Despite its origin as a patronymic meaning "son of Adam", Addison really caught on for baby girls in the US around the turn of the millennium, following in Madison's footsteps to peak at #11 in 2007 and again in 2010. But there are plenty of distinguished namesakes for a boy named Addison: from the fictional theater critic Addison DeWitt (All About Eve) to the 18th-century English poet, playwright, politician and essayist Joseph Addison. It is worth noting too, that Addison remains in usage for boys in the UK and would fit right in with other unisex choices, such as Mackenzie, Hadley, and Ellis.

Addison

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 <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">popular unisex names</a> in the US today.

Alexis is an ancient (male) saints' name as well as the name of a third century BC comic poet. In the Alexius version, it was the name of several Byzantine emperors.

Alexis

This shows up on the Social Security data for boys, but these days is mostly female: 2700 baby girls were named Allison last year versus six baby boys.

But given the emerging trend of female names for boys, Allison could see some more use as a male name.

Allison

Beverley

Carey is a surname name that works equally well on babies of all genders - Jazz great Carey Bell and motorcross champion Carey Hart are just two examples of how handsome this name can be for a boy.

Carey

While the variation Carmine is more familiar for boys, Carmen has also been used as a masculine name; consider the very macho Carmen Basilio — the American boxer famous for defeating the great Sugar Ray Robinson — or composer Carmen Dragon. 

Carmen

A lean and lanky Irish cowboy name with great nickname potential to boot (Cass or Sid are both options). This is one of the great under-rated <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/519/american-baby-names">American names</a>!

Cassidy

Chelsea for a boy?  Yes--and we've got two maleberry Chelseas to prove it (one of whom even wrote a blog for us about his experience)!  Boy Chelseas would more likely be named for the British football team than the old Joni Mitchell song sung by Judy Collins.

Chelsea

Nowadays, Clare tends  to be viewed as a feminine name, but this is a short and sweet Irish-flavored name that could work just as well on a boy. Noted male bearers of the name Clare include Canadian ice hockey legend Clare Drake, US cartoonist Clare Briggs, and Grammy winning musician Clare Fischer.

Clare

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. 

Courtney

Carol

Though Darcy is the ultimate Jane Austen hero name, it is rarely used for boys today though it's on the upswing for girls. A shame as it's a handsome, roguish kind of appellation that combines elements of French flair, aristocratic savoir faire, and a soft Irish brogue. And in terms of image, it's one of the quintessential <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/502/english-names-for-boys">English names for boys</a>.

Darcy

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 familiar pronunciation of the name today. 

It may be a Top 10 pick for girls right now, but in the 17th century, it was given more often to boys – as a surname name originally derived from the Norman given name Aveline. It was especially popular among the upper classes, where family surnames as given names were well used. 

Evelyn relates to the Norman French female name Aveline, the origins of which are not entirely clear. Theories include "desired" and "water, island".

Evelyn

Gale for boys is more a storm name than a short form of Abigail. Since Gale has resurfaced as the name of Liam Hemsworth's daring character in The Hunger Games, it has new force for boys.

Gale

Young actor Haley Joel Osment to the contrary, this name in all its variations has become too popular for girls to survive as a boys' choice. Hailey, Haily Halley, Hallie, Hayley. 

Haley

The only version that works for boys anymore is the Latinate Hilario or Ilario. Better to look to Felix for a happy-meaning name. 

Hilary

In Paris, it's charming, but in America, it's still Jean, as in blue jean.  Or Aunt Jean.

Jean

Quintessentially sweet and innocent unisex name of the 1960s and 70s, now gone the way of hot pants and disco balls. 

Jody

Yes, the poet Joyce Kilmer ("Trees") was a man, the very last male named Joyce. And even for women, it's been in limbo for several generations.

Joyce

Jocelyn

A predominantly male name in the US until the late 1950s, the name continued to rise for both sexes for both sexes for a further decade, before starting to decline for boys. Despite dropping out of the boys' Top 1000 in 2002, Kelly retains a rugged Irish charm.

 The name derives from Gaelic ceallach/em> "war" or ceall "church". It is also sometimes said to mean "bright-headed".

 Famous fictional namesakes include 1960s (male) TV spy Kelly Robinson, as well as one of the (female) Charlie's Angels. Real-life namesakes include actor and dancer Gene Kelly, as well as the legendary Grace Kelly.

Kelly

Kelsey (ex-Frasier) Grammer is a famous male bearer, although most modern Kelseys are female. It derives from several English place names, possibly meaning "Cenel's island", from the Old English name Cenel "fierce".

