gender neutral names I personally like
- Holiday
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"holy day"Description:
A fun and confident choice, Holiday is a celebratory name, particularly associated with Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year, and with rest, leisure, and vacations more generally. Fitting for a winter baby, but totally sunny too, it comes from the Old English hāligdæg meaning "holy day" as it was originally used to mark religious festivals and celebrations.
- Sun
Origin:
English word name or KoreanMeaning:
"sun; good, kind, virtuous"Description:
A simple and appealing unisex Korean name with many possible meanings, depending on the hanja characters used. This spelling also coincides with the English word "sun", which is a nice bonus.
- Eveline
Origin:
English or FrenchMeaning:
"desired; or water, island"Description:
Variant of Evelyn or Aveline
- Kyler
Origin:
Modern invented name, combination of Kyle and Tyler, or DutchMeaning:
"archer"Description:
Used for baby girls every year since the 80s, Kyler provides an alternative for parents wanting something with the sounds or style of Skyler, Carter, Kaia, Kylie, and Kyla.
- Felice
Origin:
ItalianMeaning:
"lucky"Description:
Felix is rising in the chart for boys, and its feminine variations are sure to follow. The best knows these days, thanks to the TV character, is Felicity, but there's also Felicia and Felice. Like Lucia, Felice is a name with different pronunciations depending on where it's used. The Italians pronounce it fa-LEECH-ay, but the Americanized version is feh-LEESE.
- Jupiter
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"godfather"Description:
Jupiter may be known as the father of all the gods, but it's baby girls who have claimed his name for their own. Mythological and celestial baby names are hot across the board, so Jupiter was bound to rise in popularity. But the reason it's currently mostly female in the US is thanks to its similarities to the trendy feminine name Juniper.
- Gale
Origin:
Spelling variation of GailDescription:
When Gail was popular, half a century ago, Gale was a plausible choice. Gale does put a slightly more masculine spin on the name, but it's dated in any version.
- Eliot
Origin:
Variation of Elliot, English diminutive of EliasMeaning:
"Yahweh is God"Description:
Sleekened spelling.
- Red
Origin:
Color nameDescription:
Fiery but slight middle name choice; much more apt to be a redhead's nickname. Instead, check out other names that mean red: Rory, Rowan, Ruby.
- Bow
Description:
Bow is an uncommon masculine name with multiple potential origins. As an English word name, it connects to several meanings: the weapon for shooting arrows, symbolizing precision and skill; the decorative tied ribbon, representing presentation and celebration; or the front of a ship, suggesting forward movement and navigation. It may also derive from Asian origins, particularly Chinese, where it can relate to various characters depending on the tone. Bow is extremely rare as a given name, making it a highly distinctive choice. Its brevity and simple pronunciation give it a modern, minimalist appeal. The name's multiple associations with strength, movement, and artistry make it versatile despite its unconventional nature as a personal name.
- Cleo
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"glory"Description:
As a male name, Cleo was well used during the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries, deriving from the Greek name Cleon or the Biblical Cleopas.
- Sam
Origin:
Diminutive of SamanthaMeaning:
"told by God"Description:
Sam as a name standing on its own was given to only 18 girls in 2021, versus over 400 boys. But as a short form it's appealing and down-to-earth for both sexes, and heard far more often: There were over 2500 baby girls named Samantha in the US in one recent year and more than 8500 boys named Samuel, so you will hear the name Sam a lot more often than you might guess judging by the numbers for this short form. Like the wildly popular Charlie, Sam is a nickname that works equally well as a girls' name as a boys'. All forms considered, Sam is still one of the most popular names that start with S.
- March
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"month name"Description:
March has never been popular as a month name, possibly because of its slightly abrupt sound. But with all kinds of month (and season, day, and holiday) names, from January to December, Sunday to Easter, Winter to Midnight, coming to the fore, March is beginning to seem eminently baby-ready.
- Hux
Origin:
Short form of Huxley, EnglishMeaning:
"inhospitable place"Description:
As Huxley and Huck become more popular and accepted, so does Hux, either as a full name or a diminutive.
- Sundance
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"sun dance"Description:
Long synonymous with the American outlaw Harry Longabaugh, aka The Sundance Kid, who got his nickname from the town of Sundance, Wyoming, where he was incarcerated as a teenager. The place name Sundance was taken from the sun dance ceremony practiced by local Native American tribes.
- Cricket
Origin:
Nature nameDescription:
Nickname name from the era of Father Knows Best, though we can see it making something of a comeback, a la Clover and Pippa. Cricket has new potential especially since it has recently been chosen by Busy Philipps. Still, it's one of the quirkier girl names starting with C.
- Schuyler
Origin:
DutchMeaning:
"scholar"Description:
This worthy name, imported by the early Dutch colonists, has been all but overpowered by the phonetic spellings -- Skyler for boys and Skylar for girls. With the surnames-as-first-names trend, however, and the popularity of the Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton, which features the Schuyler sisters, perhaps Schuyler might receive some more interest in the coming years.
- Shelly
Description:
Shelly as a masculine name is relatively uncommon, as it's more frequently used for girls. For boys, it typically functions as a nickname rather than a formal given name. It may be short for names like Sheldon, Shelton, or Mitchell. The name derives from Old English 'scylf' meaning 'shelf' or 'ledge,' originally referring to someone who lived near such a landform. As a masculine name, Shelly has a gentle, approachable quality that contrasts with traditionally stronger-sounding male names. While not ranked in popular boys' name charts, it represents a trend toward softer, unisex naming options. Men named Shelly may appreciate its distinctive quality in male circles.
- Elton
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"from the old town"Description:
Elton is an unassuming, lesser-used place name belonging to several towns in the British Isles, the US and Canada, and even a lake in Russia. The singer Elton John gives it a bit of extra pizzazz.
- Cedar
Origin:
English from Latin tree nameMeaning:
"cedar tree"Description:
A fresh and fragrant nature name, Cedar is one of the new tree/wood names that parents are starting to consider. While it is currently more popular for boys, it sounds similar enough to Selah, Celia, Freda, Sailor, and Ida, it doesn't feel out of place for any gender.
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