The recent ascent of this English surname is due to two things: the megapopular Ash beginning and TV/movie hottie Ashton Kutcher. The name peaked at Number 76 in 2004, a year after Ashton Kutcher's (both Christopher Ashton) hit TV show Punk'd made its debut.

Ashton

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.

August

This word name entered the US Top 1000 for both genders in 2015, though it premiered a little higher for girls. There are still more baby girls named Briar than baby boys -- 594 vs. 361 in 2021 -- but it's rising in popularity for both.

Briar fits the trend for <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/329/nature-baby-names">nature names</a>, and it also offers a fresh option for honoring a Brian.

Briar

This spelling of Brice relates the name to Utah's spectacular Bryce Canyon -- and is much more popular for both genders than the original Brice. Basketball's LeBron James named his son Bryce Maximus James, and in one of his early movies, John Cusack played a Bryce in Sixteen Candles.

Bryce

Strong, ultramasculine, and modern, Cade shot up the popularity lists around the millennium—it was as high as Number 201 in 2001—along with cousins Caden and Cale, and has drifted along in the middle of the US Top 1000 ever since. 

 Like Scarlett, Rhett, Ashley, Melanie, and Beau, Cade was worn by a character in Gone With the Wind.
There's a Cade Skywalker in the Star Wars universe, and Keith Carradine named his now-grown son Cade.

Cade

Vivid new sky blue color name, at present used mostly for boys. 

Cerulean

Chase, with its sleek and ultraprosperous aura, is redolent of the worlds of high finance and international banking. Chase has been well used during the last few decades, seen as a character on 24 and on several young-audience shows. 
 There are a disproportionate number of football stars name Chase.

Chase

Everett is a male name that's a prime crossover candidate, much like Eliot, Ellis, and Ellery. 
 
With its newfound popularity for boys stemming from its similarity to trendy sisters, Eva, Evelyn and Avery and with its sounds echoing the popular Everly, Scarlett and Violet, Everett makes sense as a unisex name.
 
The name has been given to 70 girls in the US in each recent year, and was chosen by YouTube vlogging family, LivingRosa, for their daughter in 2017.

Everett

A winning last-name-first Celtic choice, Flynn is still mostly used for boys, such as the son of Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr. Though Flynn is definitely one of the Irish surname names, from Quinn to Flannery to Makenna, that makes one of the trendy <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/79/boy-names-for-girls">boy names for girls"</a>.

Flynn

A newly successful name for girls, which, like Brayden and Caden, used to be strictly for the boys. Young Heroes and now Nashville star Hayden Panettiere planted it in the girls' camp.

Hayden

Patrician to the core, Hugh was firmly in the Top 100 until 1903. It's never achieved those heights again, though it has always managed to remain in the Top 1000, scraping bottom at literally Number 1000 in 2006 before reversing course and heading back upwards.
 Hugh has always been particularly prevalent among the Irish—there have been 20 Irish Saint Hughs, and it's traditionally associated with the O'Donnell clan. Hugh was an early immigrant to the New World, where there were two Hughs in the first English-speaking settlement in America. Hugh's biggest drawback is its sound, barely more than an exhaled breath. 
 
Actor Hugh Jackman adds a dash of the romantic hero, and other prominent Hughs include Hugh Laurie (born James Hugh), Hugh Grant, and Hugh Dancy. Then there's Hugh Hefner, known to the world as Hef. 
 Hew and Huw are the distinctively—probably too distinctively—spelled Welsh forms.
 A modern alternate option would be the surname Hughes.

Hugh

Indigo is one of the most appealing and evocative of the new generation of color names. Color names have joined flower and jewel names -- in a big way -- and Indigo, a deep blue-purple dye from plants native to India, is particularly striking for both girls and boys. Although most people don't think of it like this, Indigo might also be considered among the most stylish <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/167/greek-names">Greek baby names</a> in use today.

Some cultural references: The Indigo Girls are a folk duo, 'Mood Indigo' is a classic Duke Ellington jazz composition, and there is a 1970's New Age theory that Indigo children possess special, sometimes supernatural abilities. Indigo is the name of a character in the Ntozake Shange novel Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo, and was used for his daughter by Lou Diamond Phillips.

