Boys names into girls names

Riley

English, Irish

"rye clearing; courageous"

Riley -- one of the most popular unisex names -- is trendier now for girls though for boys it's a classic, ALWAYS ranking in the US Top 1000. In fact, after a decade of softening, Riley has recently…

Avery

English

"ruler of the elves"

Avery is a unisex name that is used four times as often today for girls as for boys. But while Avery's popularity is starting to soften for girls, it continues to get stronger for boys -- in keeping…

Quinn

Irish

"descendant of Conn, chief leader, intelligence"

Quinn is an engaging Celtic surname, zippy, concise and strong. While it may now lean feminine in the US, given to girls about 80% of the time, it is still given to a substantial number of boys: 615…

Alexis

Greek

"defender"

This name leapt into the female column via vixen Alexis Carrington on 'Dynasty" in the 1980s. It's more popular for girls, but it's still a widely used boys' names and is one of the most popular…

Ariel

Hebrew

"lion of God"

Despite its distinguished pedigree and popularity in Israel, Disney's Little Mermaid cartoonized Ariel in the US, at least in some people's minds. But it was used for a male character in…

Morgan

Welsh

"sea-born, sea-song or sea-circle"

Morgan, once split evenly between the sexes, is a strong and attractive Welsh favorite, still a common boys’ name in Wales. Morgan is now more often a girls' name in the U.S. – about 2000 girls were…

Reese

Spelling variation of Rhys

An Anglicized spelling of the Welsh Rhys, this traditional boys' name got a big boost for girls in the early 2000s, thanks to the high-profile Ms. Witherspoon (who was actually born Laura Jeanne…

Emery

English from German

"industrious"

Emery is one of the newly popular Em- names that has great potential, though right now for girls more than boys: it received a boost in 2009, a year after Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn used it for…

Palmer

English

"pilgrim; one who holds a palm"

Palmer is a name that derives from the fact that pilgrims often carried palms, thus the double meaning. It's a fresher sounding twist other surname style names, such as Spencer, Carter, Porter and…

Ashley

English

"dweller near the ash tree meadow"

It may have peaked at #1 for girls in 1991 and 1992 in the US, but Ashley actually has a long history as a male given name, as evidenced by the sensitive Ashley Wilkes in Gone With the Wind . It's…

Aubrey

English from French

"elf ruler"

Once a popular choice in for boys in the Middle Ages and again during the 19th century, Aubrey has mostly been used for girls in the US since the 1970's. With its arty, surname-y, and sophisticated…

Beverly

English

"beaver stream"

An English surname name which was originally used as a masculine first name in the 19th century, before becoming more popular for girls from the early 20th century onwards.

Blair

Scottish

"dweller on the plain"

One of the first generation of cool surname names, now largely used for girls in the US, but still popular for boys in its native Scotland. A prominent association for Brits is former prime minister…

Brook

English nature name

"small stream"

Now that the popularity of Brooke is waning, and surname style variant Brooks is on the rise, Brook seems live a newly fresh nature-inspired option.

Carol

English, Latin

"man"

Although now usually considered a female name in the US, Carol actually had a good run of popularity for boys too, peaking at #325 in 1937 and remaining in the US Top 1000 until the mid 1960s, when…

Courtney

English from French

"short nose; courteous, from the court"

This courtly old Southern name has several cool male bearers: NFL player Courtney Brown, British jazz musician Courtney Pine, and Barbados-born economist Courtney Blackman, to name but a few.

Dana

English, Slavic, Persian Arabic

"from Denmark, gift, or wise"

Baby girl Danas outnumber baby boys with the name nearly ten to one. But Dana is an attractive, sleek name that can certain work for babies of either gender.

Esmé

French

"loved, admired"

Originally a male name in this single-E spelling, Esmé was borne by the first Duke of Lennox in Scotland in the 16th century, as well as by several of his male descendants. It became predominantly…

Evelyn

English

"desired; or water, island"

Renowned English author Evelyn Waugh pronounced his name "EEV-lin" (fun fact: his first wife, also named Evelyn, was referred to as "She-velyn"). But "EV-uh-lin" also works, and is probably the most…

Florence

English, French, Latin

"flourishing"

Florence is historically a unisex name, deriving both from Latin Florentius and Florentia. Although much more commonly feminine in modern times, it appeared in the US Top 1000 for boys until 1914.…