"Girly" Names for Boys

  1. Lark
    • Origin:

      English bird name
    • Description:

      Lark is getting some new and well-deserved attention as a post-Robin and Raven bird name. Although it was first recorded as a name in the 1830's, it has never appeared on the Social Security list.
  2. Lindsey
    • Origin:

      English surname meaning "Marshlands of Lincolnshire"
    • Meaning:

      "Marshlands of Lincolnshire"
    • Description:

      Lindsey is one of the few truly unisex names (rather than being a name that has changed genders). Over time the "ey" ending was usually reserved for women and the "ay" ending reserved for men, and that tradition has continued
  3. Lyric
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "of the lyre; songlike; a personal, emotive poem"
    • Description:

      Associated with poetry, pop music, and the Greek lyre, Lyric has a light and zippy sound to it and joins the likes of Melody, Harmony, Cadence, and Aria as musical names that have become baby names. A unisex name, it is currently three times more popular for girls in the US where it sits in the Top 600. It has declined in use since its 2014 peak, but was still given to around 560 girls in a recent year.
  4. Merry
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "lighthearted, happy"
    • Description:

      She'd better be. Merry is one of the classic names for Christmas babies.
  5. Morgan
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "sea-born, sea-song or sea-circle"
    • Description:

      Morgan has long been a traditional Welsh male name, a variant of the Old Welsh name Morcant, from the Welsh elements mor, meaning "sea" and cant, "circle." The female Morgan is unrelated to the male version—it is a name from Arthurian legend created for Morgan le Fay, King Arthur's half-sister and famed sorceress. Her name comes from Morgen, an Old Welsh name meaning "sea-born," and is related to the Irish name Muirgen.
  6. Nebula
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "mist"
    • Description:

      Could be the next Nova, now that celestial baby names are in the ascendent.
  7. Paris
    • Origin:

      French place-name
    • Description:

      Paris, a one-time mythical and Shakespearean boys' name, peaked in 2004 at Number 157 at least in part due to the highly publicized Paris Hilton. Michael Jackson used it for his daughter.
  8. Penny
    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of Penelope
    • Description:

      Like Peggy and Patsy, the kind of zesty moniker young Judy Garland would sport in her early let's-put-on-a-show flicks. It fell out of favor (and the Top 1000) for a while, but has recently rebounded by reentering the charts in 2013. Expect it to continue gaining traction on the heels of Penelope.
  9. Penrose
    • Origin:

      Cornish and Welsh place name and surname
    • Meaning:

      "top of the heath"
    • Description:

      Penrose – an ancient place-name and surname derived from several villages in Cornwall, Wales, and the Welsh border country of England – would make for an even more unexpected alternative to quirky nature name Primrose. Intuitive nicknames Penny or Rosie make it feel more wearable.
  10. Peyton
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "fighting-man's estate"
    • Description:

      Peyton is a unisex surname that rose to fame in the 90s, with parents drawing inspiration from football star, Peyton Manning, and, oddly enough, from "Peyton Flanders", the villainess of the 1992 film, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. Combining gentle sounds with contemporary style and the naughtiness of Peyton Place, the name remains a popular choice in the US today.
  11. Piper
    • Origin:

      English occupational name
    • Meaning:

      "pipe or flute player"
    • Description:

      Piper is a bright, musical name that entered the list in 1999, one year after the debut of the TV series Charmed, which featured a Piper, and it's been a consistent riser since. Piper Kerman is the memoirist whose prison experiences provided the basis for the hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black.
  12. Quinn
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "descendant of Conn, chief leader, intelligence"
    • Description:

      Quinn is one of the first popular Irish unisex surnames, a strong and attractive choice on the rise for girls but still popular for boys. Quinn was used for about 3000 baby girls and 700 boys in the US last year.
  13. Reagan
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "little king"
    • Description:

      Inextricably tied to the former president, Reagan is a handsome surname name with a cool, current sound. Gender-neutral nickname Ray/Rae is also very on-trend right now.
  14. Russet
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "reddish"
    • Description:

      Russell has gone away, but the more feminine Russet may move in to take his place.
  15. Sasha
    • Origin:

      Russian diminutive of Alexander
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      The energetic Russian nickname name Sasha is being used increasingly on its own, though since the prominence of the First Daughter, more than 90% of the American babies named Sasha are girls. Sacha Baron Cohen bears one of the alternate spellings.
  16. Shannon
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "old and wise"
    • Description:

      Irish place-name -- it's a river, a town, and an airport -- once popular but now supplanted by such newer immigrants as Saoirse and Seanan.
  17. Shay
    • Origin:

      Irish, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "stately, gift"
    • Description:

      A variant spelling of either Irish Shea or Hebrew Shai, Shay feels at once vintage and modern.
  18. Shea
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "the stately, dauntless one"
    • Description:

      The short but solid Irish surname Shea works well for both genders thanks to its soft, succinct sound. The traditional Irish form is Séaghdha, though it could also be used as a short form of Séamus, connected to James.
  19. Skyler
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Skylar or Schuyler
    • Description:

      While Skylar is currently the most popular spelling choice for girls, the Skyler option is more (statistically) unisex. Given to boy and girls in nearly equal numbers each year, it ranks around the middle of the US Top 1000.
  20. Story
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "an account of incidents or events"
    • Description:

      An imaginative choice with an uptempo Cory/Rory/Tori sound, perfect for the child of a writer — or anyone with a good story to tell. Story has been finding some appreciation among celebs like Minnie Driver and others as a middle name. This is just one of the literary word names that have recently entered the realm of possibility, such as Fable, Sonnet and Poem.