Unisex name

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A unisex name, also known as an epicene name, is a given name that is often given to either a boy or a girl. Some countries, however, require that a given name be gender-specific (see German name). This list does not cover names in cultures where the names are often not gender specific, which is common in many cultures. For example, some African tribes have unisex names, and so do cultures which use names which are derived from properties, such as the Amish or many cultures in India.

Unisex names are often nicknames that are also used as given names, such as Alex and Chris. Alex can be considered a shortening of Alexander (a masculine name) or of Alexandra (a feminine name); Chris can be considered a shortening of Christopher or Christian (both masculine names), or of Christina or Christine (feminine names).

Some names that were once predominantly used as masculine given names are now primarily feminine given names, including Ashley, Beverly, Carol, Evelyn, Hillary, Jocelyn, Meredith, Nicole, Shirley, Shannon, and Vivian. Sometimes the modern adoption of a predominantly masculine given name follows the use by an actress (e.g. Drew Barrymore, Daryl Hannah) or fictional character (e.g. Tracy, Blake). Soap operas, in particular, give names to their strong female characters that are either unisex or predominantly masculine names. There will then be an increase in the use of that name for females.

Some unisex names are homophones, pronounced the same for both genders but spelled differently. One common example of this is a final "y" for the masculine form and an "i" or "ie" for the feminine. (e.g. Terry and Teri, Jerry and Jeri, Tony and Toni, Johnny and Johnnie). Others have less regular spelling variations (Francis and Frances, Robin and Robyn, Sidney and Cydney, Lee and Leigh, etc.). In many cases, the spelling of what used to be a predominantly masculine name was altered to create a feminine variation. If the feminine variation becomes sufficiently popular, the use of the masculine variation may dwindle, and ultimately the name may be deemed feminine under any spelling.

Some names vary their gender from country to country or language to language. For example, Anne, which is feminine in English is normally masculine in some Dutch provinces, but normally feminine in the rest of the country; or Jean, which is normally feminine in English and Scottish, and masculine in French.

Surnames (e.g. Bailey, Courtney, Darcy, Elliot) and place names (e.g. Dakota, Devon, Montana) have become fashionable sources for names for boys and girls in English-speaking countries. These are not inherently gender-specific, but most surnames (Bruce, Gordon, Stanley, Harvey) are traditionally considered masculine and place names (Kimberly, Tiffany, Paris, Chelsea) feminine.

Different parents may adopt the same unusual name for children of opposite gender.

Unisex names can be the source of humor, such as Julia Sweeney's sexually ambiguous character "Pat" on Saturday Night Live. Similarly, the baby Jamie in Malcolm in the Middle was purposely kept sexually ambiguous when first introduced at the end of the show's fourth season leading to speculation that the baby would remain ambiguous. However, the character's sexual identity was revealed at the end of the first episode of season five.

Many Indian names become unisex when written with Latin characters because of the limitations of transliteration. The spellings Chandra and Krishna, for example, are transliterations of both the masculine and feminine versions of those names. In Indian languages, the final as of these names are different letters with different pronunciations, so there is no ambiguity. However, when they are seen (and usually, spoken) by a Western audience, they become gender ambiguous. Other Indian names, such as Ananda, are exclusively or nearly exclusively masculine in India, but because of their a ending, are assumed to be feminine in Anglophone societies.

[edit] U.S. statistical data

Within the United States, by analyzing data released from the 1990 census by the Census Bureau, the given name Kris was statistically the most likely to be used for either gender. Among the other names that were the closest to being gender neutral include the following (in order from slightly more feminine to slightly more masculine): Dominique, Gale, Leslie, Pat, Jody, Jesse, Morgan, Robbie, Kris, Frankie, Kerry, Johnnie, Carey, Tommie, Casey, Merle, Taylor, and Jamie. Note that the data is based on a large national sampling and excludes very rare names, as well as not considering minor alternative spellings. See the references for the data gathering methodology.

