Nature, Place and Word Names · Unisex Baby Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 37 pages
of 37
Finnish place name; Japanese
"loaded with rice"
A unisex cultural crossover that has seen a little use from the 1990s onwards. In Japanese mythology, Inari is an androgynous deity associated with rice, tea and foxes. In Finland, it is the name of…
Aramaic
"a sharp thorn, flint"
Traditional Jewish name and the implement said to have been used by Solomon to cut the huge stones for the building of the Temple.
Place name
"from Sicily"
The Italian and Sicilian name for the Island of Sicily, named for the ancient tribe, the Sicels. Sometimes used as an alternative form of Cecilia ("blind"), its connection to the place gives it a…
Greek
"idyllic place"
Acadia, the French name for Nova Scotia and the name of a gorgeous national park in Maine makes a fresh, rhythmic choice for your little girl. Acadia is an original yet accessible member of the…
Hebrew
"garden"
Carmel is a biblical place-name that is often used by Catholic parents around the world. It is given in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and is the name of a mountain ridge on the Mediterranean near…
Spelling variation of Luca; Italian place name
This spelling is more unisex than either Luca or Luka, perhaps because it is also an Italian city name. However, it fell for both genders in 2021, as the Disney movie Luca sent that spelling…
German
"borderline"
Edgy German capital with definite possibilities as a baby name.
Place-name
This name's connection to the Caribbean Cayman Islands gives it a nice resortish feel, while still feeling like an in-tune-with-style boy's name.
After Dallas, Austin, and Houston, the new cowboy on the block, complete with old-school Western nickname, Tex. Quietly used as a name since at least the late 19th-century, Texas was given to around…
Arabic, exact meaning unknown
"holy city; temple; place of great importance"
The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born in the city of Mecca, now known as the holiest city in Islam. Officially called Makkah al-Mukarramah, or Makkah, it is located in modern-day Saudi Arabia.…
Italian place-name
Verona is a scenic place-name with the added attraction of a Shakespearean connection, as in Two Gentlemen of ....
German place name
"people of the forest"
Sad tinge to the name of the beautiful German city firebombed during World War II. Its name derives from Sorbian drezga , meaning "forest".
Greek place name from Aramaic
"hot spring"
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus appears to two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus after his death, burial and resurrection.
English
"son of Matthew"
Madison was at one time a strictly boys' presidential name, reaching as high as Number 311 at the end of the nineteenth century. That all changed in 1985 when it entered the girls' list, zooming up…
Hawaiian, Polynesian mythology
The name of the second-biggest (and third-most populous) island in Hawaii was one of the fastest-rising boys' names of 2017. A major factor was surely Dwayne Johnson's character in Moana , the…
This name of one of the most romantic cities in the world could easily find its way onto an American baby girl's birth certificate.
Diminutive of Jennifer, variation of Gina, English, Arabic, "white wave; paradise"
"white wave; paradise"
Jena is a succinct name with a number of different roots, making it a versatile choice. On one hand, it might be used as a diminutive for the 70s favorite Jennifer, a name of Cornish origin that was…
Ventureño Chumash, Native American
"the surf sounds loudly"
Malibu, the name of a California beach city, evokes sunshine, surfing, and glamour. With its fashionable "oo" sound — as seen in names like Luna and Ruby — Malibu is an unexplored place name worth…
Wyoming place-name, French
"canopy of leafy boughs"
Swaggering western place-name with a lot of cowboy bravado and panache.
"powerful protector"
Richmond is a place-name — it's the capital of Virginia, US, and a town in London, UK — that makes a fresh way to honor an ancestral Richard.
