Favourite gender-neutral names?

I’m curious, what are your favourite gender-neutral or gender-swapped names and do you prefer them for a boy, girl, or both equally?

Here’s mine…

Aubrey
All girl to me.

August
Appears on both my boy and girl lists, though my preference is definitely as a girl’s name.

Bren
I love it as a standalone name for a boy. Or as a nickname for Brenna (girl) or Brenner (boy).

Devin
Appears on both my boy and girl lists, though my preference is as a boy’s name.

Eden
All girl to me.

Frances / Francis
I love both!

Freddie
Prefer it on a girl as a nickname for Freda, Winifred, Frederica, Elfrida etc. I might be biased though as it’s my nickname!

Gale
All boy to me! Makes me think of Gabe.

Indigo
Love it for a boy! Am so-so on it as a girl’s name.

Jem
All boy to me! Not a fan of Jemma / Jemima / similar names.

Joy
I’d only ever use it as a middle name, but I love it equally for a boy or girl.

Raven
Would probably only use as a middle, but another I like equally for a boy or girl.

River
Appears on both my boy and girl lists. Though my preference is definitely as a girl’s name - mostly from watching Firefly!

Skye
First name for a girl, or middle for a boy.

Sunshine
Adore this as a middle name for a boy or a girl.

Valentine
Also adore this as a middle for a boy or a girl.

Vivian
One of my favourite boys’ names. Strongly dislike as a girl’s name. Go figure!

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Some of mine that I like on any gender:

[name_u]Everett[/name_u]
[name_u]Merritt[/name_u]
[name_u]Quincey[/name_u]
Forrest/Forest
[name_u]Kit[/name_u]
[name_u]Indigo[/name_u]
[name_u]Cass[/name_u]
[name_m]Naren[/name_m]
[name_u]Jude[/name_u]
[name_u]Onyx[/name_u]
[name_u]Sol[/name_u]
[name_u]Pasha[/name_u]
[name_u]Tay[/name_u]

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I love [name_u]Merit[/name_u] (prefer this spelling), [name_u]Forest[/name_u], and [name_u]Indigo[/name_u] for boys :smiley:

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Some which I love

[name_u]Ash[/name_u]
[name_u]Greer[/name_u]
[name_u]Merritt[/name_u]
[name_u]Pax[/name_u]
[name_u]Quinn[/name_u]
[name_u]Sasha[/name_u]
[name_u]Shiloh[/name_u]
[name_u]Sidney[/name_u] / [name_u]Sydney[/name_u]
[name_u]Spencer[/name_u]

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i love freddie for a girl!! especially as a nickname for winifred! that’s so sweet :white_heart:
here are some of my favourites, though they’re mostly nature names :sweat_smile:

jasper
riley
ivy
willow
blair
briar
clover
fern
ryan
bailey
joy
casper
lavender
cass
wilde
river
poem
poet
jules
beck
hazel
wren
lark
kit
scout
finch
sage
autumn

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So many for girls but I’ll share the ones I love equally for all genders.

[name_u]Spencer[/name_u]
[name_u]Logan[/name_u]
[name_u]Reed[/name_u]
[name_u]Elliot[/name_u]
[name_u]Gray[/name_u]
[name_u]Everett[/name_u]

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[name_u]Morgan[/name_u]- it feel fully neutral to me but I do prefer it for a boy as it feels less expected but also is a great “true neutral” for folks looking for names without a ton of gendered baggage.

[name_u]Rowan[/name_u]- neutral! I like it for all genders

[name_u]Wren[/name_u]- this leans femme for me but I could like it for a boy too but probably paired with a more traditionally masc name

[name_u]Ashley[/name_u]- boring and overused for girls, fresh and cute for boys! Might want to avoid for enby folks who don’t want gendered assumptions

[name_u]Raven[/name_u]- [name_u]Love[/name_u]! [name_u]True[/name_u] neutral, a little goth but not so edgy as to be unusable

[name_u]Callahan[/name_u]- this treads into surname as first name territory and I prefer it as a femme name but could easily work for any gender

[name_u]Murphy[/name_u]- traditionally would read more masc so of course I prefer it for girls lol. Def works for any gender though

[name_u]Sawyer[/name_u]- Same as [name_u]Murphy[/name_u]

[name_f]Blythe[/name_f]- traditionally a feminine name but the sound is very neutral and I love it as a middle for masc names