Index

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N P R S T V Y

[edit] List of names that can be unisex

For inclusion on this list, a name must either:

  • have originated as a unisex name (e.g., Abijah).
  • have multiple origins as both a masculine and feminine name (e.g., Alva).
  • have been used significantly at some point in the past or present as a name for both males and females (e.g., Tristan).
  • be used as a nickname for both masculine and feminine names (e.g., Chris).
  • be otherwise significant in a historical context as a unisex name (e.g., Zooey).

[edit] A

  • Abby (used as a nickname for Abigail (feminine) or Abraham or Abbott (masculine), the latter as in Abbie Hoffman); also Abbie, Abbey, Abi
  • Adair; also Adaire
  • Addie; also Addy
  • Addison (surname used as a given name for males and females)
  • Adrian or Adrien (Generally masculine; female: artist Adrian Piper); variant feminine spellings also Adrienne, Adrianne
  • Afton (name given for the River Afton, used for both sexes)
  • Aidan ([given name] Gaelic Male name [Aidan Quinn]
  • Ailin ([given name] Asian female name \A\-\leen\; Gaelic Male name \I\-\lin\ or \A\-\lin\); see also Allen
  • Ainsley; also Annesley
  • Akira (can be masculine or feminine, as it has multiple origins)
  • Al (nickname for Alexander, Alexandra, Alan, Albert, Alfred, Alphonse)
  • Alex (nickname for Alexander (masculine) or Alexandra (feminine)); also Alix
  • Alexis
  • Ali (masculine in Arabic, or short for Alistair or Alexander (masculine) or Alison or Alexandra (feminine)); also Allie, Ally
  • Alice (both originally feminine and chiefly feminine in usage, but has been used in the past for males; it was the 701st most popular name for boys born in the United States from 1900-1909[1]; see also Alice Cooper, né Vincent Furnier)
  • Alison or Allison (has two origins, one as a surname, traditionally masculine; the other as a form of the feminine name Alice; it is almost exclusively used on females in the United States; however, in Europe, Alyson is still sometimes found as a name for males); also Alyson, Allyson
  • Alpha
  • Alva (both masculine and feminine, as it has two separate origins)
  • Amal (Arabic)
  • An (Vietnamese unisex name)
  • Anah (biblical unisex name)
  • Anan (Akan unisex name)
  • Ananda (masculine in India)
  • Anath; also Anat
  • Andrea (masculine in some languages and feminine in others); also Andria
  • Andy (often short for Andrew (masculine) or Andrea (see above)); also Andi, Andie
  • Angel (generally considered masculine in Spanish-speaking regions and feminine in English-speaking regions (pronounced differently))
  • Anne (can be masculine in some regions of the Netherlands, especially Friesland, also formerly masculine in France); also Ann
  • Ani (masculine Japanese name, or nickname for various masculine or feminine names containing an); also Annie
  • Arden (surname used as a given name on both sexes)
  • Ari; also Arie
  • Ariel/Arielle
  • Arlie; also Arly
  • Artemis (female: Artemis; male: Artemis Fowl); also Artemus
  • Ash (Ash tree/nature name or nickname for various names beginning with Ash-)
  • Ashley; also Ashly, Ashlee, Ashleigh (usually feminine)
  • Ashton; also Ashtyn
  • Asia; also Aja, Eja (male:Eja Lange)
  • Aubrey
  • Audie (nickname for Audrey (feminine) or other masculine and feminine names beginning with Aud-; also used as a given name, as per Audie Murphy); also Aude
  • August
  • Augustine (anglicized masculine form of the Roman name Augustinus, and the feminine form of the French name Augustin)
  • Autumn
  • Averill (surname used as a given name for both sexes)
  • Avery

