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 pink 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?
39) Wren(English). Means " a bird".
17) Asher (Hebrew). Means "blessed" or "happy".
91) Morgan(Welsh). Means "possibly great".
110) Tatum(English). Means "cheerful".
64) River(English). Means "tranquil water".
30) Quinn (Irish). Means "fifth" or "wise one".
69) Addison (English). Means "Son of Adam".
101) Harley(English). Means "from the long field".
43) Poet (English). Means "one who writes verse".
22) Brett(Celtic). Means "someone from Brittany, France" or "a Breton".
74) Cameron (Scottish). Means "crooked nose".
87) Jordan (Hebrew). Means "to flow down".
102) Indigo (Latin). Means "dark blue".
63) Ripley(English). Means "loud man's meadow".
38) Valentine (Latin). Means "strong".
59) Monroe (Irish). Means "red marsh".
60) Morgan (English). Means "bright sea".
58) Marley (English). Means "from the lake meadow".
104) Jules (French). Means "youthful".
25) Emerson (English). Means "child of Emery".
3) Devan (English). Means "divine".
55) Fox (English). Means "fox".
6) London (English). Means "fortress".
27) Kai (Japanese). Means "forgiveness".
36) Sunny (English). Means "cheerful".
19) August (Latin). Means "great".
107) Romilly (Hebrew). Means "God's beloved one".
54) Channing (Irish). Means "young wolf".
29) Phoenix (Greek). Means "reborn".
47) Acer (Latin). Means "number one" or "maple tree".
105) Lennon (Irish). Means "dear one".
16) Ash (Greek). Means "happy".
14) Ariel (Hebrew). Means "lion of God".
32) Rumi (Japanese). Means "beauty" or "flow".
82) Frankie(French). Means "free one".
100) Dylan (Welsh). Means "son or daughter of the sea".
106) Rebel (German). Means "little respect for authority".
2) Albany (Latin). Means "from the ancient Latin city of Alba Longa or of Alba ".
41) Lyric (American). Means "song".
34) Skylar (Dutch). Means "giving shelter".
13) Aqua(Latin). Means "water" or "blue".
5) Indiana (English). Means "land of the Indians".
18) Aubrey (English). Means "elf ruler".
24) Ellison (English). Means "son of Elias".
75) Campbell (Scottish). Means "crooked mouth".
68) Storm (English). Means "tempest".
52) Bay (English). Means "sea inlet".
98) Yael (Hebrew) Means "mountain goat".
80) Drew (English). Means "manly".
11) Alex(Greek). Means "protector". A form of the feminine name Alexandra and the masculine name Alexander.
53) Briar (French). Means "heather".
49) Anise (English). Means "spice".
90) Mackenzie (Irish). Means "son of the wise ruler".
23) Ellis (Hebrew). Means "for God".
103) Jagger (English). Means "peddlar".
76) Casey (Irish). Means "observant".
61) Oakley (English). Means "from the oak tree meadow".
99) Bowie (German). Means "blonde".
10) Angel (Greek). Means "messenger".
9) West (English). Means "lives in the west".
37) Tarian (Welsh). Means "shield".
46) Taylor (English). Means "garment maker".
93) Parker (English). Means "obedient"
21) Blair (Scottish). Means "dweller on the path".
44) Sailor (English). Means "sailor".
88) Kelly (Irish). Means "warrior".
28) Nova (Latin). Means "new".
111) Zephyr(Greek). Means "west wind".
4) Egypt (Greek). Means "temple of the soul of Ptah".
45) Sawyer (English). Means "wood sawing".
40) Chandler (French). Means "candle maker".
12) Aphra (Hebrew). Means "ashes" or "dust".
66) Rowan (English). Means "of the trees".
67) Sage (Latin). Means "wise".
70) Alexis (Latin). Means "to defend".
26) Florian (Latin). Means "blooming".
109) Scout (French). Means "gatherer of information".
20) Avery (English). Means "Elven ruler".
15) Arin (Hebrew). Means "enlightened ". A form of the feminine name Erin and the masculine name Aaron.
42) Painter (English). Means "strong", "graceful" or "one who paints".
35) Storm (English). Means "tempest".
