A gender-neutral name hands your child room to decide who they are, and plenty of parents want exactly that. Linda Murray, then global editor in chief of BabyCenter, told CBS News that “This generation is truly interested in gender neutral names.” (1)
The 100 nonbinary names below run from everyday to almost unheard of. Eleven of them still sit inside the U.S. top 100, led by Harper at No. 16 and Avery at No. 37 in 2025, while Gemini sits deepest of all, at rank 15,698 in 2025 (2). Halston has climbed the fastest, up roughly 689 percent over the past decade of births against the decade before it.
Every ranking here comes from Social Security Administration birth records, which cover U.S. births only and list a name for a given year only once it reaches five births. Each entry gives the meaning, the origin, a plain pronunciation, and how the name currently splits between girls and boys.
Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: Harper, Avery, Dylan, Riley and Adrian.
100 Popular Nonbinary and Gender-Neutral Names for Your Baby
No gender, no problem, this list of baby names is anything but typical!
Adrian
Adrian picked up a soft, romantic streak from the 1976 film Rocky, where Talia Shire played Adrian as Rocky’s love interest. It has been on the U.S. charts since 1880, so it reads familiar without feeling worn out.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Son of Adria, dark one
- Pronunciation: AY-dree-un
- Variations: Adrienne, Adrien
- Namesakes: Adrian Gonzales, a Mexican American baseball player. Adrien Brody, an American actor, best known for his role inThe Pianist. Adrienne Bailon, an American television personality.
- Popularity: Adrian ranked No. 74 for boys in the U.S. in 2025, with 4,464 boys and 41 girls given the name that year.
Ainsley
Ainsley has a flowing, almost lyrical sound that many people first read as feminine, yet football and cricket players have carried it for decades. That mismatch is what makes it useful for parents who want a name nobody can sort at a glance. It also comes with easy short forms, Lee or Annie, if your child ever wants something quicker. The meadow meaning gives it a calm, outdoorsy feel.
- Origin: British
- Meaning: One hermitage, meadow
- Pronunciation: AYN-slee
- Variations: Ansley, Anslie
- Namesakes: Ainsley Battle, an American football player. Ainsley Hall, a Jamaican cricket player.
- Popularity: In 2025, 621 girls and 8 boys were named Ainsley in the U.S., placing it No. 483 on the girls’ list.
Alex
Alex can stand entirely on its own, though in the U.S. it often starts life as a short form of Alexandra, Alexandria, or Alexander. Either way it lands the same: two syllables, no frills, impossible to mispronounce.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Defender of humankind
- Pronunciation: AL-ex
- Namesakes: Alex Rodriguez, an American baseball player. Alex Isley, an American singer.
- Popularity: Alex ranked No. 232 for boys in 2025 (1,515 births) and No. 2,487 for girls (71 births); its high point was No. 47 in 1995.
Arden
Arden sounds like somewhere you would want to walk. The English Forest of Arden runs through several of Shakespeare’s plays, which gives the name a literary weight it wears lightly. It has been quietly on the charts since 1914, with girls and boys landing within a few dozen births of each other. For book lovers, that mix of green space and stagecraft is hard to beat.
- Origin: British
- Meaning: Great forest
- Pronunciation: AR-den
- Namesakes: Arden Key, an American football player. Arden Rose, an American author.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 6,173 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 975 for girls (261 births) and No. 1,005 for boys (225 births).
Ari
Ari packs eagle, lion, and sun-like meanings into two syllables, which is a lot of weight for such a light name. Singer Ariana Grande is called Ari by her fans, and that affection has rubbed off on the name itself. It works as a standalone choice or as the short form of something longer. Girls make up roughly a third of Aris born now, so the name leans toward boys without shutting girls out.
- Origin: Scandinavian
- Meaning: Eagle, lion, sun-like
- Pronunciation: AH-ree
- Namesakes: Ari Lennox, an American singer. Ari Boyland, a New Zealand actor.
- Popularity: No. 393 for boys in the U.S. in 2025, with 808 boys and 476 girls given the name that year.
Arlo
Arlo has had a remarkable run, climbing from near obscurity to No. 148 on the boys’ list in about a decade. Leighton Meester and Toni Collette both used it, one for a daughter and one for a son, which tells you how loose its gender feel is. The sound is warm and slightly rustic without being countrified. It is still given overwhelmingly to boys in the U.S., so it leans rather than balances.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Between two highlands
- Pronunciation: AR-loh
- Namesakes: Arlo Parks, a British singer. Arlo Guthrie, an American folk singer.
- Popularity: In 2025, 2,443 boys and 71 girls were named Arlo in the U.S., placing it No. 148 on the boys’ list.
Armoni
Armoni looks and sounds like harmony, and that is most of its appeal. The Hebrew meaning of chestnut keeps it grounded in something plain and plant-like. It stays rare enough that your child would likely be the only one in their grade, and it is close to an even split between girls and boys. For a demigirl or demiboy child, that ambiguity is the point rather than a side effect.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Chestnut
- Pronunciation: AHR-moan-ee
- Popularity: Armoni ranked No. 2,215 for girls in 2025 (83 births) and No. 2,110 for boys (69 births); its high point was No. 1,729 in 2019.
Artemis
In Greek mythology, Artemis was the goddess of hunting, the moon, and chastity, and one of the twelve Olympians who lived on Mount Olympus. The name carries all of that without sounding costume-like on a modern child. It is uncommon in the U.S. and goes mostly to girls, with boys given the name far less often, which is unusual for a name with such a specific mythological owner.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Twin of Apollo, butcher
- Pronunciation: AHR-tee-mus
- Popularity: Roughly one in 6,536 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 1,017 for girls (246 births) and No. 1,838 for boys (86 births).
Ash
Ash is short, sharp, and completely unmarked by gender. It works as a given name in its own right, not only as a clipping of Ashley or Asher, and it is a great unisex name for a child who uses they or them. The ash tree meaning keeps it tied to something living rather than abstract. It peaked in 2023 and has eased slightly since, while staying well outside the crowded part of the charts.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Ash tree
- Pronunciation: ASH
- Variations: Ashe
- Namesakes: Arthur Ashe, an American tennis player. Mary Kay Ash, an American businesswoman.
- Popularity: No. 1,177 for boys in the U.S. in 2025, with 175 boys and 17 girls given the name that year.
Aubrey
Aubrey traces back to Alberich, a figure from Germanic folklore whose name means “elf ruler.” That story gives it a fairytale streak most parents never notice. It peaked with girls in the early 2010s and has been easing back since, which usually means a name is heading toward classic rather than trendy. Boys named Aubrey still appear every year, and Aubrey Drake Graham is the best known of them.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Elf ruler
- Pronunciation: AW-bree
- Variations: Aubri, Aubree
- Namesakes: Aubrey Plaza, an American actress. Aubrey Drake Graham, a Canadian rapper, and entertainer.
- Popularity: In 2025, 2,003 girls and 70 boys were named Aubrey in the U.S., placing it No. 146 on the girls’ list.
Audrey
Audrey has been on the U.S. charts since 1881, and Audrey Hepburn made it permanently elegant. The noble, strong meaning suits that image better than most name meanings ever manage.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Noble, strength
- Pronunciation: AW-dree
- Namesakes: Audrey Hepburn, a British actress best known for her role in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
- Popularity: Audrey ranked No. 86 for girls in 2025, with 2,919 births that year; births of any other gender fall below the five-birth line the data publishes.