[name_u]Ash[/name_u]- true neutral but a little unfinished

[name_u]Sage[/name_u]- true neutral, perfect for any gender, familiar but not super common love as a first or middle

[name_u]Briar[/name_u]- same as [name_u]Sage[/name_u]

[name_u]Forest[/name_u]- tends to be used a little more for boys but good for any gender, forests are greater than any human gender

Cypress/Cedar/Moss/Kestrel- a little bit more “out there” but because of that they don’t really have any gendered associations yet. Good for any gender

[name_u]Lark[/name_u]- leans femme but I think it’s fun and cute for any gender. I think [name_u]Larkspur[/name_u] for a middle is nice

[name_u]Juniper[/name_u]- used slightly more for girls but I love it for any gender and has nn like [name_f]Juno[/name_f] or [name_u]Perry[/name_u]

[name_u]Frankie[/name_u]- prefer as a nickname for girls

[name_u]Haven[/name_u]- tends to lean femme but I think it could be interesting for a neutral name

[name_u]Riley[/name_u]- true neutral works for any gender though I prefer it slightly for girls. spunky but popular

[name_u]Wilder[/name_u]- neutral! good for any gender, feels like it falls into the “neutral nature names category”

[name_u]Indigo[/name_u]- love as true neutral perfect for folks who don’t want gendered assumptions for their names

[name_u]Valor[/name_u]- prefer for a boy as most of the virtue names seems to already be claimed as femme names

[name_u]Peregrine[/name_u]- technically works for any gender but I strongly associate it with [name_u]Peregrine[/name_u] “Pippin” Took so it reads as a more masc name to me.

[name_u]Lux[/name_u]- latin word name, definitely is associated more as a femme name but I think it would be cool as middle for any gender

[name_m]Hawthorne[/name_m]- Prefer for boys but it does work for any gender

[name_u]Kit[/name_u]- I prefer it for boys and nonbinary folks- for girls I like a full name like [name_f]Katherine[/name_f]

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[name_u]Morgan[/name_u] (slightly prefer on a girl)
[name_u]Cadence[/name_u] (slightly prefer it on a girl)
[name_u]Avery[/name_u] (prefer on a boy)
[name_u]Wren[/name_u] (both)
[name_u]Dove[/name_u] (both)
[name_u]Riley[/name_u] (slightly prefer on a boy)
[name_u]Jade[/name_u] (both)
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] (both)
[name_u]Sawyer[/name_u] (slightly prefer on a girl)
[name_u]Frankie[/name_u] (prefer on a girl)
[name_u]Lennox[/name_u] (both)
[name_u]June[/name_u] (both)
[name_u]Briar[/name_u] (girl)
[name_u]Shiloh[/name_u] (slightly prefer girl)
Shae/Shay (Shae for girl and [name_u]Shay[/name_u] for boy)
[name_u]Maxwell[/name_u] (both)
[name_u]Banks[/name_u] (both)
[name_u]Colby[/name_u] (both)
[name_u]Kelby[/name_u] (girl)
[name_u]Kelly[/name_u] (slightly prefer boy)

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[name_f]Avis[/name_f]
[name_u]Indigo[/name_u]
[name_u]Raven[/name_u]
[name_u]River[/name_u]
[name_u]Riven[/name_u]
[name_u]Sasha[/name_u]

I tend to prefer them as boy names but I like them on all genders :smiley:

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[name_u]Sasha[/name_u] (prefer for boy)
[name_u]Eden[/name_u] (girl, although I’d love to meet a boy Eden!)
[name_u]Quinn[/name_u] (prefer for a girl)
[name_u]Kit[/name_u] (full name for boy, nickname for girl)
[name_u]Indigo[/name_u] (both)
[name_u]Blake[/name_u] (prefer for a girl)
[name_u]Valentine[/name_u] (as a middle, prefer for boys)

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[name_u]Sloan[/name_u] (boy)
[name_u]Drew[/name_u] (boy)
[name_u]Elliot[/name_u] (boy)
[name_u]James[/name_u] (boy)
[name_u]Arlo[/name_u] (boy)
[name_u]Aubrey[/name_u] (boy)
[name_u]Sam[/name_u] (boy)
[name_u]Jordan[/name_u] (boy)
[name_u]Sawyer[/name_u] (boy)
[name_u]Lennox[/name_u] (boy)

