Experimental and Unisex Names for Boys

Galway

Place-name

Associated with the poet and novelist Galway Kinnell, this name of an Irish city, county, and bay would make an evocative choice. For further literary cred, writers Liam O'Flaherty and Frank Harris…

Garland

English word name

A surprisingly wearable floral name for a boy.

Garnet

Jewel name, for the French

"pomegranate"

One of the jewel names in use a hundred years ago, for both boys and girls, due for revival along with sisters Ruby and Pearl. But interestingly, Garnet means pomegranate, the fruit who shares a deep…

Gatsby

German surname and literary name

"from Gaddesby"

Gatsby is one of the most famous literary surnames, borne by the titular character of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby . The book's Jay Gatsby gussied up his surname from Gatz, whose meaning is…

Glacier

Nature name, French

"ice"

Nature names are often associated with Spring and Summer, but Glacier is ideal for a winter baby.

Golden

Word name

Like Silver, a shimmering metallic color name, that may lean too dazzling for some, but more grounded for others, thanks to its similarity of Alden, Auden, Elden and Gordon. Given to 100 babies in a…

Gray

Color name, also diminutive of Grayson

The girls have Violet and Scarlet and Ruby and Rose, but for the boys there's a much more limited palette of color names. Gray (or Grey), is one exception, which could make for a soft and…

Guthrie

Scottish

"windy place"

Guthrie, one of the most attractive Scottish names that's also a surname, has a particularly romantic, windswept aura, with a touch of the buckaroo thrown in. Guthrie's folkie quality is tied to the…

Gwyn

Welsh

"fair, blessed"

Short, simple, gentle, undeniably Welsh but easy to spell and pronounce – there's a lot to like about this underused gem. In the States it's been almost exclusively female, perhaps due to the greater…

Halcyon

Greek

"kingfisher bird"

Heaven, Peace, Serenity: parents seem especially attracted to word names that signal paradise, but Halcyon sounds quite feminine, and might conjure up the sleeping pill Halcion.

Halian

Native American

"youthful"

A Julian derivative, via Spanish conquistadors, that could be a more unusual yet still reasonable substitute for that current favorite.

Halifax

Place-name

If you want to honor your grandfather Hal but can't work up much enthusiasm for his full name Harold, consider the more stylish (if a bit pretentious) capital of Nova Scotia.

Halston

English

"hallowed stone"

This choice feels more familiar than other hall-related English surnames, thanks to designer Halston, the single-named disco-era society playmate of Liza and Elton.

Harbor

Word name

If you like names that are not really names -- some say, the wave of the future -- Harbor has an attractive sound as well as an appealing meaning and image.

Harley

English

"hare clearing"

You can ride one, you can use it as a baby name – or, as is often the case, both! Harley is currently trending up for girls and down for boys in the US, although it remains predominantly masculine in…

Harlow

English surname

"rock hill or army hill"

A glamorous surname name most famously borne by 1930s icon Jean Harlow (born Harlean Carpenter), Harlow is also the name of a town in the English county of Essex. Outside of the UK, Harlow would fit…

Harvest

English word name

"the season for gathering in agricultural crops"

Harvest has been occasionally used as a name since the eighteenth century, originally as evenly unisex, though it tips a bit in the girls' direction in the contemporary US. Given the rise of such…

Hendries

Hendries is a masculine name with Germanic and Dutch origins, derived as a variant of the more common name Hendrik or Hendrick, which ultimately comes from Heinrich (Henry in English). The meaning…

Hero

Greek

"demi-god; admired, courageous"

A bold, brave choice, that some may worry is a little heavy to bestow on a child, Hero wouldn't seem too out of place alongside Chosen, Merritt, or Noble. Though the mythological Hero was female, as…