand on its own. 
 
Ali can either be used as a shortening of Al- beginning names. For example, comedian Ali Wong is an Alexandra. 
 
Ali is also an Arabic name in its own right. It is one of the ninety-nine attributes of Allah, deemed by Muhammad to be a recommended name for a male child.

Though some forward-looking parents are now choosing wood-related names like Oak, Pine, and Ash, this generic option would be even more avant garde. 

Timber

Parents searching for a simple, peaceful name may be attracted to this one.

Zephyrus was the Greek god of the west wind, and all names associated with him have a pleasantly gentle, breezy feel. With its cool Z initial and similarity in sound to Stephie and Serafina, Zephyr has been rising up the US charts in recent years as a unisex name.
 Given to 42 girls and 188 boys in a recent year, this is an impressive rise, given that the name was rarely used before the 2000s. For every girl called Zephyr, there are at least five boys but this could even out in the future. 
 Frequently seen in computer and video games thanks to its mystical quality, Zephyr is also a character in the children's book Silverwing, and in the Babar books--as a monkey. It features in the TV series My Little Pony, the short animated film How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming, and in the manga series, One Piece.

Zephyr

Poet is a new entry in both the trendy word and occupational categories as well as a member of the growing group of <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">gender neutral names</a>. A handful of baby boys received the name in the US last year. A perfect choice, especially in the middle, for the child of writers or those with a poetic bent. And Po is an adorable nickname for either gender.

Poet

Fallon was one of the first of the unisex surname names, but thanks to "Dynasty" in the 1980s it now has a feminine image.  For a boy, try Phelan instead. 

Fallon

Revel is a joyous word name that may appeal to parents wanting a non-traditional Biblical choice or simply a name that expresses how they feel.

Revel

Paz, currently represented by actresses Paz Vega and Paz de la Huerts, would make a sparkling middle name choice. It originated as a title of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Peace, and is one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/411/baby-names-that-mean-peace">names that mean peace</a>, derived from the Latin word "pax".
 Pazia is an attractive elaboration, while Pazit (pronounced Pah-ZEET) and Pazya are Hebrew variations. Paz in Hebrew means "gold" and is a solidly unisex option.

Lexington is rising as a place name used just about evenly for the genders. For Americans, it's got a patriotic ring, given the importance of Lexington, Massachusetts in the Revolutionary War. Lexington, Kentucky, in horse country, is another famous place with the name.

Lexington

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 cousins, Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee, and the detective they created.
 Laura Dern and Ben Harper chose it for their son.

Ellery

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 <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">unisex baby names</a>. Only 14 girls were named Kiernan in the US in a recent year...and three times as many boys. If you want to move beyond Riley and Kennedy to one of the more unusual surname-based <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/804/irish-names-for-girls">Irish names for girls</a>, this may be a good choice.

Kiernan

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 or Rae.
 Other associations with bay are the bay laurel tree, prized since ancient times for its medicinal and culinary (bay leaves!) properties, and the reddish-brown color usually applied to horses. There's also the Old English connection, from beġ meaning "berry", making it a fun name for any future Baby Berry. And of course there is the contemporary term of endearment, "Bae", short for baby. 
 Bay Kennish was a character on the show Switched at Birth; and conservative political commentator Bay Buchanan was born Angela Marie.

, are stylish as ever today, in a time when avoiding heavily gendered names has become more of a priority for many parents.

Whether you are looking to avoid your child being treated differently based on their name's assumed gender, are looking to change your own name to something gender-neutral, or just think 

 are darn-right cute, this is the list for you.

fit this category, from the more popular River, Sage, and Wren to rare options like Everest, Cypress, and Storm. Other

 also fit into this category, such as Ellison, Campbell, Bowie, and Halston. 

Nickname names that work for boys or girl

Explore our list of names that work for boys and girls.

Names that work equally well for boy or girl babies, unisex, gender-neutral, nonbinary names, with meanings, origins, and popularity (Page 6)

Names That Work For Boys and Girls