August
August comes from Augustus and carries the sense of great or exalted, an association Caesar Augustus did not exactly discourage. It doubles as a month, which gives it a warm, late-summer feel that softens the imperial edge. The name is having its strongest moment ever in the U.S. right now, and it works on a child, a teenager, and an adult without adjustment. It reads naturally on a toddler and just as naturally on a resume decades later.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: To increase, great
- Pronunciation: AW-gust
- Namesakes: August Alsina, an American singer. August Wilson, an American playwright, best known for writing the play Fences.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 432 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 81 for boys (3,958 births) and No. 962 for girls (268 births).
Avery
Avery is one of the few names on this list that is genuinely common for everybody. It sits inside the U.S. top 50 for girls, and 1,156 boys were also given the name in 2025, a split very few names manage to hold.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Ruler of elves
- Pronunciation: AY-vuh-ree
- Namesakes: Avery Johnson, an American basketball coach. Avery Sunshine, an American singer.
- Popularity: No. 37 for girls in the U.S. in 2025, with 5,267 girls and 1,156 boys given the name that year.
Ayomide
Ayomide means my joy has arrived, which may be the sweetest meaning on this entire list. It comes from the Yoruba language of West Africa and carries that heritage plainly. In U.S. birth records it stays rare, and boys outnumber girls by roughly five to three. Say it out loud once and the rhythm does the rest of the work.
- Origin: Yoruba
- Meaning: My joy has arrived
- Pronunciation: AH-yoe-mee-day
- Popularity: In 2025, 29 boys and 17 girls were named Ayomide in the U.S., placing it No. 3,768 on the boys’ list.
Beck
Beck is a common surname that has quietly become a given name. Netflix viewers met a character known almost entirely by her surname Beck in the first season of You, which nudged it further into first-name territory. It is a short and unique name on its own, and it also works as a landing spot for Beckham or Rebecka. The brook meaning keeps it gentle despite the hard consonant.
- Origin: German, Hebrew
- Meaning: Brook, stream
- Pronunciation: BEK
- Namesakes: Noelle Beck, an American actress best known for her role in the soap opera Loving.
- Popularity: Beck ranked No. 913 for boys in 2025 (259 births) and No. 8,441 for girls (12 births); its high point was No. 913 in 2025.
Blake
Blake is a cool name whose meaning contradicts itself, covering both dark and bright, which is a fitting start for a name that refuses to pick a side. It was strongest with boys in the early 2010s and has cooled since, though girls named Blake now nearly match boys in U.S. births. One syllable, no nickname required, no explanation needed.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Dark, black, bright, shining, pale
- Pronunciation: BLAYK
- Namesakes: Blake Griffin, an American basketball player. Blake Shelton, an American singer.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 1,582 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 316 for boys (1,080 births) and No. 295 for girls (1,035 births).
Branch
Branch is a surname first and a first name second, and it works because it does not sound like a name at all until you meet one. The tree branch meaning gives it a nature-adjacent quality without the softness of Willow or River. Fans of the Dreamworks Trolls films will think of the troll voiced by Justin Timberlake, which is either a plus or something to weigh. It is genuinely rare, so expect to spell it out for people who assume they misheard.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Tree branch, extension
- Pronunciation: BRANCH
- Namesakes: Michelle Branch, an American singer.
- Popularity: Branch ranked No. 3,455 in the U.S. in 2025, and its best showing was No. 1,707 in 2018.
Brook
Brook is a small stream, and the name moves like one: quiet, unhurried, easy to be around. It was far more common in the U.S. decades ago than it is today, so it now reads as a rediscovery rather than a trend.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Small stream
- Pronunciation: BRUUK
- Variations: Brooke
- Namesakes: Brooke Shields, an American actress best known for her role in The Blue Lagoon.
- Popularity: In 2025, 32 girls and 15 boys were named Brook in the U.S., placing it No. 4,373 on the girls’ list.
Carlin
Carlin means little champion, a fitting name for someone who has already done the hard work of arriving. It has been on the U.S. charts since 1905 and is now genuinely rare, split fairly evenly between girls and boys.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Little champion
- Pronunciation: KAR-lin
- Namesakes: George Carlin, the American comedian.
- Popularity: Carlin ranked No. 6,520 for boys in 2025 (13 births) and No. 6,591 for girls (17 births); its high point was No. 1,326 in 1934.
Casey
Casey has been a U.S. staple for decades and has never sounded overly masculine, which is why it also makes a beautiful name for baby girls. Brave in battle is the Irish meaning, and the name is bouncy enough that the fierceness never lands too hard.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Brave in battle
- Pronunciation: KAY-see
- Variations: Caicey, Kasey, Kacie
- Namesakes: Casey Kasem, an American DJ. Casey Affleck, an American actor.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 1,592 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 320 for boys (1,072 births) and No. 1,065 for girls (228 births).
Christian
Christian was a female name in the Middle Ages, and it shifted decisively toward boys only after John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress appeared in 1678 with a protagonist by that name. That history makes it a quietly subversive choice for a gender-neutral list. It is still inside the U.S. top 100, so it carries none of the risk that comes with a rare pick. Nothing in the name itself points either way, though U.S. births run overwhelmingly to boys.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Follower of Christ
- Pronunciation: KRIS-chun
- Variations: Kristian
- Namesakes: Christian Bale, an American actor. Christian Serratos, an American actress, best known for her role in The Walking Dead TV series.
- Popularity: No. 96 for boys in the U.S. in 2025, with 3,641 boys and 27 girls given the name that year.
Colby
Colby has a cheerful, easygoing sound that suits a kid and grows up fine. The Norse meaning points to a settlement, so it was a place long before it was a person. The Colby spelling leans toward boys while Colbie leans toward girls, and either way it stays uncommon enough to feel chosen rather than inherited. It peaked around the turn of the century and has been drifting down since.
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Swarthy person’s settlement
- Pronunciation: KOHL-bee
- Variations: Colbie
- Namesakes: Colbie Caillat, an American singer. Colby Armstrong, a Canadian hockey player.
- Popularity: In 2025, 455 boys and 60 girls were named Colby in the U.S., placing it No. 615 on the boys’ list.
Cory
Cory is tied to Cora, and its meaning of from the hollow or in a cauldron gives it more depth than most four-letter names get. It was a genuine hit in the late 1980s and has fallen a long way since, which is exactly when a name becomes interesting again. It is a short and sweet name that carries no gender baggage at all. The short, open sound pairs easily with almost any longer middle name.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: From the hollow
- Pronunciation: KOR-ee
- Variations: Corey
- Namesakes: Cory Hardict, an American actor best known for his role in the film Brothers. Cory Kennedy, an American model.
- Popularity: Cory ranked No. 1,245 for boys in 2025 (160 births) and No. 7,576 for girls (14 births); its high point was No. 59 in 1988.
Cree
Cree comes from Kristineaux, a name for Native Americans used by French fur traders, shortened over time to Kri and then Cree. It is used for girls and boys in Native American communities, and U.S. birth data now leans boys by close to two to one.
