'Girl' names for Boys - Feminine Boy names

Rory

Irish

"red king"

This spirited Gaelic classic, which became popular in Ireland via the illustrious twelfth century king Rory O'Connor, makes a highly energetic choice, now used for either sex. Rory's gender split is…

Riley

English, Irish

"rye clearing; courageous"

Riley -- one of the most popular unisex names -- is trendier now for girls though for boys it's a classic, ALWAYS ranking in the US Top 1000. In fact, after a decade of softening, Riley has recently…

Sage

English botanical name and Latin

"wise and knowing"

A modern, multifaceted name, Sage is short, sweet, and strong. A unisex possibility, it is also a virtuous word name associated with wisdom, and a nature name linked to a fragrant herb. Currently,…

Quinn

Irish

"descendant of Conn, chief leader, intelligence"

Quinn is an engaging Celtic surname, zippy, concise and strong. While it may now lean feminine in the US, given to girls about 80% of the time, it is still given to a substantial number of boys: 615…

Ariel

Hebrew

"lion of God"

Despite its distinguished pedigree and popularity in Israel, Disney's Little Mermaid cartoonized Ariel in the US, at least in some people's minds. But it was used for a male character in…

Morgan

Welsh

"sea-born, sea-song or sea-circle"

Morgan, once split evenly between the sexes, is a strong and attractive Welsh favorite, still a common boys’ name in Wales. Morgan is now more often a girls' name in the U.S. – about 2000 girls were…

Briar

Nature name, English word name

"a thorny patch"

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 --…

Joyce

Yes, the poet Joyce Kilmer ("Trees") was a man, the very last male named Joyce. And even for women, it's been in limbo for several generations.

Leslie

Scottish

"garden of holly"

This Scottish place name and surname was more popular for boys in the US until the mid-1940s; in the UK, the Leslie spelling is predominantly masculine, with Lesley widely used as the feminine…

Dana

English, Slavic, Persian Arabic

"from Denmark, gift, or wise"

Baby girl Danas outnumber baby boys with the name nearly ten to one. But Dana is an attractive, sleek name that can certain work for babies of either gender.

Jaylin

Spelling variation of Jalen

This spelling of popular Jalen ranks in the Top 1000 for both girls and boys.

Brook

English nature name

"small stream"

Now that the popularity of Brooke is waning, and surname style variant Brooks is on the rise, Brook seems live a newly fresh nature-inspired option.

Blair

Scottish

"dweller on the plain"

One of the first generation of cool surname names, now largely used for girls in the US, but still popular for boys in its native Scotland. A prominent association for Brits is former prime minister…

Ashley

English

"dweller near the ash tree meadow"

It may have peaked at #1 for girls in 1991 and 1992 in the US, but Ashley actually has a long history as a male given name, as evidenced by the sensitive Ashley Wilkes in Gone With the Wind . It's…

Kory

Spelling variation of Cory or Corey

Corey was always the most popular form of this Irish name, with Cory (as in New Jersey Senator Booker) in second place and Kory riding caboose. Kory et al were in the first wave of unisex names that…

Lindsey

Lindsey as a masculine name has Anglo-Saxon origins, originally derived from the Old English place name 'Lindesege,' meaning 'island of linden trees' or 'Lincoln's marsh.' While now more commonly…

Harper

English

"harp player"

Harper got its start as a celebrity baby name when Paul Simon chose it for his now-grown son. Since then, other famous parents have followed suit: musician Tim Finn and actor Cecilia Peck both have…

Ely

Russian variation of Eli

"ascended, uplifted, high"

Russian form of Eli mainly used today by families with Russian Jewish heritage.

Joan

Catalan, Occitan variation of John, Hebrew

"God is gracious"

There are now more boys than girls given the name Joan each year in the US, although the two are distinct names. The masculine version, pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable, is among…