Gender-Neutral Celestial Names

A strong and evocative Kazakh moon name. It also appears in Estonia as a masculine form of the popular girl name Aino, meaning "the only one".

This colorful Sanskrit name belongs to the Hindu god Aruna, the charioteer who drives the sun god Surya across the sky. Aruna can also be masculinized to Arun.

Depending on the kanji characters used, this attractive and energetic Japanese name can have a variety of meanings relating to nature.

The name of the Aster flower, named by the English, was derived from the Greek word for star. Like many floral names, Aster is much more popular among baby girls.

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 Top 100 along with variations Daire and Darragh.

With its sharp, succinct sounds and cool, laidback style, Eli is a popular choice among parents today. Compact and punchy, it is a Biblical name with plenty of charm.

Evenstar is an old name for the planet Venus, the "evening star" of astronomy. Lord of the Rings fans may recognize it as a name of Arwen Undómiel.

Similar in sound to Evan and Everett, Ever is an evocative word name that's currently on the rise. Used by Alanis Morissette and Souleye back in 2010, Ever was given to more than 200 boys in 2023, compared to 125 girls.

After Leo, this is one of the most usable names in the zodiac: part ancient, part new-age, part high-tech. In the night sky, the constellation Gemini is present all year round in both hemispheres. It has been associated with twins since ancient times, and its two brightest stars are named Castor and Pollux after the twins of Greek mythology. It also has STEM connections: Project Gemini was a NASA spaceflight program before Apollo.

In Arabic, hilal is the word for the crescent moon that marks the beginning of the month on the Islamic calendar. Hilal is a common girl name in Turkey, but is typically masculine in Arabic.

Like a large proportion of traditional Hawaiian names, Hoku can be used for both girls and boys.

Used more for girls in Europe, but definitely sounds masculine enough for a boy here.

Jupiter's partner Juno has entered the mainstream, so it's possible that her divine mate could follow. But not necessarily for boys — Jupiter is currently mostly female in the US, thanks to its similarity to Juniper. Stars including Ed Sheeran and Ashley Tisdale recently welcomed daughters named Jupiter, which could shift the balance even more towards the girls.

A melodic name, popular among the African-American community, where it joins sound-alikes Amari, Jamari, and Damari. It ultimately derives from the Arabic Qamar, meaning "moon", and is also used by Swahili speakers and those from Comoros and Somalia. It could also be considered a Greek place name, from a coastal village in Santorini.

Leo is a strong-yet-friendly name that was common among the Romans, used for thirteen popes, and is now at its highest point ever in the US thanks in part to Leonardo "Leo" DiCaprio.

Lucero is a relative or nickname of Luz, meaning light. This intriguing name is swimming just beneath the Top 1000 for girls in the US, but is used for boys too. It is especially popular in Latin America.

Mars is a name with interesting potential, ticking the boxes as a mythological name, a space name, and a single syllable choice ending in -s. For parents wanting something unexpected, Mars could work as an alternative to popular Brooks, Max, Atlas, or Miles - and given to around 150 boys - and 35 girls - in a recent year, it is unusual but recognisable.