- Origin: Native American
- Meaning: Tribe Name
- Pronunciation: KREE
- Variations: Kri
- Namesakes: Cree Summer, an American actress best known for her role in the TV series A Different World.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 43,478 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 3,096 for boys (39 births) and No. 5,760 for girls (21 births).
Dakota
Dakota means friend or ally, which is a generous thing to name a child. It doubles as a place name covering two states thick with U.S. history, including the South Dakota mountainside carved into Mount Rushmore.
- Origin: Native American
- Meaning: Friend, ally
- Pronunciation: duh-KOH-tuh
- Namesakes: Dakota Fanning, an American actress known for her role in the filmI Am Sam. Dakota Johnson, an American actress known for her role in the Fifty Shadesfilm franchise.
- Popularity: No. 319 for boys in the U.S. in 2025, with 1,074 boys and 1,035 girls given the name that year.
Dell
Dell is a small valley, and the name has the same tucked-away quality. It was reasonably well used in the U.S. in the 1930s and has thinned out to almost nothing since, which puts it in genuine rediscovery territory.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Small valley, glen
- Pronunciation: DEL
- Namesakes: Dell Curry, a former American basketball player.
- Popularity: Dell ranked No. 10,978 for boys in 2025, with 6 births that year; births of any other gender fall below the five-birth line the data publishes.
Denver
Denver has picked up speed lately after sitting quietly on the U.S. charts since 1880. The green valley meaning suits a place name that most people associate with mountains and open sky.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Green valley, from Anvers
- Pronunciation: DEN-ver
- Namesakes: John Denver, an American entertainer, best known for his folk song Take Me Home.
- Popularity: Denver ranked No. 518 for boys in 2025 (578 births) and No. 836 for girls (326 births); its high point was No. 422 in 1919.
Derby
Derby means park with deer, which is about as pastoral as a name gets. It has an English, slightly sporting ring to it that would suit a family with a taste for adventure or a good story behind a name. It is exceptionally rare now, so your child would own it outright. Expect to spell it, and expect people to ask.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Park with deer
- Pronunciation: DER-bee
- Popularity: Derby has not met the Social Security Administration’s five-birth cutoff since 2011, when it last appeared at No. 12,754.
Duffy
Duffy means dark, yet the sound is light and bouncy, which is a pleasing contradiction to hand a child. It is far better known as an Irish surname than as a given name, and it has faded almost completely from U.S. birth records.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Dark
- Pronunciation: DUFF-ee
- Namesakes: Patrick Duffy, an American actor known for his role in the TV series Step by Step. Aimee Ann Duff, a Welsh singer.
- Popularity: Duffy has not met the Social Security Administration’s five-birth cutoff since 2012, when it last appeared at No. 12,792.
Dylan
Dylan means son of the sea, and the Welsh origin gives it a lilt that most short boys’ names lack. It has held a top 50 spot in the U.S. for years, so it is familiar without being ordinary.
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Son of the sea
- Pronunciation: DILL-uhn
- Variations: Dillon
- Namesakes: Bob Dylan, an American singer-songwriter.
- Popularity: In 2025, 6,208 boys and 338 girls were named Dylan in the U.S., placing it No. 41 on the boys’ list.
Ellery
Ellery means joyful and also lives by the alder tree, so it manages to be both a mood and a place. It has never cracked the U.S. top 1,000, which is exactly what some parents are looking for.
- Origin: British
- Meaning: Joyful, lives by the Alder tree
- Pronunciation: EHL-ehr-ee
- Namesakes: Ellery Eskelin, an American jazz musician. Ellery Sprayberry, an American actress who starred in The Young and the Restless.
- Popularity: Ellery ranked No. 1,208 for girls in 2025 (188 births) and No. 9,149 for boys (8 births); its high point was No. 1,020 in 2014.
Ellington
Ellington moves the way jazz does, rhythmic and unhurried, and Duke Ellington is the reason it registers at all. It has only been in U.S. birth records since 2001, so it is a genuinely modern choice with a vintage sound.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Ellis’s town
- Pronunciation: EL-ing-tun
- Namesakes: Duke Ellington, an American jazz musician.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 27,027 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 2,868 for girls (59 births) and No. 4,167 for boys (25 births).
Ellis
Ellis means benevolent, which is a rare thing for a surname-style name to promise. It works as a first name or a middle name, the way Tracee Ellis Ross wears it. The name has been climbing steadily in the U.S. after more than a century on the charts, and it now goes to a healthy share of girls as well as boys.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Benevolent
- Pronunciation: EL-iss
- Namesakes: Jay Ellis, an American actor best known for his role in the TV series Insecure. Tracee Ellis Ross, an American actress who starred in the TV series Girlfriends.
- Popularity: No. 243 for boys in the U.S. in 2025, with 1,417 boys and 415 girls given the name that year.
Emery
Any child can be loving, industrious, and powerful. Emery carries all three meanings without strain. The spelling Emory shifts the look without touching the sound, so you can steer it slightly if you want. It has climbed into the U.S. top 100, yet fewer than one in ten Emerys born are boys. That combination is unusual at that level of popularity. It reads as equally natural in a boardroom and a kindergarten roster.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Loving, industrious, powerful
- Pronunciation: EMM-err-ee
- Variations: Emory
- Namesakes: Emery Welshman, a professional footballer for Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League.
- Popularity: In 2025, 3,208 girls and 305 boys were named Emery in the U.S., placing it No. 74 on the girls’ list.
Emerson
Emerson started as a surname and a boys’ name. It has shifted toward girls in recent years, with roughly five girls born Emerson for every three boys. Teri Hatcher and Shonda Rhimes both named daughters Emerson. That sped the shift toward girls along. It is at its most popular ever in the U.S. right now. It carries a settled, professional sound at any age.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Brave, powerful, child of Emery
- Pronunciation: EM-er-sun
- Namesakes: Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American poet, and author.
- Popularity: Emerson ranked No. 122 for girls in 2025 (2,241 births) and No. 254 for boys (1,371 births); its high point was No. 122 in 2025.
Everest
Everest is the mountain, and there is no getting around that, but the name carries the ambition rather than the weight. Its Tibetan name means holy mother, a gentler association than the climbing records that usually come to mind. George Lucas and Mellody Hobson named their daughter Everest in 2013. It has never been more used in the U.S. than it is now, and it still goes to fewer than 500 babies a year.
- Origin: British
- Meaning: Dweller on the Eure River
- Pronunciation: EV-er-est
- Popularity: Roughly one in 5,435 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 796 for boys (315 births) and No. 2,053 for girls (92 births).
Evren
Evren means universe or cosmos, which is a lot of sky for two syllables. It is Turkish, it is uncommon, and it has a cosmic meaning that needs no explanation once you say it. The name has never been more used in the U.S. than right now, though it is still rare enough to feel like a find. There are no limits built into it, which is the whole point of a gender-neutral pick.
- Origin: Turkish
- Meaning: Universe, cosmos
- Pronunciation: EV-ren
- Popularity: No. 857 for boys in the U.S. in 2025, with 284 boys and 20 girls given the name that year.
Frankie
Frankie is usually a short form of Frances, Francine, or Franklin, and it has become a first name in its own right for plenty of families. It fits neatly alongside other British boy names while going to more than twice as many girls as boys in current U.S. births. The name peaked at No. 255 in 1933 and sits at No. 552 in 2025, still comfortably inside the top 1,000.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: From France, free man
- Pronunciation: FRANK-ee
- Namesakes: Frankie Grande, an American entertainer. Frankie Beverly, an American singer.
