Parents, we know giving birth to your child necessitates a lot of planning. From finances, education, activities – there are a lot of big decisions to make. But the first BIG decision you have to make is what to name your child – which stays on for life. However, living in an age where gender stereotypes and even “genderless babies” can be tough. Fortunately, we’ve also come into an age where there’s a solution: unique gender neutral names.
What are unique gender neutral names, and why do people use it?
Gender neutral names, otherwise known as unisex names, are names that can be given to both boys and girls. These names are becoming more and more common within developed, English-based countries.
Unique gender neutral names are names that aren’t commonly used. Usually, the weirder and rarer ones aren’t associated with one gender or the other – and so becomes unisex. Many of these names come from a variety of origins and are gradually becoming part of the English vocabulary daily.
Unique gender neutral names are usually first names which come from sources like:
- other people’s surnames reworded to become a first name
- a name coming from nature (e.g. Lake, winter) or cities
- names that come from virtues (hope, justice)
- and made-up names or common names with changes with spelling.
There are several reasons why has become more popular for parents to give their little ones gender-neutral names. We live in an age where gender isn’t a concrete concept anymore. Growing up, children who do end up exploring their sexuality and identifying themselves of a different gender won’t have to face discrimination.
Furthermore, gender-neutral names are a way of empowering girls, such as by giving them names that give off the impression of masculinity. Gender-neutral names are also important in teaching boys with “female” names that girls aren’t any lesser than them.
Overall, unique gender-neutral names are a step in the right direction to rid the world of gender stereotypes and sexist behaviour. And so if you want to equip your child with equal rights from the beginning, here are unique gender neutral names for you to consider.
Here are the list of 101 unique gender neutral names!
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Unique Gender Neutral Names from A-E
- Aarya, meaning “prayer” or “Goddess”. Origin: Sanskrit.
- Addison, meaning “son of Adam”. Origin Old English
- Alby, meaning “coming from Alba”. Origin: English
- Angel, meaning “god’s messenger”. Origin: Greek.
- Arden, meaning “eden”. Origin: Hebrew
- Arlo, meaning “fortified hill”. Origin: Anglo Saxon.
- Arya, meaning “lion”. Origin: Aramaic and Hebrew
- Ashton, meaning “ash tree town”. Origin: English
- Aspen, meaning “aspen tree”. Origin: English
- Aubrey, meaning “powerful elf:”. Origin: French
- Avery, meaning “ruler of elves”. Origin: French
- Bailey, meaning “law enforcer”. Origin: Old French
- Blair, meaning “dweller on the plain”. Origin: Scottish
- Brook, meaning “a tiny stream”. Origin: Middle English
- Brooklyn, a combination of “Brook”and “-lyn”, a common suffix. Origin: English
- Cameron, meaning “crooked nose”. Origin: Scottish
- Carmen, meaning “song”. Origin: Latin
- Cassidy, meaning “the curly haired one”. Origin: Irish
- Celyn, meaning “Holly”. Origin: Ireland, Gallic
- Cody, meaning “obliging”. Origin: English
- Corey, meaning “dweller of the hollow” or “Raven”. Origin: Gaelic.
- Dakota, meaning “friend”. Origin: American Indian.
- Devon, meaning “defender”. Origin: English
- Eden, meaning “paradise”. Origin: Hebrew
- Eli, meaning “high” or “my God. Origin: Hebrew
- Ellery, meaning “from the elder tree island”. Origin: German
- Emery, meaning “brave and powerful”. Origin: English
- Erin, meaning “Ireland”. Origin: Irish
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Unique Gender Neutral Names from F-K
- Fabian, meaning “bean grower”. Origin: Latin
- Finley, meaning “fair hero”. Origin: English version of Gallic names.
- Florian, meaning “blooming or flowering”. Origin: Latin
- Flynn, meaning “Ruddy”. Origin: Gallic
- Gray, meaning “of the grey”. Origin: Old English.
- Hadley, meaning “from the heather covered meadow”. Origin: English
- Harlow, meaning “one who dwells in a rocky or hilly area”. Origin: Old English.
- Harper, meaning “harp player”. Origin: Middle English.
- Hayden, meaning “from the hedged valley”. Origin: Old English
- Hendrix, an extension of “Henry”, which originated from German.
