gender neutral names I personally like
- Koda
Origin:
Japanese, SiouxMeaning:
"friend"Description:
A word in the Yankton-Yanktonai and Santee dialects of the Lakota Sioux language, meaning "friend" or "ally", used for one of the main characters in the movie Brother Bear. Also a common Japanese surname or a respelling of the musical name Coda.
- Koda
- Kris
Origin:
Short form of Kristof or KristoferMeaning:
"Christian"Description:
Many European cultures spell Christopher with a K and thus the short form Kris. There were about 35 baby boys named Kris, just Kris, in the US last year, and only a handful of baby girls -- this after the name ranking in the Top 1000 for both genders from the late 1940s through the 1970s. However you spell it, it's an appealing name that's in a slump right now because of overexposure. It's also one of the original gender neutral names, paving the way for a new way of thinking about names and gender.
- Kris
Origin:
Short form of Kristen or KristinaMeaning:
"Christian"Description:
Kris was once the ultimate cool cheerleader name, but now she's more likely to be a matriarch ala Kris Jenner.
- Krys
- Kyrie
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"Lord"Description:
Kyrie may be a name of God used widely in the ancient church refrain Kyrie Elieson, or Lord, have mercy, but it's rising in popularity for boys in the US on the strength of basketball star Kyrie Irving. Irving pronounces the first syllable of Kyrie to rhyme with my, whereas with the religious word it rhymes with fear.
- Kyrie
Origin:
Short form of Kyra or GreekMeaning:
"Lord"Description:
Kyrie elieson is one of the oldest religious refrains, meaning Lord, have mercy. As a first name, though, Kyrie is less a name of God and more a nickname-name that might be short for Kyra or a diminutive that stands on its own, a la Kylie. The best-known Kyrie is the male basketball player Kyrie Irving, who pronounces the first syllable to rhyme with my rather than fear. He has inspired more than 1000 baby boys to be given this name one recent year in the US, while it was given to 178 baby girls. Impressive numbers.
- Krys
- Lark
Origin:
Bird nameDescription:
In one recent year there were 60 baby girls in the US named Lark....and only eight baby boys. But there's no reason this bird name can't also be masculine, especially given that Robin is making a comeback for boys and Sparrow is a notable starbaby boy (he's Nicole Richie and Joel Madden's son).
- Lark
Origin:
English bird nameDescription:
Lark is getting some new and well-deserved attention as a post-Robin and Raven bird name. Although it was first recorded as a name in the 1830's, it has never appeared on the Social Security list.
- Lex
Origin:
Diminutive of AlexanderMeaning:
"defending men"Description:
Cool short form of Alexander, fresher than Alex and less trendy than Xander... for now.
- Lex
Origin:
Diminutive of Alexis and AlexandraMeaning:
"man's defender"Description:
Lex is still used mostly for boys, but like Alex, may cross over with the rising popularity of all long forms of the name. Lexi is another, more feminine option.
- Lux
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"light"Description:
Lux, one of the light-filled names that include Lucy and Lucian, broke onto the scene as a girls' name but now it's decidedly gender neutral. In fact, at the last count there were slightly more boys named Lux than girls: 140 to 120. But that's pretty close, making this a truly nonbinary name.
- Lux
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"light"Description:
This name of a character played by Kirsten Dunst in the movie Virgin Suicides, originally a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, is gaining attention, also thanks to the heroine Lux, Lady of Luminosity in the League of Legends games. Luz is the Spanish version.
- Lexx
- Lexx
- Lunar
- Lunar
- Maple
Origin:
English tree name from LatinMeaning:
"piece of cloth"Description:
If Apple and Juniper, Oak and Pine can be baby names, why not Maple? Why not indeed. We've heard Maple starting to be used quietly, but with its lush sound and attractive image, we predict its use as a first name will grow — and its choice by the Jason Batemans — who combined it with the sweet middle name Sylvie — will only accelerate that growth.
- Mars
Origin:
Roman mythology god of warDescription:
The name of the Roman god of war began to sound less intimidating when Erykah Badu gave it to her daughter, and musicians Thomas and Bruno Mars (the latter born Peter Hernandez) have given it a modern edge. Mars actually could make a pleasant, planetary middle name for either sex.