- Popularity: In 2025, 549 girls and 256 boys were named Frankie in the U.S., placing it No. 552 on the girls’ list.
Gemini
Gemini means twins, and zodiac names have quietly become a small trend among U.S. parents. It is the deepest-ranked name on this list that the Social Security Administration still tracks, at No. 15,698 in 2025, so it is a genuinely bold choice rather than a soft one.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Twins
- Pronunciation: JEM-ih-nye
- Popularity: Gemini ranked No. 15,698 for girls in 2025 (5 births) and No. 6,236 for boys (14 births); its high point was No. 3,614 in 1965.
Gianni
Gianni is a shortened version of Giovanni, and it keeps all of the Italian warmth in half the syllables. The meaning, God is gracious, is one of the oldest in the naming world. Designer Gianni Versace is the association most adults have, which gives it a stylish edge. It is still given mostly to boys in the U.S., though a healthy number of girls carry it too.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: God is gracious
- Pronunciation: GEE-yahn-ee
- Namesakes: Gianni Versace, an Italian fashion designer.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 2,994 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 524 for boys (571 births) and No. 1,351 for girls (164 births).
Hale
Hale is a U.S. surname that transfers cleanly to a first name, and it comes with the built-in bonus of also being an ordinary English word for healthy. The meaning, someone who lives in a hollow, gives it a quiet, tucked-in feel.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Someone who lives in a hollow
- Pronunciation: HAYL
- Namesakes: Lucy Hale, an American actress, known for her role in the Pretty Little Liars TV series.
- Popularity: Hale ranked No. 6,584 for boys in 2025, with 13 births that year; births of any other gender fall below the five-birth line the data publishes.
Halston
Halston is the fastest riser on this list by a wide margin, with births up roughly 689 percent over the last decade against the decade before. The fashion house came first: designer Roy Halston Frowick built a label out of his own middle name. Hallowed stone is the meaning, which gives it a weight the fashion connection alone would not. It runs about three girls for every two boys, and it is still rare enough to turn heads.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Hallowed stone
- Pronunciation: HALL-stun
- Namesakes: Roy Halston Frowick, an American fashion designer.
- Popularity: In 2025, 89 girls and 59 boys were named Halston in the U.S., placing it No. 2,109 on the girls’ list.
Harper
Harper is the highest ranked name on this list, sitting at No. 16 in the U.S. in 2025. Someone who plays the harp is the meaning, which explains some of the softness people hear in it, and novelist Harper Lee supplies the literary backbone. It is used far more for girls than boys now, though nothing in the sound demands that. If you want a gender-neutral name that no one will ever misspell, this is it.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Someone who plays the harp
- Pronunciation: HAR-per
- Namesakes: Harper Lee, an American novelist.
- Popularity: Harper ranked No. 16 for girls in 2025 (6,792 births) and No. 1,980 for boys (77 births); its high point was No. 9 in 2018.
Hayden
Hayden means hedged valley, and it has the same easy, unfussy sound as Aiden or Braden without being quite as common. It peaked with boys in the late 2000s and has settled since, while girls now account for close to a quarter of Haydens born. That mix makes it one of the more reliably neutral picks in the top 200. The two syllables sit comfortably next to a one-syllable middle name.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Hedged valley, hay valley
- Pronunciation: HAY-den
- Variations: Haiden
- Namesakes: Hayden Bryerly, an American actor who starred in The Fosters TV series.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 753 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 161 for boys (2,268 births) and No. 437 for girls (707 births).
Honor
Honor is a virtue name that does not preach, which is harder to pull off than it sounds. It has been in U.S. records since 1888 and remains rare, going to girls and boys in similar numbers.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Honor
- Pronunciation: ON-er
- Variations: Honour
- Namesakes: Honor Carter, a New Zealand field hockey player.
- Popularity: No. 2,390 for girls in the U.S. in 2025, with 75 girls and 88 boys given the name that year.
Iman
Iman means faith, and the sound has the same settled quality as the end of a prayer. Somali supermodel Iman gave the name its international profile, and NBA player Iman Shumpert shows how easily it works on a man. It stays rare in the U.S. and is given to girls and boys in close to equal numbers. Its rarity in the U.S. means a child is unlikely to meet another Iman in school.
- Origin: Arabic
- Meaning: Faith
- Pronunciation: EE-mohn
- Variations: Eman
- Namesakes: Iman Bowie, a Somalian supermodel. Iman Shumpert, an American basketball player.
- Popularity: In 2025, 91 girls and 89 boys were named Iman in the U.S., placing it No. 2,072 on the girls’ list.
Jackie
Jackie is best known as a short form of Jacqueline or Jackson, which is precisely what makes it work on its own. It was a genuine hit in the early 1960s and has become rare since, so it now sounds retro rather than dated. The ambiguity is total: nobody hearing it can tell you anything about the child. Actor Jackie Chan is the reference most kids will recognize.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: May God protect, God is gracious
- Pronunciation: JAK-ee
- Namesakes: Jackie Chan, a Chinese actor known for his role in the Rush Hour film franchise.
- Popularity: Jackie ranked No. 2,163 for girls in 2025 (86 births) and No. 2,269 for boys (62 births); its high point was No. 112 in 1961.
Jalen
Jalen means calm, and it has been a modern American favorite since the 1990s. The spelling variations do the heavy lifting here, since Jaylin and Jai’Lynn read very differently from Jalen itself. Basketball player Jalen Rose put the name on the map, and it has stayed comfortably inside the U.S. top 500 ever since. It leans male in practice, so the spelling you pick matters more than usual.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Calm
- Pronunciation: JAY-lin
- Variations: Jaylin, Jai’Lynn
- Namesakes: Jalen Rose, an American basketball player.
- Popularity: Jalen ranked No. 443 for boys in 2025, with 711 births that year; births of any other gender fall below the five-birth line the data publishes.
Jamie
James is where Jamie usually starts for boys, while girls tend to get Jamie as the name on the certificate. It was enormously popular in the mid 1970s and has quieted down a great deal since, which is what makes it feel fresh again. Actors Jamie Pressly and Jamie Foxx keep both readings in circulation. Boys now make up roughly three in five Jamies born, a reversal from the name’s mid-1970s peak as mostly a girls’ name.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Supplanter
- Pronunciation: JAY-mee
- Namesakes: Jamie Pressly, an American actress best known for her role in the TV series My Name is Earl. Jamie Foxx, an American entertainer.
- Popularity: No. 858 for girls in the U.S. in 2025, with 316 girls and 508 boys given the name that year.
Jessie
Jessie is a common nickname for Jessica, though it stands up perfectly well alone and has done since the 1880s. The Hebrew meaning, he sees us, gives it more substance than its breezy sound suggests. The Jesse spelling leans male while Jessie leans female, so you can steer it without changing how anyone says it. Singers Jessie Reyez and Jesse McCartney cover both ends.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: He sees us, the Lord exists
- Pronunciation: JESS-ee
- Variations: Jesse
- Namesakes: Jessie Reyez, a Canadian singer. Jesse McCartney, an American entertainer.