[edit] B

[edit] C

  • Caden, Cayden, Kayden
  • Camden (or Camdyn, Kamdyn for girls)
  • Cameron (Generally masculine, often spelled Camryn or Kamryn for females. Female: Cameron Diaz)
  • Camille (unisex in French)
  • Carey or Cary
  • Carol (now usually feminine, masculine forms Caroll or Karol (Polish))
  • Carmen (or Carman)
  • Casey (or Kaci, Kasey, Kacie)
  • Cassidy or Kassidy
  • Chandler
  • Chandra (In India, it is masculine if the final "a" is pronounced one way and feminine if the final "a" is pronounced another way)
  • Charlie (short for Charles (masculine))
  • Chris (diminutive for Christopher, Christian, Christina or Christine)
  • Christian also Kristian, Cristian
  • Christin or Kristin, Kristen, Kristan, Krysten, Krystyn, Krystan, Krystin, etc.
  • Claire
  • Claude (unisex in French) or Claud
  • Cody/Codie/Codee
  • Connie
  • Cory/Corey/Cori (male: Cory Doctorow; female: Cory Kahaney)
  • Courtney (or Courteney), also Kortney, Cortney, Kourtnie, etc.

[edit] D

  • Dagmar
  • Dakota/Dakotah
  • Dale/Dayle
  • Dana
  • Danny/Danni/Dani (abbreviated versions of Daniel (masculine) and Danielle (feminine))
  • Dara (Irish, original spelling Darragh always masculine, also spelled Darrah)
  • Darby
  • Darcy
  • Daryl, Darrell, Darryl (female: Daryl Hannah; male: Daryl Hall)
  • Delaney
  • Devon/Devin/Devyn/Devone
  • Diana
  • Dimuthu (given name: Sri Lankan; Sinhalese)
  • Dominique
  • Drew (unisex, original spelling Andrew always masculine)

[edit] E

[edit] F

  • Fran (short for Francis (male: Fran Tarkenton) or Frances/Francesca (feminine))
  • Francis/Frances
  • Frankie
  • Fred (short for feminine Winnifred), masculine given (Freddie)

[edit] G

  • Gabi / Gaby (short for Hungarian Gábor (masculine), Gabriel (masculine), or Gabriella (feminine))
  • Gal (Hebrew)
  • Gale/Gail/Gayle/Gael
  • Gene (short for Eugene (masculine) or Eugenia (feminine))
  • Gerd (masculine in German, feminine in Nordic languages)
  • Gerry (short for Gerald (masculine) or Geraldine (feminine))
  • Glen or Glenn (female: Glenn Close; male: Glen Campbell)

[edit] H

[edit] I

[edit] J

  • Jackie (nickname for Jack or Jacqueline)
  • Jade
  • Jamie (short for James (masculine) or Jamesina (feminine). Jamie is generally used to mean "Young James" but may also used be independently as a feminine form of James. The variant spellings Jayme and Jaime are usually feminine in the U.S., but Jaime is a popular masculine form in Latin America.)
  • Jan
  • Jana (feminine in Czech)
  • Jane (feminine in English, masculine in Macedonian)
  • Janne (masculine in Finnish and Swedish, feminine in Norwegian and Danish as Jeanne)
  • Jasmin (feminine in Germanic languages, masculine in Slavic languages)
  • Jay
  • Jayden
  • Jean (masculine in French, feminine in English and Scots)
  • Jem (short for Jeremy (masculine) or Jemima (feminine))
  • Jerry (variant spelling Jeri is usually feminine)
  • Jess (short for Jesse (masculine) or Jessica (feminine))
  • Jesse (Biblical Hebrew (father of King David) (masculine), Jessie (feminine), or short for Jessica (feminine))
  • Jo/Joe/Joey (short for Joseph or Josiah (masculine), Josephine, Joanne, Joanna, or Joelle (feminine))
  • Joan (masculine in Catalan, feminine in English, and pronounced differently in the two languages)
  • Jocelyn (masculine in French, feminine in English)
  • Jody/Jodie/Jodi (short for Joseph (masculine) or Judith (feminine)and Joanne, Johannah, Josephine) (e.g. Jody Powell, Jodie Foster)
  • Jordan
  • Joyce (formerly masculine; e.g.Joyce Kilmer)
  • Jude (derived from Judas or Judah (masculine), or short for Judith (feminine); most common on males (e.g. Jude Law))
  • Jules
  • Jun

