Boy Names for Girls

A little bit cosy, a little bit grandpa, but with a hint of artiness from the William Morris association too, Morris comes from the French Maurice, and was popular for boys in the first half of the 19th century. While still quietly used for around 100 boys each year, it could make an interesting choice for girls, especially in the middle spot, giving off a similar feel to the likes of Scottie, Lou, Wallis, and Gene.

Mason is a supertrendy name for boys that's starting to cross over -- Kelsey Grammer used it for his daughter. Creative speller's delight.

Cruz might be a sister for Concepcion and Corazon, although its masculine side was emphasized when the high profile David Beckhams chose it for their son.

Israel joins the club of traditionally male names that celebrity parents have adopted for their daughters. Singer Andy Grammer welcomed daughter Israel "Izzy" Blue in 2020.

Like its counterpart Leo, this modern spelling variant is predominantly used for boys, however, it recently joined the rankings for girls in the UK, when it was given 4 babies. The same year, it also made the Top 200 in Belgium and not for the first time, having ranked sporadically throughout the 2010s.

Thomas Edison’s surname is an inventive take on Addison when used for girls. It's an English surname deriving from either Adam or Eda, a medieval diminutive of Edith.

The Reid spelling is surprisingly more popular than the naturey Reed for both boys and girls, though more than 95% of little Reids are male.

Stylish surname way to go if you want to name a girl after a James, and is more substantial than the passé Jamie; it was chosen for their daughter by Chynna Phillips and Billy Baldwin.

A feminine form in France, this boyish choice could make a fresh alternative to Lauren or Laura -- or be an inventive way to honor Grandpa Larry.

Montgomery is an increasingly popular name for boys, especially in the UK, and now it's being used for girls as well in the US, where more than 50 baby girls were named Montgomery last year.

Toby is an early unisex name with a Shakespearean pedigree; when used for a girl it retains its tomboyish quality. Fits well with the growing trend of boyish nicknames for girls -- alongside rising choices like Frankie and Stevie. Toby peaked as a girl's name in 1936 and was last on the charts in 1975. Though, it's been slowly rising in recent years with nearly 100 baby girls named Toby in 2023.

With both the Dillon and Dylan spellings, usage of this gender-neutral names runs about ten to one boys to girls. But Dylan is used about 20 times as often as Dillon for both genders. Which might be a vote in favor of Dillon, though for better or worse, this spellings distances the name from singer Bob and poet Thomas.

Yes, Timothy has been given to baby girls before — although how many were the result of a clerical error, we can’t be sure.

Used predominantly as a masculine name, Torin is nevertheless given to a handful of girls each year in the US. From its Irish origins, it is connected either to the word torran meaning "little hill" or to the name Toran, meaning "little chief", while it can also be considered a Spanish short form of Hector and a spelling variation of the French Taurin, associated with Taurus.

Wylie is one Celtic surname with as much appeal for girls as for boys. Wylie is ripe for spelling variations: Wiley is as appropriate as Wylie but when you spell it Wylei, as Corey Parker did for his son, you're getting into yooneek naming territory.

Raiden is a powerful choice for a baby girl. The Japanese god of thunder’s name is traditionally pronounced RYE-den, but most children named Raiden in the US pronounce it to rhyme with familiar choices Aiden, Jayden, and Hayden.

Names ending in son are by definition male, but that hasn't stopped Madison and Allison from being widely used for girls. Greyson is one of the latest choices to join the migration across gender lines.

Roberta and Robert may be so far out they're...still out, but Robbie might make one of the trendy new boyish nicknames for girls a la Scottie and Charlie. Actress Margot Robbie gave it a surname spin.

Out-of-date for a boy, innovative for a girl.

The trendy surname name Ryker, in the US Top 200 for boys, is now used in increasing numbers for girls.