More people than ever before are plumping for non-binary or gender neutral baby names.
Where once parents were drawn to ultra-feminine, chic and vintage, name choices for their daughters and strong traditional boys’, Old English, names for their sons, now the lines are being blurred. It seems that whatever is good enough for your little girl, is also good enough for your little boy, and vice versa.
Times are changing and today’s generation of parents are less shackled by the idea of girls’ or boys’ names. Instead, they’re opting for names that are gender-neutral, meaning simply unisex.
That is, the names can be used for both girls or boys and have no definite gender association. Despite the gender-neutral tag, some of these unisex names do have stronger associations with either female or male name choices, but they remain unisex names for modern parents to pick from.
There are many reasons why people may want to select a neutral name.
A unisex name means that your child won’t be defined by their gender and that in the future they’ll have more gender fluidity.
This can mean that your child won’t be gender-stereotyped by other people before they’ve even met them. There have been campaigns about the need for non-binary toys and clothes for several years but have you ever considered that baby names can be just as defining as a dress or a toy box full of soldiers?
Whatever the reason for picking a gender-neutral name – whether to avoid gender associations or just because you’re drawn to it – we’ve gathered together some of our favorite nonbinary unisex names along with their meaning.
The trend for unisex or gender-neutral names has seen several non-binary monikers zooming up the baby name charts in the USA and around the world. Of course, picking baby names is hard work, especially if you don’t know the sex and feel obliged to select two names to cover both bases.
However, if you opt for unisex names you’ll be good to go regardless of whether you have a little boy or girl.
One of the key drivers behind this popularity could be the celeb factor. More and more celebrities are plumping for unisex names and where they lead, we tend to follow.
Blake Lively (a unisex name in itself) and Ryan Reynolds opted for James for their daughter; Cameron Diaz (another unisex name) plumped for the non-defining Raddix for her daughter; and Kim Kardashian’s four children are named: North (girl), Saint (boy), Chicago (girl) and Psalm (boy).
So, why not check out our list of top unisex names for your bundle of joy to find out the meaning behind each name and its origins?
Geography Inspired Gender Neutral Names
A unisex name can be inspired by a place you love: a city, country or continent. This collection of non-binary names and their meaning will suit boys or girls if you’re hankering after a unisex first or middle name.
1) Adrian (Latin). Means “from Hadria”. Variants include Adrienne.
2) Albany (Latin). Means “from the ancient Latin city of Alba Longa or of Alba “.
3) Devan (English). Means “divine”.
4) Egypt (Greek). Means “temple of the soul of Ptah”.
5) Indiana (English). Means “land of the Indians”.
6) London (English). Means “fortress”.
7) Sky (English). Means “of the Isle of Skye”. Variations include Skye.
8) Sydney (French). Means “Saint Denis”. Variations include Sidney.
9) West (English). Means “lives in the west”.
Contemporary Nonbinary Unisex Names
Why not try out one of these modern unisex names to see how easy it rolls off the tongue? Many modern, unisex names will mean that your child isn’t in a class with other children with the same name, meaning they’ll stand out… but not for their gender.
10) Angel (Greek). Means “”.
11) Alex (Greek). Means “protector”. A form of the feminine name Alexandra and the masculine name Alexander.
12) Aphra (Hebrew). Means “ashes” or “dust”.
13) Aqua (Latin). Means “water” or “blue”.
14) Ariel (Hebrew). Means “lion of God”.
15) Arin (Hebrew). Means “enlightened “. A form of the feminine name Erin and the masculine name Aaron.
16) Ash (Greek). Means “happy”.
17) Asher (Hebrew). Means “blessed” or “happy”.
18) Aubrey (English). Means “elf ruler”.
19) August (Latin). Means “great”.
20) Avery (English). Means “Elven ruler”.
21) Blair (Scottish). Means “dweller on the path”.
22) Brett (Celtic). Means “someone from Brittany, France” or “a Breton”.
23) Ellis (Hebrew). Means “for God”.
24) Ellison (English). Means “son of Elias”.
25) Emerson (English). Means “child of Emery”.
26) Florian (Latin). Means “blooming”.
27) Kai (Japanese). Means “forgiveness”.
28) Nova (Latin). Means “new”.
29) Phoenix (Greek). Means “reborn”.
30) Quinn (Irish). Means “fifth” or “wise one”.
31) Riley (Irish). Means “courageous”. Variations include Ryley or Reilly.
32) Rumi (Japanese). Means “beauty” or “flow”.
33) Shea (Irish). Means “courteous”. Variations include Shay.
34) Skylar (Dutch). Means “giving shelter”.
35) Storm (English). Means “tempest”.
36) Sunny (English). Means “cheerful”.
37) Tarian (Welsh). Means “shield”.
38) Valentine (Latin). Means “strong”.
39) Wren (English). Means ” a bird”.
Occupation Based Gender Neutral Names
Want to shape the future of your newborn? Or hint at a job you love while going unisex with your name? Why not pick one of these unisex names which have meanings linked to occupations.
40) Chandler (French). Means “candle maker”.