Indigo

Jasper originated as a variation of the Latin Gaspar, which ultimately derived from the Persian word ganzabara, meaning "bringer of treasure." As a given name, Jasper’s etymology is unrelated to that of the gemstone, which comes from a Semitic word meaning "speckled stone." Jasper is the usual English form for one of the Three Wise Men who brought gifts to the infant Christ according to medieval tradition and appears in the Bible as a reference to the stone itself in Revelations 4:3.
 
Jasper has a lot going for it—it's been rocketing up the ranks in the US, after long being considered a posh and charming name in England. Distinctly masculine, Jasper represents a variety of quartz—one of the few gem <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">names for boys</a>—and is the first name of the great modern artist Jasper Johns. Our only caveat: Jasper is a favorite of a lot of hip parents, and has gotten even more popular since its strong appearance in the Twilight books and movies.
 Jasper has considerable literary cred as well, appearing in works by Sir Walter Scott, James Fenimore Cooper, Thackeray, and Thomas Hardy--as well as Stephenie Meyer. 
 Casper/Caspar is the German version.

Jasper

Jude is a modern star, maintaining a steady level of popularity -- but not TOO much popularity -- for more than a decade now. Thank Jude Law and the great Lennon-McCartney song "Hey Jude", double-handedly responsible for propelling Jude up the charts.
 Saint Jude was the apostle who interceded for people with problems and became the patron saint of lost causes.Kelsey Grammer has a son named Jude Gordon. Jude is occasionally used for girls (as in Martha Stewart's granddaughter)--but more often as a shortened form of Judith/Judy.
 Jude's old connections to the traitorous Judas Iscariot and Thomas Hardy's tragic Jude the Obscure have mostly faded from memory, though don't be shocked if Grandma objects to the name on these grounds.

Jude

Kensington is a place name with a number of referents; there are cities by the name in Australia, Canada, South Africa, the UK, and the US. As a girls' name, it entered the US Top 1000 in 2015, likely as a fresher way to get to nickname Kensie/Kenzie than Mackenzie, Mckenzie, or Makenzie.

Kensington

Traditionally a male name, Leith now can make a highly unusual, strong but soft, and intriguing girls' possibility.


Leith

Lennox is one of the new breed of surname names on the rise as a <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/472/scottish-names-for-girls">Scottish name for girls</a> as well as boys. The final x makes the name a bit masculine a la Max and Felix, but female inspirations include Eurythmics' Annie Lennox, Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden, and Lennox Scanlon in sitcom Melissa & Joey.

Lennox

Straightforward single-syllable name, though children named Lyle may get tired of hearing "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile". Lyle was at the height of fashion in the 1920s, which makes him due for a comeback right about now. The double L certainly gives it a fashionable sound.

Lyle

Unlike Pearl and Ruby, this is one gem name suited for boys, the final x making it sound strong and virile. Musician Iggy Azalea chose the name Onyx for her son.

Onyx

Most of the notable Rivers have been male, but this nature name certainly flows as well for a girl. The name River is still rising for both genders, with about 3500 baby boys receiving the name last year vs. 1900 baby girls.

Kelly Clarkson's choice of River for her newborn daughter further raised the profile of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">name for girls</a>. Baseball great Derek Jeter and Hannah Davis used the same name as Clarkson for their daughter born in 2021, River Rose.

River

A name with some sterling qualities, most associated with the British currency and silver markets. Sterling has several recent TV associations, with characters Roger Sterling (on Mad Men) and Sterling Archer (on Archer), and actor Sterling K. Brown (on This is Us).

Sterling

This name of both a grayish-greenish-blue color and a kind of wild duck can be used for both boys and girls. 

Teal

Terris

Many parents seeking a return to more basic values and a simpler lifestyle are turning to such virtuous girls' names as Grace, Faith, and Hope, but the few that can be used for boys as well, such as True, are more often seen as a middle name. 

True

Unusual and beautiful blue green color and name possibility, a la Cerulean. 

Viridian

Straightforward yet romantic, this is one newly minted name with long-term appeal, especially as a middle name. It was used as such for Tea Leoni and David Duchovny's Madelaine, whom they call West. Definitely ambigender, it was chosen by Marley Shelton for her daughter.


West

AshleyJuliette's list "Middles for Either Gender" of 26 great name ideas: Ashton - West!