- Popularity: In 2025, 330 girls and 126 boys were named Jessie in the U.S., placing it No. 824 on the girls’ list.
Jordan
The Jordan River is the best known namesake here, the site where Jesus was baptized and a landmark for Christians worldwide. The meaning, to flow down or descend, comes straight from that water. Michael Jordan and singer Jordin Sparks show how far the name stretches in either direction. It has slipped a long way from its 1990s peak, which is usually the sign of a name about to feel fresh again.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: To flow down, descend
- Pronunciation: JOR-dun
- Variations: Jordyn, Jordin
- Namesakes: Michael Jordan, an American basketball player, and businessman. Jordin Sparks, an American singer.
- Popularity: Jordan ranked No. 131 for boys in 2025 (2,732 births) and No. 584 for girls (503 births); its high point was No. 26 in 1997.
Justice
Justice began as an American surname and has grown into a first name that says something without lecturing. It goes to girls and boys in nearly equal numbers, with boys taking a slight edge. The meaning is right there in the word, so nobody has to look it up. Choosing a virtue name and refusing to gender it is a statement, and this one makes it quietly.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: To deliver what is just
- Pronunciation: JUS-tiss
- Namesakes: Victoria Justice, an American entertainer.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 8,850 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 1,113 for boys (193 births) and No. 1,363 for girls (162 births).
Kapri
Kapri takes its name from the Italian island of Capri and its meaning from caprice, which gives it a light, unpredictable charm, and the K spelling shifts it away from the place and toward the person. It stays rare in the U.S. and is given mostly to girls, though boys named Kapri appear in the data too. Kid Capri gives it one namesake, but no single bearer defines the name, so parents largely shape what it means for their own child.
- Origin: Italy
- Meaning: Caprice, whim
- Pronunciation: KUH-pree
- Variations: Capri
- Namesakes: Kid Capri, an American DJ.
- Popularity: No. 1,506 for girls in the U.S. in 2025, with 142 girls and 21 boys given the name that year.
Karsyn
Karsyn is a modern respelling of Carson, which stays far more common and far more male. The Y makes all the difference: it softens the name and unmoors it from any single reading. The meaning, Christian, gives it a traditional anchor under the contemporary look. Girls take the larger share of Karsyns born now, but the split is real.
- Origin: American
- Meaning: Christian
- Pronunciation: CAR-sin
- Variations: Carson
- Namesakes: Carson Daley, an American TV show host best known for hosting MTV’s TRL.
- Popularity: In 2025, 390 girls and 168 boys were named Karsyn in the U.S., placing it No. 719 on the girls’ list.
Kelby
Kelby means willow farm, and it has the same easy, rural warmth as Colby or Shelby without the familiarity. It was at its most used in the U.S. in the early 1990s and has thinned out considerably since.
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Willow farm
- Pronunciation: KEL-bee
- Namesakes: Kelby Tomlinson, an American baseball player.
- Popularity: Kelby ranked No. 5,313 for boys in 2025 (18 births) and No. 7,682 for girls (14 births); its high point was No. 746 in 1991.
Kendall
Kendall points to the Kent River Valley in England, an unexpectedly old-world root for a name that reads so modern. Kendall Jenner made it a household word, and that is part of why you are far more likely to meet a girl with the name than a boy. Boys named Kendall do still turn up in U.S. birth records every year.
- Origin: British
- Meaning: The Kent River Valley
- Pronunciation: KEN-dul
- Namesakes: Kendall Jenner, an American model and reality TV star.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 1,724 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 328 for girls (932 births) and No. 1,232 for boys (163 births).
Kennedy
Kennedy is a common U.S. surname and a top 100 given name, and it carries both a presidency and a Scottish family line behind it. Helmet headed is the literal meaning, which is more armored than the name sounds.
- Origin: Scottish
- Meaning: Helmet headed
- Pronunciation: KEN-uh-dee
- Namesakes: John F. Kennedy, a former American president.
- Popularity: No. 85 for girls in the U.S. in 2025, with 2,933 girls and 86 boys given the name that year.
Khari
Khari means kingly, and it delivers that without the heaviness of a name like Rex or Royal. It peaked at No. 677 in 2020 and has slid since, landing at No. 1,532 in 2025. Boys still take the larger share of the name. The pronunciation is straightforward once heard, which is more than most rare names can offer.
- Origin: West African
- Meaning: Kingly
- Pronunciation: CAR-ee
- Popularity: In 2025, 113 boys and 54 girls were named Khari in the U.S., placing it No. 1,532 on the boys’ list.
Kiernan
Kiernan means little dark one and sits right beside the more familiar Irish name Kieran. The extra N gives it a surname feel that works well as a first name for any child. Actress Kiernan Shipka is the reference point for most people who know it. It is genuinely rare in the U.S., so it stays distinctive without ever sounding invented.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Little dark one
- Pronunciation: KEY-yer-nin
- Namesakes: Kiernan Shipka, an American actress, known for her role in Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
- Popularity: Kiernan ranked No. 3,409 for boys in 2025 (34 births) and No. 10,519 for girls (9 births); its high point was No. 1,694 in 2000.
Kirby
Kirby means church settlement, which is a solemn origin for a name this cheerful. Singer KIRBY performs under it as a capitalized mononym, and the pink video game character has kept it in kids’ vocabularies for decades. It was strongest in the U.S. in the 1950s and is rare now, going more to girls than boys, by about two to one. That combination of familiar and uncommon is hard to find.
- Origin: Norse
- Meaning: Church settlement
- Pronunciation: KUR-bee
- Namesakes: Kirby Law, a Canadian ice hockey player. Kirby Dockery, an American singer.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 47,619 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 3,278 for boys (36 births) and No. 2,671 for girls (65 births).
Kodi
Cody is the Irish name behind the Americanized Kodi, and both carry the same helpful meaning. The I ending lifts it out of the cowboy associations the older spelling picked up. Actor Kodi Smit-McPhee and singer Cody Simpson cover both versions. The two spellings sit close together in U.S. rankings, and Kodi in particular goes to nearly twice as many girls as boys.
- Origin: American
- Meaning: Helpful
- Pronunciation: KOE-dee
- Variations: Cody, Codi
- Namesakes: Kodi Smit-McPhee, an Australian actor best known for the movie Alpha. Cody Simpson, an Australian entertainer, and swimmer.
- Popularity: No. 1,304 for girls in the U.S. in 2025, with 171 girls and 89 boys given the name that year.
Koi
Koi is a carp, a panther, and in Hawaii a word meaning to implore or urge, three different ideas sharing three letters. It originates from Japan, and it sounds close to the English word coy without carrying any of that shyness. It is unusual in the U.S. and given to more than twice as many girls as boys. The fish association gives it a calm, moving-water quality.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Carp, panther
- Pronunciation: KOY
- Popularity: In 2025, 40 boys and 84 girls were named Koi in the U.S., placing it No. 3,061 on the boys’ list.
Landry
Landry means ruler, and the French and English roots give it a formality that the soft ending keeps in check. It is a common surname in the U.S. and a rare given name, which is precisely the gap parents look for.
- Origin: French, English
- Meaning: Ruler
- Pronunciation: LAN-dree
- Namesakes: Landry Bender, an American actress in The Sitter film.
- Popularity: Landry ranked No. 935 for girls in 2025 (279 births) and No. 996 for boys (229 births); its high point was No. 778 in 2018.
