User-created list
By andreedueck · Updated May 2023
Across 3 pages
of 3
Variation of Adlai or Hadley
Adley is one of those rare unisex names that probably developed via different paths on the girls' and boys' sides, with the male Adley a phonetic spelling of the Hebrew Adlai, while the girls'…
Irish
"rough, fierce"
While Larkin takes this name from bird to surname, there are actually more female Larkins these days than male, and it's a name that works as well for either gender. It has the literary connection to…
English, Hebrew, Aramaic
"priest; father"
Abbott is a neglected masculine surname with religious overtones, used to describe the head of a monastery or a prominent church figure, such as a priest. Though the feminine nickname Abby could be…
Scottish and Irish, Brazilian
"oak tree ford; wealthy spearman; wealth and fame"
A unisex name with lots of flair and a daring spirit, Adair was first noticed as a girl's name in the 1980's, thanks to the long-running daytime drama Search for Tomorrow , with the character Adair…
Scottish
"from the town of St. Clair"
Could be a novel way for a boy's name to honor an ancestral Claire.
Irish surname
"devotee of St. John"
A stylish sounding last name, similar to Marlowe in sound and Murphy in style, Malone is a gender neutral choice in the US that has leaned just slightly feminine in recent years. Adapted from the…
English occupational name
"wool carder"
Highly unusual but stylish-sounding occupational name, with a pleasant association with gardens.
English place-name
Brixton, the name of a neighborhood in London, is one of the fastest-rising place-names for baby boys, up more than 100 points on the most recent US popularity list. Besides its association with the…
English
"dweller at the farm by the stream"
A modern alternative to Shelby.
British place-name
"site of the bridge"
This name of a busy British port city -- as well as of several places in America -- has a brisk and bustling air. It will now--and for years to come--be identified as a Sarah Palin name, chosen for…
"little dark one"
Kiernan Shipka, aka Sally Draper on Mad Men , brings this Irish surname into the girls' column. And, like Kieran and Tierney and Tiernan, it's one of the perfectly unisex baby names . Only 14 girls…
"love, friendship"
Connelly is a rollicking and rare example of the popular surname genre that may work even better for girls. A huge update on Colleen.
"son of Cárthach"
McCarthy is one of a wave of new Irish surname-names, one of the most popular last names of Irish origin now translated to a first name. Mac is an attractive nickname.
"from the willow farm"
Selby, a rarely heard British surname, feels sleeker and more distinctive than Shelby. Todd Selby, known primarily by his last name, is a hip photographer of interiors.