[edit] K

  • Kaoru (Japanese name— can be masculine or feminine; variant Kaori is feminine only)
  • Kari (masculine in Finnish, feminine in many European languages)
  • Kasey or Kacey
  • Kay
  • Kazumi
  • Kellen, Kellyn
  • Kelly, Kelley, Kelli, Kellie
  • Kelsey
  • Kendal or Kendall
  • Kenya
  • Kerry/Kerrie (variations such as Kerri or Keri are usually feminine), can be spelled with a C as well
  • Kim (Used for both males and females in Scandinavia. Also short for Kimberly/Kimberley/Kimberlee or Kimball)
  • Kimberly, Kimberlee, Kimberlie
  • Kit (short for Christopher in males)
  • Kris, Krys
  • Krishna (Indian)
  • Kyle

[edit] L

  • Lane
  • Lauren (usually feminine, often spelled Loren for males)
  • Laurence (masculine in English, feminine in French)
  • Laurie (e.g. Laurie Taylor, Laurie Anderson)
  • Lavern (with Laverne a more common feminine spelling)
  • Lee (usually masculine with Leigh a more common spelling for feminine)
  • Leni (Finnish)
  • Les (short for Leslie or Lester for males, and Lesley for feminine)
  • Leslie/Lesley (traditionally a masculine name (e.g. Leslie Howard), but now more often used for females)
  • Lindsay/Lindsey
  • Lior
  • Lou
  • Lonnie (nickname for various masculine and feminine names, used as a given name for both sexes)[2]
  • Lovie (male: Lovie Smith)
  • Lynn

[edit] M

  • Mackenzie
  • Madison (originally always male; now usually female)
  • Makoto
  • Mallory
  • Maria (e.g. Alphonse Maria Mucha, Czechoslovakian artist)
  • Marion (male: Marion Morrison, birth name of John Wayne, and Marion Barber III; female: Marion Davies)
  • Marlow (Occasionally spelled Marlo for females or Marlowe for males.)
  • Masami
  • Max (usually short for Maximilian or Maxwell with males, and Maxine with females)
  • Mavis
  • Mel (short for Melvin (masculine) or Melanie/Melissa (feminine))
  • Meredith
  • Merle
  • Mickey or Micky (Micki for females)
  • Michael (unisex due to Michael Learned and Michael Steele among others)
  • Mika
  • Mischa (diminutive of the Russian Mikhail for males)
  • Mo
  • Montana
  • Morgan
  • Matt

[edit] N

  • Nicky, Nikkie, Nicki, or Nikki
  • Nicola (masculine in Italian and French, feminine in English and German)
  • Nidhi
  • Nihad (Arabic)
  • Nikita (masculine in Russian and Finnish, feminine in French) (Nakita is an alternate spelling for the name but is typically common amongst females)
  • Noël or Noëlle (French)
  • Nour or Noor (unisex in Arabic)

[edit] P

  • Page/Paige (surname used as a given name for both sexes)
  • Paris
  • Parker
  • Pat (masculine or feminine) is both short for Patrick (masculine) or Patricia (feminine). The gender-ambiguous androgynous nickname was popularized for being unisex in the United States on the television show Saturday Night Live as a character with an undetermined gender. The name Patty (feminine), is also a near-homophone of the dimunitive Paddy (masculine).
  • Payton, Peyton (the former tends to be preferred with boys and the latter girls; however, either could be used for either gender, such as Peyton Manning (male); also Paityn for girls)
  • Pearl (formerly used for males, as in the original first name of American novelist Zane Grey.)
  • Petya/Petja (masculine in Russian and Finnish, feminine in Bulgarian)
  • Perry/Peri
  • Phoenix
  • Praxedes (feminine in origin, as in Saint Praxedes, but not in the case of Práxedes Mateo Sagasta)
  • Pubudu (Sri Lankan given name)

[edit] Q

  • Quinn (surname used as a given name for both sexes)