Lee
Lee is a pasture or meadow, and the single syllable makes it one of the most usable middle names in English. It was traditionally masculine and is now given freely to anyone, with only about one in twenty Lees born recently being girls. The variation Leigh looks more feminine but is used less often than plain Lee. Spike Lee and Tommy Lee show the range on the surname side.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Pasture, meadow
- Pronunciation: LEE
- Variations: Leigh
- Namesakes: Spike Lee, an American filmmaker. Tommy Lee, an American musician.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 4,673 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 727 for boys (366 births) and No. 5,832 for girls (21 births).
Lennon
Lennon means lover, which surprises most people who assume it is purely a tribute to John Lennon. That tribute is real, though, and it is why the name entered U.S. records in the 1980s and has climbed ever since. Liam Gallagher named his son Lennon in 1999, and plenty of families have followed. It has never been more popular in the U.S. than right now, and it now goes overwhelmingly to girls, who outnumber boys by more than four to one.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Lover
- Pronunciation: LEN-un
- Namesakes: John Lennon, an English musician and member of The Beatles. Lennon Stella, a Canadian entertainer.
- Popularity: No. 214 for girls in the U.S. in 2025, with 1,421 girls and 308 boys given the name that year.
Lennox
Lennox means with many elm trees and comes from a Scottish clan name and region. Musician Annie Lennox is the association most people have, which helps the name read as neutral rather than tough. It has risen sharply in the U.S. over the past decade and is now given to a healthy share of girls as well as boys. It carries a solid, slightly regal sound without tipping toward either gender.
- Origin: Scottish
- Meaning: With many elm trees
- Pronunciation: LEN-ux
- Namesakes: Annie Lennox, a Scottish musician, best known for her song Sweet Dreams with The Eurythmics.
- Popularity: In 2025, 1,160 boys and 392 girls were named Lennox in the U.S., placing it No. 289 on the boys’ list.
Leroux
Leroux means the red-haired one, and the French definite article gives it the shape of a title rather than a first name. British pop group La Roux made the sound familiar to a lot of listeners with their debut album in 2009. It never reaches the five-birth threshold the U.S. publishes, so it stays completely off the charts. For parents who want a surname-style name with nobody else in the room, that is the appeal.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: The red-haired one
- Pronunciation: LAH-roo
- Variations: Le Roux La Roux
- Popularity: Leroux never reaches the five-birth minimum the Social Security Administration needs to publish a name, so it has no U.S. ranking at all.
Leslie
Leslie is a small meadow or holly garden, and it was one of the great unisex names of the twentieth century before it drifted toward girls. It has fallen a long way from its 1981 peak, which puts it squarely in revival territory. Actor Leslie Jordan and basketball great Lisa Leslie show both readings still in use. Lesley and Lesly shift the look without touching the sound.
- Origin: Scottish
- Meaning: Small meadow, holly garden
- Pronunciation: LESS-lee
- Variations: Lesley, Lesly
- Namesakes: Leslie Jordan, an American comedic actor. Lisa Leslie, a former American basketball player.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 4,082 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 712 for girls (393 births) and No. 3,563 for boys (32 births).
Lexington
Lexington means town of the new law, and it arrives with all the weight of a place name and a history lesson. It is long, which some parents love and others solve immediately with Lex. It entered U.S. records in 1989 and remains rare, given to girls and boys in similar numbers. Nothing about it points in either direction, which is unusual for a name this grand.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Town of the new law
- Pronunciation: LEX-ing-tun
- Popularity: No. 7,712 for girls in the U.S. in 2025, with 14 girls and 16 boys given the name that year.
Lucky
Lucky is exactly what it says, and it works best when there is a story behind it. A difficult pregnancy, a long wait, an unexpected arrival: any of those make the name land as meaning rather than whimsy. It has been in U.S. records since 1912 and is still uncommon, with boys outnumbering girls by roughly three to one. Jazz musician Eli Lucky Thompson wore it well.
- Origin: American
- Meaning: Fortunate
- Pronunciation: LUK-ee
- Namesakes: Eli Lucky Thompson, an American jazz musician.
- Popularity: In 2025, 108 boys and 34 girls were named Lucky in the U.S., placing it No. 1,580 on the boys’ list.
Marion
Marion means star of the sea, one of the loveliest meanings in the naming world. It was a top 50 name in the U.S. a century ago, mostly for girls, and it still leans girls today, with 93 girls to 54 boys given the name in 2025. Singer Marian Anderson carried the alternate spelling to fame.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Star of the sea, beloved
- Pronunciation: MARE-ee-un
- Variations: Marian
- Namesakes: Marian Anderson, an American contralto singer.
- Popularity: Marion ranked No. 2,044 for girls in 2025 (93 births) and No. 2,504 for boys (54 births); its high point was No. 42 in 1922.
Marley
Marley means marshy meadow or pleasant wood, though the music is what most people hear first. Bob Marley and his family gave the name a warmth and a rhythm no meaning could supply on its own. It is common enough in the U.S. to feel comfortable and uncommon enough to stay interesting. Girls take the larger share, but a solid number of boys carry it too.
- Origin: British
- Meaning: Marshy meadow, pleasant wood
- Pronunciation: MAR-lee
- Variations: Marly
- Namesakes: Maley Shelton, an American actress known for her role in the film Bubble Boy. Bob Marley, the Jamaican musician.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 1,692 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 322 for girls (950 births) and No. 1,397 for boys (131 births).
Mars
Mars is the Roman god of war and the fourth planet, so one syllable covers a surprising amount of ground. Singer Bruno Mars keeps it in the pop vocabulary, and Erykah Badu named her daughter Mars Merkaba in 2009. It has climbed quickly in the U.S. over the last decade while staying rare. Bold, short, and impossible to soften, which is the point.
- Origin: Roman
- Meaning: God of War
- Pronunciation: MARZ
- Namesakes: Bruno Mars, stage name of American musician Peter Hernandez.
- Popularity: No. 1,615 for boys in the U.S. in 2025, with 105 boys and 27 girls given the name that year.
Morgan
Morgan means sea-born or sea-song, and the Welsh root gives it a rolling quality that suits both readings. Morgan Freeman and Morgan Fairchild have carried it in completely different registers for decades, which is the best evidence a name can offer of true neutrality. It peaked in the late 1990s and has come down a long way since. That decline is what makes it feel available again.
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Sea-born, Sea-song
- Pronunciation: MOR-gun
- Namesakes: Morgan Freeman, an American actor known for his role in Driving Miss Daisy. Morgan Fairchild, an American actress, best known for her role in the Falcon Crest TV series.
- Popularity: In 2025, 977 girls and 532 boys were named Morgan in the U.S., placing it No. 312 on the girls’ list.
Natale
Natale is the unisex form of the more feminine Natalia, and it means birthday of the Lord, a Christmas name in every sense. The three syllables give it an ethereal, sung quality that the shorter version lacks. It has not met the U.S. five-birth publishing threshold since 2014, so it is about as rare here as a name can be.
- Origin: Italian
- Meaning: Birthday of the Lord
- Pronunciation: NUh-tah-lay
- Variations: Natalia
- Popularity: Natale has not met the Social Security Administration’s five-birth cutoff since 2014, when it last appeared at No. 18,443.