- Hero, meaning “a heroic warrior”. Origin: Greek
- Hunter, meaning “a huntsman”. Origin: English
- Indiana, meaning “land of the Indians”. Origin: English
- Indigo, meaning “blue”. Origin: Latin
- Jaidyn, meaning “God is Gracious. Origin: American
- Jasper, meaning “treasurer. Origin: Persian
- Jules, meaning “youthful”. Origin: Latin
- Justice, meaning “Just one”. Origin: French
- Kadin, meaning “a companion or friend”. Origin: English
- Keegan, meaning “a descendant of Aodhagan”. Origin: Irish.
- Kendall, meaning “of the royal valley”. Origin: English
- Kris, meaning “carrier of Christ”. Origin: Greek
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Unique gender neutral names from L-S
- Lane, meaning “a narrow country road”. Origin: English
- Linden, meaning “Lime Tree”. Origin: English
- London, meaning “fortress” or the capital city. Origin: English and Jewish
- Lonnie, meaning “noble and ready”. Origin: German
- Lucian, meaning “bringer of light”. Origin: French
- Lumi, meaning “snow”. Origin: Finnish
- Marley, meaning “from the lake meadow”. Origin: English
- Marlow, meaning “from the hill by the lake”. Origin: English
- Mattie, meaning “strength in battle”. Origin: German
- Micah, meaning “who is like god?”. Origin: Hebrew
- Montana, meaning “mountainous”. Origin: Latin
- Moriah, meaning “taught by god”. Origin: Hebrew
- Nevada, meaning “snowy”. Origin: Spanish
- Nicky, a short form Nicholas, which comes from the Greek Goddess of victory, Nike. Origin: English
- Nico, meaning “victorious people”. Origin: English
- Oakley, meaning “from the oak-tree meadow”. Origin: Old English
- Ocean, meaning “the sea”. Origin: English
- Ode, meaning “rich”. Origin: Teutonic
- Ore, meaning “man of the mountains” (derived from old Greek). Origin: Greek
- Paris, meaning “lover”. Origin: Greek
- Peyton, meaning “from a small town”. Origin: Old English
- Phoenix, meaning “reborn”. Origin: Greek
- Piper, meaning “a pipe player”. Origin: Middle English
- Presley, meaning “from the Priest’s meadow”. Origin: English
- Quinn, meaning “intelligence, wise”. Origin: Irish
- Raphael, meaning “God has healed”. Origin: Hebrew
- Reese, meaning “ardour”. Origin: English
- Rory, meaning “red king”. Origin: Irish
- Roux (pronounced ‘Roo’), meaning “little red one”. Origin: French
- Rowan, meaning “of the tree”. Origin: English
- Sage, meaning “wise”. Origin: Latin
- Samar, meaning “evening conversation”. Origin: Sanskrit
- Sidney, meaning “wide island: south of water”. Origin: English
- Skylar, meaning “scholar. Origin:”Dutch
- Sloane, meaning “”a multitude of people / warriors”. Origin: Irish, Gaelic
- Sparrow, meaning “small chirpy person”. Origin: Middle English
- Storm, meaning “stormy weather”. Origin: English
- Story, meaning “tale”. Origin: American
- Sunny, meaning “bright and cheerful”. Origin: English
- Sydney, meaning “wide meadow” or “from Saint Denis (a place)”. Origin: French
Image Source: Stock Photo
Unique Gender Neutral names from U-Z
- Umber, meaning “shade”. Origin: French
- Val, meaning “strong”. Origin: English
- Vesper, meaning “evening star and evening player”. Origin: Latin
- Wilder, meaning “hunter”. Origin: German
- Winter, meaning “rebirth of spring”. Origin: Tuetonic
- Wyatt, meaning “guide”. Origin: English
- Wynn or Wynne, meaning “fair or white”. Origin: Welsh
- Xen, which is a variant representation of “zen”. Origin: Japanese
- Xoan, meaning “God is good”. Origin: Hebrew
- Yael, meaning “mountain goat”. Origin: Hebrew
- Zion, meaning “a sign”. Origin: Hebrew
References: Nameberry, inspiring life dreams, nowtolove, NBC news, New York Post
Also Read:
193 of the best Japanese baby names for boys
20 Gorgeously unique names for babies