[edit] R

  • Randy (Randi is feminine in Norwegian)
  • Ray, Rae, or Raye (short for Raymond (masculine) or short feminine form of Raymond) also Rea or Rey
  • Reagan or Regan
  • Regis (masculine: form of Remigius; feminine: form of Regina/Regine)
  • Renée/René (Renée is feminine; René is masculine; both of French origin)
  • Reza (masculine Iranian name; feminine nickname for Theresa)
  • Rhys/Reese/Rees/Reece (Rhys is masculine; Reese has become a generally feminine respelling because of Reese Witherspoon)
  • Ricky or Ricki (short for Richard or Eric (masculine), Erika, Richelle, or Frederika (feminine))
  • Riley, Reilly
  • Robin (variant spelling Robyn is usually feminine, but sometimes masculine, e.g. Robyn Hitchcock)
  • Roni or Ronni Hebrew name—can be masculine or feminine
  • Ronnie or Ronny (short for Ronald (masculine) or Veronica (feminine))
  • Rory ("red king" in Scots/Irish Gaelic (Ruadhrí in Irish, Ruadhridh in Scottish gaelic) (masculine) or short for Lorelai or Aurora (feminine)) or Rori
  • Rowan (masculine form Irish Ruadhán; the feminine Rowan is a botanical name, with a separate etymology from the masculine name derived from Ruadhán)
  • Ryan

[edit] S

  • Sage
  • Sally (short for Salvatore (masculine) or Sarah (feminine))
  • Sam (short for Samuel (masculine), Simon (masculine) or Samantha (feminine))
  • Sami (feminine nickname for Samantha in English usage, masculine in Finland)
  • Sandy (Short for Sandford or Sandra)
  • Sascha/Sacha/Sasha (Саша in Russian)(short for Alexander (masculine) or Alexandra/Alexandria (feminine))
  • Sava (unisex in Finland)
  • Shai (unisex in Hebrew)
  • Shannon/Shanon/Shannen
  • Sharon (unisex in Hebrew)
  • Shawn
  • Shea/Shae/Shay
  • Shell or Shel (e.g. Shel Silverstein)
  • Shelby (now primarily feminine; male: Shelby Whitfield, sportscaster)
  • Shelley (cf. Shelley Berman, Shelley Winters)
  • Shinobu
  • Shirley (now usually feminine; male: Shirley Povich)
  • Sidney/Sydney
  • Simcha (Hebrew name)
  • Simone (masculine in Italian, feminine in English and French)
  • Skyler, Skylar, or Schuyler
  • Sky or Skye
  • Spencer
  • Stacy, Stacey, Staci, Staceigh, or Stacie
  • Stevie (short for Stephen/Steven (masculine) or Stephanie/Stefanie (feminine))

[edit] T

  • Tal (unisex in Hebrew)
  • Tarin/Taran/Taryn
  • Taylor (Tayla is a female spelling used in non-rhotic areas)
  • Teagan
  • Terry (short for Terence/Terrence or Terrell (masculine) or Teresa/Theresa (feminine)) Terri, Teri, Tari
  • Timmy (short for Timothy (masculine) or Timberly (feminine))
  • Tintin, the popular cartoon character, has hundreds of namesakes in Sweden - more than half of them women.
  • Tomomi (can be masculine (pro wrestler Tomomi "Jumbo" Tsuruta) or feminine (singer Tomomi Kahala))
  • Tony (variant spelling Toni is usually feminine, (can also be short for Antonia) - but in Finland Toni is masculine.)
  • Tory or Tori or Torrey (short for Victor or Torrance (masculine) or Victoria (feminine)) (e.g. Tori Spelling (f) or Torii Hunter (m))
  • Tracy or Tracey (form of Thracius (masculine) or short for Teresa/Theresa (feminine)) also Traci, Tracie
  • Tsukasa (Japanese name; typically written 司)
  • Tristan (traditionally masculine, sometimes used by girls in U.S.)

[edit] V

  • Val (Valentine [masculine (Unisex in Finland)] or Valerie, Valentina, Valli [feminine])
  • Valery or Valerie
  • Vanja, which is the Russian nickname for the masculine name Ivan, has in Sweden become a feminine name due to the -a ending.
  • Vivian (Vivien, Vivienne, Vyvyan)
  • Vic (Victor [masculine] or Victoria [feminine])

[edit] W

[edit] Y

[edit] Z

[edit] References

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