Peyton
Peyton is one of the U.S. names most parents already read as neutral, and the birth numbers back that up, with boys taking about a fifth of it. Fighting man’s estate is the literal meaning, though nothing in the sound is combative.
- Origin: Irish, English
- Meaning: Fighting man’s estate
- Pronunciation: PAY-tun
- Namesakes: Peyton Manning, a former American football player. Peyton List, an American actress, known for her role on Disney’s Jessie.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 1,031 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 199 for girls (1,559 births) and No. 684 for boys (398 births).
Phoenix
Phoenix means dark red, though the bird is what everyone thinks of, and rising from ashes is not a bad thing to wish on a child. Boys still outnumber girls by nearly two to one. Actor Phoenix List and his older sister Peyton List both carry gender-bending names, which is a small piece of naming trivia worth having. The name peaked around 2020 and has eased slightly since, though it remains far more common than most names on this list.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Dark red
- Pronunciation: FEE-nicks
- Namesakes: Phoenix List, an American actor starring in the film Rabbit Hole.
- Popularity: No. 329 for boys in the U.S. in 2025, with 1,027 boys and 567 girls given the name that year.
Quinn
Quinn means counsel, and the single syllable does a lot with very little. It is inside the U.S. top 100 and remains one of the most balanced names at that level, with boys taking a substantial share. The Irish surname origin gives it roots without any old-fashioned drag. For parents who want short, modern, and genuinely unsexed, this is the standard-bearer.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Counsel
- Pronunciation: KWIN
- Namesakes: Quinn Bailey, an American football player.
- Popularity: In 2025, 2,634 girls and 663 boys were named Quinn in the U.S., placing it No. 97 on the girls’ list.
Raleigh
Raleigh means meadow of roe deer, and it comes with a soft, drawn-out sound that suits any child. It has been in U.S. records since 1923 and stayed rare throughout, so it is familiar as a place name and unusual as a person. Girls take the clear majority of it now. Ray and Leigh are both waiting inside it.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Meadow of roe deer
- Pronunciation: RAL-lee
- Popularity: Raleigh ranked No. 1,894 for girls in 2025 (104 births) and No. 2,222 for boys (64 births); its high point was No. 1,382 in 2016.
Reagan
Reagan means little king, an Irish surname that has become a mainstream American first name. It is used far more for girls than boys in the U.S., though the presidential association pulls a steady number of boys along with it. It peaked at No. 97 in 2012 and has since eased back to No. 248. Actress Reagan Gomez-Preston shows the softer reading in action.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Little king
- Pronunciation: RAY-gin
- Namesakes: Ronald Reagan, a former U.S. president. Reagan Gomez-Preston, an American actress known for her role in TheParenthood.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 1,292 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 248 for girls (1,244 births) and No. 1,687 for boys (98 births).
Reese
Reese means enthusiasm or fiery, a Welsh word that fits a name this brisk. Reese Witherspoon carried it into the mainstream and it has stayed there, comfortably inside the U.S. top 200. Boys make up roughly a fifth of Reeses born now, so the neutrality leans toward girls. Rhys is the original spelling if you want the Welsh look.
- Origin: Welsh
- Meaning: Enthusiasm, fiery, ardent
- Pronunciation: REESS
- Namesakes: Reese Witherspoon, an American actress best known for her role in the Legally Blonde film franchise.
- Popularity: No. 192 for girls in the U.S. in 2025, with 1,631 girls and 475 boys given the name that year.
Riley
Riley is a wood clearing, and it is one of only a handful of names that is genuinely top 250 for both girls and boys in the U.S. That is the definition of a working unisex name rather than a theoretical one. The traditional Irish surname roots give it history, and the sound gives it energy. Reilly is the older spelling for families who want it.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Wood clearing
- Pronunciation: RYE-lee
- Variations: Reilly
- Namesakes: Riley Keough, an American actress, known for The Girlfriend Experience TV series.
- Popularity: In 2025, 4,441 girls and 1,666 boys were named Riley in the U.S., placing it No. 48 on the girls’ list.
Robby
Robby is a nickname for Robert or Roberta that occasionally makes it onto a birth certificate. It was at its most popular in the U.S. in the mid 1960s and is scarce now, which puts it firmly in vintage territory. Actress Margot Robbie has kept the sound in circulation even though the spelling differs. It is a friendly, unpretentious choice for a child who will grow up with plenty of Roberts around.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Bright fame
- Pronunciation: ROB-ee
- Variations: Robbie
- Namesakes: Margot Robbie, an American actress known for her depiction as Harley Quinn in the DC film franchise.
- Popularity: Robby ranked No. 4,675 for boys in 2025, with 22 births that year; births of any other gender fall below the five-birth line the data publishes.
Rory
Rory is a traditional Irish name from ruadh, meaning red, and it means red king in full. It has never been more used in the U.S. than right now, and girls take better than a quarter of it. That combination of rising and balanced is rare. Warm, short, and impossible to make formal, which most parents count as a plus.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Red king
- Pronunciation: ROR-ee
- Namesakes: Rory Anderson, an American football player. Rory Kennedy, an American filmmaker.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 966 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 199 for boys (1,768 births) and No. 230 for girls (1,332 births).
Rylan
Rylan is an invented name built from Ryland and Riley, and the wise king meaning came along with it. It peaked with boys in 2011 and has drifted down since, while girls now make up a meaningful share of Rylans born. The lack of deep history is part of the appeal here: nothing about it is anyone else’s yet. Ry handles the shortening.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Wise king
- Pronunciation: RIE-lin
- Variations: Ryland, Rylen
- Namesakes: Rylan Clark, a British pop singer. Rylan McKnight, an American YouTube star.
- Popularity: No. 416 for boys in the U.S. in 2025, with 771 boys and 190 girls given the name that year.
Rumi
Rumi means beauty and flow, and the poet’s name gives it a contemplative weight far beyond its two syllables. Beyonce used it for one of her twins in 2017, which is when most American parents first heard it as a baby name. It has never been more used in the U.S. than now, and it goes to more than twice as many girls as boys. Soft, spare, and easy to say in any language.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Beauty, Flow
- Pronunciation: ROO-mee
- Popularity: In 2025, 175 girls and 81 boys were named Rumi in the U.S., placing it No. 1,283 on the girls’ list.
Sage
Sage is both a herb burned to clear a room and a word for someone wise, and the name carries both without effort. It is inside the U.S. top 200 and about a quarter of Sages born are boys, so it holds its balance at real scale. The single syllable makes it work with almost any surname. Nature names rarely feel this grounded.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Wise
- Pronunciation: SAYJ
- Namesakes: Sage Beckett, an American professional wrestler. Sage Steele, an American sports reporter.
- Popularity: Sage ranked No. 160 for girls in 2025 (1,853 births) and No. 456 for boys (684 births); its high point was No. 142 in 2023.
Santana
Santana means holy, or follower of St. Anne, the saint traditionally called on by women who are unmarried, in labor, keeping a home, or becoming grandmothers. That gives the name a quiet lineage of care behind the guitar solos most people think of first. Musician Carlos Santana is the association that made it recognizable. It is uncommon in the U.S. and goes mostly to boys, outnumbering girls by roughly three to one.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Holy, follower of St. Anne
- Pronunciation: san-TAH-nuh
- Namesakes: Carlos Santana, an American musician.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 5,988 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 855 for boys (285 births) and No. 2,060 for girls (92 births).
