gender neutral names I personally like

Rue

Botanical names or word name

"herb; regret"

Rue has gone from Golden Girls actress to Hunger Games heroine to a fresh alternative to beloved middle name Rose. This botanical name is also a coincidental double word name, meaning "regret" in…

Ruri

Japanese

"lapis lazuli"

Naming babies after precious gems as a protection against evil spirits is an ancient Japanese tradition.

Ryn

Variation of Rynn, English

"pure"

A great middle name option to honor a Kathryn. Coco Rocha used it for her daughter Iley's middle name.

Rynn

Diminutive of Katherine, English from Greek

"pure"

Uncommon nickname for Katherine.

Saffron

Spice name

"orange-yellow color; a type of crocus"

Spice names are increasingly appealing to the senses of prospective parents; this one, belonging to a precious spice derived from the crocus has a vaguely orange-scented-incense sixties feel. English…

Schuyler

Dutch

"scholar"

Originally a Dutch surname, imported by the early Dutch colonists, has been all but overpowered by the phonetic spellings in the US -- Skyler for boys and Skylar for girls. With the…

Sean

Irish variation of John

"God is gracious"

Sean may be off its peak for boys, but there were still 1300 baby boys named Sean in the US in the most recent year counted, versus only five baby girls. In fact, there were fewer than 30 baby girls…

Seth

Hebrew

"placed, appointed"

Although very rarely used for girls, its soft, gentle sound makes it a perfect candidate for crossing over to the female camp.

Seven

Numerical word name

Seinfeld's George threatened to name his future child Seven, and then singer Erykah Badu actually did it.

Shannon

Irish

"old and wise"

Irish place-name -- it's a river, a town, and an airport -- once popular but now supplanted by such newer immigrants as Saoirse and Seanan.

Shar

Shar is a concise feminine name with diverse origins. It can be a shortened form of names like Sharon (Hebrew for 'plain' or 'meadow'), Charlotte, or Sharleen. In Persian, 'shar' relates to 'city' or…

Shaye

Shaye is a unisex name that leans feminine in contemporary usage. It has multiple possible origins, including as a variant of Shea (Irish, meaning 'admirable'), Shai (Hebrew, meaning 'gift'), or as a…