Unisex Baby Names: Gender-Neutral Ideas for Girls and Boys

Parents searching for unisex baby names usually want two lists: names given to both girls and boys, and names we will suggest for either. Those lists differ. A gender-neutral listing can still be mostly one sex in the latest Social Security file.

Meanings come from our name database. Counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration, which has no unisex label. The rule in the next section is ours. A missing count means under five babies, not a proven zero. Rory, Oakley, and Rowan are on the fall baby names list and are not repeated here.

What unisex and gender-neutral mean here

Gender-neutral means we list the name for either sex. Forty-six names are listed that way. Unisex is a usage rule. From 2000 through 2025 the name was given to at least 500 babies, and the less common sex was at least a quarter of them. Eighty-three names clear it. Nineteen gender-neutral listings do not.

Avery is the clearest miss. It is listed as gender-neutral, and the meaning is sourced: "elf + counsel," from Old English. From 2000 through 2025 the file has 161,244 girls and 45,529 boys, so boys were about 22 percent (45,529 of 206,773). In 2025 Avery had 5,267 girls and 1,156 boys, girls' rank #37. The girls' high is 9,578 in 2014. In 2015 the girls' rank was #16.

Jordan is listed as gender-neutral and misses the rule from the other side. The short line is "Jordan (river)," from Biblical Hebrew, and the note matches. From 2000 through 2025 it was given to 59,132 girls and 187,672 boys. Girls were 59,132 of 246,804, just under a quarter. Hayden just clears that window: 31,528 girls and 93,466 boys. Hayden is already on the fall list.

The name browser filter labeled Neutral / unisex, and the Neutral filter in the name generator, keep both groups. A girls' or boys' listing still appears there when the name meets the usage rule. The counts describe other parents' choices. They are not a rule about who may use a name.

Names close to even in 2025

"Close to even" means that in 2025 the less common sex was at least 40 percent of the babies given that name. These nine also have a sourced meaning. Together they went from 7,292 babies in 2000 (1,822 girls and 5,470 boys) to 7,820 in 2025 (3,644 girls and 4,176 boys). The total barely moved. The mix did.

Dakota shows "Friend, ally." The origin field says Sioux. The note says from Dakota, meaning ally. In 2025 Dakota had 1,035 girls and 1,074 boys, boys' rank #319. The boys' high is 6,575 in 1995. In 2000 the split was 1,086 girls and 4,553 boys.

Finley shows "Fair-haired hero," origin Scottish. The note calls it a variant of Finlay, from Scottish Gaelic, "fair warrior/hero." In 2025 Finley had 753 girls and 1,017 boys, boys' rank #333. Girls led in 2015, 1,602 to 1,060.

Azariah means "Yahweh has helped," from Hebrew. The page lists it as a girls' name. From 2000 through 2025 the file has 7,196 girls and 6,293 boys, but in 2025 boys led, 645 to 463, boys' rank #472.

Kit shows "carrier of Christ." The note calls it a diminutive of Christopher, from Koine Greek, with that meaning. Christopher's short line is "Bearer of Christ." Kit is listed as a boys' name, but girls led in 2025, 208 to 195, so the table shows girls' rank #1,127. From 2000 through 2025 the file has 1,249 girls and 1,486 boys.

Justice means "justice," from the English word. In 2025 Justice had 162 girls and 193 boys, boys' rank #1,113. From 2000 through 2025 the file has 13,935 girls and 14,088 boys, the closest long window here.

Four more sit inside the same 2025 line. Ocean means "sea," from English: 345 girls and 375 boys, boys' rank #720. Bellamy means "fair + friend," from Old French. It is listed as a girls' name, but 2025 had 374 boys and 341 girls, boys' rank #721. Arden means "high," and the page names no language: 261 girls and 225 boys, girls' rank #975. Ramsey means "wild garlic + island," from Old English: 76 girls and 78 boys, boys' rank #1,970.

Even splits whose origin is debated

These three are listed as gender-neutral, and they meet the usage rule. The origin is debated, so this article gives them no meaning. A theory is not a gloss.

Charlie is debated. The theory is "free man." In 2025 Charlie had 2,160 girls and 2,460 boys, boys' rank #145, the boys' high. The girls' high is 2,341 in 2022. In 2000 the file had 129 girls and 528 boys.

Shiloh is debated. The theory is "tranquil, peaceful." In 2025 Shiloh had 1,098 girls and 1,220 boys, boys' rank #278.

Robin is debated. The theory is "bright fame (from Robert); the songbird." In 2025 Robin had 400 girls and 382 boys, girls' rank #704. The girls' high is 15,653 in 1961.

Girl-leaning names with a real boys' count

Girl-leaning means more girls than boys in 2025, with a real boys' count. Avery is in the cutoff section above, not in this table.

Quinn means "descendant of Chief," from Irish, and the note matches. In 2025 Quinn had 2,634 girls and 663 boys, girls' rank #97, the same girls' rank as in 2015 (3,095 girls and 949 boys). In 2000 boys led, 937 to 297. From 2000 through 2025 the file has 49,238 girls and 24,837 boys, so the flag stays on.

