User-created list
G E N D E R N E U T R A L N A M E S
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Dara
Irish, Persian, Punjabi, Khmer
"oak tree, fruitful; wealthy; leader; star"
Though Dara in the U.S. would be considered mainly a girls' name – the most recent count is 10 times as many girls given the name last year than boys – it's a boys' name in Ireland, where it's in the…
Grey
Color name
The girls have Violet and Scarlet and Ruby and Rose, but for the boys there's a much more limited palette of color names. Grey/Gray is one exception, which could make for a soft and evocative—if…
Holland
Dutch place-name
"wooded land"
Holland, like most place names, is intrinsically gender neutral, but in practice today it's mostly female. There's about one boy Holland born in the US these days for every five girl Hollands. That's…
Juneau
Place-name
Juneau could go either way as a name. The newfound fame of the movie heroine Juno knocks this unrelated though identical-sounding Alaskan name out of consideration for boys, for the moment. Though…
Morrigan
Irish
"phantom queen"
The mythological Morrigan was the ancient goddess of war, often symbolized by a crow. Besides being a name, this is also used as a proper noun preceded by an article: the Morrigan, defined as a…
Nova
Latin
"new"
Nova might be a much more commonly used a girls' name, but enough parents saw unisex appeal in it for it to debut on the US Top 1000 for boys in 2017. Nova is an astronomical term for a star that…
Oberon
English spelling variation of Auberon
"noble, bearlike"
The name of the king of the fairies in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream ; could work just as well for your little sprite.
Pascale
French from Hebrew
"Passover"
Sophisticated, stylish feminine form of Pascal especially appropriate for girls born around Easter or Passover.
Reagan
Irish
"little king"
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. Reagan has been more popular…
Seneca
Latin surname and Native American
"people of the standing rock"
Seneca's distinguished heritage as the name of the ancient Roman philosopher-playwright who tutored Nero, and of an Iroquois tribe makes this an interesting choice for either sex.
Shaw
English
"dweller by the wood"
With the current taste for last names first, this sounds a lot cooler than Shawn; it also has creative connections to the great Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, novelist Irwin Shaw, and Big…
Sloane
Irish
"raider"
An Irish surname-name that's used almost exclusively for girls these days, given last year to nearly 2000 baby girls in the US vs. 23 baby boys.
Vale
Geographical name
Vale is part place name, part nature name -- a poetic term for a type of valley. Today Show coanchor Savannah Guthrie put Vale on the baby name map when she chose it for her daughter, but there's no…
Vega
Arabic, Spanish
"swooping eagle, meadow"
This striking name has a lot going for it: it's a self-confident Spanish surname, it identifies one of the most brilliant stars in the sky, and it has a musical reference to singer-songwriter Suzanne…
Wednesday
English
"Woden's day"
Made famous by the iconic and macabre character Wednesday Addams, this name has the spooky and Halloween-inspired feel that some parents might be looking for. The character has appeared in various…