Kelsey

Kim is forever feminized, despite memories of the Rudyard Kipling character. 

Kimberly is a variation of the South African (and Australian) place name Kimberley, named after John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley. The name comes from a Norfolk earldom (first spelled Chineburlai) and references the meadow or woodland clearing of a medieval Lady called Cyneburga.

 In the middle of the 20th century, shortened form Kim was given to men and women in roughly equal numbers, though Kimberly has always been more associated with women.

Kimberly

Kristen

Leigh

Lesley

Lindsay is one of the few truly unisex names (rather than being a name that has changed genders). Over time the ey ending was usually reserved for women and the ay ending reserved for men, although both spellings are overwhelmingly female these days.

Lindsay

A variant form of Laurence or Lawrence which ranked in the #200s in the US from the 1900s through to the 1960s. It didn't fall off the boys' Top 1000 until the late 1990s, following the huge popularity of Lauren for girls.

Now, though, with gender-neutral names on the ascendant, Loren is used fairly evenly for both genders. Last year in the US, 75 baby girls were named Loren and 60 baby boys, making Loren an excellent nonbinary choice.

Loren

Lynn

Lacey

Madison was at one time a strictly boys' presidential name, reaching as high as Number 311 at the end of the nineteenth century.  That all changed in 1985 when it entered the girls' list, zooming up quickly until it reached the Number 2 spot, with more than 22,000 female babies given the name in 2001.  As is so often the case, its use for boys has dropped precipitously.

Madison

Fun fact: Marion was the birth name of movie star John Wayne. Although commonly thought of as a female name today, it was actually more popular for boys until the late 19th century, and was given to roughly equal numbers of boys and girls throughout the 1970s-2000s.

 
Marion as a male name derives from a French surname related to Marie, which ultimately comes from the Hebrew name Maryam/Mariam. The original meaning of Maryam is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and "beloved" (from the Egyptian root mr).

Marion

Meredith has been considered primarily a girl's name since the fifties, before which it was more commonly used for boys. Comic actor Jay Mohr recently named his son Meredith, which might help it swing back into the blue column. The traditional Welsh pronunciation puts the stress on the middle syllable, making Red a cool nickname possibility.

Meredith

One of the few Italian forms less attractive than the original, this time because it will forever be mistaken with the feminine version.

Michele

Mallory

Though it's used for boys, most non-French people would hear it as a <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ name</a>. Most would be surprised to learn that Rene has always charted in the US Top 1000 for boys.

Rene

A sweet Scottish short form of Alexander which is feeling newly appealing now the era of Sandra is far behind us. Sandy would also work well as a nickname for a child with pale red or dark blond hair.

Sandy

The name of the longest river in the British Isles rose to the US Top 25 for girls in the 1970s and the Top 100 for boys, but has fallen off the Top 1000 for both genders. At the latest count, the name Shannon was given to about 200 babies in the US, about a third of those boys. 

As a favorite Irish name, Shannon has now been supplanted by newcomers such as Saoirse and Seanan.

Shannon

Southern name still occasionally heard in a male context (author Shelby Foote and the son of singer/sitcom star Reba McEntire), but it's much more associated with girls. 

Shelby

Shelly

Sheridan is one surname-name that hasn't come into style for either gender, though it was lightly used for boys around the turn of the 20th century and girls 100 years later. The name does have an attractive sound and an appealing meaning.

Sheridan

Became completely feminized in the unisex name revolution of the seventies. 

Stacey

Shirley

Tracey

Valery

Deriving from the Roman cognomen Vivianus, Vivian was originally a masculine name, with Vivien being a feminine soundalike coined by Alfred Lord Tennyson for the Lady of the Lake in his famous poetic adaptation of the legend of King Arthur. It has since become a much more popular choice for girls in the US, but retains a refined British charm which sees it cropping up occasionally for boys in the Telegraph birth announcements. Fun fact: Vivian is the middle name of Daniel Cleaver, Hugh Grant's rakish character in the Bridget Jones movies.

Vivian

Deriving from an English locational surname meaning "white island", Whitney was in rare but regular use for boys in the US until the early 1960s, when actress Whitney Blake popularized it for girls. It received a further big boost on the girls' side in the 1980s, thanks to singer Whitney Houston. Now falling rapidly down the rankings, it could be time to reclaim this one for the boys, if only as a neat way to cool-guy nickname Whit.

Whitney

Everild's list "Traditionally Masculine" of 48 great name ideas: Addison - Whitney!

Traditionally Masculine

With so many masculine names crossing into feminine territory, I think it only fair that parents (wannabe or otherwise) perhaps take some of these old-school boy names into consideration. 