[name_u]Reese[/name_u] (girl)
[name_u]Finley[/name_u] (girl)
[name_u]Morgan[/name_u] (girl)
[name_u]Riley[/name_u] (girl)
[name_u]Emerson[/name_u] (girl)
[name_u]Emery[/name_u] (girl)

[name_u]Avery[/name_u] (both)
[name_u]Charlie[/name_u] (both)
[name_u]Kirby[/name_u] (both)
[name_u]Alex[/name_u] (both)
[name_u]Taylor[/name_u] (both)

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Names I like on both:
[name_m]Anthem[/name_m]
[name_m]Aubade[/name_m]
Blackbird
[name_u]Everest[/name_u]
[name_u]Fable[/name_u]
[name_u]Rain[/name_u]
[name_u]River[/name_u]
Rosebay
Rosefinch
[name_u]Sparrow[/name_u]
[name_u]Valentine[/name_u]
[name_u]Wilde[/name_u]

Names I like more for girls:
[name_u]Briar[/name_u]
[name_u]Bryn[/name_u]
[name_u]Day[/name_u]
[name_u]Dove[/name_u]
[name_u]Ever[/name_u]
[name_f]Evening[/name_f]
[name_f]Everdeen[/name_f]
[name_u]Everly[/name_u]
[name_u]Henley[/name_u]
[name_u]Lake[/name_u]
[name_u]Lane[/name_u]
[name_u]Lark[/name_u]
[name_u]Lyric[/name_u]
[name_u]Monroe[/name_u]
[name_f]Moon[/name_f]
[name_u]Nightingale[/name_u]
[name_u]October[/name_u]
[name_u]Sage[/name_u]
[name_u]Snow[/name_u]
[name_u]Winter[/name_u]
[name_u]Wren[/name_u]

Names I like more boys:
[name_u]Bay[/name_u]
Briarwood
[name_u]Charlie[/name_u]
[name_u]Cove[/name_u]
[name_u]Eden[/name_u]
[name_u]Evergreen[/name_u]
[name_u]Finch[/name_u]
[name_u]Firefly[/name_u]
[name_u]Freddie[/name_u]
[name_u]Kit[/name_u]
[name_u]March[/name_u]
[name_u]Morgan[/name_u]
[name_u]Ocean[/name_u]
[name_u]Peace[/name_u]
[name_u]Poet[/name_u]
[name_u]Robin[/name_u]
[name_u]Rory[/name_u]
[name_u]Riley[/name_u]
[name_m]Rosewood[/name_m]
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u]
[name_u]Sacha[/name_u]
[name_u]True[/name_u]

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[name_f]My[/name_f] personal favorites:

[name_u]Kit[/name_u] - I absolutely adore it for either! But I’m more likely to use it as a standalone name for a boy. A girl would most likely be [name_f]Katharine[/name_f] “Kit”.

[name_u]Hadley[/name_u] & [name_u]Morgan[/name_u] - Perfectly unisex, but I do prefer them for boys.

[name_u]Wren[/name_u] - Like for a girl (though more as a mn), and like as a nn for [name_u]Lawrence[/name_u] for a boy.

[name_f]Blythe[/name_f] - It’s on my list as a mn for both! Slightly leaning towards boy for it, though.

[name_u]Emerson[/name_u] - One of my favorites, but only for a boy.

[name_u]Rory[/name_u] - Generally prefer it for a boy, but I think it’s cute as a nn for a girl, too.

Thoughts on some of your list:

[name_u]Aubrey[/name_u] is perfectly unisex, but it feels fresher on a boy to me.
[name_u]August[/name_u] is all boy.
[name_u]Eden[/name_u] is all girl.
[name_u]Freddy[/name_u] is one of my all-time favorite boy names!
[name_u]Gale[/name_u] is definitely way fresher and cooler on a boy!
[name_f]Joy[/name_f] is 100% girl to me.
And I much prefer [name_u]Valentine[/name_u] for a boy.
[name_u]Vivian[/name_u] is unisex, but I do prefer it for a girl, spelt [name_u]Vivien[/name_u] or [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]. The [name_u]Vyvyan[/name_u] spelling for a boy is really vintage and cool, though.

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Kit is the only one that I love equally on both! I love many others for boys, especially August, Forest, Elliot and River!

