Gender-Neutral Baby Names

The name of one of the most powerful Marvel superheroes — and the first major black female comic book heroine — is certainly a big one to live up to! Portrayed in the live-action X-Men movies first by Halle Berry and then by Alexandra Shipp, Storm is a mutant descended from a long line of African witch-priestesses, who can bend the weather and atmosphere to her will.
 Several high-profile parents have already braved this one, like Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx, whose daughter Storm Brieann was born in 1994. And now that Kylie Jenner has a little Stormi, we're forecasting a few more Storms on the horizon...

Storm

Divine seems more proper a name with the rise of Heaven and its turned-around twin Nevaeh.  Though superlative names like Divine -- Unique, say, or Precious -- sometimes seems as if they're trying to hard and protesting too much.

Divine

A very popular unisex name in Japan, Ren is a concise and versatile choice that could work across multiple languages. A rising star in England and Wales where it ranks in the Top 1000, it is also on the rise in the US where it was give to nearly 90 girls and 200 boys in a recent year.
 
From its Japanese roots, the meaning of Ren varies depending on which kanji element is used, but possibilities include "lotus", "move forward", and "water lily". 
 Beyond its Japanese origins, it may be seen as a diminutive of any of the Renatus family, including French René or Spanish Renato, all of which mean "reborn". Alternatively, it might be used as a short form of Lawrence, Lorenzo, or Laurent, giving it the meaning "from Laurentum or bay laurel"
 
 The word name Wren, the Game of Thrones character Renly Baratheon, and the Star Wars character, Kylo Ren may be other sources for the name. 
 
Notable pop cultural associations include the cartoon series, Ren and Stimpy and the hero of both the original and updated versions of Footloose.

are similar, but not exactly the same. We think of 

 as names that are truly free of a specific gender identity, while 

 are names that are used for both sexes but may nevertheless skew more masculine or feminine.

Of course, the gender divide of names shifts constantly, with some formerly gender-neutral names veering into predominantly masculine or feminine territory, while other names become more gender-neutral. Charlie, for example, was historically a masculine nickname for Charles. Today, it's the

, used for baby girls and boys in equal numbers.

 include River, Blake, Emerson, Hayden, Finley, Amari, Phoenix, Dakota, and Sage. Cool gender-neutral names that rank outside of the Top 1000 for both sexes include Ocean, Hollis, True, and Lexington.

Gender-neutral names are used for a single sex in no less than 35 percent but no more than 65 percent of instances in a given year.

Gender-neutral baby names for children of any gender, including unisex names and nonbinary names with meanings, origin, and popularity (Page 6)