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,…

Robbie

Diminutive of Robert, English from German

"bright fame"

This short form of Robert was borne by famous figures from Robbie Williams to Robbie Coltrane to Robbie Robertson. At one point, Robbie was the cool new Bobby, but now Robbie is cool only for girls.

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…

Aster

English from Greek

"star"

A floral and celestial choice, Aster is the name of a daisy-like flower, with a star like shape. Derived from the Greek word for "star", Aster entered the Belgian Top 200 in 2021 for boys inn 2021.…

Lotus

Greek

"lotus flower"

The lotus is a meaningful symbol in many East Asian cultures, where it symbolizes purity, enlightenment, and rebirth. As a name, it's much more common among baby girls, but a small number of boys are…

Moss

English

"descendant of Moses"

This evocative green nature name, heard much more frequently as a surname, is associated with playwright Moss Hart (born Robert), who co-wrote (with George S. Kaufman) such enduring Broadway comedies…

Newt

English

"a small salamander"

Rarely used on its own and irrevocably tied to former House Speaker Gingrich -- who was christened Newton.

Solstice

English from Latin

"when the sun stands still"

Solstice graduated from word to official first name when author Lionel Shriver used it for a character in her novel Big Brother . But of course, there were people named Solstice before: 16 baby girls…

Crow

Bird name

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

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.

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…