Seven
Seven is a number, which is still an uncommon move for a name and still a bold one. Erykah Badu and Andre 3000 named their son Seven Sirius Benjamin in 1997, and the name peaked in 2022 and has cooled somewhat since. The Turkish meaning, loving one, gives it a second layer most people never learn. Sevyn shifts the spelling if the numeral feels too literal.
- Origin: Turkish
- Meaning: Loving one
- Pronunciation: SEV-un
- Variations: Sevyn
- Namesakes: Sevyn Streeter, an American singer.
- Popularity: No. 1,122 for boys in the U.S. in 2025, with 191 boys and 60 girls given the name that year.
Shannon
Shannon has fallen further than any other name on this list, with births down roughly 71 percent over the last decade against the decade before. That is a genuine collapse from a name that sat in the U.S. top 20 in the mid 1970s, and it is also what makes Shannon interesting now. The meaning, old and wise, has aged better than the trend did. For parents who want a familiar name nobody in the class will share, this is a strong bet.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Old and wise
- Pronunciation: SHAN-un
- Namesakes: Shannon Sharpe, an American sports reporter. Shannon Elizabeth, an American actress, known for her role in the American Pie film franchise.
- Popularity: In 2025, 75 girls and 41 boys were named Shannon in the U.S., placing it No. 2,405 on the girls’ list.
Shiloh
Shiloh means tranquil, abundant, or his gift, and it sounds like every one of those. It has been climbing in the U.S. for years and is now given to girls and boys in nearly equal numbers. The soft ending keeps it gentle while the biblical roots keep it substantial. Shy is the obvious nickname, though most Shilohs never need one.
- Origin: Hebrew
- Meaning: Tranquil, Abundant, His gift
- Pronunciation: SHIE-loe
- Namesakes: Shiloh Fernandez, an American actor starring in the Jericho TV series.
- Popularity: Shiloh ranked No. 281 for girls in 2025 (1,098 births) and No. 278 for boys (1,220 births); its high point was No. 260 in 2024.
Sidney
Sidney comes from Saint-Denis, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers of Roman Catholic tradition, a martyr called on against illness, though today it reads mostly as a friendly two-syllable classic. Actor Sidney Poitier gave it its finest association. The Sydney spelling leans female while Sidney leans male, so the letter you pick does real work.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Saint-Denis
- Pronunciation: SID-nee
- Variations: Sydney
- Namesakes: Sidney Poitier, the American actor known for his role in the film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 15,385 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 1,878 for girls (105 births) and No. 1,327 for boys (146 births).
Skylar
Skylar means scholar, which almost nobody expects from a name that sounds like weather. It is a solid U.S. top 200 choice, used far more for girls than boys, though actor Skylar Astin keeps the other reading in view. It peaked at No. 42 in 2015 and has eased to No. 167 since. Skyler shifts the look a little more masculine if you want that.
- Origin: Dutch
- Meaning: Scholar
- Pronunciation: SKY-ler
- Variations: Skyler
- Namesakes: Skylar Astin, an American actor known for his role in the Pitch Perfect film franchise.
- Popularity: No. 167 for girls in the U.S. in 2025, with 1,818 girls and 113 boys given the name that year.
Sloan
Sloan means raider or warrior, and it is a bold, unfussy choice for an agender name. Meaning “warrior,” it still manages to sound sleek rather than aggressive. It is uncommon in the U.S. and now runs about five girls to every boy, with the Sloane spelling leaning even more feminine. Writer Sloane Crosley is the reference for readers.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Raider, warrior
- Pronunciation: SLOHN
- Variations: Sloane
- Namesakes: Sloane Crosley, an American writer.
- Popularity: In 2025, 324 girls and 62 boys were named Sloan in the U.S., placing it No. 840 on the girls’ list.
Taylor
Taylor is a cutter of cloth, an occupational surname that became one of the defining unisex names of the 1990s. It reached the U.S. top 10 in 1994 and has fallen a long way since, which is exactly why it is worth another look. Boys still take about a third of it, so the balance never fully disappeared. Taylor Swift is the association nobody is escaping for a while.
- Origin: English, French
- Meaning: Cutter of cloth, tailor
- Pronunciation: TAY-ler
- Variations: Tailor
- Namesakes: Taylor Swift, an American singer.
- Popularity: Taylor ranked No. 403 for girls in 2025 (772 births) and No. 685 for boys (398 births); its high point was No. 6 in 1994.
Terry
Terry means powerful, or ruler of the people, and it usually arrives as a short form of Terrance or Teresa. It was a genuine U.S. hit in the 1940s and has become uncommon since, so a child named Terry today would likely be the only one. Author Terry McMillan and sportscaster Terry Bradshaw show both readings. Terri is the alternate spelling if you want to steer it.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Powerful, Ruler of the people
- Pronunciation: TERR-ee
- Variations: Terri
- Namesakes: Terry McMillan, an American author. Terry Bradshaw, an American sports reporter.
- Popularity: Roughly one in 8,929 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 1,116 for boys (192 births) and No. 10,047 for girls (10 births).
Tory
Tory means victory, a bold word to build a name around. It is rare in the U.S. now and sits far down the charts for everyone, though it was reasonably well used in the late 1970s. Designer Tory Burch is the name’s most visible bearer. Torie softens the look slightly without changing a thing about the sound.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Victory
- Pronunciation: TOR-ee
- Variations: Torie
- Namesakes: Tory Burch, an American fashion designer.
- Popularity: No. 4,375 for boys in the U.S. in 2025, with 24 boys and 22 girls given the name that year.
Truth
Truth is a virtue name with no wiggle room in it at all, which is either the appeal or the reason to keep scrolling. It has been in U.S. records since 1978 and has climbed sharply in the last decade. Khloe Kardashian named her daughter True in 2019, and the shorter spelling picked up most of that attention. Boys take the larger share of Truth itself, though girls named Truth are far from rare.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Truth
- Pronunciation: TROOTH
- Variations: True
- Popularity: In 2025, 101 boys and 37 girls were named Truth in the U.S., placing it No. 1,662 on the boys’ list.
Zaire
The Zaire River is the Congo, the second largest river in the world by volume, which explains the meaning: the river that swallows all rivers. That is an enormous image to hand a child, and the name carries it lightly. It is uncommon in the U.S. and has been climbing steadily for years. Boys take most of it, though the sound gives nothing away.
- Origin: African
- Meaning: The river that swallows all rivers
- Pronunciation: ZIE-year
- Popularity: Zaire ranked No. 503 for boys in 2025 (601 births) and No. 13,156 for girls (7 births); its high point was No. 466 in 2023.
Zen
Zen is a state of mind before it is a name, and that is exactly what parents are reaching for when they choose it. Zoe Saldana and her husband named their son Zen, which is where a lot of people first encountered it as a first name. It has risen sharply in the U.S. over the last decade while staying uncommon. Three letters, one syllable, no gender attached anywhere.
- Origin: Japanese
- Meaning: Meditation
- Pronunciation: ZEN
- Popularity: Roughly one in 9,259 U.S. babies born in 2025 got this name: No. 1,144 for boys (185 births) and No. 3,575 for girls (43 births).
