Gender? Who's That?

Beau

French

"handsome"

Beau suggests someone devilishly handsome, with a large measure of southern charm—a nice image to bestow on your boy. Often solely a nickname in the past, it's now standing firmly on its own. Beau…

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 --…

Leif

Swedish; Danish; Norwegian

"heir, descendant"

Leif is one of the most recognizable Scandinavian names , thanks to Icelandic explorer Leif Erikson, and is still one of the best, with a pleasant aural association with the word leaf. Leif Erikson,…

Aster

English from Greek

"star"

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.

Birch

Tree name

Birch is a rarely used nature name that calls to mind the lovely image of the tall, strong but graceful white-barked tree. The best known bearer of the name is former high-ranking Democratic Senator…

Cricket

Nature name

Typically used for girls, but Disney Channel show Big City Greens made it wearable for boys as well.

Crow

Bird name

From Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore , the story of a boy named Kafka -- crow in Czech.

Echo

Greek mythology name

"echo or sound"

Although this is traditionally seen as a female name, via the classical mythological nymph who pined away for Narcissus until all that remained of her was a disembodied voice — it can also be used…

Fennel

Vegetable and herb name

In the garden of herb names, Rosemary and Basil are perennials and Sage is a new upshoot, but Fennel is a real rarity. The aniseed-tasting plant, used to add flavor to dishes around the world, gets…

Ghost

Word name

With word names, almost anything goes. But maybe not Ghost, unless you're naming a white dog.