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slight means it’s only a slight preference and would be happy to see it on the other gender

Unisex names:

Equal

Like these on both genders:
Sparrow
Kestrel
Sky
Kai
Raven
Valentine
Kit
Quinn (prefer it as a nn for a boy; ex Quinton, Quinlan, Quincy)
Sage
Wilde
Wilder
Storm
Alex (as a nn)
Ashley
Rain
Everest
Everdeen
Evergreen
Winter
Yukon
Tundra
Wildrose
Clover
most nature names
nn Ari, Aurie, Ali, Allie
Lotus
Falcon
Mika
Ariel
Marion
Sydney

Prefer on boy

Unisex names I prefer on a boy
Denali - slight
Ren
Skyler, Skylar - slight
Arwyn
Lazuli
River
Nightingale - slight
Milan
Paris - slight
Persia
Indie
Spencer
Shiloh
Emory
Emery
Emerson
Sawyer
Rylan
Kieran
Ashton
Finley - slight
Riley - slight
Fern
Bailey - slight
Hazel - slight
Scout
Casper
Cass
Finch
Cedar
Forest
Valor
Hawthorne
Quill
Rory
Aquila
Basil
Frost - slight
Ollie (nn) - slight
Willow - slight
Nico
Artemis (I prefer Artemisia on a girl)
Aspen - slight
Kingsley
Reign
Leighton
Onyx - slight
Ember
Rosario
Ridley - slight
Riviera
Laurie
Salem - slight
Koa
Ira
Clare (prefer Claire on a girl)
Atlantis
Florian
Dylan
Ivory - slight
Alair
Dakota
Asa
Cyprus

Prefer on a girl

Unisex names I prefer on a girl:
Kelly / Kelli
Kelsey
Murphy - slight
Avery - slight
Evelyn
August / Augustine
Phoenix
Snow - slight
Sequoia - slight
Marie
Darcy - slight
Lindsay
Shannon
Akira
Sora
Vanya

Gender-swap, prefer on boy
Ivy - slight
Iris - slight
Rose - slight
Lorelei
Avalon
Alifair
Isobel
Olwyn
Elowyn
Eowyn
Anwen
Tauriel
Oriel
Sapphire (only b/c I prefer Saphira on a girl or it would be gender neutral)
Emerald (only b/c I prefer Esmeralda on a girl)
Opal (only b/c I prefer Opaline on a girl)
Olive - slight
Lavender
Ruby
Eve
Ireland

Gender-swap, prefer on girl
Sagan
Zenon
Kazi

^^ I have a few other names mentioned in this link but I don’t really care for those names in general but still have a preference on which gender to use them on

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[name_u]River[/name_u]
It’s unisex but I prefer it on a boy

[name_u]Raven[/name_u]
I can deal with it on either gender but personally, I prefer it for a boy

[name_u]Vivian[/name_u]
I know it’s become a predominate girls name but I absolutely despise it on a girl! Definitely all boy to me!

Loran/Loren
[name_u]Lauren[/name_u] to me, screams girl. [name_m]Loran[/name_m] or [name_u]Loren[/name_u] screams boy!

[name_u]Ashley[/name_u]
All boy to me

[name_u]Courtney[/name_u]
I can see it on either gender but prefer it for a boy

[name_u]Lindsay[/name_u]
Much like every other name I’ve listed thus far, I prefer it on a boy!

Olwyn/Olwen
I know this name can be unisex but I find it hard to envision on a boy

[name_u]Riley[/name_u]
All boy even though I know more girls with the name.

[name_u]Bailey[/name_u]
Definitely only like it for a boy

Winter/Wynter
Such a gorgeous name on ither gender but I think it’s nicer for a boy

[name_f]Ada[/name_f]
Traditionally a female name but I think it fits so much nicer for a boy

Some other unisex names I like (the majority of which I prefer on boys): [name_u]Kelsey[/name_u], [name_u]Kelby[/name_u], [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u], [name_u]Shannon[/name_u], [name_u]Baylor[/name_u], [name_u]Shay[/name_u], [name_u]Tristan[/name_u], [name_u]Ashby[/name_u], [name_u]Rain[/name_u] (like more for a girl), [name_u]Larkin[/name_u], [name_u]Kennedy[/name_u], [name_u]Jade[/name_u], [name_u]Morgan[/name_u], [name_u]Bowie[/name_u], [name_u]Grey[/name_u], [name_u]Fallon[/name_u], [name_u]Spencer[/name_u], [name_u]Page[/name_u], [name_u]Lyric[/name_u], [name_u]Kimberly[/name_u], etc

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