Nature, Place and Word Names · Unisex Baby Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 24 pages
of 24
Spanish
"rich, strong"
Dark, woody name that's brings to mind rich panelling, beautiful colors and luxury.
Word name
One of the more unusual of the current crop of strong, single-syllable boys' names, evoking the images of both old-fashioned blackboards and modern stepping-stones and countertops.
English animal name
Sable is often associated with the Dynsaty soap opera, but it is actually a type of animal historically hunted for its fur. Sable is also used as a word for a warm, rich black color. Both…
German and Dutch
"white or blond"
This presidential name is in style limbo today - or, some might say, in the the sweet spot of familiar but little-used.
English
"blue"
Blu is a new (nu?) spelling of an increasingly popular color name, also spelled Blue and Bleu. Blu is the spelling used for one of the Waldrop sextuplets.
"a reddish brown mineral"
More unique than Cooper, and a favorite among pet parents. Copper was the loveable bloodhound from Disney's Fox and the Hound. Keep in mind that Copper is also slang for a policeman.
Sunshine was seen as a quintessential hippie name of the 70s, reaching as high as Number 536 in 1975. Now such names are making a bit of a retro comeback, seen, for example, as a character on Glee .
Make that bird name, and while it does work for both genders, it's far more popular for girls, via Raven Symone.
Diminutive of Sandra or Alexandra, Greek
"defending men"
Nickname name in the era of Grease . Sandy fits well in the era of boyish nicknames for girls - a la Scottie and Stevie - or as an alternative to the rapidly rising Goldie. While it peaked in 1960,…
English color name, Persian
"sky blue; lapis lazuli"
Azure is a colorful choice and currently, a gender neutral option, given to around 30 girls and 30 boys each year. Chosen by Elon Musk for his daughter, it fits in with other blue-toned color names…
Azul is the Spanish word for "blue" and was first recorded as a baby name (for girls) in 1995. It's technically considered unisex today, although it is still much more common as a feminine name.
Hard and shiny, Steel projects an image that's smooth, macho...and cold to the touch.
English diminutive
Originally a unisex nickname for a redhead -- red hair is called "ginger" in Britain -- or for the name Virginia, Ginger perennially wears pink gingham and spike heels.
Hindi, Sanskrit
"sapphire blue"
A variation of Nila, a name spread through African by the substantial Indian population there. Also a variant of Neala and Neila.
English word name
" a metallic chemical element with atomic number 47"
Among the first wave of word names used in the hippie era, it actually is a legitimate girl's name with a lot of luster.
"gold colored"
Like Silver, Golden is a shimmering, metallic color name, similar enough to the likes of Arden, Eden, and Gwendolyn that it might not over dazzle. It could work as an unexpected route to the vintage…
"cherry"
With other fruity names like Clementine, Olive and Plum ripe for the picking, sweet Cherry remains remarkably underused: just 27 baby girls received the name in 2017, down from 343 at its peak in…
Irish
"red-haired warrior"
Clancy, one of the original crossover Irish surname names, is as energetic and appealing as ever — full of moxie, more distinctive than Casey, and also one of the less obvious of the red-headed…
Arabic
"red"
This name was given to Aisha by Muhammed because of her characteristically rosy cheeks. Humaira is the common Urdu spelling of this name, which can also be written as Humayra. The name ranks in the…
Extremely attractive color name chosen by some African-American families for its reference to the West African Ivory Coast; more commonly used for girls.