Sutton shows "Southern homestead," origin English. The note says Old English, "south" + "town," not homestead. In 2025 Sutton had 1,697 girls and 1,018 boys, girls' rank #181, and both counts are the highs. In 2000 it was 20 girls and 41 boys.

Palmer means "a pilgrim from the Holy Land," from Middle English, and the page lists it as a girls' name. In 2025 Palmer had 1,330 girls and 230 boys, girls' rank #232, the girls' high. From 2000 through 2025 it has 9,070 girls and 3,360 boys, so boys are still over a quarter of the window and the flag stays on.

Murphy means "descendant of Murrough," from Irish. The page lists it as a girls' name. In 2025 Murphy had 783 girls and 341 boys, girls' rank #397, both highs. In 2015 boys led, 149 to 88.

Boy-leaning names with a real girls' count

River shows "Flowing body of water," origin English. The note only says it is from the English word river. In 2025 River had 1,401 girls and 3,139 boys, boys' rank #111.

Amari shows "undying, immortal, imperishable." The note says it shares its root with Amar, from Sanskrit, and that phrase is Amar's meaning. The page lists Amari as a boys' name. In 2025 Amari had 804 girls and 2,000 boys, boys' rank #185. In 2000 girls led, 519 to 260.

Ellis shows "my God is an oath." The note calls it a pet form of Elizabeth, from Biblical Hebrew, with that meaning. In 2025 Ellis had 415 girls and 1,417 boys, boys' rank #243. Girls were under a quarter that year (415 of 1,832) and over a quarter from 2000 through 2025 (6,111 girls and 16,492 boys), so the flag stays on.

Remington means "edge, border + -ing," from Old English. In 2025 Remington had 580 girls and 1,105 boys, boys' rank #307.

Jordan, from the first section, had 503 girls and 2,732 boys in 2025, boys' rank #131, down from boys' rank #59 in 2015. The boys' high is 16,137 in 1990, with 5,957 girls.

Casey shows "Vigilant," origin Irish. The note instead says "descendant of (a person named) Watchful." In 2025 Casey had 228 girls and 1,072 boys, boys' rank #320. The boys' high is 4,134 in 1990, with 3,261 girls, when the split was much closer than it is now.

How the girl and boy counts moved

Riley, Blake, Taylor, and Morgan are debated, so this section gives them no meaning. Riley's theory is "courageous," Blake's is "dark; or pale and shining," Taylor's is "tailor," and Morgan's is "sea-born."

Riley changed which sex was ahead and ranked #48 for girls in 2025, after #35 for girls in 2015. Taylor's girls' high is 21,270 in 1993, and the 2025 girls' rank is #403. From 2000 through 2025 Taylor was given to 146,730 girls and 27,466 boys, so it is not flagged. Blake's boys' high is 6,047 in 2012. In 2015 Blake ranked #96 for boys (752 girls and 4,234 boys). The 2025 split looks even, but 2000 through 2025 has 17,070 girls and 100,851 boys, so Blake is not flagged either. Morgan's girls' rank in 2025 is #312. A "for anyone" reputation can outlive the counts.

Middle names, surnames, and initials

A middle name does not change the SSA split. Ranks count the first name only. A gendered middle name shows on the certificate and drops off many forms. The middle-name guide covers rhythm. Read both sexes before you call a shared first name neutral.

1. Say three versions. First name plus surname, then a short middle such as Grace or Paul, then a longer one such as Elizabeth or Joseph. Dakota Grace and Dakota Elizabeth differ in length only.
2. Read the initials with your surname in the full name tester. The report adds surname flow, nicknames, sibling fit, and classmate counts.
3. Print the longer note for Sutton, Casey, River, Kit, Amari, Ellis, and Finley. Leave the line off for Charlie, Riley, Blake, Taylor, Shiloh, Robin, and Morgan.
4. Compare the set in a shortlist, a name bracket, or a partner match. The how to choose a baby name guide covers the rest of the decision.

The 83 flagged names, counted

These rows follow the same 83 names back through earlier years. The set is names we publish that clear the rule, not every shared spelling in the SSA file. Missing counts under five make each total a little low.

The same 83 names were boy-leaning in 1995, girl-leaning in 2015, and slightly boy-leaning again in 2025. In 2025 they account for 83,509 of the 3,315,343 babies in the file, about 1 in 40. That share is this fixed list only.

In 2025, 79 of the 83 had at least five girls and five boys. Four had a boys' count and no girls' count: Anmol (6 boys), Ashby (13), Keelin (8), and Nicky (8). The long window can flag a name that one year no longer splits.

After you pick one

The Baby Kit puts the chosen name on the announcements and the matching shower pieces. Print a meaning only when the page states one, and skip it when the origin is debated.

Sources

• Meanings and the gender listing: our name database. The unisex flag is our rule on SSA counts for 2000 through 2025: at least 500 babies, and the less common sex at least 25 percent. The SSA file has no unisex field. Entries marked "Wiktionary" are adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0). Each name page links its source, and our sources page explains the method. Debated origins are not stated as fact here.
• Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration baby name data, 1940 to 2025. Group totals sum the names defined in each section, boys and girls together. Counts under five babies per sex per year are absent. The 2025 file total is 1,708,076 boys and 1,607,267 girls. A rank is within one sex: the sex with more babies in 2025, which is the rank shown in the name tables.