Boy Names for Girls
Some of the coolest baby girl names are not originally girls' names at all, but boys' names -- many of which have officially become unisex names.
We're seeing more and more formerly 100% boy names being used for girls, from nicknames like Sam and Charlie (now 50-50 by gender!), to occupational names or surnames such as Sawyer or McKinley to formerly masculine names such as Quincy and Jude that have become truly unisex.
Celebrity parents Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds broke the gender barrier in a new way when they named their daughter James. Many parents followed suit, sometimes using James as a middle name.
The trendy Arlo is one boy name that's moving to the girls' side. Australian actress Asher Keddie is proof that Asher might be a good alternative to the dated Ashley. Ezra and Noah are Biblical names that are increasingly being used for girls as well as boys. And in Israel, Daniel is a Top 100 name...for girls.
While using male names for baby girls is a practice that's increasing, it's not brand new. Timothy, Michael, and Christopher are boy names that have occasionally been used for girls for decades.
Some people think it's wrong to use boy names for girls unless the practice also works in the opposite direction. While statistics show that more parents are giving their sons unisex names, we are not seeing boys given decidedly feminine names in the same way that baby girls are being given formerly masculine names.
In case anyone thinks this is just another wacky name theory, statistics prove that girls are being given all the names on this list in significant numbers. There were more than 50 baby girls in the US last year named Max and Maxwell, for instance, as well as Maverick, Landon, Chase, Auden, and Atlas.
Here, some boy names that can work for girls, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.
RELATED:
- Daniel
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"God is my judge"Description:
Daniel is one of only a handful of male names that sounds both classic and modern, strong yet approachable, and popular but not cliched. It also has a solid Old Testament pedigree. The only real downside: There are about 10,000 Daniels named each year, making it a less than distinctive choice.
- Cody
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"helpful, pillow"Description:
In the early 1990s, Cody was in the Top 25 most popular boys' names in the USA; but it has been in decline since then. It retains a greater degree of popularity in the UK, however. Cody might be short for Dakota but despite its nickname feeling, it's a name of its own.
- Blake
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"fair-haired, dark"Description:
The unisex Blake, which indeed has two conflicting meanings, has a briskly efficient image when used for a girl.
- Collins
Origin:
Surname derived from Nicholas or ColinMeaning:
"people of victory or pup"Description:
Collins is a surname name that has made the girls' Top 1000 thanks to its use for the daughter of the real-life Blind Side heroine. This derivation of the Greek Nicholas—which means "people of victory"—or the Irish and Scottish Colin—which may itself be a Nicholas derivation or an Anglicization of the word for pup—has a stylish feel made more so by that final s.
- Ezra
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"help"Description:
Ezra is a biblical favorite for boys that's been making inroads into the girls' Top 1000 recently and continues to rise.
- James
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"supplanter"Description:
James for a girl? Believe it or not, this is one of the boy names for girls" gaining a lot of attention these days, since Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds shocked the world by choosing it for their eldest daughter in 2014 (after his late father).
- Ellis
Origin:
English surname derived from Elijah or Elias or WelshMeaning:
"benevolent"Description:
Ellis, a surname used sparingly as a first in the Wallace/Morris period, sounds new now for girls, as a gender-neutral alternative to Ella or Alice. It debuted in the US Top 1000 for girls in 2015.-- Ellis has always been in the Top 1000 for boys -- and seems to be headed straight up. One of the most popular gender-neutral names, currently there are two baby boys named Ellis for every girl.
- Jude
Origin:
Diminutive of Judith or variation of JudahMeaning:
"praised"Description:
Jude may be a rising boys' name, thanks to Jude Law, but it's also a new way to spin Judy or Judith as well as a name that's long been used quietly for girls as well as boys. Alexis Stewart, daughter of Martha, named her daughter Jude and Jessica Lange plays Sister Jude on American Horror Story.
- Jasper
Origin:
PersianMeaning:
"bringer of treasure"Description:
The ancient boys' name Jasper is popular internationally in a range of forms, including Casper and Gaspard, and now Jasper is beginning to be used for girls in the US.
- Asher
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"fortunate, blessed, happy one"Description:
Asher is of course a very popular Biblical boys' name, but Australian actress Asher Keddie puts this in the girls' column too. Nearly 70 baby girls were named Asher in one recent year, about 1 percent of the total babies given the name. But if you've always loved Ashley and fear that now it's outdated, you might look to Asher as a worthy substitute.
- Arlo
Origin:
Irish, EnglishMeaning:
"between two hills"Description:
Arlo, an unexpectedly popular name for boys these days, is also finding new life as a girls' name. The first name Arlo may be rooted in the surname Arlow or the place name Aherlow, meaning "between two highlands". As a surname, it also has roots in a place name meaning "rocky hill".
- Kai
Origin:
HawaiianMeaning:
"sea"Description:
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 tree" in Navajo, "food" in Maori, and "earth" in Scandinavian. For girls, it debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2010.
- Milo
Origin:
Latin and Old GermanMeaning:
"soldier or merciful"Description:
Milo is one of the top names for boys on Nameberry, and now it's used for an increasing number of baby girls too.
- Atlas
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"bearer of the heavens"Description:
While Atlas is a decidedly male god and this name is in the US Top 300 for boys, it is used for an increasingly significant number of baby girls in the US. And undeniably, it's a name that imparts strength to any child.
- August
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"majestic, venerable"Description:
Though associated traditionally (and fashionably) with boys, it has been used occasionally for girls as well – by Garth Brooks, Nicolas Cage, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, for example. But August is used significantly more often for girls these days than traditional feminine variations Augusta and Augustina, and makes for a fresh twist on traditional month names like April and May, as well as an updated spin on season name Autumn.
- Sawyer
Origin:
English occupational nameMeaning:
"woodcutter"Description:
Sawyer is one of the top unisex names, used for their daughters by such parents as Sara Gilbert, co-host of The Talk and former actress on Roseanne, currently on The Conners.
- Bennett
Origin:
English, medieval form of BenedictMeaning:
"blessed"Description:
With its "ett" ending, Bennett is the most feminine of all the Ben- names, and thus has been adopted by parents of baby girls. Bennette and Bennet are alternate spellings.
- Leo
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"lion"Description:
Leo is of course a very popular name for boys and an equally rare one for girls. But32 baby girls were named Leo in the US last year, and as feminine leonine names such as Leonora and Leonia find more widespread popularity, Leo is popping up as an adorable short form for girls as well as boys.
- Julian
Origin:
English from LatinMeaning:
"youthful or sky father"Description:
Some may think that the girls have enough variations of the ancient Roman emperor's name Julius of their own – from Julia to Juliet to Julianne – without using the usually-male Julian too. But Julian actually has a long history of use as a unisex name, and was considerably more popular for girls than boys in Medieval England. A famous female bearer is Julian of Norwich, an important medieval mystic and theologian whose work Revelations of Divine Love is the first book in English known to have been written by a woman.
- Miles
Description:
Although usually seen as a masculine name, Miles is sometimes seen as a feminine name in Australia, due to its literary association with female author Stella "Miles" Franklin.