41) Lyric (American). Means “song”.
42) Painter (English). Means “strong”, “graceful” or “one who paints”.
43) Poet (English). Means “one who writes verse”.
44) Sailor (English). Means “sailor”.
45) Sawyer (English). Means “wood sawing”.
46) Taylor (English). Means “garment maker”.
Non-Binary Names For Nature Lovers
Opting for a unisex name doesn’t mean choosing an overly feminine and flowery name. Draw inspiration from nature’s strong forests and the ocean with these gender neutral unisex names and their meaning.
47) Acer (Latin). Means “number one” or “maple tree”.
48) Ainsley (Scottish, English). Means “Ann’s Meadow”. Variants include Ainslee, Ainsleigh, Aynsley and Ainslie.
49) Anise (English). Means “spice”.
50) Bailey (English). Means “bailiff” or “steward”. Variants include Baileigh and Bailee.
51) Bambi (English). Means “child”. Variations include Bambie.
52) Bay (English). Means “sea inlet”.
53) Briar (French). Means “heather”.
54) Channing (Irish). Means “young wolf”.
55) Fox (English). Means “fox”.
56) Glen (Scottish). Means “from the secluded valley. Variations include Glenn.
57) Hayden (English). Means “from the hedged valley”. Variations include Haydyn.
58) Marley (English). Means “from the lake meadow”.
59) Monroe (Irish). Means “red marsh”.
60) Morgan (English). Means “bright sea”.
61) Oakley (English). Means “from the oak tree meadow”.
62) Perry (English). Means “lives by the pear tree”. Variations include Peri, Perrie and Perri.
63) Ripley (English). Means “loud man’s meadow”.
64) River (English). Means “tranquil water”.
65) Robin (German). Means “fame”. Variants include Robyn.
66) Rowan (English). Means “of the trees”.
67) Sage (Latin). Means “wise”.
68) Storm (English). Means “tempest”.
Traditional Unisex Names
Non-binary names may be a relatively new concept but that doesn’t mean you have to go ultra-modern with your name. We’ve selected gender neutral names for babies that hark back to a past era.
69) Addison (English). Means “Son of Adam”.
70) Alexis (Latin). Means “to defend”.
71) Allie (Celtic). Means “little rock”, “harmony” or “peace”. Variants include Aly, Ali, Ally.
72) Andy (Greek). Means “brave”. Variations include Andee and Andi.
73) Billy (English). Means “resolute protector”. Variations include Billie.
74) Cameron (Scottish). Means “crooked nose”.
75) Campbell (Scottish). Means “crooked mouth”.
76) Casey (Irish). Means “observant”.
77) Corey (Irish). Means “from the hollow”. Variations include Cory, Kori and Kory.
78) Darrel (English). Means “darling”. Variations include Darryl and Darrell.
79) Dominique (French). Means “of the Lord”. Variations include Dominic.
80) Drew (English). Means “manly”.
81) Francis (Latin). Means “liberated”. Variations include Frances.
82) Frankie (French). Means “free one”.
83) Gabriel (Hebrew). Means “hero of God”. Variations include Gabrielle.
84) Jamie (Hebrew). Means “supplanter”. Variations include Jaimie and Jayme.
85) Jessie (Hebrew). Means “wealthy”. Variations include Jesse.
86) Jody (Hebrew). Means “praise”. Variations include Jodie.
87) Jordan (Hebrew). Means “to flow down”.
88) Kelly (Irish). Means “warrior”.
89) Kerry (Irish). Means “dark haired one”. Variations include Ceri.
90) Mackenzie (Irish). Means “son of the wise ruler”.
91) Morgan (Welsh). Means “possibly great”.
92) Noel (French/Latin). Means “born at Christmas”. Variations include Noelle.
93) Parker (English). Means “obedient”
94) Payton (English). Means “from a small town”. Variations include Peyton.
95) Reese (Welsh). Means “ardour” or “enthusiastic”. Variations include Reece.
96) Regan (Irish). Means “little king”. Variations include Reagan.
97) Tony (English). Means “worthy of praise”. Variations include Toni.
98) Yael (Hebrew) Means “mountain goat”.
Celebrity Influenced Non-Binary Names
Draw your ideas from pop culture or take the lead of modern celebrity parents with this collection of non-binary names. You’ll also find the meaning of each non-binary name.
99) Bowie (German). Means “blonde”.
100) Dylan (Welsh). Means “son or daughter of the sea”.
101) Harley (English). Means “from the long field”.
102) Indigo (Latin). Means “dark blue”.
103) Jagger (English). Means “peddlar”.
104) Jules (French). Means “youthful”.
105) Lennon (Irish). Means “dear one”.
106) Rebel (German). Means “little respect for authority”.
107) Romilly (Hebrew). Means “God’s beloved one”.
108) Sacha (Slavic). Means “man’s defender”. Variations include Sasha.
109) Scout (French). Means “gatherer of information”.
110) Tatum (English). Means “cheerful”.
111) Zephyr (Greek). Means “west wind”.
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