Unisex Names I Like

New Testament, Texas, and Kansas place-name more fitting for a girl.

A capital place-name possibility.

Like River and Lake, a cool, refreshing modern water-related choice.

Among the coolest of the cool color names, particularly popular with celebs as a unisex middle name.

Boo as a first name first achieved notoriety as the name of the child-man in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Arthur "Boo" Radley was meant to be frightening, but only in a simple, non-threatening way. More recently, Boo has been used as the middle name of one of chef Jamie Oliver's children and the nickname in the middle of television's Honey Boo Boo. Boo is also the name of the world's cutest dog and of the adorable little girl in Monsters Inc. In a more basic way, Boo is a term of endearment.

Rhythmic route to the nickname Cal. This musical moniker is another great example of a traditionally feminine name that could easily go masculine.

Carlisle is more popular than Carlyle for both genders, and in both spellings more widely used for boys than for girls. It's a name we see on the rise in either spelling.

Cerulean is just beginning to be heard as a name. Though Cerulean works as a name for both genders; the fact that it's a majestic light blue makes it particularly appropriate for a boy.

Affable and creative and perfectly able to stand alone; there's nothing Scroogish about it, even though it is usually spelled Eben.

Finley has been used for both sexes for enough years to become one of the most popular unisex names. Given nearly equally to boys and girls, Finley appeals to contemporary parents as a truly gender neutral choice.

Like Harbor, one of the new generation of word names with appealing meanings, though (female) memoirist Haven Kimmel has tipped it decidedly toward the girls' ca place of safetyourt.

Multipurpose pet name serving Isidore, Isaac, Israel, and -- increasingly -- Isabel.

This name of the ten-year-old boy in the much loved and acclaimed modern classic To Kill a Mockingbird could find favor along with that of the character's sister, Scout.

The New Jersey cities of Camden and Trenton are in, but the name of the state has not caught on to anywhere near the same extent. The origin of the name of the British island of Jersey is not certain, but it may derive from the Norse name Geirr.

Juniper is a nature name that we really like. While it's trendiest for girls -- about 2500 baby girls were named Juniper in 2022 versus 34 baby boys -- the most notable Juniper in history was the saint Brother Juniper, a follower of Saint Francis renowned for his generosity. Blessed Junipero Serra, who founded the first of the California Missions, took his name from the earlier Saint Juniper.

Though it sounds like a modern invention, Kiran is a traditional Hindu name from India; chosen for her son by actress Kelli Williams. Author Kiran Desai is a woman and this name, which bears a resemblance to both the Irish (male) Kieran and the fifties favorite Karen, certainly works as well for a girl.

Actor Kit Harington, aka the dreamy Jon Snow on Game of Thrones, has given this nickname-name new style and appeal for boys. Actress Jodie Foster used it for her son.

Adventurous parents are starting to look back to names of ancient gods like Mercury, Zeus, and Apollo. This one is also a planet and a metallic element, and has a friendly nickname, Merc. The Roman god Mercury, which derives from the Latin words for trade or wages, is the patron of tradesmen and travelers and the fastest-moving planet in the solar system. Mercury is the planet associated with the sign of Virgo, so this is one of the prime names for Virgo babies.

Singer Nivea used this unusual color/seafaring name for her daughter, but it has possibilities for a boy too.

Nova might be a much more commonly used a girls' name, but enough parents saw unisex appeal in it for it to debut on the US Top 1000 for boys in 2017. Nova is an astronomical term for a star that suddenly increases in brightness, then fades.